Confused !!!!!

[Remmy]

Sorry if you have gone over this stuff before but the more i read about cornsnakes the more confused i get. To start with i have taken note about keeping 2 corns together and decided to get seperate vivs. I was going to get a wooden viv to start with as one of my corns can stay in the plastic faunarium for a few more months. The thing is a pet shop has told me that you can not have a heat mat in a wooden viv as they have to go outside. I have been onto the zoo med website and it says that uth`s "can only be placed on the outside of the tank" which means they can only be used for glass vivs. Is this correct as i thought that uth`s are better than a lamp and most people seem to have them. Now back to keeping 2 corns together. I have looked at "The international herpetological society" web site and that says it is ok to keep 2 corns together. I would be gratefull for any advice and am sorry this thread is so long winded.

 

[Maize411]

Well to answer your question about a UTH in a wooden viv...Of course you can have one in a wood viv!...One good way is to put the UTH on the floor of the viv..then over the UTH you can put a thin piece of tile or some plexi glass to go over it..I know there are many people on here who have done this and it worked great for them..

As for housing corns together...I wouldn't really recommend it..Yes people have done but the risk of bad things happening just really seems to out weigh the good factors..I mean the 2 could breed and the female could be too young and then wouldn't be able to deliver the eggs and could really raise some vet bills...They could fight with one another which would result in some nasty bites or stress issues..Or one could even try to kill and eat the other...Plus the simple fact that snakes don't like to be together unless its for breeding..and even after that..they usually like to go their own way...

Well I hope I've helped ya out a bit... :0)

 

[Kali]

I haven't got much experience with the heat mats under wooden vivs, as all of mine are glass, so I'll leave that to people who know better than me.
As far as the cohabbing of corns is concerned, that can sometimes be a heated discussion. You can find those who think it's to be avoided in all cases (except for breeding of course, that's kinda difficult if you keep them apart ) or you *will* have trouble sooner or later. And then there are those who think it's no problem as long as you provide enough space and hides, avoid cohabbing corns that differ too much in length, and especially don't cohab male and female if the female is too young to breed as this can be dangerous for her.
I can imagine it to be confusing for someone who's new to corns. And in that case it might be the easiest and safest keeping them apart.
But like I said, there are people of both opinions who will defend their vieuws with vigour.

 

[Remmy]

Can you have the heat mat in a wooden viv without anything over the top apart from the substrate

 

[Tracee]

Can you have the heat mat in a wooden viv without anything over the top apart from the substrate

Very ill advised. The snake will burrow under the substrate and be in direct contact with the heat mat, which will almost certainly cause burns. Obviously you can use a thermostat to regulate the temperature but this is still dangerous.

I notice in your first post you say you haven't yet bought the wooden viv, so if doing what you need to do (Maize gave you some good suggestions) is too much work, then just get a different one!

 

[bitsy]

Can you have the heat mat in a wooden viv without anything over the top apart from the substrate

Heat mats are not watewrproof, so if there's any chance of poop coming into contact with it - especially where the wire joins the mat - then it could cause an electrical short. Worst case scenario is an electric shock for your Corn or possibly even a small fire.

As Maize has suggested, cover the mat with something and put the substrate on top. I use ceramic wall tiles - they're contoured underneath, allowing airflow over the surface of the mat. I also give the junction of mat and wire additional shielding.

 

[foolishcactus]

You have had many ideas about your heat and wooden cages. I would like to add my opinion of housing snakes together.
Space is my main concern...I have 30 snakes and most are in their own cage. However, I have three large females in a custom made wood and glass cage, (45'X18'X12") Each has a hide, although they are usually doubled up in one or two. They are fed in separate containers. And they are all almost the same size and age. All of these snake are not for breeding.
Also, in the living room there is a 5 gallon tank with three older males. These guys get along except in spring when I have to take one out or the two largest snakes fight. There are two other large tanks with three same sexed snakes in the other room. They are all fed in their own containers and seem to coexist well.
I have had snakes together for years, like almost 20, and have had few problems. Mainly in the spring and with sexed up males. Always fed in separate containers and keep the sizes similar.

Bob

 

[foolishcactus]

So much for proof reading...the males are in a 55 gallon tank.

 

[Kali]

Also, in the living room there is a 5 gallon tank with three older males.

Oh well, if you squish them together real tight, maybe they won't fight either

(I know you corrected it, just couldn't resist )

 

[Petsnakes]

Hi,

I have found that 'Reptile Radiators' by Habistat to work very well in wooden vivs. They screw to the ceiling at one end of the viv and radiate heat downwards, creating a more natural basking area.

They also heat the air better than a heat mat.

You'll obviously have to use a thermostat to control the temperature of the basking area.

As for keeping snakes together, I always keep them individually unless I'm pairing them up for breeding.

Bye for now,

Jim

 

[LawDog1]

so many options...

I can't give much advice on cohabbing, but everything Ive read says its a bad idea. I know, sometimes that many people CAN be wrong, but I am not willing to take that chance with my pets, are you?

If you search on here looking for vivs people have built you will find a lot of pics showing how they set up their UTH's inside a wooden viv. Most seem to use a tile or a square piece of metal over the UTH. I am almost done building a viv and I am doing it a little different. I am using flexwatt (which lays a little flatter than the UTH's I have dealt with) and covering it with the metal tape (also found at Bean Farm). Before taping it down you would have to cover the exposed ends and connections to avoid possibility of shock. I used a little electrical tape, Ive seen a little silicon used. Then cover the entire piece of flexwatt. The metal tape seals it, making it waterproof. The local pet shop has theirs done this way and it seems to work real well.

Be sure to let us know which way you go and how it works out.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Jimmy

 

[marike]

I'm totally new to all this (in fact, I haven't got my snakes yet), but I read very much about it.

On most of the German websites I've seen so far and in books I read, cohabbing corn snakes seems to be quite common here in Germany. Advices they give are mostly about the following:
Don't keep male and female together the whole time, cause it's too much stress for the lady.
There has the be enough room for the snakes to avoid each other. They say for one more snake you have to ad 20% of room volume. Anyway they're resting in the same spot very often. It's generally agreed that this happens because they're all heading for the optimal tempered place. I found nothing about fighting for this optimal place.
Even adult males an be kept together, they say, if there are no females around. It's advised to keep for example all females upstairs and all males downstairs in the house.

Sorry I can't contribute own experiences, but may be it helped a little.

Greetings,
marike

 

[Hypancistrus]

My personal feeling on cohabbing your snakes is that if you can afford to purchase two snakes, you can afford to house two snakes seperately. In fact, the cost of the snake in this case far outweighs the cost of a decent home for it, considering you can keep them in tupperware tubs from Walmart!