Basking and UV light.

[Forcedexile]

well for some reason my corn decided he needed some sunlight this morning. Usually he'll stay in his hide all day but today he followed the sunlight that was bleeding through the curtains, kind of like a plant's leave will follow the light...i think he's still doing it actually lol...and i saw him doing this and so i thought i should open the blinds to let some actual sunlight in but i guess he doesn't like direct sunlight cause he got mad at me lol. he coiled back like he was going to strike the sunlight and then looked at me angrily. so i guess he just wants some indirect sunlight every now and again.

I read in one of the corn snake books I have that any corn snake with amel in its genes shouldn't be exposed to direct UV rays because it could be harmful to them, is there any validity to this? Just curious because I thought corns get all their vitamins from their food and don't "need" UV light but after seeing my corn basking in the indirect sunlight I'm starting to think he may need it.

 

[Forcedexile]

here's what i mean. except for when I first got him, he's never been outside during the day.

 

[Fatman608]

I could answer your question but I am not going to because if you think about it you already know the answer. Look up Amel on Google and think how come pink white people like me do not tan but burn. Next, go out on a summers days a lie out in the sun then go lie out under a shade tree. Which fills better? Plus you have to remember the glass makes the direct sunlight even stronger. These are just my opinions because I am not a snake so I have no idea what it was really thinking except "please do not let Ozzy bite my head off".

 

[Forcedexile]

note: the light you're seeing is the lamp on top of his viv...the sunlight was coming from the other direction

 

[Forcedexile]

I could answer your question but I am not going to because if you think about it you already know the answer. Look up Amel on Google and think how come pink white people like me do not tan but burn. Next, go out on a summers days a lie out in the sun then go lie out under a shade tree. Which fills better? Plus you have to remember the glass makes the direct sunlight even stronger. These are just my opinions because I am not a snake so I have no idea what it was really thinking except "please do not let Ozzy bite my head off".

yes i suppose i do already know the answer it's just i know there are some people who will say corn snakes absolutely need direct UVb rays from the lamp.

and don't worry i'm not close personal friend's with Ozzy so I don't he will ever come in contact with my snake.

 

[KingCrimson<3]

refracting through the glass, the heat from sunlight will increase, but the UV rays will be almost completely filtered out. Maybe your guy likes the warmth. How are your temps?

 

[Forcedexile]

temps are always, and I carefully monitor them, 75 on the cool side and 85 on the hot side during the day and never going below 80 at night. could be right but if that were the case i would think he would just hide in one of the toilet paper tubes on the hot side. i think maybe he's just found a place where he can keep an eye out for food. but whatever he seems happy nonetheless.

 

[bitsy]

there are some people who will say corn snakes absolutely need direct UVb rays from the lamp

If that were true, my 23 year old would have been dead many years ago. I think I can safely say that from personal experience, "some people" are absolutely wrong.

 

[Forcedexile]

well an update for you guys on this matter...

usually when he's asleep, which is all day, he'll be in one of his hides. for the past 2 days now, yesterday and today, he's decided to just sleep in highest spot he can get comfortable in lol. I guess he's there so he can see food when it runs by or he's just gotten to the point where he feels safe enough to sleep in the open. i'll be interested to see what he does when i feed him tonight. maybe he'll go back to his hides or maybe he'll just couch potato it on the aspen lol.

 

[KingCrimson<3]

Sometimes, especially when they are bigger, they just lounge in the open. My 09 will stay pressed against the outside edge of the tub (the part I can see) for days, even after a meal if I don't stick my hand in and do more than change the water. A good poke or a short handling session gets KC back into hide mode for a few days before the bright red blotch that is his Hyponess reappears against the side of the tub. I like to pretend that he is begging for attention, but in reality, I have no clue as to what is going on in that little snake brain.

 

[visceralrepulsion]

Is the place where your snake is basking higher up that the rest of the places in its tank? This may explain a lot, because hatchlings and younger snakes often seek out higher plateaus. For some reason they feel safer up higher.

 

[Forcedexile]

yeah that's the highest "plateau" i guess you could call it. strange he feels safer higher up and out in the open that in his hide...especially when sleeping.

UPDATE: after feeding he's been in his hide pretty much all time except to poop like always...we'll see if he goes back to that spot after he's done digesting.

 

[WingedSweetheart]

Maybe he just likes that spot. My oldest calmest snake has always been a climber. She is always out during the early morning laying on a vine where sun comes in from the window across the room. Then as noon comes around she usually comes down and goes back to one of her hides. But I have seen her stay out on a vine all day and night.

 

[visceralrepulsion]

Yeah he most likely just found a spot he likes for now. When my yearling was a hatchling she'd sleep on top of her hides instead of in them, because they were the highest places in her tank. I agree, I'm not sure why they feel safer higher up. Perhaps they feel more camouflaged higher up than they do on the ground...who knows...