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My View on Heating

soccer191

soccer191

New member
Before I say anything, I just want to make it clear that I am just posting MY VIEW on heating snakes. I'm not saying anyone is wrong or my method is better than anyone else's. Whatever method allows you to keep happy and healthy snakes is appropriate in my opinion. :)

I prefer the use of heat lamps to heat my enclosures. Pete never has digestive problems with that method. I figure that millions of years of evolution can't be wrong, and while replicating nature in captivity is impossible, the closer it is, the better. On the heated side of the cage, the substrate is repticarpet, while the other side is shredded newspaper or aspen. The repticarpet temperature easily rises with the lamp above it. The surface temperature is nearly the same temp. as the ambient temperature on the heated side. So the snake's belly absorbs the heat required for digestion.

If I had dozens of snakes, I have to admit that I would use UTHs instead. I would love to hear some friendly conversation and opinions! :cheers:
 
My problem with heat lamps is expense in changing out bulbs, over drying the cage, potential shedding issues due to too dry air, and the possibility of burns. If it works well for you and you aren't experiencing shedding issues though I guess it works:)
 
Have you ever seen a wild snake basking in the sun? Have you ever seen a wild snake laying on asphalt at night?
 
Aside from what Nanci and danielle mentioned, I have to wonder what effects the constant beat down of light on an animal that cannot blink. Can't be good? In the "wild" corns generally avoid exposure to the open, because that leads to predation. So I'm not exactly sure what bit of nature your trying to replicate. Seems like it's your own version of nature and not the corn snakes, but that's just my opinion.

Good luck and :cheers: to continued success!

Wayne
 
I used to use heat lamps and had all of the problems danielle mentioned. though i do have snakes that shed better than others just because of some oddity. And in the end, it was really expensive to get bulbs, that arnt old, dont get dropped, burn my snake, and a number of other issues.

Bulbs though i do use for the winter, because i dont turn the heat on in my house much, they help to keep the ambient temp up in the cages on the cool end.

But yeah, as a main source they havnt been as reliable or as easy as a pad : P
 
My cage usually stays in the proper humidity range without misting, but sheds have always been fine. I didn't say that snakes basked, but the sun is how heat gets to the snakes in the wild. The sun warms the ground, whether it is directly in the light or not. I have a hide on the warm side underneath the lamp, and the ground under that is the temperature that I measured to compare to the ambient.
 
Isn't the purpose of plenty of places to hide in the enclosure to make the snake not feel exposed and in the open? And I am actually planning on switching to ceramic heat emitters.
 
Good for you. Use whatever works and you're comfortable with.

MY problem with heat lamps? My sister in laws house burnt, to the ground, due to a heat lamp her husband refused to remove from the house. They were home when it happened. It happened fast. They lost virtually everything.

Enjoy.
D80
 
I use heat tape because it is cheap and efficient. I have 8 corns on a shelf, and so it is simple to hook up heat tape through a thermostat and run it under all the vivs.
The heat tape stays at a nice warm- rather than hot- temperature, and that makes me feel safer about things like fires.
 
Drizzt80 said:
Good for you. Use whatever works and you're comfortable with.

MY problem with heat lamps? My sister in laws house burnt, to the ground, due to a heat lamp her husband refused to remove from the house. They were home when it happened. It happened fast. They lost virtually everything.

Enjoy.
D80
Click to expand...

This is my biggest fear. They are definitely a fire danger, even just one lamp.
That said, I have heard of people who have set up pretty secure holders for the lamps. I have opted not to use the lamps.
 
what i dont understand is, yeah maybe lamps work but if pads are cheaper to run, safer, and more efficient why would someone risk the possibilities of hurting your snake or in some cases fires? Doesnt make sense to me. there are to many pro's for pads/heat tape while there are too many cons for lamps. Although it is a great way to keep ambient temps up in the winter time if the house is too cold.
 
Were you the one who threw a fit and said they were quitting CS.com forever over people telling them to use heat pads instead or was that someone else? I can't remember which thread it came from.

EDIT: Nope, guess that wasn't you. Still, there are more risks than benefits to using heat lamps and anyways pads are cheaper and more effective for corns in the long run. Save your heat lamps for diurnal animals :3
 
If you really think about how cornsnakes live in the wild, they don't typically lay in areas that the ground is heated by the sun. They hide in wooded areas under old logs or stumps. If you were to dig under the leaves where they stay, you would feel that the ground is relatively cool. If they live in an area where roads aren't popular, at night they may hunt for food then seek shelter. If they live in fields, they stay under ground or under rocks til nightfall.

If heat lights work for you, that's great. I don't use them for the reasons others mentioned and the fact I have too many snakes. My boas and ball pythons are kept in heated racks that use heat tape. My corns and kings are kept in a heated room. I never have an issue with sheds or digestion.
 
That definately was not me who through the fit lol. I think I read that thread at some point, and it was sort of humorous. Who get's a temper over the internet? :laugh01:

Thanks for everyone's opinions. I might end up trying UTHs to compare, but I do plan on switching over to ceramic heat emitters to eliminate the direct light on the enclosure.
 
Teddy Roosevelt said:
Were you the one who threw a fit and said they were quitting CS.com forever over people telling them to use heat pads instead or was that someone else? I can't remember which thread it came from.

EDIT: Nope, guess that wasn't you. Still, there are more risks than benefits to using heat lamps and anyways pads are cheaper and more effective for corns in the long run. Save your heat lamps for diurnal animals :3
Click to expand...

Nope Lexie, different person altogether...
 
I only have 1 snake, but I use both. I have a UTH under 1/4 of her tank attached to a lamp dimmer that heats the glass to around 85 F. I also have a low-wattage (40w) incandescent fixture that keeps the ambient temp around 85 F on the warm side of her viv. I do this because it gets pretty cool in my house, especially in winter, and I want her ambient temp to be like the outdoors. I don't have to worry much about humidity being in SC, but I still put a small dish of wet beaked moss in her viv when she's blue just to be safe.
 
soccer191 said:
That definately was not me who through the fit lol. I think I read that thread at some point, and it was sort of humorous. Who get's a temper over the internet? :laugh01:

Thanks for everyone's opinions. I might end up trying UTHs to compare, but I do plan on switching over to ceramic heat emitters to eliminate the direct light on the enclosure.
Click to expand...

starsevol said:
Nope Lexie, different person altogether...
Click to expand...
Yup I realized that shortly after posting it. I just got confused because they were similar topics at hand :shrugs:
 
I use a ceramic heat emitter to defrost my mice, does that count? Other than that, I just heat the room for the corns plus add heat tape under my balls. :D
 
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