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Pet shop told me..... Is this right????

N

newsnakeowner1978

New member
I have a 40 gallon tank for my new corn. The pet shop that I am getting my new bundle of joy from told me that this isn't to big cause the snake will grow <DUH> and they said that a heat lamp and heat rock will be fine. So this is what i have. Should i be worried. Sorry if my questions are annoying ppl but this is all new to me and i wanna do it right. I have $400 sunk into this so far and still not finished.
 
I would not use lamps or heat rocks. Hot rocks generally overheat causing reptiles to burm themselves. Bulbs can be used but an under tank heater will work much better. You will need to regulate your temperatures with a themostat too... A 20 gallon is more than enough room for a corn. You could always split a 40 down the middle and get two corns though?!

$400 on a corn snake setup? I set up my adults for roughly £20 each. LOL
 
You absolutely should not have a heat rock. The heat rock gets too hot, hot enough to burn your snake. Snakes also do not need light of any sort, and an under tank heater (UTH) that supplies belly heat is the preferred method of heating the warm side of the enclosure to 85F. The light bulb is just going to be a hassle. I would not get it. Then you need a thermostat to regulate the UTH. If you Froogle ZooMed 500R you can find a basic one, or Big Apple Herp sells a nicer one for $32, the BAH-1000. Then you need a reliable thermometer to read the temp on the glass right above the UTH- not on the substrate. I recommend the dual-probe Big Apple Deluxe Thermometer for $25 (I liked the first one I bought so much I just bought three more!) which will tell you the warm and cool temps. It's way easier to just buy the right stuff to begin with and _know_ that your temps are right and your UTH isn't cooking your snake.

With a 40 gallon tank, you should provide multiple hides and branches and vines so your snake isn't afraid to come out into the wide open spaces.

Nanci
 
a light during the day time is not necessary, as was stated.. but for your viewing pleasure you could get a night glo bulb that produces minimal heat, but simulates moonlight and lets you view your corn(s) as they cruise about in the dark. Just a suggestion. See if you can return the heat rock for an under the tank heater. I would recommend the T-rex cobra heat pad for UTH. You can use clear packing tape to hold it to the underside of the tank (not on the heating portion of it though, just the clear edges). This way you can always remove it for cleaning or if your changing snakes from one tank to another. I use those on mine and they are great.
 
Hey, you know what works great for attaching UTHs and taping down wires and stuff- that aluminum tape for heat ducts. I love it! Home supply stores like Builders Square and Home Depot and Lowes have it. It's ok up to 220F or something.

Nanci
 
My vet has a heat rock box in his exam room, hung on the wall, with "NO-DO NOT BUY!!! written on it in black marker.

Nanci
 
Tks all. I didn't think a heat rock was good to use. but they told me that the newer ones are different and dont' burn the snakes. they dont' sell UTH for some reason. And as for the $400 that i spent..... where i live is more expensive for these exotic pets cause they are not from here. most excotic animal we have in newfoundland is a moose. lol we dont' even have racoons or skunks or anyting like that here. and thats just the bare items. not the complete setup. my corn snake is costing me $150 + taxes then i bought a 40 gallon take and screen <second hand> and the shavings is $30 a bag. each pinky here is $3.99 so lol yea its expensive but i wanted a snake since i was lke 5lol am 29 now and finally just getting one. told da wife i was gettin a transula and she said WHAT>>>>>> wouldnt' you rather a snake. lol so snake it is. HAHAHA
 
Return the hot rock. I don't care what the pet shop said, they are incorrect. If they don't have a UTH, then you can easily order one on-line from any number of reputable suppliers. And I'm not sure what the current difference is between Canadian dollars and US dollars to be a good judge on the prices you're paying. But as long as you're happy with it, then that's fine! Just one more word...if you're cornsnake is going to be a hatchling, it is going to be "lost" in a 40 gallon tank until it grows a bit.
 
Nonsense on the "don't bother with a light" bit. Lights have their place and are superior to UTHs for getting the ambient air tempertures in your viv where they ought to be. UTHs are great for making a warm spot on the glass, but are horrible for raising ambient air temperatures where they ought to be. If you rely solely on a UTH, and you have any sort of appreciable substrate in the viv, your snake will have to burrow to get warm. With a light and a UTH it can burrow or bask. Here's what I wrote in another thread on the subjects of lights, and it applies to your oncern as well.

There are two schools of thought on lighting: 1) it’s not needed, or 2) it should be considered. I happen think a heat lamp makes a lot of sense.

As you probably know by now, the proper way to keep a snake is to provide an enclosure with a heat gradient. There should be a cool end and a warm end. The cool end should have ambient air temperatures in the mid 70s, the warm end should be in the upper 80s. These temperatures refer to the ambient air temperature in the enclosure. The gradient is important so the snake can thermoregulate. Additionally, properly heated ambient air is conducive to a good immune system.

Maintaining the warm end in the mid to upper 80s is not necessarily as easy as it sounds. You can do it, though, in a number of ways. The two most popular methods are the use of a heat lamp, or the use of an under-tank-heater (UTH), either (or both) placed at the warm end of the enclosure.

UTHs are great for heating the glass on the bottom of the enclosure. The theory is that the snake can burrow under the substrate and lie on the warm glass and absorb all the heat it needs. The problem I have encountered is that while the UTH is great for heating the glass, it’s horrible for raising the ambient air temperature. You can use the UTH along with a rheostat or thermostat to control the temperature on the glass.

