UVA / UBV Lighting

Hey guys, I'm new to the world of corn snakes and have a great 4 1/2 month old male Amel. I've done a LOT of research on the net (most of which has been from this site) and have created what I believe to be a very comfortable and visually pleasing home for him.

I do however have a question about lighting. I have searched the forums here, and the term 'UVA' or 'UVB' have never been used. I use a combination of a UTH (buffered by a ceramic floor tile) and a 50 watt basking light to create a 85 F temp on his warm side, and I know that the light is UVA. I'm a little confused about the concept of UVB lighting however... many people (from various sites) say it is benifitial, others say that since corns are nocturnal, it's not required, but not harmful, while others say that it damages their eyes.

I'd like to hear a few opinions on this. As well, from what I have read UVB lights contain some UVA lighting. Would this be enough UVA for a corn.

Let's see what kind of discussion this starts

Cheers.

Sorry, title should have read UVB and not UBV...

Amels lack the melans in the eyes necessary to cope with UVA/B light. Extensive use of these lights can apparently lead to blindness by damaging the eye's lens and causing cataract formation. Normal snakes are less susceptible, but can still suffer consequences.

Snakes receive adequate quantities of Vitamin D from their food and don't require UV light for that purpose.

So you are saying that I should stick with the UTH solely and not use any other source of heat? (which I can make warm enough)

At the same time, how would you recommend I set up some source of light so it can be illuminated sufficiently in the day time (for those looking in his tank)?

Gorak said:

So you are saying that I should stick with the UTH solely and not use any other source of heat? (which I can make warm enough)

At the same time, how would you recommend I set up some source of light so it can be illuminated sufficiently in the day time (for those looking in his tank)?

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yep, snakes do not need light. If this was Bearded Dragons I would be all over this but Corns do not need the lighting.
It depends on your setup.. you could just have a regular florescent above the tank for lighting.

OK, thanks... but what source of light could I use that wouldn't harm my Amel?

... and isn't daily light/dark a requirement for normal behavior?

As SkyChimp noted, Amels probably shouldn't be exposed to UV light at all. Use a UTH, but if you're in Edmonton, you might need something more to boost the cool side when it's cold. I use a 60w red lamp right over the middle of the cage during the winter when the house's ambient temperature is regularly below or just at 70 degrees. I have it plugged into a ZooMed 500R termostat, which also controls the UTH, and the combination does a great job of maintaining proper temperatures on both sides even on very cold nights. I don't think the red lamp produces any UV rays--someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Gorak said:

... and isn't daily light/dark a requirement for normal behavior?

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If the snake is in a room with windows, the filtered sunlight during the daytime should be enough.

Ok, that sounds good... he is in the living room. What would be more recommended... a second UTH on the cool side kept at ~70F with a thermostat? Or a red lamp?

The choice is really yours. If your set up needs just a bit more heat, another UTH can be used or you can use a red light or even a ceramic heat lamp. Regular fluorescent lighting is fine to give your snake more light during the day and can be turned off at night without affecting the temps of your viv.

eating

how long does it take after sheding to eat

Gorak said:

Ok, that sounds good... he is in the living room. What would be more recommended... a second UTH on the cool side kept at ~70F with a thermostat? Or a red lamp?

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As Susan said, either will work. But a separate UTH will probably require a second thermostat, so you're looking at ca. $25 for the thermostat and ca. $15 for the extra heat mat vs. $10-15 for the red lamp alone which can be plugged into the same thermostat as the UTH if you're using a ZooMed 500R, or something with multiple outlets.

I have to plead the 5th on the thermostat... I have EVERYTHING but (I carefully measured the heat inside his warm hide with 2 thermometers). How can I use one thermostat with a UTH and red lamp if they are going to be on two different sides providing both sides of the heat gradient?

And to throw another dimension into the conversation... the temp of my room is about 65-70F, if I lower the "touchable" temp of my Medium Exo Terra Desert UTH by laying down a ceramic tile, would that be sufficient? (Keeping in mind that this will allow a day/night temp in his warm hide to fluctuate between a more realistic 80-90, where as a thermostat would keep it at a constant 85...

