Hey guys ..I was just wonding how do some of you guys light your snake tanks during the day and night that is pleasing to you and the snake... I thought of putting a red heat blub on top of the mesh top I am going to get but I already plan to get a uth...would that be too hott for him my corn ....I do not have a corn yet but I hope to get one at a expo in upstate ny at the end of the month... I don't want to make it stressful or my snake but I do want to be able to see him during the day and at night without having to leave my room light on alll night... a guys gotta sleep right...lol.. anyway.. please guys..any info will help..I just want to make sure I get everything I need before I bring it home.. also I forgot which one gets bigger a male or a female. Thanks a lot everyone
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- Thread starter wliob
- Start date
RosieReal
New member
Well, you will probably only need a UTH. More lighting is not really recommended for cornsnakes. If you haven't done so, give a look through the basic husbandry faq, it tells you what temperatures are recommended and some hints that make set up alot less stressful.
If your having trouble seeing him, maybe find a VERY small desk lamp or some such to keep near the tank. then you could turn it on to see what your doing, and turn it off when your done. i use a little LED lamp for a betta bowl to add a little extra light when i'm showing off my snake, or doing something in the viv.
As you said, you dont have the snake yet, so maybe you wont need anything to see him fine.
Your first snake! how exciting! your doing so much right by asking questions and learning before you get the set up on the go. Read the faq, and you'll be one of the better informed 'newbies' around! (like me! i consider myself a well informed newbie i guess...lol)
If your having trouble seeing him, maybe find a VERY small desk lamp or some such to keep near the tank. then you could turn it on to see what your doing, and turn it off when your done. i use a little LED lamp for a betta bowl to add a little extra light when i'm showing off my snake, or doing something in the viv.
As you said, you dont have the snake yet, so maybe you wont need anything to see him fine.
Your first snake! how exciting! your doing so much right by asking questions and learning before you get the set up on the go. Read the faq, and you'll be one of the better informed 'newbies' around! (like me! i consider myself a well informed newbie i guess...lol)
RosieReal
New member
LOL...it was a little different for me. I was given a young snake a few months old, along with the set up. someone elce just didnt want the added responsibility of another snake, as she had a few alredy.
Honestly? until i found this site, i found the first little while stressful. Only because i didnt know what was normal, and what was not.
the most important things you can do is get the proper set up right from the start, and try not to freek out! lol...so far, as long as i take a deep breath and let the snake have his space, everything is fine.
so, when you get him, just let it be for five days. Then you can try your first feed, or handle him a little. If you feed, always leave alone for at least 48 hours after.
Dont worry if he spends all day in the hide, thats what they do. Dont worry if he climbs all over every thing and never uses his hide, they do that too. Dont worry if he doesnt eat the first time, theres lots of advice, and snakes can go a long time (by our standard, think weeks) without food when they're healthy. Dont worry if he trys to bite you, it doesnt hurt and if you keep handling calmly and regularly he'll stop. mine has never even struck at me.
pretty much...take it easy and keep reading!
you may want to look into getting Kathy Love's book, its a great guide and has all the info you need in one handy-dandy package.
Honestly? until i found this site, i found the first little while stressful. Only because i didnt know what was normal, and what was not.
the most important things you can do is get the proper set up right from the start, and try not to freek out! lol...so far, as long as i take a deep breath and let the snake have his space, everything is fine.
so, when you get him, just let it be for five days. Then you can try your first feed, or handle him a little. If you feed, always leave alone for at least 48 hours after.
Dont worry if he spends all day in the hide, thats what they do. Dont worry if he climbs all over every thing and never uses his hide, they do that too. Dont worry if he doesnt eat the first time, theres lots of advice, and snakes can go a long time (by our standard, think weeks) without food when they're healthy. Dont worry if he trys to bite you, it doesnt hurt and if you keep handling calmly and regularly he'll stop. mine has never even struck at me.
pretty much...take it easy and keep reading!
you may want to look into getting Kathy Love's book, its a great guide and has all the info you need in one handy-dandy package.
thanks alot for all the info.. i already did order that book a few days ago...lol...but i am happy you said something about it, at least that shows me that it is a good book..i am just waiting for it to get here. hey do you have any pics of your set up so i can get a nice idea of what mine should look like? also do you use a thermostat? if so what kind do you use? i still cant get my mine off the whole red night light thing..i just think it would look cool, my whole room being dark and there is just a little red light in the tank. but i will just not have it if it is not going to be good for my snake. I know that almost everywhere said that i should have a 10 gallon tank for a baby corn but all I have right now is a 20 gallon long. do you think that should be ok for a baby corn? i heard some places say that that is too much extra space for it.. but I dont understand that. I would think it would like the extra space. It is an old 20 gallon long tank that I was using for my turtles but I just roomed them to a 55 gallon long, so I was just going to get some screen clips and a brand new screen, for the corn. i already ordered a 16 qt of aspen bedding from lllreptile, and the corn snake book from kathy love, i just want to know if I am doing everything right. thanks alot for all the asnwers so far... you are the best.
