We just got our first corn snake (8 days ago) very friendly no problems holding or picking up. It's in a 50 gallon tank with a UTH on one side 2 hides 1 hot 1 cold, water dish and reptibark substrate. we have a 100w reg incadescent bulb. temps at 68 to 72 on cold side 80 to 85 on substrate but 100 directly on the glass over the UTH. Is this OK?? It will eat off a small plate in front of us. last sunday ate two pinkies,this sunday only one. Is this OK ??? Any info greatly appriciated !!!
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Not sure I'm doing it right
- Thread starter flick
- Start date
Yikes! 100 is much too hot on the glass. If the little guy burrows he is sure to get a burn if he contacts the glass. There are a few ways to remedy this:
1) Elevate the tank a bit to get some air flow to dissipate the heat
2) Attach the UTH to a ceramic tile to spread the heat out (and possibly still elevate if needed)
3) The Best Option (IMO) - Use a rheostat or thermostat to control the temperature.
I've had some snakes only take 1 of 2 pinkies offered and the very next time they will take both. I guess it depends on their mood. :shrugs: If he's eating and things seem normal I wouldn't be worried about it.
Cool side and warm side temps sound good (other than the temp on the glass). Is there any specific reason for using the incandescent bulb?
The only other thing is that I would make sure there are plenty of hides. Fifty gallons is quite large for a young one so lots of places to hide are very important. Large open spaces can sometimes stress them when they have to go long distances to get from hide to hide.
Overall, it sounds like things are going well and you're on the right track. If there are any other questions don't hesitate to ask away.
1) Elevate the tank a bit to get some air flow to dissipate the heat
2) Attach the UTH to a ceramic tile to spread the heat out (and possibly still elevate if needed)
3) The Best Option (IMO) - Use a rheostat or thermostat to control the temperature.
I've had some snakes only take 1 of 2 pinkies offered and the very next time they will take both. I guess it depends on their mood. :shrugs: If he's eating and things seem normal I wouldn't be worried about it.
Cool side and warm side temps sound good (other than the temp on the glass). Is there any specific reason for using the incandescent bulb?
The only other thing is that I would make sure there are plenty of hides. Fifty gallons is quite large for a young one so lots of places to hide are very important. Large open spaces can sometimes stress them when they have to go long distances to get from hide to hide.
Overall, it sounds like things are going well and you're on the right track. If there are any other questions don't hesitate to ask away.
crazyforcorns
hatchling
it was suggested to get a ceramic tile and put it over where the pad is, then the substrate on top. The tile will absorb most of the heat and there will be no direct contact with the glass.
Thanks guys any help is appreciated. If I put a tile on top of the UTH (in the tank) will the overall temp stay the same? The UTH is stuck to the glass not sure if it can come off. The light is because I was told at the pet shop that it should be 70 on the cold 90 on the hot. Maybe I don't need it. Would more hides make him come out more. We normally have to pick up the hide to get him out. Is this a bad idea? He has never tried to strike. He seem really mellow, but this being our first snake I'm not sure what to look for. He is never in a hurry to go anywhere when we pick him up he just slowly moves around on us. Sometimes if we pick him up he just stay in our hand. Am I miss reading these as good things? One other question. At the store they were feeding him fuzzies but we saw his poop and it was a fur ball(not sure if thats normal) I cant seem to find frozen fuzzies but have no problem finding pinkies. Can I feed more pinkies until he can do the next size the store has. Two pinkies left a very small buldge, pooped 3 days later.
The hot side only needs to be up to the mid-80's not 90. 90 is where you will start getting burns. If the cool side temps are okay (70-75) without the light, I wouldn't be using it. Only because it wouldn't be giving me anything extra. If you need heat to get the cool side up you might try a red/black heat bulb so it can be used at night as well. UTH's can be unstuck if you carefully peel it off. There's no guarantee it will work, but I've removed mine from under one tank and read of lots of other people who also did so successfully. If you put it under the tile and put it in the tank you would probably have to monitor the temps again to see where they are at. I, personally have no experience with this method. My UTH is attached to a piece of picture frame glass and put underneath my tank. It is also connected to a do-it-yourself rheostat (Rheostat Link ) that allows me to control the temps much more effectively.
