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Important hibernation question!

A

abadawi

New member
Hey everybody!! I have a problem, I bought a cornsnake recently (1 month ago) and according to the pet store, he's about 4 - 5 months old. The overall temperature in my viv is about 69 F. I have an undertank heater and a heating lamp. The reason the temp is so low is because its already cold outside and the heating in my building is still not on. The problem is that my snake burried himself under the substrate for the last 3 days. He didn't even come out for a minute. Do you think he's hibernating? Tomorrow is feeding day, should I still take him out and feed him? If he is hibernating, what should I do? I usually feed him once a week.
Please help me, till now, everybody on this forum has been really helpful and nice. Thanks alot!!
 
69*F is too cool for a corn to properly digest meals, especially a very young corn. You should not feed him until you have your temps in the correct range (low to mid 70s on the cool side; low to mid 80s on the warm side). You also need to keep in mind that temps should be measured at the substrate level, on both sides of the tank, with a decent thermometer (not one of those stick-ons). I don't really know what you mean by "overall temperature".

Snakes don't actually hibernate. They brumate, which consists of a period of reduced activity and non-feeding as a result of cooler temps.

Good luck.
 
I dont quite understand how with a heat mat and an overhead light, the cage gets no warmer than 69 degrees. Both mats and lights generally cause overheating , so in a cold room they should at least keep areas of the cage near 80....

I totally agree with Roy. If the cage is not any warmer than 69 , absolutely do not feed the snake. The food will not digest properly. If the snake is in a pre-brumating state due to the cold, there are problems with this too. As 69 degrees is not enough to slow down the metabolism enough for proper brumation either. At this temp bacteria can still thrive, but the snake isnt metabolizing quick enough to fight anything off either so It could simply just get sick.

In my opinion , your answer is to get the living space temperature taken care of and get the snake back into a healthy temp range.

Best wishes to you
 
abadawi said:
The overall temperature in my viv is about 69 F.
Click to expand...

Stating that.... I bet your using a stick on thermometer.
Just follow Roy and dawnrenee2000 advice and your be fine.
 
Thanks! Yes, I am using a stick on thermometer, I have it on the upper inner side of the cool side. It says 69 F. Its probably much warmer in the cave (which is right on top of the UTH). What if I use a stronger bulb (more watts). Do you think that will be good just for a couple of days until the heater turns on. Thanks alot guys. Let me know as soon as possible.

PS. What is the max power of i can use as a lamp?
 
Don't raise the temperatures until you can measure them accurately, you need something like a digital thermometer with probe to see what the temperature really is on the glass, under the substrate.
 
abadawi said:
Yes, I am using a stick on thermometer, I have it on the upper inner side of the cool side. It says 69 F.
Click to expand...
You also need a thermometer to tell how high the temp is on the warm side. Also, having it at the upper part is only telling you aproximately the temp of the air up there. Closer to the substrate is probably a different temp.

More experienced owners may respond soon, but I'd say get a proper thermometer and test the warm side. With an UTH and a heat lamp, if it gets too warm, it can harm your snake.
 
abadawi said:
Thanks! Yes, I am using a stick on thermometer, I have it on the upper inner side of the cool side. It says 69 F. Its probably much warmer in the cave (which is right on top of the UTH). What if I use a stronger bulb (more watts). Do you think that will be good just for a couple of days until the heater turns on. Thanks alot guys. Let me know as soon as possible.

PS. What is the max power of i can use as a lamp?
Click to expand...

Like Diamondlil said, don't increase any heat until you can measure it properly. You could cook your snake. Chances are, if you get a digital thermometer with a probe and place the probe directly on the glass over the UTH, you will find it is much warmer than you think. If the air temp in the room is 69, then the UTH should have no problem raising the temps to the correct range.
 
I'd lay money that the temps under your hide with an UTH AND heatlamp are well into the 80's. I would agree with the idea that perhaps yours is ready to begin a shed period. Mine become very quiet and mostly hide out in the week or so heading into the blue period and up until shed.
 
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