RosieReal
New member
hey dude, no worries! glad i can help.
what people mean is your getting a very small snake, so they feel exposed in a larger area. What you can do is just put a few more hides in, so your snake has lots of places to go and hide, to feel safe. they still think there are things in the world that want to eat them.
lol...thats my tank. its a 15gal glass tank with a screen top for now. I'm going to be moving him to a large exo terra viv shortly, just waiting on a few more things. i know i've got analog hygro/thermometer on there, but on the new tank its all digital. thats the better way to go.
what people mean is your getting a very small snake, so they feel exposed in a larger area. What you can do is just put a few more hides in, so your snake has lots of places to go and hide, to feel safe. they still think there are things in the world that want to eat them.
lol...thats my tank. its a 15gal glass tank with a screen top for now. I'm going to be moving him to a large exo terra viv shortly, just waiting on a few more things. i know i've got analog hygro/thermometer on there, but on the new tank its all digital. thats the better way to go.
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
wliob
I have Kathy Love's book and in there she has the best suggestion for what I call and all in one hide... it is great for little snakes esp when put right into a larger tank. I spoke with her personally and she told me how to make it. For the life of me i can not quickly find what page it is on but I will describe how to make it and then I will give you a link to a picture I posted on here before.
The reasons Kathy said it is so great for the little one's is they like tight, confined, dark spaces. They also need as great of a temperature gradient as possible with out have to feel exposed. This hide gives them every possible temp in your tank, from the temp at the warm end 85 to the coolest temp at the cool end(preferably no lower than 70) and every temp in between. They can get these temps in the one hide and never have to leave it to thermoregulate. Therefor they feel so much more secure. As well it gives them darkness if they want it as well. The only thing they have to come out for is water, which if you place the water bowl either near the entrance to the hide or along the edge of the tank(they tend to cruise the perimeter) they will find it fine
So you may use several different types of tubing for this hide, PVC is the most durable and sanitary, and still quite cheap. Although there is no reason you can not use paper towel rolls or toilet paper roll etc.
1. Try to get a tubing medium that has a diameter of about 3-4 times the thickness of your snake, or if you do not have the snake yet and you are planning on a young baby snake 2 inch diameter is fine.
2. The length of tubing needs to be approx 1/4 - 1/2 in shorter than the length of the tank.
3. Cut the tubing in half length wise. You now have the startings of two hides, 2 for the price of 1.
4. Cut a small hole in the middle on the top or at the bottom of one side, this is the snakes entrance.
5. Make sure all cut edges are smooth.
6. Wash(if using plastic or PVC).
7. Place in tank with one end over the UTH(under tank heater.
Here is the link to the thread I posted a picture of the "all in one" hide. I have a picture of one half in use in a tank and the other one on the bed to see it more clearly. Hope this helps out. Feel free to read the thread as well it talks about some signs of stress in baby snakes.
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?p=905714#post905714
I have Kathy Love's book and in there she has the best suggestion for what I call and all in one hide... it is great for little snakes esp when put right into a larger tank. I spoke with her personally and she told me how to make it. For the life of me i can not quickly find what page it is on but I will describe how to make it and then I will give you a link to a picture I posted on here before.
The reasons Kathy said it is so great for the little one's is they like tight, confined, dark spaces. They also need as great of a temperature gradient as possible with out have to feel exposed. This hide gives them every possible temp in your tank, from the temp at the warm end 85 to the coolest temp at the cool end(preferably no lower than 70) and every temp in between. They can get these temps in the one hide and never have to leave it to thermoregulate. Therefor they feel so much more secure. As well it gives them darkness if they want it as well. The only thing they have to come out for is water, which if you place the water bowl either near the entrance to the hide or along the edge of the tank(they tend to cruise the perimeter) they will find it fine
So you may use several different types of tubing for this hide, PVC is the most durable and sanitary, and still quite cheap. Although there is no reason you can not use paper towel rolls or toilet paper roll etc.
1. Try to get a tubing medium that has a diameter of about 3-4 times the thickness of your snake, or if you do not have the snake yet and you are planning on a young baby snake 2 inch diameter is fine.
