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Questions about corn snake care.

L

Luannkenstein

New member
Hello! Three days ago I got a baby corn snake which came with a tank, thermometer, aspen substrate, and a small ZooMed UTH. I've gotten a lot of mixed suggestions about my heat source as well as whether or not I need a day/night light fixture.

I've read that heating pads are best so long as they are regulated properly due to the snakes need for belly warmth, and that they don't necessarily need lighting. On the other hand, my friend who has had her corn snake for two years insists that I buy day/night lamps for light and heat.

I should also add that the room temperature never drops below 75F (I live in Arizona), and during the day when the sunlight enters the room the tank gets to about 84F at maximum. On average the tank thermometer reads 78F-82F, so what kind of heat source would be best to raise the temperature just a few degrees?

I fed him a thawed fuzzy 48 hours ago and he did not restrain from devouring it instantly, and he seems to have digested it rather well. I just want to be sure that I get everything set up properly for the little guy's comfort!
 
Most of us use Heat Pads under the tank along with a thermostat or rheostat to regulate the temps. The snake will do best with one side of the tank heated to about 85 degrees, and the other side room temp, (as long as the room doesn't go below 70).

A lot of us provide "Light" for half the day and dark for half the day to keep up the snake's "Day / Night" cycle. The light is not necessarily added for heat, rather for the benefit of the light itself. If you have a well lit room that is lit about half a day, then you really don't need an external lamp.

Some people do heat with lamps. That's fine too. But you can't leave a lamp on all the time. The lamp will still need to be adjusted and set in such a way that it does not over heat the snake. Corn snakes are not tropical and don't need the high heat that some Lizards or Boas do. The "So-Called Night Lights" are really just red colored bulbs. They still put out heat but instead of a bright light it's kind of a dull red light. My opinion is, that's not natural. I've never seen red light at night, and I'd prefer not to have my snake deal with it either. I believe they do better with 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness.

So I have a light hooked to a timer that cuts on and off automatically. I don't have to worry about it. It's not there for Heat, it's there for light. I use the heat pads under the tank for the actual heat.
 
A heat mat is better; you're right, they should have belly heat and I'm pretty sure they're nocturnal or crepuscular
 
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