requirements (Heating & Lighting For a Corn Snake)

i think thats spelt wrong, but what all do i need to keep a corn snake in a 20 gallon tank like bulb wattage, heat all that, i know theres care sheets but i wanna hears peoples suggestions that were successful


(Title edited by Stormyva to be more descriptive 1/24/05)

 

A 40 watt bulb would be a good place to start, but that should be for supplemental heat. Your main heat source should be from a heat pad or some other source of under tank heat. I use human heat pads set on low or medium. (Never set any higher than med) Prop the tank up on some wood so that there is approx 1/2" of air flow between the pad and the tank.

 

I have my corn in a 20T. She has a 50W repti sun for daytime temps and an UTH(on a rheostat) for constant belly warmth on the other side of the tank.

 

it says my title was edited, what was it before, not that i dont believe you

 

i dont think you put heating and lighting for a corn snake... or you might have not put corn snake but im not sure.

 

i think i just put requirements, doent matter though

 

You had just put "requirements".
The best way to get answers on a forum is to be descriptive in your title.

 

tellydsp, whats the rheostat set on?

 

the rheostat is at about 75%. It would really depend on an individual basis. What I did is place my "outside" probe from my thermometer on/in the substrate to set the right temp. My BP's rheo is at 50% but its a different kind.

 

do u put the uth on the side with the light or the other side? and do you think i should use a night light? like a 75w black light. Can i use a mercury vapor bulb that i used to use for my lizards its 100w.

 

the uth is on the other side of the tank from my light. I dont use a light at night. The UTH maintains the same basking temp on one side, and the ambient goes from 80-84 during the day, and 75ish at night.

 

wait so the uth stays on all the time?

 

corns

two questions
whats the best substate for corns, caresheets say pine chips, but arent those kinda rough?

%? u have your rheostat at percents, how do u measure temps?

 

on a lot of care sheets, it says minimum is a 20L tank, its the same amount of space, whats the difference, and can they be kept in a standard 20 gallon

 

yes. light goes off for night

Newspaper or aspen. i use aspen shavings. great for burroing

I have my rheostat at 50%(HALF POWER). I measur my temps with a thermometer.

One is longer than tall and the other is a little taller. Ihave my corn in a T and my ball in a L. The L allows more ground space, the T allowiws more height.

BTW, sorry, got me when i got home from the bar

 

ahh, half power, thats what i thought which do i need for a corn, tall or long

 

they'd both work. long would probably be better once they got older. i think either will do though. I know they make the critter cages with the sliding tops in long.

 

Pine, like cedar, is an aromatic wood and the oils from it (as well as dust in some varieties) can irritate the upper respiratory tract of herps and lead to infections. The daytime temps for the cage should be in the mid-80s. Some people recommend 90 but that's really just overkill, totally unnecessary. Night temps should be about mid-70's. Honestly, the type of heating you use depends on how warm the ambient temp of your house is and where the cage will be. If the cage is within range of natural light from windows, and assuming you don't keep your houselights on 24 hrs a day, then you don't technically need lighting at all. Snakes, just like people, need a steady light/dark cycle. A 12hr/12hr cycle is fine and it's the easiest. Cages near doors and windows will obviously be harder to keep warm in the winter so you may need supplemental heat even if you use a UTH. An infrared bulb is great for this because the light won't affect the snakes, and they produce variable amounts of heat depending on the type, watt, and manufacturer.

 

Just to clear it up for my knowledge. the barks from these woods do not have the same issues, right?

Either way, as far as substrate, I used paper towels for the first month to monitor bowels and such. Now we have gradauated to aspen shavings. She loves it, especially burrowing, and it looks fone

 

I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean you want to use the bark for something? If you have a wooden hide for your snake, then I wouldn't worry about it. The processing of the shavings is what you have to worry about with dust and oils.