2. The length of tubing needs to be approx 1/4 - 1/2 in shorter than the length of the tank.
3. Cut the tubing in half length wise. You now have the startings of two hides, 2 for the price of 1.
4. Cut a small hole in the middle on the top or at the bottom of one side, this is the snakes entrance.
5. Make sure all cut edges are smooth.
6. Wash(if using plastic or PVC).
7. Place in tank with one end over the UTH(under tank heater.
Here is the link to the thread I posted a picture of the "all in one" hide. I have a picture of one half in use in a tank and the other one on the bed to see it more clearly. Hope this helps out. Feel free to read the thread as well it talks about some signs of stress in baby snakes.
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?p=905714#post905714
James673
New member
This brings up a question that I hope the experts can answer: What is the best way to compensate for a tank much too large for your snake? I guess you could always buy a new cheap small enclosure, ie. sterilite tub. But could you also compensate by providing an abundance of comfortable hides? For instance, rather than having 2 hides, provide 4 or 5 scattered through out the enclosure. the PVC pipe idea seems like a great way to accomplish this.
bitsy
Owned by Corns since 1991
With a big viv and small snake, I stuff as many hides and plastic foliage onto the floor as will fit. You can use very unglamourous and cheap things like toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes and empty cardboard boxes. I use the ones that hold individual cereal portions for my hatchlings.
The main problem with the big tank/small snake combo, is making it escape-proof. Hatchlings have been known to squeeze through the gap between overlapping sliding glass doors - that's how tricky they are!
The main problem with the big tank/small snake combo, is making it escape-proof. Hatchlings have been known to squeeze through the gap between overlapping sliding glass doors - that's how tricky they are!
Does any1. Use a screen top and clips or do you have the sliding doors.. also since it is winter time here in new york. Do you guys think it was be a problem if I have the uth on all day and get a timer that turns it off at like 10 pm and it auto turns on like a 40 watt red heat lamp over the same spot as the uth... and then in the morning when the the sun omes out it auto changes back to the uth beiing on and the heat lamp being off
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
I have both sliding screen tops and screen tops with clips. I have secured both well enough for my little hatchlings and had no escapes. I currently have 2 little ones in screen tops with clips, one started out at only 7 gms and the other at only 8 gms. The tanks sizes are 10 gallon and 20 gallon. Each of them have the PVC tube hides, in fact 4 out of 5 snakes have PVC tube hides and lots of extra foliage as Bitsy said for other places to hide when leaving the hide to poop.
Wliob put your UTH on either a thermostat which you can set to 85 and it will keep it at the steady temp or Rheostat which will limit the amount of energy getting to the UTH and then you just frequently temp check until you get it to be fairly steady around 85. Do not shut your UTH off your snake needs to always have the option to have a 85 warm spot and then other cooler spots for thermoregulation esp once you have feed them.
If your snake does not have proper temps then other problems may arise, refusal to feed, regurgiation, problems with shedding etc.
Wliob put your UTH on either a thermostat which you can set to 85 and it will keep it at the steady temp or Rheostat which will limit the amount of energy getting to the UTH and then you just frequently temp check until you get it to be fairly steady around 85. Do not shut your UTH off your snake needs to always have the option to have a 85 warm spot and then other cooler spots for thermoregulation esp once you have feed them.
If your snake does not have proper temps then other problems may arise, refusal to feed, regurgiation, problems with shedding etc.
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
At night when I am in the various rooms they are in(3 different rooms) I simply use the room lights when I wish to see them. Then when it is bed time, I shut out the lights and it is total darkness. There is the odd time that I use a a 50 watt red bulb in my room, not because I wish to see Artemis but because I like to have my room cool at night. Some nights I have it cool enough that I would have to change the setting on my Rheostat and rather than fiddle with it, now that it is set nicely, I just add a little heat with the bulb. On those nights, if I get up for a drink or to pee I will sometimes spy on her. But unless I cool my room off a lot and the UTH can not keep up where I have it set, I do not use both. I do not want to over heat her, nor do I want to dry out her home, and bulb heat tends to dry things out a lot.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
RosieReal
New member
...you really seem to have your heart set on this 'red night light' thing . when its evening and i'd like to look at the viv, i either turn on the lights while i'm in the room, or turn on a lamp next to the tank. The red light seems like extra, unnecessary expense. Dont worry, you'll have lots of things to spend your money on with this hobby.
Do you plan on doing a lot of snake watching in the dark? (hehe...just teasing)
. when its evening and i'd like to look at the viv, i either turn on the lights while i'm in the room, or turn on a lamp next to the tank. The red light seems like extra, unnecessary expense. Dont worry, you'll have lots of things to spend your money on with this hobby. Do you plan on doing a lot of snake watching in the dark?