BTW, I just purchases a 50W IR light to up the entire tank by a few degrees while allowing viewing after dark without bugging my little buddy too much...

Hey! welcome fellow Edmontonian!

Take it from someone who lives in edmonton deals with the local temperature. You don't need a thermostat. It's waste of money.
I use lights for some and uth for others. With lights you just find the right wattage to get a nice 80 degree spot. Don't worry about the cool side. If you're house stays above 65 degrees F (18 C) most of the time you'll be fine with just that. If the snake is too cold or too hot he can move from side to side. He isn't going to sit in the cold and get sick or die on his own free will (not at 60+ degrees anyway). I have my lights on an outlet timer switch from canadian tire ($3)
If you use a UTH then a dimmer switch can be used to find the right power. you can make one form a light dimmer switch and an extension cord for about $5. find all this at the home depot. I've found at PJs pets the "Heat Wave RainForest" uth from Exoterra is at the perfect power level that you don't need a dimmer. It's never raised a tank temp over 85 and rarely drops below 80. It's not as hot as most uth pads that need dimmer control. because of it's low heat output it should be put dircetly on the bottom glass, not like most that should have some space between. it's hot adhisive on it so you just peel the plastic and stick it to the bottom.

Corn snake set-ups don't need to be expensive. thermostats, dual UTH and all that is not needed. If your corn is eating well and pooping well you'll know you're doing it right.

check out my corns and other reptiles here
http://web.mac.com/antsterr/iWeb/Site/Snakes.html
http://web.mac.com/antsterr/iWeb/Site/Turtle! Snakes!.html

An inexpensive ZooMed 500R for $20 plus shipping is still the best way to go, in my opinion.

Sure rheostats are cheap but they require constant watching. When it gets warmer out, you have to adjust the rheostat. Night time a little cooler, adjust the rheostat. If you have to leave for a few days, who knows what could happen to your temps.

The thermostat will allow you to dial in the proper range and will adjust ITSELF to the ambient room temperature so you don't have to be constantly monitoring it like you would with a rheostat.

Well worth the $20 plus shipping.

Hey antsterr, you have some great shots on that site. If you're ever up to chat, hit me on MSN... [email protected]

As far as the UTHs go, I have already purchases a Desert Medium, and it's stuck on my tank... I am just using a ceramic floor tile to moderate the temps as I said above.

As I was advised before, I am not going to use UV light on my Amel, so besides the UTH, I have a 50 W IR light to "slightly" increase the ambient temp to bring the cool side from 65 to 70, and to view after dark (already had the lamp, bulb only cost 10 dollars.

It's literally scary when you consider the misinformation that pet stores are giving out. I've been to 8 different places in the city, and no one agrees on anything. The origional setup I was given when I purchased my snake was to use the desert uth with a 75 watt straight beam directly over it... WITHOUT the light, my thermo read 120, with the light it would not even register. :headbang:

I could give a million examples, but to see someone given a warm water fish to mix in a tank with their Beta (today) really boils me. And if I ask for a thermostat and am shown a thermometer again, I'm going to lose it and start feeding their dwarf bunnies to their adult pythons. :crazy01:

Gorak said:

How can I use one thermostat with a UTH and red lamp if they are going to be on two different sides providing both sides of the heat gradient?

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What I do is place the bulb right over the center of the tank (20L) when the room temperatures are at 65-70. The bulb heats the entire tank to ca. 75, and the UTH brings the warm side up to 85. The thermostat goes on and off and maintains the temperature gradient. When the room temperature rises into the 70s I turn off the lamp and the gradient remains pretty much the same.

Well guys, it looks like I'm going to have to put the issue of UTHs on the back burner (excuse the pun)... I now have a new problem...

My Amel has mites. I spoke to the shop that I got him from and they said to bring him in.

I know that this is the wrong place to post health problems, so I will leave it at that. I will however let everyone know how he makes out.

Cheers.