Lights, on the other hand, do a great job at raising ambient air temperature. They are simply NOT just used for night viewing. Using them in conjunction with a rheostat or thermostat prevents the problem in Nanci’s picture – too high temperatures. A perch or other area under the light gives the snake a place to lie and absorb heat without having to burrow for it.

There are different bulbs that can be used in a heat lamp. Florescent lights can be used, but they can’t be used with a rheostat. They do give off some heat, and some give off UVA/UVB light. I’d avoid lights that give off a lot of UV light as this kind of light over a long term can damage eyes – especially in an albino snake. Incandescent bulbs give off both light and decent amounts of heat. White lights will need to be turned off at night so as not to disturb thr night snakes need. A better choice, IMO, would be a black light bul, such as those made by Flukers or Exo-Terra. Both make purple bulbs that give off very little light, and good amounts of heat. Both are entirely suitable for night viewing. They don’t give off any appreciable amounts of UV light. And they can be left on 24/7 since they don’t interrupt the night cycle.

These are the bulbs I’m referring to:
http://www.flukerfarms.com/index.as...WPROD&ProdID=46
http://www.exo-terra.com/EN/products/night_glo_i.html

ZooMed makes a red bulb as well that would be suitable, but I have found these to be VERY bright.
http://www.zoomed.com/html/nightlight_red.php

I like the purple lights much better.

I happen to use both a UTH and a lamp on both my vivariums. But if I had to give up one, I’d give up the UTH. My snakes see to much prefer basking than burrowing when they want to warm up. And the often heard argument that “belly heat is better” is not supported by any science I’ve seen – but it is a convenient mantra for those that say the UTH is the only way to go.
 
I am def gonna order a UTH. Not gonna trust the pet shop. They said that the new heat rocks they have are diff then the older ones. They dont' burn the snake. They changed them but not gonna take the chance. And as fer the snake being "lost" in the 40 gal. sigh yea i was told that after i bought it. The pet shop told me that would be a gd size. So that is another reason i am not going to listen to them bout the heat rock. tks again all. A week from today and i gets me first snake. WOO HOO. I'm like a kid in da candy store. lol
 
What type of corn are you getting?

You might want to double check everything that pet shop tells you as it sounds like they are just trying to sell you extra stuff to make a buck.

Nanci -
On that big apple dual probe thermometer you mentioned, is it temp on one humidity on the other or 2 different temps?

I found a nice 2 probe thermometer that does 1 temp and 1 humidity for $16.99 at herpsupplies.com. It's the "Zilla Terrarium Thermometer-Hygrometer"
I needed mainly one with humidity on a probe so I can have the unit itself outside the tubs on my rack. The nice Accurite one from WalMart unfortunately takes the humidity at the unit itself.
 
Flagg said:
What type of corn are you getting?

You might want to double check everything that pet shop tells you as it sounds like they are just trying to sell you extra stuff to make a buck.
Click to expand...

Yea i am startin to think that also. cause some of the things they told me is so different from the things i am learning in here. and you ppl have many snakes and for gawd only knows how long. lol so i am talkin the advie of the thread instead of hte pet shop.
 
Flagg said:
Nanci -
On that big apple dual probe thermometer you mentioned, is it temp on one humidity on the other or 2 different temps?
Click to expand...

Why I say BAH has excellent customer service:

Nanci,

Let's break it down like this...

Thermometers

Both units have two location measurement but single probe has a sensor on the unit itself so you have to put it inside the cage

Dual probe unit has two probes so the unit can remain outside the enclosure and only the probes have to go in.

Thermometer & Humidity Gauge

Both units have temperature and humidity readings but the single probe has the humidity sensor on it so you have to put it inside the cage

Dual probe unit has a probe for temperature and a probe for humidity so the unit can remain outside the enclosure and only the probes have to go in.

I hope this clears things up but let me know if you have further questions.

Andy
Big Apple Herpetological, Inc.
http://www.bigappleherp.com
 
3.99 a pinky!! Thats like what, 3.50 USD? Either bred your own or order some frozens! Even with one snake and shipping included, the frozens over the internet should be much cheaper than 3.99 in the end.

What you are paying in 4 weeks would buy my corn food for 4 months.
 
attackturtle said:
3.99 a pinky!! Thats like what, 3.50 USD? Either bred your own or order some frozens! Even with one snake and shipping included, the frozens over the internet should be much cheaper than 3.99 in the end.

What you are paying in 4 weeks would buy my corn food for 4 months.
Click to expand...

I know the prices are unreal. But i tried the internet and its a lot cheaper to buy the mice but shipping is WAY MORE. Newoundland is a island so its very expensive to get it flown in. sign.
 
You could always put a heat rock on a dimmer switch to contol it's heat. The problem being is that snakes like to hide and you can't hide very will on top of a rock. Also unless it's a very big one your snake will out grow it. Really they arn't a good idea but they could be made to work.
 
Is it possible to take the tank back and get a 20L which is still big for a hatchling but what most use for adult corns. The only 40 I use is for a gravid female, even my 640gr male is in a 20L. I may be wrong but I think I read on this site that hatchlings can actually be frightened by a big viv.
 
susang said:
Is it possible to take the tank back and get a 20L which is still big for a hatchling but what most use for adult corns. The only 40 I use is for a gravid female, even my 640gr male is in a 20L. I may be wrong but I think I read on this site that hatchlings can actually be frightened by a big viv.
Click to expand...

Unfortunatly i bout the 40 gal tank used. But i have like 4 diffenent hides in the tank for it. The pet shop told me this is fine to use. But i also heard they do get scared. So i did more research and found out that if you have a big area just make sure they have lots of hides. Tks for the concern susang.
 
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