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lighting
- Thread starter bsmt31
- Start date
Buzzard
two corny
Corn snakes dont require an overhead source of lighting (the UV does not benefit them like other reptile species), they are primarily nocturnal. If you are going to use a uva/uvb reptile bulb just make sure that it does not provide additional heat (overheat) your enclosure so that a good humidity level can be maintained for shedding purposes. Corn snakes require belly heat instead of overhead heating (bulbs) and require an enclosure that allows for good thermoregulation (one side warm & one side cool). Some people will use aquarium bulbs or other types of fluorescent bulbs to illuminate the enclosure - the light is not necessary as an additional source of heat.
bitsy
Owned by Corns since 1991
As Buzzard says, Corns are largely nocturnal. They're unlikely to find a UV light helpful as in the wild, bright sunlight (which the UV will mimic to an extent) would be a trigger for them to hide away until it's gone.
Corns don't have the dependence on UV that some other reptiles do. I'd forget it - just an unnecessary expense which might actually stress your Corn.
Corns don't have the dependence on UV that some other reptiles do. I'd forget it - just an unnecessary expense which might actually stress your Corn.
If you want an extra light, go get just a regular bulb, rather than a UV bulb.
You said it's a 2.5 which I haven't heard of before, so I'm assuming it's one of those "compact" type UV bulbs.
Those bulbs have been shown to cause eye problems in Bearded Dragons, and they
have eyelids to close, corns don't have even that limited option.
No eyelids, nocturnal, not needing external UV lamps, and not liking bright lights all adds up to "don't do it" to me.
You said it's a 2.5 which I haven't heard of before, so I'm assuming it's one of those "compact" type UV bulbs.
Those bulbs have been shown to cause eye problems in Bearded Dragons, and they
have eyelids to close, corns don't have even that limited option.
No eyelids, nocturnal, not needing external UV lamps, and not liking bright lights all adds up to "don't do it" to me.
bitsy
Owned by Corns since 1991
I used to know someone who ran a reptile rescue who had taken in a number of Corns with sight problems over the years. the common factors which she had identified were that they had been kept with UV and were generally (but not always) lighter coloured morphs, missing the black pigment. This is just anecdotal and by no means scientific, but together with everything else, it's a reasonable case against.
Realistically, the snake's wellbeing needs to take precedence over aesthetic considerations. Had you considered something like an LED light? I believe those give off a good quality of artificial light (with no UV) but don't give off large amounts of heat which might disturb your heating setup. Even with those, watch your Corns behaviour. If you find it becoming more secretive and hiding away, you might have to leave the light off.
Having said that, I'm sure that plenty of people here use artifical lights with their Corns successfully - just not UV. Perhaps another more general lighting question would help, to see what other people recommend?
Hey I'm new around here too, and my brother works in Livonia :wavey:
I've read that Corns don't need UVA or UVB lighting like other kinds of snakes, and some lizards do b/c they are nocturnal. I'd probably save that light for something else and go with some sort of led light. You can get under-cabinet setups from places like Home Depot and they are fairly reasonably priced.
Btw I love your avatar picture of your snake!!
I've read that Corns don't need UVA or UVB lighting like other kinds of snakes, and some lizards do b/c they are nocturnal. I'd probably save that light for something else and go with some sort of led light. You can get under-cabinet setups from places like Home Depot and they are fairly reasonably priced.
Btw I love your avatar picture of your snake!!
Don't use the ReptiSun 5 bulb.
One - your corn won't like it and doesn't need it,
Two - those bulbs are expensive and only give reasonable UV levels for about 6 months of use, and you might eventually end up with another reptile that actually does need UV.
If you just want extra lighting, go to Walmart and buy an "under cabinet" florescent. They are made by Lights of America, are in the kitchen/bath fixture zone of the store, and they cost $9.00
I use them (after replacing the normal bulb with a uv bulb) for my dragon and they work nicely.
One - your corn won't like it and doesn't need it,
Two - those bulbs are expensive and only give reasonable UV levels for about 6 months of use, and you might eventually end up with another reptile that actually does need UV.
If you just want extra lighting, go to Walmart and buy an "under cabinet" florescent. They are made by Lights of America, are in the kitchen/bath fixture zone of the store, and they cost $9.00
I use them (after replacing the normal bulb with a uv bulb) for my dragon and they work nicely.