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Heat mat/ heat bulb or both?!

T

thismissbex

New member
Hey, I've been reading so much conflicting info on the internet it's confusing me!!
Some people say use just a heat mat cause a bulb dries out the air and also corn snakes prefer to bury themselves and they are better getting their heat through their belly. But if I'm only using a heat mat which stays on 24/7 then how do I provide a day/night routine regarding temp difference (obv it's hotter during the day) and light?
Using a heat bulb will heat up the air better and the items in the tank but I can't use a thermostat on it, can I? Will it not confuse the snake when the heat bulb is going on and off at random times?! Plus it's a glass bottom tank so if he buries down the glass will be cold even with the heat lamp on.

I'm so confused, please give me some opinions!! Thanks!!
 
Cornsnakes do not need a day/night temp variation. What they do need is a temp gradient from 85ish to your room temp of 65-80. A UTH with a thermostat provides the warm area of 85F. Your snake can choose the temperature that it requires for digestion and general comfort.

Heat lamps are inconvenient and a fire hazard. Additionally, you need to keep a supply of (expensive) reptile bulbs on hand, because they burn out often. A UTH will most likely last the lifetime of the snake, and merely needs to be regulated by a thermostat and monitored by a probed thermometer.
 
Ok awesome. [emoji106] So do you just use the natural light in the room to provide the day/night light routine? Could I use a small bulb (like 15w) just to light up the tank during the day that wouldn't cause a temp change? Cause it's a bit dull with no light inside [emoji53]
 
A light won't hurt it, especially if the room that the enclosure is in doesn't get a great deal of natural Sun light. Just turn don't leave it on for 10hrs or so. So it gets the feeling of day/night.
 
Nanci said:
Cornsnakes do not need a day/night temp variation. What they do need is a temp gradient from 85ish to your room temp of 65-80. A UTH with a thermostat provides the warm area of 85F. Your snake can choose the temperature that it requires for digestion and general comfort.

Heat lamps are inconvenient and a fire hazard. Additionally, you need to keep a supply of (expensive) reptile bulbs on hand, because they burn out often. A UTH will most likely last the lifetime of the snake, and merely needs to be regulated by a thermostat and monitored by a probed thermometer.
Click to expand...

Could not have said it better. Just remember to use a thermostat set at 87° or so since they UTHs can get up to 130° and possibly harm your snake.

Corns love the night time, so if you are up then and want to pull up a chair and some popcorn to watch your kiddo go right ahead with the light! A lot of people like the LED lights. They sleep most of the day, which are why the hides are so important, to make them feel safe and in the dark.
 
Oh, and yes, you will receive some questionable or downright bad advice from the internet and even from pet stores.

The members of this forum are made up of longtime breeders, keepers, those who have written books on corns, those who know the genealogy of corns, and those who are learning. I have read a lot of stuff too, but I find that 40 years of great husbandry is what I will listen to over some guy who thinks that all snakes are just snakes and should be treated the same. SO not true, and you will find great answers here.

We also like a good, clean debate, so if you read something that makes sense over what you have read here, bring it up in the appropriate topic. We love to discuss, and are very rarely have tempers and consider both sides before responding. And those who get offended because of differences of opinion don't have to come back, but those are few and far between.

Welcome, I think you will enjoy it here!
 
Well, I like giving my baby corn snake a regular cycle. I have a day bulb 25watt blue that I turn on around 7:15 and at around 7:00 I turn on my 40 watt moonlight bulb at night. And then down my thermostat for my UTH to about 82. Seeing them active at night is so cool :)
 
Kaylarawrz said:
Well, I like giving my baby corn snake a regular cycle. I have a day bulb 25watt blue that I turn on around 7:15 and at around 7:00 I turn on my 40 watt moonlight bulb at night. And then down my thermostat for my UTH to about 82. Seeing them active at night is so cool :)
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They actually would need the warmer temps at night since that is when the ambient temps drop, but as long as your warm side stays at 85-87° if it is too warm for him he can choose to go to the cooler end. You definitely want to ensure that they don't get too cold, this can cause regurges or worse, and babies are especially fragile and prone to problems with too cold temps.