More hides could make him come out more. It's tough to say, but they definitely couldn't hurt things. I think most people, myself included, have to get their snakes out of the hides when they want to handle. This isn't a bad thing.
Him seeming really mellow when you handle him is a great thing, imo. Some snakes go wild when held and squirm or bite. Some are naturally much more laid back.
Furry poop after moving up to fuzzies or other "furry" prey items is natural. You can feed a couple of pinkies instead of fuzzies until he can move up to the next size the store has, but keep in mind that it is likely to take longer as pinkies are less nutritious as fuzzies. Also, some people believe it is harder on them to digest multiple smaller items than one larger item. You might try checking around for other pet stores in your area or mouse suppliers within a driving distance that will let you pick up an order instead of paying shipping.
More hides could make him come out more. It's tough to say, but they definitely couldn't hurt things. I think most people, myself included, have to get their snakes out of the hides when they want to handle. This isn't a bad thing.
Him seeming really mellow when you handle him is a great thing, imo. Some snakes go wild when held and squirm or bite. Some are naturally much more laid back.
Furry poop after moving up to fuzzies or other "furry" prey items is natural. You can feed a couple of pinkies instead of fuzzies until he can move up to the next size the store has, but keep in mind that it is likely to take longer as pinkies are less nutritious as fuzzies. Also, some people believe it is harder on them to digest multiple smaller items than one larger item. You might try checking around for other pet stores in your area or mouse suppliers within a driving distance that will let you pick up an order instead of paying shipping.
I tried putting a tile in over the Uth. Didn't help, still at 100 although now the part of the tile that is not directly over the UTH is warmer and he will curl up on it. I'm now going to try the do it your self rheostat, will I still need to try to attach the UTH to a piece of glass. I'm worried about wrecking my UTH. Without the light the tank is at 68 at night if I put in a red/black heat lamp, what would be your guess at a wattage I'm having trouble finding lower than a red 75 watt. If the rheostat works what surface temp (directly on the glass do I want) ? will this make my cold side even colder? This is becoming frustrating!!!
The Nothing
Immoral Support
i'm missing how old this snake is...
ADULT corns tend to do ok in 20g tanks
the largest fattest corn I've ever seen had a custom 50ish enclosure
ADULT corns tend to do ok in 20g tanks
the largest fattest corn I've ever seen had a custom 50ish enclosure
The Nothing
Immoral Support
my 6mo old corn is also taking 2 pinks a week and i've got him in a 10" "herp habitat"
a 10g tank would seem too big for him right now...
too much space can be VERY stressful
a 10g tank would seem too big for him right now...
too much space can be VERY stressful
Don't let it get frustrating! I think you'll find that a rheostat will go a long way to calming your nerves.
With that being said let me next say that I'm not the best to recommend light wattages. I've never used lights. There might be some good older threads about lights if you try some searching. I know I see questions asked about lights every so often.
I would definitely give the rheostat a try. If you follow the directions it's really easy. I've actually just built myself two more in the last two days. (Not that it takes a day to make them. It really only takes me about 10 minutes) With the rheostat you don't necessarily need to attach the UTH to glass or tile. I have mine attached to picture frame glass just to help spread the heat out evenly (although I have no proof that using the picture frame glass makes a noticeable difference). I wouldn't worry about wrecking your UTH. As long as you aren't tugging on it and generally ripping it apart you should be okay.
