2 questions: heating lamp and hyper activity

[toofDocta]

so, i went to a local pet store today and the manager started talking with me about snakes and specifically MY corn snake (which I didn't buy from that store)... he said 2 things that I'm not sure how accurate they are.

first, he said I must have a heating lamp to control the temperature of the AIR in the tank cause the UTH by itself is not sufficient...

secondly, my baby corn (around 6-8 wks old) is so hyper when he's in my hands... he just won't stay still; he's constantly slithering around trying to get off of my hand (that's why I was considering a boa for next snake cause they hold tight). The manager dude said that this behavior depends on each snake's individual personality (not so much of the species) and that my snake will NOT get any calmer when he grows...

I'm not so sure if what he said is accurate... what do you guys think? do I need a heating lamp? will my snake always be that restless?

 

[Kazarus]

It's the belly temp that is important. It really helps with digestion. So UTH is much better. Or a heat cable or flexwatt. Either way, being underneath the viv is best.

Heat lamps work too, but aren't necessary if an UTH is being used.

And as far as personality goes, he was right to say each has their own unique personality . Like humans, each will be different. However, corns are almost always hyper like that when they're small, and almost always calm down as they get older.

I'd say you have nothing to worry about. And I voted.

 

[doortech9]

Do you need a heating lamp? No. Many people use only an under tank heater and have great success keeping corn snakes. Your snake is not floating about in the air, is he? Heating the substrate works quite well enough.

Will your snake always be as restless as it is? Not completely sure, but probably not. Hatchlings, being a tiny fraction of your size, have a natural instinct to avoid large animals hovering above them.

As time passes, you can condition your snake to view you as harmless, with regular handling. Not all corns turn into a piece of rope though, some have attitude and some don't. Being individual, unique animals is what makes them interesting.

I wouldn't take everything this fellow says to heart, he seems to be full of something

 

[Filardimarg2]

It only seems a few days ago that i put on a thread about my baby corn being so fast & never staying still, (i have only had him about 2 weeks & he is very young too) but he has calmed down so much with gentle & frequent handling. He is almost like a different snake now & that is in 2 weeks.
Marg.

 

[Nanci]

You forgot

Heating lamps are unnecessary and a fire hazard!

 

[toofDocta]

Yea, I think I forgot.

So, odds are, when my baby corn grows, he'll be more chill? Will he just like squeeze my arm and hang on to it? (that's what I noticed the Columbian Boa's do). Will he be more content hanging on me, instead of trying to discover the floor?

Thanks everyone

 

[Nanci]

I don't have a lot of corns that hang on. They sometimes like to sit around my neck. They still like to get down and explore, though. Kingsnakes hang on! Kingsnakes tie themselves in knots when there is nothing to hang on to! Your snake will almost definitely be more chill. Some like to just lay around, some are more active.

 

[bitsy]

My view is that you only need to heat the air in the tank if your Corn sprouts wings or starts to levitate. You need to heat the place where the Corn is i.e. ground level. Even if there are climbing branches that extend upwards, as long as the snake has a warm spot on the floor to retreat to, that's fine.

As for being jumpy, well, hatchlings always are. You can't tell what an adult's behaviour will be like from the way it behaves as a babe, otherwise all adult Corns would be raving nutjobs.

True, some don't calm down, but these are very much the minority. Some take longer than others to calm down. My bet is that yours will gain in confidence and relax over the next few months, just like the majority of Corns do.

I think manager dude shuld be avoided from now on.

 

[measley]

Yea, I think I forgot.

So, odds are, when my baby corn grows, he'll be more chill? Will he just like squeeze my arm and hang on to it? (that's what I noticed the Columbian Boa's do). Will he be more content hanging on me, instead of trying to discover the floor?

Thanks everyone

I think everyone else has got it covered, just wanted to make sure you know though, if you are thinking of getting a columbian boa for your next snake, they are really cool snakes but colombian boas can get to over 6 feet, or much longer.

 

[Chip]

Good post, Bitsy.

My view is that you only need to heat the air in the tank if your Corn sprouts wings or starts to levitate. You need to heat the place where the Corn is i.e. ground level. Even if there are climbing branches that extend upwards, as long as the snake has a warm spot on the floor to retreat to, that's fine.

I agree to an extent. In a cool room or marginally heated area during winter months, lamps can really help. I only use them for lizards that require them, that said. As for fire hazard (mentioned earlier, not by you), all heating has an element of risk. I've had a fire from a manufactured UTH, and my good friend Clay Davenport has had one from Flexwatt.

As for being jumpy, well, hatchlings always are. You can't tell what an adult's behaviour will be like from the way it behaves as a babe, otherwise all adult Corns would be raving nutjobs.

I agree 98% on this one. Once a year or so (when I was producing 500+ babies), I'd get that hatchling that was downright evil. I posted a pic here of one biting my hand as hard and twisting as it could a few years back, that snake and others with its disposition, were nearly un-tamable. I usually turned those loose.

True, some don't calm down, but these are very much the minority. Some take longer than others to calm down. My bet is that yours will gain in confidence and relax over the next few months, just like the majority of Corns do.

Yeah, I don't even really handle mine much before year one except to clean cages. They never "like" it and seem to be just as easily handled as adults without the early fuss. When I have a "special" project, I sometimes can't keep my hands off of it, but the okees, gbks, L.t.g.s, Trans-Pecos, bulls, etc. I mostly leave alone until they have some heft.

I think manager dude shuld be avoided from now on.

