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Very lethargic... seems near death

I feed hatchlings one pinkie every 5 days - I count days rather than go by the day of the week, so they have different feeding days every week. Hope that helps. Three days between feeds is pushing his digestive system a bit. Great news that you got pooped on though! (gosh we're an odd bunch...).

And yes, sorry that there's conflicting info. Sometimes I think there are almost as many ways as keeping Corns as there are Corn keepers! I believe that the Corn Manual mentions a "hot spot" of 90-95 degrees but that isn't the temp you should be trying to get across the entire warm side. Elsewhere in the manual, a general max temp of 88 degrees is mentioned. I don't bother with a hot spot for mine at all.
 
I checked the temps in his cage last night around midnight, after the lamp had been off for several hours and the house thermostat had been lowered for a few hours, and I got 71° on the cool side and 77° on the warm side.
 
Lava you need to get something to control the UTH so that you can steady the warm side temp to between 82-85 degrees. This is important because of a few reasons, if he is sick, he will need more heat than 77 and when it is feeding day next, he will also need the temp to be closer to 85 for digestion.
 
Agreed. 77 is too low for the warm side. You need some way of ensuring that the temps on the warm side, stay warm consistently. UTH + thermostat is the best way I've found of doing that.

Temps on the warm side flip-flopping between 77 and 90 degrees, will be doing your little chap no good at all.

How does he seem today? Is he looking any better?
 
Consistency with slight variances in temperatures, is key. Try to maintain a good 75ish on the cool side and 85ish on the warm side. Consistent 90F temps on the warm side is a bit warm, but I am not convinced that it is killing your snake. As long as you have a way for your snake to cool down, ie a cool side.

I think what you read in the corn snake manual, was to not let the temps exceed 90F. That's when you begin to injure the snake by causing over heating. Also, make sure you are measuring the temp, inside the the substrate, over the UTH. If you are measure 90F over the substrate, then it's a lot hotter in there, than you think. A nominal 85-88F is best!

I would also begin to change the water out more often. Bacteria isn't your snakes friend and will begin to grow rapidly in stale water. Especially if your snake drags any part of it's body into it, that may have contacted any fecal/urate matter. As a rule, once a day!

Cut down on your feeding. A baby snake shouldn't be fed more than every 5-7 days. This is a very good feeding schedule, that will promote good growth.

Hides, Hides, Hides! You can't have too many. I have at least 3 in every tub. Scatter them around, in both the cool side and warm side. Try to get one in the middle as well. Try all different kinds like paper towel tubes, egg cartons, plastic cups, etc.

Good Luck!

Wayne
 
Thanks to all for your concern. I've really been leaving him alone, but he's still alive. It could be my imagination, but I believe his eyes are starting to get cloudy, so hopefully a shed soon.

As far as temps go...

The 90° on top of the substrate was from the lamp, NOT the UTH. Evidenced by the fact that turning the lamp off makes the temps drop to 77°.

What I don't understand is how using a thermostat is going to help anything. Everyone keeps saying I need to get a thermostat, but if the UTH alone isn't warming enough, then why would I want to turn it down?

Further down in the substrate, I get readings more like 85°, so should I just scoop out some of the bedding on that side? Alternatively, I could raise the lamp to drop the warm side by 5° or so.

And as far as the "Your killing him" comment, I can't possibly take grammatically incorrect insults to heart, so it's cool. =)
 
You measure the temperature of the UTH where it touches the *glass*, not on top of the substrate.

I did an experiment once. I put a UTH on a tank, and added 2 inches of substrate. The temperature on *top* of the substrate over the UTH was about room temp, low-mid 70s.
The temperature at the *glass* however? 117 degrees.

THAT is why you need a thermostate. Your snake could burn himself. They like to burrow down to their heat source.
 
Lava how deep is your substrate??? You really do not need it to be very deep, if it is so deep that it is not allowing the tempt to reach a healthy level, then yes do remove some. A good idea is try only having an inch or less and then take the temp on the bottom of the tub or glass (not sure which housing you are using) if they feel like burrowing they will and then it is the temp right there that they will be exposed to. In fact both of the corns we have right now will move the substrate right off of the bottom of the viv and lay directly on the glass. So always take the temp directly on the surface of your viv above the UTH.

Then you will find that your UTH may indeed be heating to a higher temp than the desired 82-85-88 max. Which is why everyone is suggesting a thermostat or a Rheostat (very cheap but more work to stablize the temp with...it is what I am using... cost me approx $11 at a hardware store for a plug in table top lamp dimmer [Rheostat]).


Hope this helps.
 
UTH's fluctuate with your rooms ambient temps. So somtimes those fluctuations get too hot and other times too cool hence your flucuating temps now. A thermostat stops huge flucuations keping it between 80-85 where it should be. If you use your temp gun on the UTH itself those are the accurate temps, not on the substrate as mentioned.

So yes get a thermostat and silicone the probe on the bottom of your tank above the UTH to avoid burns and huge temp flucuations. I use about an inch of substrate so the corns can burrow to be warmer or not, but they need the choice to properly digest and maintain their internal temps:)
 
OK, guys, time for an update.

My son and I were Cub Scout camping for the weekend. When we came back, he had shed! And his behavior is COMPLETELY back to normal. When I tried to pick him up, he was jumpy, like he's always been when he's hungry. (It's been 6 days.) Fed him with no issues, and his color is completely back on his belly scales.

Now, as for temps... I bought a rheostat* to connect to the UTH. I measured the full-on temp at the glass as ~110°. So when everyone is saying 88°, I should be measuring that ON the glass itself? What should it be on top of the substrate, or does that even matter?

*Actually, I bought an outlet-to-lamp-socked adapter, a lamp dimmer, and a lamp-socket-to-outlet adapter that I have the heater plugged in to. =)
 
Hot temps should be mid 80's. That should be the hottest point that the snake can touch, so that would be ...on the glass ...above the UTH but under the bedding.
 
top of the substrate does not matter. It's the temp at the glass. Your snake will happily plaster himself to the glass right over the UTH, especially if he has both a hide AND substrate to burrow under.
 
Thanks. Also, before anyone asks, I have a fully intact skin, including both spectacles. Now, I was wondering... I measured this skin at 20 inches, but last week, he was straightened out in his viv, and I only got 16". Does the skin stretch when it's shed, or is he really 20" and my measurement last week was wrong?
 
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