I have a cornsnake that is currently about a foot or so long. It's in a 2 gallon circular cage and I have a heating pad on one half of the cage. The temperature reads a little over 90 degrees on the side with the UTH and on the other side it fluctuates between 73 and 77 throughout the day. Is 90 degrees or a little above on one side dangerous for my snake?
-
Hello!
Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.
Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....
Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.
Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.
ground temperature help
- Thread starter erbzzz
- Start date
Rich in KY
Fortunate Fool
That is a little high. Ideally you want the high temp closer to 85*. Are you using a thermostat?
well i have these 2 thermometers i bought at petco that i assume are for placing on a wall but i put them on the substrate. i don't know much about snakes, i found this guy at my work and kept him because they were going to kill it so i bought all this stuff but this heating pad seems to get too hot and i can't return it but until i can get something better i don't want him to freeze but i also don't want him to overheat. (or "her", i don't know how to tell) so one side is for sure always 75. is this okay for a couple weeks till i revamp the whole setup.
bitsy
Owned by Corns since 1991
I think all you really need to do is buy a thermostat and hook it up, as this will keep the heat mat at a safer temperature. There's nothing wrong with a heat pad that reaches over 90 degress, so I doubt you'll be able to return it as faulty.
You could maybe move the tank to that, say only one-third of it is above the heat mat. That would give the little guy more opportunity to cool down while you get the stat set up. If you go for a tank, the recommendation is that only one-third of the floor area should be heated anyway.
Measuring the temps at ground level is exactly the right thing to do, as that's where your heat source is. You'd be surprised how many people try measuring air temperature a few inches above where the heat source and snakes actually live! When you get it, the stat sensor should also go on the tank floor, immediately above the mat.
Good on you for stepping in and saving the little guy - keep us posted on progress.
You could maybe move the tank to that, say only one-third of it is above the heat mat. That would give the little guy more opportunity to cool down while you get the stat set up. If you go for a tank, the recommendation is that only one-third of the floor area should be heated anyway.
Measuring the temps at ground level is exactly the right thing to do, as that's where your heat source is. You'd be surprised how many people try measuring air temperature a few inches above where the heat source and snakes actually live! When you get it, the stat sensor should also go on the tank floor, immediately above the mat.
Good on you for stepping in and saving the little guy - keep us posted on progress.
Sanebedlam
New member
and to answer your question about the cooler side 75 should be fine as far as the cool side and its not going to hurt your snake although they will need warmer temps i.e. the heat pad so that they can digest a meal.
Good job saving it from the idiots at your work. A tiny baby corn snake and they were going to kill it? What were they afraid of?
I'll never understand why people feel so free to just kill snakes like they are nothing. Do they kill every other harmless animal that comes around? chipmunks? birds?
You don't need a new UTH, just a lamp dimmer or a thermostat. You can get a $9 lamp dimmer at WalMart that will allow you to dial down the temp to the proper 85 degrees.
You also really need a good thermometer. A digital indoor.outdoor thermometer with a probe is best, you can put the probe right on the glass centered over the UTH under the substrate. That way you get the hottest point measured. Also available at Walmart for $8-12, make sure to get a wired probe and not a wireless model.
With he lamp dimmer you will have to check it often and adjust it if the room temperature changes, so will the hot side temp.
Another option is a thermostat, which will turn the mat on and off as needed too keep the temps in a range from 82-85 or so. ZooMed 500R is a reliable low cost model, available at online dealers like reptilesupply.com for about $23 plus shipping,
I'll never understand why people feel so free to just kill snakes like they are nothing. Do they kill every other harmless animal that comes around? chipmunks? birds?
You don't need a new UTH, just a lamp dimmer or a thermostat. You can get a $9 lamp dimmer at WalMart that will allow you to dial down the temp to the proper 85 degrees.
You also really need a good thermometer. A digital indoor.outdoor thermometer with a probe is best, you can put the probe right on the glass centered over the UTH under the substrate. That way you get the hottest point measured. Also available at Walmart for $8-12, make sure to get a wired probe and not a wireless model.
With he lamp dimmer you will have to check it often and adjust it if the room temperature changes, so will the hot side temp.
Another option is a thermostat, which will turn the mat on and off as needed too keep the temps in a range from 82-85 or so. ZooMed 500R is a reliable low cost model, available at online dealers like reptilesupply.com for about $23 plus shipping,
MerlinsPop
New member
It'd also be helpful if you could post a quick photo of your set-up. I'm having trouble picturing a "2 gallon circular cage" and envisioning enough room to have a temperature gradient (my mind keeps seeing a goldfish bowl, but that can't be right!).
Good on you for rescuing the snake. Years ago I had someone leave a coffee can on my desk with a Northern Brown snake in it. Kept it for a few years, stumbling and bumbling as I tried to learn care and feeding the hard way (don't know if forums like this existed back then, and I didn't even know to look). I released it before I moved.
Good on you for rescuing the snake. Years ago I had someone leave a coffee can on my desk with a Northern Brown snake in it. Kept it for a few years, stumbling and bumbling as I tried to learn care and feeding the hard way (don't know if forums like this existed back then, and I didn't even know to look). I released it before I moved.
Yeah, I think I'm going to buy the probe thermometer and a lamp dimmer like you guys have suggested. When i change it's cage to a bigger aquarium or something I will probably by the probe thermostat thing cuz that makes it seemingly foolproof. Here are two pics of the cage (sorry, I have a $13 digital camera), in one there is a dollar bill for size reference. It may actually only be 1 or 1 & 1/2 gal.