Once you've got the rheostat in operation, choosing a target temp is sort of up to you. It's whatever makes you feel most comfortable. What I do, and seems to work for me, is to keep a temp probe attached to the glass directly above the UTH at all times. For the first 1-2 days after feeding I shoot for the temp to be about 85-86 on the glass. After digestion is complete I don't worry about the temp dropping down to the low 80's. This way if your target temp is around the mid-80's you still have some room for error. If the room temp goes up and you aren't around to adjust the rheo you have a buffer before the temps get up around 90 and start to get dangerous. Also, shooting for temps around the mid-80's means that your snake won't get a burn if it burrows and gets on the glass.
I don't believe using the rheostat and lowering your temp on the glass will make the cold side colder unless you were getting a lot of heat spill over. I just don't see it making too much of a difference, but I can't say for sure. Regardless, if you are using a light in conjunction with the UTH a slight drop in cold side temps shouldn't be a problem (because the light should eliminate the cold temps) and might even be helpful if you are having trouble finding lower wattage bulbs.
Sorry for the not-so-short story. Hope it helps out.
With that being said let me next say that I'm not the best to recommend light wattages. I've never used lights. There might be some good older threads about lights if you try some searching. I know I see questions asked about lights every so often.
I would definitely give the rheostat a try. If you follow the directions it's really easy. I've actually just built myself two more in the last two days. (Not that it takes a day to make them. It really only takes me about 10 minutes) With the rheostat you don't necessarily need to attach the UTH to glass or tile. I have mine attached to picture frame glass just to help spread the heat out evenly (although I have no proof that using the picture frame glass makes a noticeable difference). I wouldn't worry about wrecking your UTH. As long as you aren't tugging on it and generally ripping it apart you should be okay.
Once you've got the rheostat in operation, choosing a target temp is sort of up to you. It's whatever makes you feel most comfortable. What I do, and seems to work for me, is to keep a temp probe attached to the glass directly above the UTH at all times. For the first 1-2 days after feeding I shoot for the temp to be about 85-86 on the glass. After digestion is complete I don't worry about the temp dropping down to the low 80's. This way if your target temp is around the mid-80's you still have some room for error. If the room temp goes up and you aren't around to adjust the rheo you have a buffer before the temps get up around 90 and start to get dangerous. Also, shooting for temps around the mid-80's means that your snake won't get a burn if it burrows and gets on the glass.
I don't believe using the rheostat and lowering your temp on the glass will make the cold side colder unless you were getting a lot of heat spill over. I just don't see it making too much of a difference, but I can't say for sure. Regardless, if you are using a light in conjunction with the UTH a slight drop in cold side temps shouldn't be a problem (because the light should eliminate the cold temps) and might even be helpful if you are having trouble finding lower wattage bulbs.
Sorry for the not-so-short story. Hope it helps out.
I don't know how old the snake is ? His head is about the size pinkie. When he ate two pinkies there was a small bulge, one pinkie was undetectable. He is in a 50 gallon because that what we had all the stuff for. Would going smaller be better or can i just use lots of hides? It was suggested by a heat transfer engineer (but not pet owner) to use a piece of 1/16th aluminum over the UTAH,inside the tank) but bigger than the UTAH size to disperse the heat on the hot side and helping to heat the cold side slightly. Any problems using aluminum inside the tank?
cimckee
Too Ambitious
Tank Size
I'm no expert on snakes, by any means, but using common sense I would imagine that even a 50gal tank with lots of spaces to hide would be o.k. for the snake. We just have to remember that this animals generally live in the biggest tank of all...the wild. So, give it lots of spaces to hide and curl up in, and have fun with the HUGE tank.
I'm no expert on snakes, by any means, but using common sense I would imagine that even a 50gal tank with lots of spaces to hide would be o.k. for the snake. We just have to remember that this animals generally live in the biggest tank of all...the wild. So, give it lots of spaces to hide and curl up in, and have fun with the HUGE tank.