And as a bonus, they are more active the warmer they are!
 
smigon said:
They actually would need the warmer temps at night since that is when the ambient temps drop, but as long as your warm side stays at 85-87° if it is too warm for him he can choose to go to the cooler end. You definitely want to ensure that they don't get too cold, this can cause regurges or worse, and babies are especially fragile and prone to problems with too cold temps.



And as a bonus, they are more active the warmer they are!
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Okay I'll make sure to up her thermostat at 85-86 at night:) just fed her yesterday for the second time..I get too excited on feeding day lol
 
Kaylarawrz said:
Okay I'll make sure to up her thermostat at 85-86 at night:) just fed her yesterday for the second time..I get too excited on feeding day lol
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I know, even though I have 10 mouths to feed I still get excited by their reactions, and to see them stuff that mouse into what seems like too small of a mouth! Two years later, and it still never gets old. What a great hobby this is!
 
I haven't been without at least one snake for a pet for over 30 years, and I still enjoy feeding.
 
I've been wondering about this for some time. It gets really cold at night around this time of the year, even colder once winter rolls around. A few weeks ago during a random temperature plunge, I noticed that the UTHs were struggling to get to optimum levels (they were peaking at mid- to high-60s), so I added a ceramic heat lamp hooked to an extra thermostat. It helped the UTHs get into the correct ranges and also kept the ambient air at low- to mid-70s.

Would this be safe in the long run (the rest of the cold season)? I don't feel confident upping the UTHs (highest settings are 77/87) because Pancake does like to burrow so that she is in direct contact with the glass bottom. Our house does have central heating, but we keep it low (house thermostat is set to 72) because I am dating a polar bear who has a low tolerance for warmth. The viv is also against a wall and our walls unfortunately absorb the temperature from outside, transferring some to the viv. I wish I could move it, but we have limited space. I do check levels several times daily with a temperature gun to make sure nothing is off.
 
I would ease up the thermostat, spot checking after every couple of degrees of increase, every few hours. Corns aren't known for laying on them and getting burned. http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137354
That said, I do like ceramic heat emitters much more than bulbs, and if you can dial it in with the two, then more power to you. Just seems to me more could go wrong with two heating elements running in one enclosure than one.
 
Chip, I can't believe I never saw that! Great post.

I agree, up your UTH temps with the thermostat, better than the bulbs. Is the UTH the right size for your tank? I have never had a problem getting it warm enough, and we never turn the heat on in the winter (and it DOES get chilly at night in the low desert south of Phoenix where we live!). If there is any way to get that tank on an inside wall that is ideal, it is really so much better in both summer and winter, but if not, just do everything to ensure the temps are good where the viv is now. It isn't just a matter of comfort for the snake, but his health too.
 
Thanks for the input, you two! The weather hasn't gotten low enough since the drop a few weeks ago, but when it gets colder again I'll boost the temps to 80/90 and see how that goes.

"Is the UTH the right size for your tank?"
I'm currently using 2 small ZooMed sticky mats within a 30" x 12" space. Should I go bigger/swap them with heat tapes?
 
Neekko said:
Thanks for the input, you two! The weather hasn't gotten low enough since the drop a few weeks ago, but when it gets colder again I'll boost the temps to 80/90 and see how that goes.

"Is the UTH the right size for your tank?"
I'm currently using 2 small ZooMed sticky mats within a 30" x 12" space. Should I go bigger/swap them with heat tapes?
Click to expand...

What size is your tank?

I use the ReptiTherms, a 10-20 gallon is what most of my tanks have except the 55 gallons. It gets up to over 100° without a thermostat in a 10 or 20 gallon tank, so maybe the two smaller ones aren't adequate.

One trick I use with the sticky pads is to get a sheet of aluminum foil twice the size of the UTH, stick it to the foil, fold the foil over until it is a little packet with the wires coming out one end. I use packing tape and secure it under my tanks, this way if you want to switch the UTH to a different tank or need to use a lot of water to scrub your tank you can take the UTH off with no damage to the pad or wires. And the foil does not affect the heat output at all from the UTH.

I get them from Amazon or eBay, sometimes you can find them really cheap!
 
Neekko said:
Our house does have central heating, but we keep it low (house thermostat is set to 72) because I am dating a polar bear who has a low tolerance for warmth.
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I'm still processing this :bird:

We set ours at 68 ! 72 I wish !! LOL

Make sure your verifying the IR gun is reading accurately. Bit me in the butt recently.
 
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