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Want A Corn Snake

ok. i have another question! I was getting ready to go ahead and order this heating pad http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=489

But it says that you have to use it on glass, not on plastic or whatever.The 10-gallon tank i already have is plexiglass(i think that's made of plastic or something?). And most of the tanks i've seen in petshops are made of that, too. Do i need to go buy a terrrarium made of real glass to be able to use a heating pad? Or should i just use some kind of red lightbulbs made for reptiles(and is there any way to control the temperature on those?)?
 
The only reason I can think of it not being placed on plastic is that it gets hot enough to melt plastic, and if its hot enough to melt plastic its way too hot. Glass will conduct the heat; I believe I that kind of heater, when on glass the temp of the glass got about 125 or so degrees, so it must be used with a rheostat or thermostat. Dimmers used for lamps are rheostats, theres a good thread here about how to make one.
 
DaemoNox said:
The only reason I can think of it not being placed on plastic is that it gets hot enough to melt plastic, and if its hot enough to melt plastic its way too hot. Glass will conduct the heat; I believe I that kind of heater, when on glass the temp of the glass got about 125 or so degrees, so it must be used with a rheostat or thermostat. Dimmers used for lamps are rheostats, theres a good thread here about how to make one.
Click to expand...

So.. does that mean that it would be okay to put it on plastic or whatever, as long as i have a thermostat keeping the temperature right?
Or... Could i just attach the heating pad onto a pane of glass and put that under the plexiglass tank?
 
Your definatly going to want a thermostat or rheostat for it for however your going to use it, I dont see why else it wouldnt be fine for plastic.
 
CaseyUndead said:
So.. does that mean that it would be okay to put it on plastic or whatever, as long as i have a thermostat keeping the temperature right? Or... Could i just attach the heating pad onto a pane of glass and put that under the plexiglass tank?
Click to expand...
A thermostat will not keep the pad from overheating and melting the plastic. For that, use a rheostat.

The way a thermostat works is to turn the heating appliance on when the temperature drops below a set level, and then off again when it exceeds that level. The advantage of a thermostat is that it delivers the amount of heat appropriate to the ambient environment. The cooler the environment, the more often it will come on; the warmer the environment, the less often heat will be needed or supplied. The disadvantage is that when it is on, it is on full force, and it remains at full force until the temperature rises enough for it to turn off. As the temperature probe is not in contact with the appliance and is returning a heat reading lower than the actual temp at the surface of the appliance, the heat may rise to a level that will melt plastic.

The way a rheostat works is to limit the amount of electricity going to the heating appliance, thereby controlling how hot the appliance can get. The advantage is that the appliance will only get as hot as the amount of electricity you allow it to receive. The disadvantage is that you will need to experiment to find out how much electricity to allow in your given situation, and adjust the setting as the seasons change and the ambient temperatures rise or fall. The rheostat delivers the specified amount of electricity, whether or not it is needed.
 
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I think i'm leaning more toward getting some kind of heating lamp, because it will work with the tanks i already have. I found out that we have a tank bigger than the 10-gallon(so i assume it would be a 20 gallon, or something close), and it has a bottom made of slate. Is there some way you're supposed to attach the a special lamp to the top of the tank, or do you just use an outside lamp, and shine it in through the wire top?
 
CaseyUndead said:
I think i'm leaning more toward getting some kind of heating lamp, because it will work with the tanks i already have. I found out that we have a tank bigger than the 10-gallon(so i assume it would be a 20 gallon, or something close), and it has a bottom made of slate. Is there some way you're supposed to attach the a special lamp to the top of the tank, or do you just use an outside lamp, and shine it in through the wire top?
Click to expand...
If you have a tank with a slate bottom, go with an under tank heating pad hooked to a thermostat. Heat lamps are more appropriate for lizards than for snakes. If you must use a lamp, set it up with the bulb near one end of the viv, creating a graduated heat from warmest (near the lamp) to coolest (the opposite end).
 
jaxom1957 said:
If you have a tank with a slate bottom, go with an under tank heating pad hooked to a thermostat. Heat lamps are more appropriate for lizards than for snakes. If you must use a lamp, set it up with the bulb near one end of the viv, creating a graduated heat from warmest (near the lamp) to coolest (the opposite end).
Click to expand...

Oh. A UTH works for slate, too? Then i guess i'll go back to that idea. I was just trying to be careful, since the site said to ONLY use it on glass.
 
UTHs are better. Don't let the type of viv you may have laying around decide on the equipment you use. A 10 gallon glass tank is only about $10, Walmart sells them, any decent pet store will sell glass tanks. Unless your larger tank is a 20 long (30x12x12), you will have to upgrade eventually anyway.

