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Snake Newbie: Neodesha & UTH

Caitywinks832

Caitywinks832

New member
Since this is my first post, allow me to say hello and thank you for all of the help this website has already provided in my corn snake research!

I'm a brand new high school science teacher in a small-ish rural town, and have been contemplating getting a corn snake for my classroom. I've never had any snakes; I literally just held a snake for the first time today at a store, but it was love and I'm hooked :) For the past few weeks, I've been trying my best to be an informed purchaser/caretaker, and doing my research on setting up a cage before I get my lovely.

I purchased 3 plastic slant-front enclosures of 3 different sizes from a local teacher who inherited them and doesn't keep classroom pets. From what I've gathered in my research, they are old school Neodesha cages. I've gathered from my endless Google-ing, that UTH are generally the best way to go, and I think will work best for my situation. In looking to purchase an UTH for one of these enclosures, I've noticed some brands say only to put the UTH on a glass surface and specifically warns against plastic, while others omit any warnings at all.

Here's where I need all of that expertise: :)
  1. Does anyone know about UTH in conjunction with a Neodesha cage?
  2. Will it melt the plastic or have any other horrific/less-than-desirable effects?
  3. UTH recommendations?
  4. Also, Any ideas what size Neodesha cage is adequate for a Corn Snake?

Sorry if there's already a thread similar to this, I did try to sift through all posts about plastic/Neodesha cages and couldn't find anything. I just want to make sure I'm a good snake mom :)
 
You need to get thermostats for your UTHs. The melting point of plastic is much higher than the melting point of a snake. I have UTHs on plastic cages, but of course they are on a thermostat.
 
Nanci said:
You need to get thermostats for your UTHs. The melting point of plastic is much higher than the melting point of a snake. I have UTHs on plastic cages, but of course they are on a thermostat.
Click to expand...

You realize I now have the image stuck in my mind of a poor cornsnake melted to the bottom of the pen, looking up at me with a sad expression[*] asking "Why did you do this to me?!?" Perhaps it helps that Sybaris is a butter morph, so I can kind of imagine her like melted butter.

[*] Yes, I know, they can't make sad expressions. Just let me have my moment of melty anthropomorphization.
 
I don't know, I think they can look pretty dang sad when it's feeding day, just not feeding day for them...
 
I've been using a 36 in. standard Neodesha cage for almost 3 years now, and I love it! They're great for viewing and easy to clean. I have a 4 foot female corn doing great in it.

I heat it with an Ultratherm Heat Pad 11 x 11 in from The Bean Farm. http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cPath=1204&products_id=5578 They do not come with adhesive. So I tape it to the bottom of the cage with Metal HVAC Duct Tape.

And like Nanci said, you need to control it with a thermostat. I've had excellent success with Zilla Reptile Electronic Temperature Controllers. http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cPath=1238&products_id=5685 I like these thermostats, because they have an automatic shutoff in case something overheats.

Bean Farm now has combos just for Neodesha cages. http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cPath=1204&products_id=6121
If you get a baby corn, you can still use a large cage, as long as you put in a bunch of hides. They get stressed if they feel exposed.
I hope that helps. :crazy01:
 
Thanks for your suggestions, guys!

After I did some measuring, it looks like I've inherited 24", 36", and a 48" (with a divider in the middle, DIY job?) old-school Neodesha cages. The 36" I had planned on using has a small gap between the enclosure and the front glass that makes me nervous for a baby corn, so I think I might start off in the 24"?

CRIKEY, I noticed those combos as well ;)
So now I can't decide if I should buy the Bean Farm and Zilla controller, or go with some heat pad from Amazon and a Hydrofarm thermostat I had been looking at. Decisions, decision. Any insight from the pros?
 
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