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A couple concerns...

I

imstock

New member
First, allow me to preface; I am not completely new to snakes but I am new to personally owning one. A childhood friend of mine owned a Ball Python (similar in nature to Corns?) so I understand the nature of a constrictor. My wife is also a certified Vet Tech, so she is knowledgeable about the health side. But overall, neither of us are as knowledgeable as I would like about our new pet.

Moe was given to us by a friend of my wife when they moved to Texas a little over a month ago. They have owned him for about a year, and the petstore swore he was a year old when they got him. Along with Moe, they gave us his 20 gallon long, a mesh cover (which he escapes from regularly), a defunct heat lamp (they had a halogen bulb which emits no warmth), his water dish, a small hide, a faux plant, some bedding and three frozen mice (fuzzies?)

I have since swapped the bulb from the useless halogen bulb to a 60watt Zoo Med Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb. This brought the temperature (measured at the bedding) up from an ambient 72-75 to 78-80 degrees. Now, I am aware that Corn snakes dont need heat lamps, but according to my wifes understanding a heat source such as a hot rock in the cage can cause health issues with snakes; and I have read that Corn's burrow to find cooler temps so an under the tank would disrupt their natural tendencies. Is this true?

Also, can you overfeed a snake, or will they simply stop eating when they are full? We were told to feed Moe once a week. But when he was shedding I fed him two fuzzies as they were slightly smaller then his previous brand, and he eagerly ate them both and passed them without trouble. Should I up him to something larger and see if he can digest it or keep with the smaller mice at one per week?

I dont trust the local shops, as they are often dismissive of questions and concerns, so I appreciate your help in my new found fun...
 
You can put the UTH (under tank heater) on the side of the tank. We have done that and it works well. You will need to regulate the output, however, using some kind of thermostat. There's a post on here somewhere on how to wire in a simple dimmer switch to accomplish that. That prevents the glass from getting too hot and the snake burning himself. We only use a heat lamp (red bulb) in the winter at night, because the house temp can drop to 65 and I don't like the snakes getting that cold.

As far as feeding goes, it depends more on the weight of the snake. The Munson Plan is what we go by, and it's also posted on here somewhere (sorry not to be more specific, but I believe the Search function will find it pretty easily). We have one one-year-old that's pretty small and eats 2 pinkies every 4-5 days, and another one who's much bigger and gets a big fuzzy once a week. So the answer is...it depends!

There's lots to learn here, but sounds like you're off to a good start!

Lesley
 
If you keep your house comfortably between 75 and 80 degrees no heat source is needed. A good size water dish will suffice for humidity. And a hide is all you need.. One mouse every 10 to 14 days should suffice for the age of your snake..
 
Snakes _do_ burrow under things for heat, also. For instance a piece of tin or asphalt shingle absorbs sunlight and keeps snakes warm.

Yes you can overfeed a snake. At best, it will get fat. At worst, it will regurge the meal. Feeding too large a meal will cause regurgitation. Feeding too frequently will cause the snake to get fat. A yearling snake is unlikely to get fat, though, because it is still growing rapidly.
 
Is there a problem running a blue bulb during the day and switching it off at night? We keep our apartment between 73-75 degrees, and I regulate the tank at 80.

I am not sure how to accomplish a cool side though, the lamp is on one side and the thermometer on the other, perhaps i should test the temp under the lamp just in case. I am simply going off what I was told by the previous owner... le sigh.:confused:
 
lamps can burn and corns don`t like bright light. An undertank heater on one side is all you need, just moniter it.. i guess you like to keep your apt. cool...LOL.. shiver me timbers...
 
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