Yeh, he should at least have his suggestions taken with a grain of salt. I tend to think he was trying to sell a light and fixture. But perhaps he'd heard that, and was simply regurgitating information, trying to help. But all our thread starter needs to do is go into the snake room of anyone with a large collection and count the lights he runs for them. It'll probably be zero.

 

[Nanci]

The reason I say heat lamps are a fire hazard, more so than other electrical items, is because they can fall down or tip over and start a fire, or be set down carelessly and start a fire. We've seen several instances of that here.

 

[PJ@PJCReptiles]

First off, I did NOT read everyone's reply before posting, so keep that in mind please.

When it comes to snakes, not lizards, a heat lamp is not usually needed if you have UTH so any sort. (UTH pads, heat cables, or flexwatt heating) If you use glass tanks as housing, which we do for a small number of our animals, we will wrap and cover the screen top in the fall thru the winter to help with the drafts and to maintain ambient heats. You live in Texas so you would have to use your own judement on that one. Keep in mind that corns are more tolerate of lower temperatures than many other snakes will be! PROPER heat is needed for good digestion and health in all reptiles.

As for your baby corn being very active, that is normal. Most are that way, some do "jump" too and there are others that seem to acclimate to human handling real fast. Much like Measley's baby has. The more you handle him/her gently, the quicker it should settle down. They are snakes, not lap doggies! Snakes like to crawl and check out life, after all they live in a much smaller area in captivity than in the wild. Give your baby time and love and time will tell. We do have a few, mainly males, that seem to be way out there and need about 10 minutes of thinking they are running away fast through my hands until they settle down some. They are not the best candidates for a young person to be handling because they are so fast and active. But most are not that way. Some babies take longer to settle in than others so dont give up.

You are thinking about a boa? Whole different ball game with those animals. They have completely different heating and humidity needs than any corn does. Holding on tight, not always so either. I have a several boas that have been handle since about 8 weeks of age and they have no idea that they should be hanging on to me! I have never given them any reason to "hold on". I have always handled them with love and respect that they think I am just extension of them I guess. As some of them have gotten to the 7 foot+ range, yes, they do seem to hold me more then me holding them. They know they are big animals so I think they hold on when they need to. I have two big girls that are over 6 and 7 feet long and weight in at 15 to 25 pounds and they never hold on to me. And it is getting hard for me to handle them alone when they first come out because they too want to crawl around but then settle right now and will be a lap dog with me. But that's because we have a bond of trust and they seem to know what's up when they are out for some fresh air, exercise, and love time. They know the difference between that time and feed time as well. Like someone else said, they can get BIG! Not all boas get over 6 feet long but some get over 9feet as well. Do you research before you get a boa please. I have had to take in and rehome so many big boas because they look so cute as babies but grew up fast and people got freaked out and didnt handle them anymore and things went down hill fast from there.

Sorry for ranting. Good luck with your baby corn. It will be just fine, you will see.

PJ :wavey:

 

[v_various]

My living room is a drafty, cool room in the winter. I bought Amel Boy a ceramic heat lamp (In addition to his UTH). How it works is the "bulb" is made of ceramic and doesn't give off any light - so it doesn't bug him at all.

My other two, in my bedroom, don't need any extra heat. It's up to you, if you really feel you need it, but most people don't.

Everyone has already told you your snake will probably calm down. I see such a personality difference between my two corns, it's really amazing.

 

[Chip]

I dug up a picture of the aftermath of my UTH fire. Sadly, I had six beautiful beardie juveniles in this tank.

 

[v_various]

What happened?! Was it a thermostat malfunction? That scares me now...

 

[Nanci]

So Chip, could anything have prevented that fire?

 

[Chip]

I really don't know. It was a low wattage heater, should never have been able to get warm enough to cause ANY problem. I had one thin reptile carpet on the bottom, just like I've set up on dozens of tanks with that heater. Just a freak thing, I believe.

 

[PJ@PJCReptiles]

Those things can happen, BUT they are preventable as well. If there is no ventilation for the UTH, it will get much hotter. If you have no idea just how hot it is inside that tank just above the UTH, how will you know if the UTH is malfunctioning? Without any temperature control, you are just asking for problems eventually.

So consider doing this in the future:
1. Raise your tank for ventilation of the heat being given off from the UTH.
2. Use a thermometer so you KNOW what the temps are on inside of tank above the UTH.
3. Use a rheostat to control just how HOT that UTH is getting.

Most UTHs can reach temperatures of up to 120 degrees! You have to use safety precaution with any heating and light device. Especially with live animals and children in the home.

Hope this helps you understand what happened with your tank/UTH/and the lose of your beardies.

PJ :wavey:

 

[Chip]

FWIW, I had a thermometer and probe right on the pad. It never got over 104 to memory. And I used a thermostat, though the sensor for it was was under the lamp which was off at the time of the fire. Like I said, I've set literally dozens up just like this, often (usually) without a thermostat. This one simply malfunctioned.

 

[v_various]

ah, so it was the thermostat then? I really don't like those things, I've heard of them malfunctioning before. I just use a rehostat, and an 8 watt pad (hardly enough to cause damage), and lots of air flow under the tank.

Nanci is probably right about the lamp fire hazzard, but mine is in a very stable set up in a zero traffic area (corner of the living room). I also live in a house with no children or other animals, so there is nothing to knock it over...I'm comfortable with the safety, but would probably reconsider if I lived with a rowdy cat or something.