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Newbie questions re tank heat/light

C

caseyf75

New member
Hello! We just brought home a corn snake a few days ago as a Christmas gift for my son. The snake is currently set up in our bedroom closet getting accustomed to his new digs and preparing for the big reveal on Saturday.

I'm learning a lot from reading the forums (thanks to all contributors!) but I have two questions that are still on my mind:

1) Do I need a UVB light source? After Saturday the terrarium will be in a room with good indirect sunlight, but I've had reptiles in the past that required UVB light. Nothing I've read about corn snakes seems to indicate this, but I just want to make sure I don't miss something important.

2) Do i need a heat bulb for basking? We have a long 20 gallon tank, and on the cool side the hide stays around 70 degrees F. On the warm side I have an UTH under a hide, and the digital therm probe is under the aspen shavings right on the glass. Using a dimmer I keep the temp of the UTH around 88 degrees F. I've also set up a basking light over the hide (hollowed out log) but from what I've read I'm not sure I need it.

Thanks in advance for any and all thoughts and assistance!

Casey
 
1) Corns don't need UV at all. Some basking reptiles need it to form calcium but Corns are not one of these.

2) Corns do not bask for the reason above - they haven't evolved the need. You're safe to remove the basking light. As Corns are most active at times of low light (dawn, dusk and overnight) you could find that having it on discourages the snake from moving about and you'll probably see more of it (once it's settled in) without.

Temps sound great and a UTH is the ideal heat source for a Corn as it gives belly heat from below for digestion.

Welcome to a really addictive hobby!
 
I'm sure your son will love the snake. Out of curiosity, how old is he, and how old/big is the snake?

I bought my son a corn snake when he was about 4 yo. Actually, that was more of an excuse - I really wanted the snake for me. But it was a good learning experience for him, and he has become a snake lover. For his high school graduation gift I gave him a boa constrictor. Your son will probably develop a life-long love of snakes as well!
 
Bitsy - thanks for the feedback, that seems to match the impression I was getting from what I had read so far!

Kronos, my son is 14 yo and has been wanting a snake since he went last year to a local youth camp where they had a collection of snakes that he was able to handle. I did a lot of research and reading going into this and it seems that corns make a good choice because of their disposition and care needs. Our new guy is six months old, as far as I can tell he is in great health and is fairly active at night. He was fed at the pet store on Thursday 12/16 and ate three pinkys, I'll probably wait until Thursday this week before I offer him more.

Thanks for all the help!

Casey
 
Good idea to leave feeding for a week. We usually advise folks to leave new snakes to settle in for a week before feeding or handling anyway. Sounds like all is going well! On three pinkies at one feeding, he'll be ready for fuzzies in no time at all.
 
If he's that young the tank may be too big for him still. They don't need much room after all. Give him a hide for the cool side and some vines or something to play on. My snakes love climbing. Direct sunlight isn't good for them because it creates a greenhouse effect in the tank, if the spot you want to put him gets sunny you can block the light (I use a painting my son did at school) or change the location. For tank ideas this site has many great pictures.
 
Just a quick update - since I removed the overhead basking light yesterday, our new guy has been much more active...he's been spending much more time exploring his new home. Clearly the heat lamp was too much, so thanks for the advice!

On a side note, I fed him for the first time tonight. Offered him three pinkies and he ate them all. Truly amazing to watch!
 
If your snake is six months old, it's probably big enough to take larger mice. Newborn pinks are only about 2 grams. Try 4 or 5 grams and see if it makes any lump in the stomach after ingesting.

Terry :santa:
 
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