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basking

cj_corns789

cj_corns789

New member
i never see my snakes bask or even attemp to get warmed up. and when i take him out hes not cold but hes not warm so how can i try and get him to warm up.

i tried putting a heat mat under his favorite hide but then he will just move to anothe hise and avoide it.
 
Why do you think he needs to be warmer? If he has a spot to warm up but isnt using it then he is probably warm enough. Give him some options and then let him choose for himself. He will be happier that way. My snake seems to prefer to be 'cold' most of the time, she only sits in the hot side after eating. Personal preference I guess.
 
If he isn't using the warm spot its probably too warm. If it wasn't warm enough, he would most likely never leave the warm area.

Get your enclosure to have two sides, one at 82-85 using an undertank heater or light, the other side room temp. Use a thermometer and once the warm side is 82-84 just leave it alone. The snake will go where he wants too.

Good luck
bmm
 
I have noticed that some snakes will always seem to stay in the colder side of the cage. These also seem to have a much slower metabolism and growth rate because of the cooler temps. I'm not sure if it is the naturally lower metabolism that makes them prefer the cold side, or if it is the cold that gives them the lower metabolism. Regardless, the result was for my case that they just don't grow as fast as the other snakes. I always wondered if it would be better to increase the temperature on the cold side to around 80 degrees to see if you could force them to have a higher metabolism this way. Has anyone else tried anything like this?
Mark
 
moreptiles said:
I'm not sure if it is the naturally lower metabolism that makes them prefer the cold side, or if it is the cold that gives them the lower metabolism. Mark
Click to expand...

Hey Mark,
From what I've been taught, it is the cold side that gives them the lower metabolism. We did some studies on why animals would seem to prefer to choose an area which would induce lower metabolisms and concluded that it was a natural instinct in order to conserve energy. Maybe this has been built into snakes so that in the wild they can make the most out of minimal food resources. Our studies were not done on snakes so this is only a suggestion. The most prominent fact to back these studies is that many animals (zooplankton especially) will vertically migrate to colder environments when food resources are scarce in order to lower metabolisms.

HTH
 
Well you did say he didn't feel warm, but he didn't feel cold either. THat's probably fine, since a person's body temperature should be taken into consideration. If he felt very hot or very cold to your touch, that would be abnormal.
 
Codes

This may be a stupid question to ask, but what are numbersthat are used next to the type of snake you have? Sorry to use you as an example Rachel, but these are yours ...

1.0 Normal (?) ~ Pretzel
0.1 Ghost ~ Macy (missing in action!)
0.1 Amel stripe ~ Noodle
1.0 Reverse motley ghost ~ Sid

Can you tell me what they mean?

Thanks
 
Re: Codes

Mayte2 said:
This may be a stupid question to ask, but what are numbersthat are used next to the type of snake you have? Sorry to use you as an example Rachel, but these are yours ...

1.0 Normal (?) ~ Pretzel
0.1 Ghost ~ Macy (missing in action!)
0.1 Amel stripe ~ Noodle
1.0 Reverse motley ghost ~ Sid

Can you tell me what they mean?

Thanks
Click to expand...
It stands for the gender of the snakes:
Male.female.unsexed

Rachel has:
1 normal male
1 ghost female
1 amel stripe female
1 reverse motley ghost male

If there are just 2 numbers, then it just signifies male and female.
 
You know, I was just considering asking this same original question in a new posting. Guess I did right by reading some of these posts first.

Anyway, my 3 month old baby corn seems to be avoiding the hot side of the tank as often as possible, only after she eats will she curl up under her hide in the hot area. My temp. usually stays at 86*F, as opposed to the pet shop owner who advised me to keep it at high 90s!!! I think that'd be too hot, especially because I have read books on the care for these corns. But do correct me if I am wrong.

My snake seems to be doing fine, she has a 20G tank, and is free to move anywhere she feels like it. Most of the time, she hangs out in the cool side. However, the pet shop owner also told me to get an infrared heat bulb, because these are what corns require instead of the basking heat bulb. Is this true?
 
I think that some people use the infared heat bulb so that they can leave the heat on at night as well as during the day. I think that most of the people on this site have too many corns to use bulbs at all. Most of us use undertank heaters because it is cheaper to run them, but just as effective as heat lamps/bulbs. Undertank heaters also have the advantage of not being so drying to the snakes!
 
While on the subject of heating ....

Has anyone found a good way of reflecting some of the heat that escapes through the bottom of the heat mat back up into the tank?
 
Kitchen tinfoil. Just ensure that the metal part of the mat cannot come into contact with the foil. If you have any holes in the plastic coating (caused by tacks when you used it for a rack, maybe;) )then you run the risk of it shorting out. A layer of polystyrene foam, a layer of silverfoil and then the tank is best. Most people also seem to recommend placing the tank on four or more seperators so that there is 2-3mm of clearance between the tank bottom and the heatmat, to lower the chance of burns or cracking the tank. However if you are using a matstat then I cant really see this being neccesary.
 
i use the red bulb for night it seems to work ok just incase they get cold they can warm up in the mid of might.
 
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ok I just caught up with the gossip. First...My baby would rather bask in the coldest spot it can find. Usually in the crack between the tank and the screen. (It is even funnier to see it do it with a full belly) Second....I keep my tank at 70-80 on the cold side and 80-90 on the warm side. It varies due to outside temps. I have one of those snakes that only suns itself before and after meals that is how I tell when he is ready to eat.

Next I have found that you should not rely on pet store owners to give you correct info. Rather than listen to them come here and get what you need. These guys have helped me tremendously.

Good Luck
 
Maiden,

Temps:

Based on the temps you posted, the tank may be a little warm. Try to keep the warm side below 83-84. If the warm-side is around 90 and the cool-side is around 80, then it is possible that the snake is too warm and prefers the 80-ish area. The purpose for establishing a thermo-gradient is so the snake can adjust the temp as comfort demands.

Substrates and heat:

I think I remember you stating once that you were using Calci-sand as a substrate. Sand retains heat and can get quite warm (and stay warm), especially under a heat lamp. (Anyone that has Bearded Dragons can testify to the heat retention of sand under a basking bulb.) This could explain why your guy is climbing high and camping out near the screen lid. If the temps are around 90 under the lamp, then the hot sand would be extremely uncomfortable on the snake's belly.

Obviously, I am offering these suggestions based entirely off of your post. They were just some random thoughts that came to mind and I could be way off. Just something for you to think about. :)
 
DUDE I forgot that sands retains heat. Thanks for reminding me of that. I will use my lamp less often then. I am going to change my substrate soon. (within the next two feedings)

Thanks CAV
 
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