Going smaller tank-wise would never hurt, but as I said before if there are plenty of hides he'll probably do okay. I've heard it's the open spaces when they are trying to move from hide to hide that tend to get them stressed. Even when I put a hatchling in a 10gallon I like to keep half of the bottom covered with hides. Of course, that might be overkill. Using aspen or a substrate that allows burrowing also helps, because it gives them an instant place to hide.
I don't know about aluminum. If there are no sharp edges it may be okay. :shrugs: I don't have any idea if it would cause any skin irritation. I always hesitate to put anything inside my vivs with my snakes other than a water dish, substrate, and hides. I would imagine that putting the UTH and aluminum under the tank would do much the same job, but I could be wrong.
And good luck finding a piece of aluminum big enough to cover Utah!
I don't know about aluminum. If there are no sharp edges it may be okay. :shrugs: I don't have any idea if it would cause any skin irritation. I always hesitate to put anything inside my vivs with my snakes other than a water dish, substrate, and hides. I would imagine that putting the UTH and aluminum under the tank would do much the same job, but I could be wrong.
And good luck finding a piece of aluminum big enough to cover Utah!
Working better I think
I found a piece of Utah,I mean aluminum :grin01: It is about half again as big as the Uth. The edges are all machined and nice and smooth. It has brought the bottom surface temp down to 89 (even throughout the aluminum) The substrate is still only 81 on the surface.The cold side is still at 70. I can get it up to 72 on cold 84 on the hot with a incandescent light but not sure what to do at night. The snake at one pinkie last week wont eat at all this week. He is about 9 months old. Could having his tank redecorated stress him out to much to eat? I added lots of hides all over 3/4 of the bottom is covered with big rocks and a branch. Lots of nook and crannies. He seem happier (I think) he is moving around more in different sections. Lots more visable. Is handling 10 min a day, except for 48 hrs after he eats too much? Could that be stressing him out? Wow! That was the condensed version!
I found a piece of Utah,I mean aluminum :grin01: It is about half again as big as the Uth. The edges are all machined and nice and smooth. It has brought the bottom surface temp down to 89 (even throughout the aluminum) The substrate is still only 81 on the surface.The cold side is still at 70. I can get it up to 72 on cold 84 on the hot with a incandescent light but not sure what to do at night. The snake at one pinkie last week wont eat at all this week. He is about 9 months old. Could having his tank redecorated stress him out to much to eat? I added lots of hides all over 3/4 of the bottom is covered with big rocks and a branch. Lots of nook and crannies. He seem happier (I think) he is moving around more in different sections. Lots more visable. Is handling 10 min a day, except for 48 hrs after he eats too much? Could that be stressing him out? Wow! That was the condensed version!
Don't worry. My posts always seem to come out long winded.
Redecorating may or may not have stressed him. If you've added hides and he seems to be coming out more then I would lean towards saying that it probably didn't stress him. Again, handling may or may not stress him.
Is he used to being handled? If not you may cut it back a bit (or completely) and see if he eats the next time you offer.
Do you know his feeding history? Is it normal for him to skip meals?
Skipping one meal isn't a big deal. I can't remember if you said before, but he may be about to shed. I have a hatchling that would refuse a meal every once in a while for about a month or so, but now she eats every time.
You can always try using a bit thinner layer of substrate to allow more heat to get to the top if you're wanting more heat on top of the substrate without the temp under the subs. getting any higher.
Redecorating may or may not have stressed him. If you've added hides and he seems to be coming out more then I would lean towards saying that it probably didn't stress him. Again, handling may or may not stress him.
Is he used to being handled? If not you may cut it back a bit (or completely) and see if he eats the next time you offer.
Do you know his feeding history? Is it normal for him to skip meals?
Skipping one meal isn't a big deal. I can't remember if you said before, but he may be about to shed. I have a hatchling that would refuse a meal every once in a while for about a month or so, but now she eats every time.
You can always try using a bit thinner layer of substrate to allow more heat to get to the top if you're wanting more heat on top of the substrate without the temp under the subs. getting any higher.