It has become quite obvious to me that my corn snake prefers the dark-light heat lamp over the bright light. Are there specific requirements for the hours that he should be exposed to the bright lamp each day? The dark lamp seems to be keeping the tank equally warm, so is it an issue if I allow him to stay in the dark more often than the light? I've only had him for a month, so I'm new at this yet. Any advice/suggestions would be helpful.
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bright/dark heat lamp hours
- Thread starter schloeda
- Start date
Karl_Mcknight
Common Sense Holder
actually most of us do not use heat lamps. An "Under Tank Heat Pad" (UTH) is preferred for corn snakes.
Some of us do provide a daylight simulation light (about 12 hours day and 12 hours night) to keep the snake's metabolism running the same. But the light is usually for Day/Night orientation rather than heat.
There are some folks that heat with a lamp, but of course if you turn it off, there goes the heat. Unless you use also use a "Non Lighting" type lamp or ceramic bulb...etc... In which case I would still recommend 12 hours light and 12 hours dark.
Some of us do provide a daylight simulation light (about 12 hours day and 12 hours night) to keep the snake's metabolism running the same. But the light is usually for Day/Night orientation rather than heat.
There are some folks that heat with a lamp, but of course if you turn it off, there goes the heat. Unless you use also use a "Non Lighting" type lamp or ceramic bulb...etc... In which case I would still recommend 12 hours light and 12 hours dark.
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Thank you, I have been looking up as much as I can online and have officially learned that I did not know as much as I thought I did about proper corn snake environments. I got him and what I was told was a good habitat at a pet store that will remain unnamed, and I am surprised that they didn't at least tell me about the heat pads. I do plan to get one soon- at the moment, the lamps have been good as far as maintaining temperature. So, if I get the floor heater, would it be safe to assume that I could use a regular bulb in the day lamp (which would be slightly less harshly bright than the heat bulb)?
Karl_Mcknight
Common Sense Holder
any light source (bulb, LED, etc...) also produces heat. Some more than others.
If you are providing a light source, you want one that mimics daylight (has the spectrum of daylight and not just an ordinary household light bulb). You'll want to put it on a timer so as to turn on and off providing about 12 hours simulated day and night. If it's not on a timer, you'll have to do this yourself. And since all light sources produce heat, you'll have to mount the light far enough away from the Cage so that you light it up but do not add excessive heat to the cage.
The heat pad goes under the glass bottom of the cage. Most of these heat pads do not come with thermostats. If you simply plug it in, it heats up to about 115 degrees which is too hot for a corn snake. So you will also need a thermostat to regulate the heat. You want to measure the heat directly over the pad on the bottom glass of the cage. The heat should be somewhere in the 82 to 88 degree range. Most of us shoot for about 85 degrees. The light source you provide may add additional heat so I would recommend you measure the heat pad without the light and with the light. It might take a while to get everything regulated. (I managed to get mine set right in about 3 hours).
With the light off, I maintain a Hot side temp of 84 degrees and a cool side temp of about 74 degrees. With the light on my temps are 86 and 77.
If you want to, you can go to my Profile Page and there are a few pictures of my setup. I think you can see the light hanging above the cage. It's nothing fancy but it is on a 12 hour timer and it's a "Full Spectrum" type light that I got from a local pet shop for Reptile Lighting.
If you are providing a light source, you want one that mimics daylight (has the spectrum of daylight and not just an ordinary household light bulb). You'll want to put it on a timer so as to turn on and off providing about 12 hours simulated day and night. If it's not on a timer, you'll have to do this yourself. And since all light sources produce heat, you'll have to mount the light far enough away from the Cage so that you light it up but do not add excessive heat to the cage.
The heat pad goes under the glass bottom of the cage. Most of these heat pads do not come with thermostats. If you simply plug it in, it heats up to about 115 degrees which is too hot for a corn snake. So you will also need a thermostat to regulate the heat. You want to measure the heat directly over the pad on the bottom glass of the cage. The heat should be somewhere in the 82 to 88 degree range. Most of us shoot for about 85 degrees. The light source you provide may add additional heat so I would recommend you measure the heat pad without the light and with the light. It might take a while to get everything regulated. (I managed to get mine set right in about 3 hours).
With the light off, I maintain a Hot side temp of 84 degrees and a cool side temp of about 74 degrees. With the light on my temps are 86 and 77.
If you want to, you can go to my Profile Page and there are a few pictures of my setup. I think you can see the light hanging above the cage. It's nothing fancy but it is on a 12 hour timer and it's a "Full Spectrum" type light that I got from a local pet shop for Reptile Lighting.
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