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Heat Pads and Lighting Questions for a novice

U

upton18

New member
Hello all, I'm getting my first corn snake in a few weeks, but while doing my research, I've stumbled upon a few questions that I need answered before I go about getting my corn snake. Thanks in advance!

- My first question is heat pads. I understand that they can get as hot as 100 degrees Farrenheit and the last thing I want to do is burn the snake. Are there heat pads that have thermostats were you can regulate the temperature or do I just need to put enough substrate down were the snake won't burn itself?

- Secondly, when it comes to lighting. I know that I should get a light that the snake can bask in during the day, but what about at night? I know about the infrared bulbs that you can use at night to regulate the temperature, but is this needed? Also, when should the light be completely turned off, meaning do i need a light to be on 24 hours a day, is this needed as well? I know these sound like stupid questions, but I'm new to all of this and my biggest concern is keeping my snake comfortable and safe.

- Lastly, humidity. From my readings I understand that the humidity the snakes are comfortable in are between 30% and 50%, is this correct? Mind you that I live in a basement apartment where its pretty cool with the central air on during the summer and it stays pretty cool during the winter (I live in Chicago if that helps) so feels like its always dry, any suggestions?

Once again, thank you for any advice/help that you give me. I know this is a lot, but I understand pretty much everything else in caring for a corn snake except for these questions. Thanks again! - Jeremy
 
first off, welcome!

you need to have a thermostat to regulate the heat and a thermometer to monitor it, I have my thermometer probe directly on the glass in the center of the heat pad area.
I keep it between 79-84F.

lighting is not needed, definitely not for "basking"like a lizard may need.
I have a light, a cfl red bulb strictly for me to view my snake at any time I want without bothering her...I chose a cfl for it to not produce excessive heat yet provide light...I leave it on 24/7.

my humidity is normally around 10-20, I mist some water when I see she is in blue to help with the shedding, I try to keep it around 50 at that point, she has yet to have problem shedding.

I am no pro, this is what I do and it has worked perfect for me for the 9 months I have been raising my 1st corn...just picked up my number 2 corn today!!!

glad you are researching before getting your first snake, that's what I did, and found this site while researching and learned a lot.
 
Agreed.

You control heat pads with a thermostat which you need to buy separately. You're right that they get dangerously hot for Corns without a thermostat.

You don't need to use a light at all. As above, Corns don't bask. In the wild they're active at dawn, dusk and overnight, avoiding bright light. If you use a light, you risk seeing even less of them than usual! As long as you have natural light to the room where you keep them, they need no artificial light at all.

Any light you do use will be entirely for your benefit. I'd recommend something that gives out as little heat as possible so that you don't skew the careful settings of your mat/thermostat combo. Ordinary domestic bulbs and even flourescent tubes can get hot enough to burn a human (I've done myself on both!), so try and avoid those.

You'll probably not find humidity an issue. I live in the UK and have the central heating on probably 4-5 months a year. I don't do anything to increase humidity and rarely have a problem with shedding (which would be the only issue with low humidity). If you're worried, you can put a humid hide in with the snake when they go "blue" just before they shed. They can then choose whether they need to use it or not. I'm always wary of misting, as that increases humidity in the entire tank and the snake can't escape from it if necessary.
 
thank you so much to both of you for you're insightful answers. completely helped me out and i am now understanding all of this better. thanks!
 
Just to add in to what the others said about regulating the UTH.

You can also use a dimmer. Go to Walmart and buy a lamp dimmer, plug the UTH into it. THis will allow you to control how much power is going to the UTH and adjust the temps. (also cheaper than a thermostat) You will however need a thermometer with a probe. THe probe goes ON THE GLASS under the substrate, in the middle of the UTH, basically the closest your snake could get to the UTH and that's where you wanna measure the temps.

Best advice I've heard is get your setup a week or so before you get your snake, set it all up, and that gives you a chance to adjust the temps and iron out any "kinks"
 
Cattsy said:
Just to add in to what the others said about regulating the UTH.

THe probe goes ON THE GLASS under the substrate, in the middle of the UTH, basically the closest your snake could get to the UTH and that's where you wanna measure the temps.
Click to expand...

Do you just lay the probe on the glass? Does the snake end of moving it any? My thermostat can with a suction cup I can put on the probe, but I think it would make the probe too far from the glass.
 
Do you just lay the probe on the glass? Does the snake end of moving it any? My thermostat can with a suction cup I can put on the probe, but I think it would make the probe too far from the glass.
Click to expand...
I usually anchor mine in place with a blob of BluTak. It gets knocked or dries out occasionally and as to be replaced regularly, but it doesn't stick to the snake.
 
This is why I was asking...
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Here's my temporary solution. Note: it is only taped on the side glass. I didn't not put any on the bottom as it is right over the UTH.
90c5ba65.jpg
 
I use clear packaging tape to tape the probes down to the bottom, and along the sides to keep it tidy...never lifts up until you pull it up. just be sure to press it all around the wire/probe so the snake can't get under it. as long as the glass is clean when you put the tape on, it won't lift.
 
I thought I might add. Some may disagree with me but this is what I do. I use a UTH and heat lamp combo. In the summer I only use the UTH. But my house gets cold in the winter and my room where I keep my snakes stay on the chilly side. When I got my first corn snake everyone told me just to use the UTH, that it would be enough. But during my first winter as a snake owner my snake stayed under the hide on top of the UTH and would never come out! That is when I went against what everyone told me and got a heat lamp anyway. At first I used the red bulb which my snake didn't like. Every time I turned it on when it was dark in my room the snake would hide. So I got a blue (moonlight night glo) bulb which doesn't get as hot as the red one and my snake liked it just fine! I can leave it on full power (have a dimmer on it) and it doesn't make the air hotter than 75 degrees fahrenheit. After doing this my snake started coming out of her warm hide and crawling around on her vines and staying in different hides like she did during the summer. So I think depending on how your room temps are in the winter you may need a lamp for those chilly months.
 
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