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Corn Snake Starter Kit

C

CornNoobie

No longer a Noobie!
Hello to everyone on this forum, im a brand new member, and also new to snakes. After visiting my local pet shop a couple of weeks ago and seeing some young corn snakes for sale, ive since been doing quite a bit of research online and at other shops and im now considering buying one. Ive been pointed in the direction of a snake starter kit, which consists of, a 40cm x 25cm x 20cm (states suitable for snakes up to 60cm) tank, a cobra heat mat, a thermometer, a water bowl, aspen bedding, a hide, moss, and a caresheet. I asked at the pet shop if I should buy a habistat thermostat to go with the heat mat, but I was told it wasnt needed and the mat was fine to be left on all the time and it would heat at a constant temperature. Is this correct? also, would the mat go inside the tank on the base with the substrate on top, or underneath the tank itself? Any help or general advise would be greatly appreciated.
 
I was told it wasnt needed and the mat was fine to be left on all the time and it would heat at a constant temperature
Click to expand...

You really do need a thermostat of some kind (even a simple rheostat) to regulate the temperature output of a heat mat.

According to Doctors Foster and Smith regarding the Cobra Heat Mat “The mat remains at a steady 100 degrees Fahrenheit”. That might be fine for some reptiles but much too warm for a corn snake.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=6537&N=2006+22787

Please, do invest in either a rheostat or thermostat of some sort.

The mat itself will go under the enclosure on the outside of the tank. A lot of people do not stick the mat to the tank but rather place it under the tank with an air gap between the heat mat and the tank. This can be accomplished by placing sticky rubber feet on the outside corners of the tank.

Regards,
Steve
 
ssmith_1187 said:
You really do need a thermostat of some kind (even a simple rheostat) to regulate the temperature output of a heat mat.

According to Doctors Foster and Smith the Cobra Heat Mat “The mat remains at a steady 100 degrees Fahrenheit”. That might be fine for some reptiles but much too warm for a corn snake.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=6537&N=2006+22787

Please, do invest in either a rheostat or thermostat of some sort.

Regards,
Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response, would the mat sit underneath the tank, or inside?
 
If you're on a budget, you can make a rheostat for practically nothing, or the ZooMed 500R is an ok budget thermostat. If money is no issue, then go for a Herpstat thermostat.
 
I use a Habistat thermostat on a similar set up to the one you described, there are plenty on ebay!
My heatmat is sat under my tank and as mentioned the tank is on little feet (from Wilkos)to create an air gap. I also sit my heatmat on a thin cork tile to prevent damage to my daughters furninture.
Good luck and enjoy!
 
Almost forgot, get yourself a digital thermometer as well (again ebay is a good place to look) then you can place the probe of the thermostat and the thermometer together. I place them under the substrate in Pebbles' hide, where it is likely to get the warmest.
 
Thanks Snakehips, I heard a similar idea to your Cork Mat which was to use polystyrene, i presume it works the same. I need to find somewhere to buy it yet though.
Regarding your thermometer/thermostat, whats the best set up to use? With the snake starter kit that I have now bought and set up, I only got a 'stick on' thermometer, which I have put in the warm end approx an inch off the substrate., although it is only reading around 80, I presume this is mainly due to the thermometer not being in full contact with the substrate? What is the best items to buy to regulate the correct temperature, and how do you recommend to set it up?
Sam
 
Just to help anyone out thats new. I have had my snakes for awhile now. But when we first got them...we set it all up as said and put the heat mat UNDER the tank and it didnt get enough air. So...it ended up cracking my tank. So be sure it gets enough breathing room!!!!! We ended up having to buy a new tank...and we learned our lesson for sure.
 
I only got a 'stick on' thermometer
Click to expand...

I’m sorry…but loose the ‘stick on’ thermometer and get yourself a good digital one with a temperature probe.

Run the probe from the thermostat together with the probe from the thermometer and place them under the substrate, on the glass, over the middle of the UTH. What you want to regulate is the hottest point that your snake can come in contact with.

The temperature on top of the substrate might be a “perfect” 85 degrees…but if your UTH is cranking at 94 degrees to obtain that temperature, you’re putting your snake at risk.

Personally, I run my UTH at 88 degrees “on the glass”.

Regards,
Steve
 
You can get a habistat thermostat from www.exotic-pets.co.uk for £26 thats the one i use and had no problems with it.

You need a digital thermometer that has an outdoor probe that you can atach to the bottom of the takn to check the temps. The cheapest place to get these is Mapline electronics from the shop or online.

Rich
 
Here's how I have my UTH/Thermostat/Thermometer set up using the following equipment:

- Exo Terra Heatwave Desert Vivarium Heater
- ReptiTemp 500R Thermostat
- ZooMed Digital Terrarium Thermometer

The UTH goes underneath the tank or container. [On my 20L I stuck it directly to the glass and on a plastic tub it's stuck to a ceramic tile.] Then, the temperature probe from the thermostat is taped directly to the underside of the tank, in the center of the UTH. The temperature probe from the digital thermometer is suction cupped (no tape) to the inside bottom of the tank, right opposite the thermostat probe. The thermometer display is suctioned to the inside back wall of the tank.

The advantage of this setup is that no wires run through the lid of the tank. The wire from the thermometer to its probe is buried in the substrate (until your snake digs it up) and only a few inches of it shows. The thermometer is reading the temps right off the floor on the inside, where your snake lives. It doesn't matter where the thermostat probe is, as long as you're making adjustments based on the thermometer reading. Unless your thermostat has a built-in thermometer (as the more expensive ones do), there is no need to bundle these two probes together.

Note: With this setup, a sudden drop in temperature usually means that your snake has dislodged the temperature probe and it's no longer sitting on the tank floor. A sudden increase in temps may mean that something has gone wrong with the thermostat.
 
How does this look for a digital thermometer? http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=5042&criteria=digital thermometer&doy=9m8
So with this type of thermometer, you would just run the wire down the inside of the glass and put the probe ontop, or underneath the substrate?
Ive been looking at the habistat range and in particular the Habistat mat stat 100w, which i think is the 1 that i shall be purchasing.
1 final question, ive been advised to put a sheet of polystyrene under the tank for the heat mat, would this not restrict the airflow causing a possible crack in teh glass??
Thanks again
 
CornNoobie said:
How does this look for a digital thermometer? http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=5042&criteria=digital thermometer&doy=9m8
So with this type of thermometer, you would just run the wire down the inside of the glass and put the probe ontop, or underneath the substrate?
Click to expand...
This looks virtually the same as the one I'm using. If you keep both the probe and the display inside the tank, with the probe underneath the substrate, the wire run between them can be very short. Bundle up the excess wire and tie it up with a wire-tie.

At the temps you should be running, there is no chance that the heat mat could crack glass. You will however, need some space underneath the tank (like 1cm) to allow for the connector to the UTH and so that the tank won't be sitting on the AC cord. Most UTH's come with stick-on rubber feet for this purpose.
 
Looks good to me set it up as GregF said and should work fine.

Like i said before i have the habistat 100w and have been using it for 6 months now with no problems so i would say its a good choice and not to expensive.

Rich
 
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