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Hi & a few questions...

minipumpkin

minipumpkin

Slave to the pets
Hello, We have just recently bought our first corn snake, a tiny baby 4 months old. We are unsure of a name until the he/she is sexed in a few months.
We have a basic set up at the moment with a wooden viv, bark chip, a hid, a water dish. To heat the viv we have a heat mat on all the time and a spot light on during the day from 8am-8pm. Is there anything else anyone would recommend?

We have tried just using a heat mat but it doesnt warm the viv up enough as we are in England and the weather is cold this time of year so we are using an exo terra basking spot light which brings the temperature up to 82 degrees f and we are using a digital thermometer with a probe to check the temp.

We have read alot about different types of heat sources and lights so I hope we are using the correct products.

When we bought our snake the shop owner explained that it was due a feed but should we wait 5 days? This means overall the snake will not have been feed for 2 weeks. Is this ok?
 
Hello and welcome! Nice to have another Brit on the board to join the global family. Here are a few of my thoughts...

We have a basic set up at the moment with a wooden viv, bark chip, a hid, a water dish. To heat the viv we have a heat mat on all the time and a spot light on during the day from 8am-8pm. Is there anything else anyone would recommend?
Click to expand...
A heat mat without a thermostat will get far too hot for a Corn. 90 is the safe maximum and an unregulated heat mat will easily get to 120. See below!

Also, you need at least two hides - one at the warm end of the viv and one at the cool end. Your babe needs to move between heat zones to thermoregulate and without hides to keep him/her feeling secure, s/he might be inclined to stay in a heat area that isn't appropriate. That could affect his/her digestion.

We have tried just using a heat mat but it doesnt warm the viv up enough as we are in England and the weather is cold this time of year so we are using an exo terra basking spot light which brings the temperature up to 82 degrees f and we are using a digital thermometer with a probe to check the temp.
Click to expand...
The heat mat is designed to heat the floor surface, where the snake is and not the air in the viv generally (the snake isn't up there, so that isn't an issue). I use a heat mat and I need a thermostat to keep the floor surface cool enough - it needs to be around 85 degrees max. 90 for any length of time would be dangerous. I'd recommend taking the temperature on the floor, immediately above where the mat is. Personal experience says it will be much higher than 82 degrees.

Bear in mind that a human's core body temp is above 90 degrees. A Corn's ideal maximum of around 85 will feel lukewarm or even cool to us. It took me years to come to terms with the fact that Corns don't need to be "warm" in our terms.

I'd also then switch the spot off.

We have read alot about different types of heat sources and lights so I hope we are using the correct products.
Click to expand...
Probably over-doing it with the heat sources and needing that thermostat for the mat, but definitely getting there!

When we bought our snake the shop owner explained that it was due a feed but should we wait 5 days? This means overall the snake will not have been feed for 2 weeks. Is this ok?
Click to expand...
Waiting is absolutely fine. As long as it's been eating reliably up to that point, a fortnight without food will be nothing to a healthy baby. We recommend that you leave new arrivals absolutely alone for a full week before any handling or feeding. Corns can take a while to settle down and offering food too soon can lead to refusals, which are a pain to sort out if they become a habit.

Also, handling too soon after eating can cause regurgitation (throwing up), so we recommend not handling for 48 hours after you do feed.

I hope all of that helps! Welcome to the addictive world of Corn Snake keeping!
 
Thank you for your reply.
We are measuring the floor temp and it reads at 82f with the heat mat and bulb on( probe is on the floor). If we turn the light off it cools down to 72.8 which is too low. We have got a hide in the cooler side and have put some wood to climb on the warmer side this creates another little hide. We have also added a bit of greenery.

This is our first snake and we want our babe to grow well, are snakes suppose to feel alot cooler then other reptiles as we have two beareded dragons and they feel warm when being picked up.

The shop owner said they fed the baby once a week with 1 pinky
 
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changed the bulb
so the bulb is now only a 40w doesnt give much heat off just helps give a day and night cycle.
iv burried the prob under the substrate now as well as i found the snake had gone under it as well.
 
Hi from Central Ohio! I'm pretty new also, and learning along with you! I have a male Creamsicle that hatched in October. We've had him a week today, and are set to feed him tonight for the first time!
Welcome and your snake is a beauty! I'm still trying to think up the perfect name for mine!
 
minipumpkin said:
This is our first snake and we want our babe to grow well, are snakes suppose to feel alot cooler then other reptiles as we have two beareded dragons and they feel warm when being picked up.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do feel alot cooler, that is normal and nothing to worry about.
 
ok so we now have it set up with a thermostat so it doesnt get too hot or too cold, the light is just for the day night cycle and also so we can see the snake, it gives off hardly any heat, all the heat comes from the heat mat now that im measuring from under the substrate

hi bird thanks for letting us know that :)
 
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