• 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.

Heating

K

Kiesha Nore

New member
I've a question about heating for corn snakes. Now, alot of sites on the net say that Corn snakes prefer to have belly heat, coming from below from a UTH, and that they don't really need something like a light bulb to generate heat from above. However, a book that I've just finished reading says that they prefer basking heat, but I believe he was talking about most kinds of pet snakes in general. Could I get some more information as to what corn snakes in particular prefer? Thanks.
 
I'm not entirely sure on this either, but an experienced herper told me that they like heat from above, such as a lamp or even an UTH attached to the side of the viv. I figure he's got more experience than me, so I'll take his word for it :)
 
I like to take my expert advice from Mother Nature. Corns are mostly diurnal and are therefore not out, about, and active during the prime daylight basking hours. This is also the reason that corns don't require UV supplemental lighting in order to survive indoors in captive collections.

So the question remains: Do corns require basking heat? No. Can you offer overhead basking? Sure. Are there certain hazards in doing so? Yes.

Basking lamps give off excessive heat that can burn your pet if steps aren't taken to keep the snake off the lamp. Also, lamps tend to dry out the moisture inside the snake's enclosure. Drier air lends to incomplete sheds…
 
you mean nocturnal right? In the wild when they come out they get heat from warm rocks rotting logs etc. RARELY do they come out during the day so I would say a UTH is the best bet.
 
Belly heat, the only reason why I say this, in the wild they rest on roads at night to get heat. Or they sit under tins that have been heated under the sun for heat.

I use lamp lighting more for ambiant temps in the viv.
 
Matt.B said:
you mean nocturnal right? RARELY do they come out during the day so I would say a UTH is the best bet.
Click to expand...

No I meant diurnal. Although mostly nocturnal, the Elaphe species (most colubrids for that matter) are quite active before dusk and after dawn. It isn't uncommon to see them out and about during the hours of daylight. Of course this varies greatly depending on season and locality.
 
Just throwing my 2 cents in...

I rely mostly on the UTH, but I occasionally use the overhead lamp. If it is excesively hot out I will not use the lamp, I also mist a little in the viv when it seems dry out. CAV is correct about corns being "diurnal" (why isn't this word listed in Webster's?): they will occasionally move about in the day although not as much as they may in the evening. I believe (if I'm not mistaken) their hours of activity in the wild are usually from dusk to dawn...in that situation they would be out when it is still somewhat failry lit. Correct me if I'm wrong here, CAV!

In any case, a light night be a bad idea. It's a relatively inexpensive investment and it could come in handy during the winter months. But as far as I know it is not necessary to use ALL the time.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top