(hehe...just teasing)thanks for all the info...i guess it is just something that i have to do when i get the corn to see how i like it...I guess i took always do what you do and have a little lamp light and just turn it on if i need to see it or check on it really quickly at night time... what kind of Thermostats or rheostat do you guys use? which is better rheostat or thermostat?
do you guys think if i have a baby corn in a 20 gallon long tank with a screen top and the screen clips that it is get out.? because I have 2 cats and I would not want the snake to try to make lunch out of them or visa vesa..
sorry for all the questions I hope it is ok.. I could just search all these questions i guess but you guys seem to be really nice and giving me alot of info..so since i got ya here..i might as well keep asking...lol...and plus and of you girls seem like you named your corns every Greek name i was thinking about naming mine..LOL
do you guys think if i have a baby corn in a 20 gallon long tank with a screen top and the screen clips that it is get out.? because I have 2 cats and I would not want the snake to try to make lunch out of them or visa vesa..
sorry for all the questions I hope it is ok.. I could just search all these questions i guess but you guys seem to be really nice and giving me alot of info..so since i got ya here..i might as well keep asking...lol...and plus and of you girls seem like you named your corns every Greek name i was thinking about naming mine..LOL
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
Well like I said I have a wee 11 gm one in a 20 gallon with screen top and clips...no escape and I had another one in there previously when it was smaller(it now lives in a 30 gallon long). We also have 2 cats and 2 dogs. If you get the right size clips and always check that they have not gotten bent out of shape you will be fine. No prob on the questions, that is what we are here for.
As for thermostat..when I stop spending everything I save on new snakes and put it towards the thermostat I want it will be the Herpstat ND. For now I use table to[p lamp dimmers(walmart, hardware stores) approx 10-15 for each UTH and I am running 7( 5 snake tanks and 2 leopard Geckos). Just make sure to get a infrared temp gun so you can always check the temps in your tank, or a digital thermometer. I went temp gun because it was cheaper than thermometers for all 7 tanks.
As for thermostat..when I stop spending everything I save on new snakes and put it towards the thermostat I want it will be the Herpstat ND. For now I use table to[p lamp dimmers(walmart, hardware stores) approx 10-15 for each UTH and I am running 7( 5 snake tanks and 2 leopard Geckos). Just make sure to get a infrared temp gun so you can always check the temps in your tank, or a digital thermometer. I went temp gun because it was cheaper than thermometers for all 7 tanks.
thanks alot.. do your cats or dogs mess with the snakes or try and jump on the cage to see what it is in there? i was just planning on closing my room door and keeping the cats outside whenever i take the snake out to feed or to handle. i already ordered the digital temp. i am just waiting for it to come in the mail. i might pick up the aspen at the reptile expo when i go to get the snake or i might order a 24 qt one from bigappleherp or lllrepitle. i think a 24 qt bag should be enuff for a 20 gallon long.
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
I am lucky my cats and dogs do not disturb the snake or gecko tanks at all. But I have read threads on here where peoples cats have tried to sit on the screen and fallen through and then attacked the cat, so unless you know your cats very well I would be careful and keep and eye on them.
Funny thing here is one cat is a hunter and if given the chance and a small snake was out of it's tank she would hunt it and eat it no doubt, in fact she most likely did that to my teen's aberrant cali king(he did not close the lid snake got out cat was in room that night snake has never been seen since...she was only about 15 gms at the time), but so long as the snakes are in tanks or tubs she will not go near them. The only snake the hunter will not go near is Artemis but she is about 3.5 ft long and 356 gms, that snake, little miss hunter is afraid of!
The other cat likes the snakes and will sit near the tank and shoo the hunter cat away. Go figure!
Funny thing here is one cat is a hunter and if given the chance and a small snake was out of it's tank she would hunt it and eat it no doubt, in fact she most likely did that to my teen's aberrant cali king(he did not close the lid snake got out cat was in room that night snake has never been seen since...she was only about 15 gms at the time), but so long as the snakes are in tanks or tubs she will not go near them. The only snake the hunter will not go near is Artemis but she is about 3.5 ft long and 356 gms, that snake, little miss hunter is afraid of!
The other cat likes the snakes and will sit near the tank and shoo the hunter cat away. Go figure!
tricksterpup
I has nuttin to Say.
Lights?? I have been keeping my snakes for years.. no lights. I try to keep the electricity down as much as possible and plus, they don't need it.