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View Full Version : Corn snake cage not hot enough, tips?


SalemII
12-16-18, 03:11 PM
Hello, just now I went to handle my corn snake. When I picked her up, I noticed that she was not warm enough. I felt the glass, and it didn't feel hot enough either. I have a UTH on her cage, but she has been spending most of her time in her hide cave on the warm end. Any other time, she is at the top of the cage in a space between the lid and the cage. Should I put in a heating lamp, or am I doing something wrong?

riddick07
12-18-18, 12:59 PM
Your corn shouldn’t ever really feel hot to the touch. They should always feel a bit cold or just a little warm. We run pretty hot so when something feels hot to you it’s at killing levels for your corn.

Buy one of these so you know what your hot spot actually is at the moment instead of playing the guessing game.
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-774-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00837ZGRY/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1545158636&sr=1-3&keywords=infrared+temperature+gun

These can be helpful for ambient temps.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0755DK5GM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also your UTH needs to be on a Thermostat so it doesn’t get hot enough to burn if it isn’t on one already. UTH are known to spike unexpectedly and burn or overheat animals.

Depending on what your temps read after getting their measure you might need to add a lamp. If your room temp is something like 72F I would guess your tank temps will be fine without adding a lamp. But without knowing accurate readings no one can really tell you if your corn is cold at the moment even though sitting on the hot spot all the time can be an indication of them being a bit cold. However, I wouldn’t touch or add any heat until you get accurate readings. Overheating and killing a corn is easy. They handle cold temps for a bit much better than hot.

craigafrechette
12-19-18, 07:39 AM
Without knowing your temps it's impossible to help you.

A UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot and not for ambient temps.
So, if your temps are too low you will need an additional heat source.

ALL HEAT SOURCES SHOULD BE REGULATED BY A THERMOSTAT. OTHERWISE YOU'RE RISKING SERIOUS INJURY OR WORSE TO YOUR SNAKE