The smallest ZooMed UTH is used for plastic tanks and tubs all the time and there is no problem. It doesn't melt pkastic. You can also stick a UTH to a piece of ceramic tile to diffuse the heat a bit.
 
My middle daughter is looking for her first snake and so we've both joined this forum to learn more, etc. and she had to convince her dad...actually we just got him to say yes this morning, lol!:grin01: So it can be done. She did a lot of reading, talking to snake people and wrote him basically a research paper proving she was serious and was learning what she needs to.

His terms are no snake out of her room when either himself or her grandma is in the house and she has to buy all the stuff herself...although I'm helping her out a bit as I love snakes.

Our cousins in WV have 18 pythons & boas right now...at least that's how many they had a few days ago, they get more all the time...and are breeders with a lot of knowledge, experience, etc. so we pick their brains a lot. I am really glad I found this forum today and we're enjoying all the tips, suggestions, care, etc. on here. Really love the photos!

Good luck to you!
 
Hey. Today i went to some pet shops in the area, to see what sort of selection the places around here had. At one place they insisted that a corn snake will need a heating pad AND a lamp in the daytime. :shrugs: and that the minimun tank size for an adult corn is a *30* gallon. That's totally contrary to everything i've ever read about them. That lady seemed a little irritable, too. So, i just assumed she was a little mixed up.

But, yeah, i'll settle on the UTH. But, another question about that(and, i'm really sorry if i'm getting annoying here!). With the thermostat... since you have to put it inside the tank, under the substrate... couldn't the snake possibly move the probe, making the thermostat not read it right(and then allow the mat to get really hot)? How do you keep that from happening? Tape the probe to the inside of the tank?
 
I think a lot of them have a suction cup or two that you use to stick it to the bottom of the tank, so that you don't have that problem. Or at least the one I bought at Petsmart did and it looked like the other couple brands they carried all did too. When I first bought it I couldn't figure out what the second suction cup was supposed to be for, but it all made sense once I got home. Ha.
 
My thermostat's probe didn't come with a suction cup and no, tape is not advisable for inside of a tank (possible ouchie!). I simply just place the probe where I want it to be and then pack the substrate on top of it...and sure, the snake will probably move it when it's tunneling around, but that's why I check on the temp daily to be sure that all looks well -- if the temp seems funny, then I check the probe to see if it's been moved. So far, in any of my tanks using this method, I haven't had any problems or mishaps. :)
 
Hey again, guys. I'm now officially the owner of an adorable baby cornsnake :) I think he's a "normal" type. Mostly brown and orange-y colors. They called it a "red corn snake." I'll have to take a picture sometime.

Anyway... At the pet shop they had some heating pads, but no thermostats for them. So i decided to, for now, get one of those heat lamps and a black lightbulb. 'Cause they were using lamps there. The lightbulb is a 60 watt, and i put it on top of the cage, over to one side. The blacklight said it simulated moonlight, so i guess it would be okay for 24-hour use? The guy at one place said that always leaving on nighttime bulbs can hurt their eyes? The thermometer on that side is reading about 83 degrees, so i guess it's alright. Unless he somehow gets up really close to the top where the lamp is, i don't think it's too hot. I put a cardboard box on the side the heat lamp is on, and another on the cool side by the water.

Right now he's just kind of curled up in the corner of the tank where i put him, not really moving much at all. I guess that's normal for hatchlings to be a little scared? I thought he would go hide in one of the boxes, but he seems to prefer just staying to the side over by the glass right now.

They said they were feeding him once a week, every thursday. So we bought a pinkie there so that we can feed him this week, before we can get the ones from online shipped.

He's friendly, but not quite as hyper as some of the baby corns i've held. He'll crowl on my arm for awhile, then just kind of stop. Then start moving around again when i touch him.
 
Congrats!!! Yes, the first few days he will be scared because of his move. Im not too sure about the moon light thing someone else will have to answer that. Please post picks when you get them. :)
 
I got my thermostat at Wal-Mart (brand: Accu*rite) for $12 and it has a digital thermostat with humidity gauge and external probe. :) No need to pay beaucoup bucks for something so simple. :)

And, I used the link on how to build my own rheostat (I don't know if that's been mentioned already...), which cost me about $6 and I use it with a dimmer switch to control my UTH's temperature. This sounds complicated, but it's all really not...it's just overwhelming at first but when it's all set up you'll look at the whole deal and think, "That's all there is to it???" Yup. :)
 
I think some of you are mixing up 'thermostat' and 'thermometer'.

As an FYI, black lights are a bit of a 'no-no'. I'd return it for a red bulb.
 
Congrats on your new corn snake! You've found the right place to learn everything about your new pet and how to care for it properly. You should trust the advice given here over just about anything most pet stores tell you.
 
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