Any advice??

[Frozenflame]

hi guys...

Ive been spoiling my snake a lot lately so i take him out of his terrarium ones or twice a day for a few hours...
So now every time i go int my room he comes out and sort of begs me to take him out, so he climbs upand can sustain himself on the top edges of the cage by flattening his tummy scales..
but im worried he will burn himself with the lamp... the cover of the cage is made of steal so it gets super hot ( i touched it once and it burnt my hand) do you guys have any suggestions how i could keep giving him light?

[lady_bug87]

snakes don't actually beg for attention or affection or anything like that. But to answer your question you can give him light with a lower wattage bulb and use a UTH to provide adequate heat to the enclosure also you can take out the fixtures that are directly under the light so the snake can't climb up and burn itself

[Frozenflame]

Well he does it as soon as i go n the room... maby "her here" equals "me going outside" but no matter where i put the objects he still crawls up onto the sides he is long enough and strong enough to reach the side and crawl along it. i will consider the lower wattage though that is a good idea... or if not i will have to buy a new enclosure that is much deeper. thanks though :)

[USMCgunner11]

He's not begging to get out or seek attention, he's trying to find a way out. Don't take it personally.

If the surface of the top of the tank gets hot enough to cause a burn then you should probably consider another set up. An under the tank heater might be the least expensive and quickest fix. Either that or replace the tank's top so that there isn't a metal surface underneath your heat source.

[alessia55]

Switch to a UTH (a heat mat) on a thermostat.

[StudentoReptile]

I concur with everyone else.

1.) Snakes are not capable of affection. What you are witnessing in your snake is not begging for attention, or whatever. He doesn't love you or like you, because he has no comprehension of those emotions. He's not a puppy dog.

2.) Get an undertank heat pad (with a thermostat!). Once you have done this, you can probably lose the lamp. In any case, find a way to close/cover most of the top of the enclosure, and you can definitely get away with a lower wattage bulb (or none at all, if you use the undertank heat pad).

[Frozenflame]

ok i know he doesn't love me of like me or anything like that,maby he just figures im the result of him coming out of his cage...i really dont know and its not my main objective. i didnt move to canada till a few months ago and he was in my dads care for the past 2 years up till now.

he has a heating pad but it doesn't create enough heat... i will consider getting a much deeper enclosure. that way he doesn't reach the top of the terrarium when he stretches upwards.. and for now i will replace the bulb.

thanks guys! :]

[Frozenflame]

Also he wont be needing it as much now that its summer so i will have time to come up with a new terrarium before winter rolls round!!

Appreciate it! :)

[alessia55]

he has a heating pad but it doesn't create enough heat...

Get a better heat mat, and hook it up to a thermostat. How hot does it get that it's not enough? what's the max temperature it gets to? Some heat mats come with a "max temperature" and then a thermostat can adjust it to where you need it. Alternatively, you could get some flexwatt tape.

[DavethePython]

I have a peice of peg board over each of my screens with holes cut out large enough for the lights . This raises the bulbs off the screen a little more and it also helps keep the heat in better while still providing good ventilation.

[Frozenflame]

during the winter the house is kept at between 65 and 70, and his cage at 80 most with the heating lamp and heating pad....
right now during the summer ( he has a separate thermostat, a little digital one) and it only gets to about 70 with just the pad and there's no adjustments to it you just plug it in and its tuck on the underside of the cage.... on hot days which it has been lately it gets up to 75-80 depends on the house... stays pretty cool inside even with the windows open. basically i was a bit worried about him being sick about a week ago and so ( even though he is pretty active at 75 degrees) i wanted to keep hm warm to keep his immunity strong but he seems to be quite alright. do you think i should continue with the light? or only use it on cold days?

( Davethepython) pegboard is a brilliant idea!!! i most certainly have to try that!

[Fredricks]

First off awesome looking snake. Great size
The UTH is obviously the bestlike everyone says, but if you arent comfortable with one just lower the wattage because he can burn himself

[Lankyrob]

Cornsnakes need a hot end temp of 86f, if the heatmat isnt getting temps that high then dump it and get one that will - and USE A THERMOSTAT!! :)

[Frozenflame]

thanks :) and yes i been trying t keep it at 80 but clearly i should keep it higher.
im gonna dump this heat mat, it might have worn out so something...

still gonna get a larger cage sometime down the line so hes got more space to crawl around and higher so i can put branches and stuff in it...

thank you!! u guys are a great help! :D

[Gungirl]

I don't use a heat source with my corn 3 seasons out of the year and he does fine. In the winter I do give him a hot spot of 78 though. I keep my house in the mid - low 60 f. Corn snakes don't need as precise temps as most other snakes.

[Kettennatter]

I don't use a heat source with my corn 3 seasons out of the year and he does fine. In the winter I do give him a hot spot of 78 though. I keep my house in the mid - low 60 f. Corn snakes don't need as precise temps as most other snakes.

This is similar to my setup, except that my house is warmer during the summer. The breeder warned me that corns are more tolerant in regard to colder than warmer temperatures. So far, I've had good luck with that.

[MojoHerps]

The heat pad might be heating the glass directly over it 80 - 85 or even higher but the ambient temps in the cage may be only 70. If you measure the temp on the glass above the heat pad that will help out. If it is 80 - 85 that is fine for digestion.

I would agree that corns are fairly tolerant of different tamp ranges but it helps to have an area 80- 85 for digestion.

[Frozenflame]

oh alright... well i worry that if he should get sick that he will be able to fight it off on his own if it ever came down to it.

other wise yea they are ok without heat.

[Frozenflame]

yea they are the more hardy of pet snakes i must say.... ok i will do that cuz i usually have the thermostat on the heated side but closer to the lid than the ground... i do go and feel the bottom of cage like where he sleep i sometimes just put my hand under him sleeping and feel how warm it is... and if he seems too cold i put the lamp on.
hes quite an active guy, he makes alot of noise at night so hes not too hot but not too cold that hes sluggish. lol

[Lankyrob]

The thermostat probe should be on the substrate where the snake slithers not up in the air, this could be why the heatmat is getting so hot :)

[Toronto1977]

I don't use a heat source with my corn 3 seasons out of the year and he does fine. In the winter I do give him a hot spot of 78 though. I keep my house in the mid - low 60 f. Corn snakes don't need as precise temps as most other snakes.

I agree with gungirl that Corns don't need precise temps like most other snakes. In fact, my corn rarely ever goes to the hot side, even with a full stomach. In my experience the larger ZooMed heat pads reach up to 90, which is too hot for a corn, but they do reach a higher temp, if that's what you're looking versus a heat lamp.

[exwizard]

hi guys...

Ive been spoiling my snake a lot lately so i take him out of his terrarium ones or twice a day for a few hours...
So now every time i go int my room he comes out and sort of begs me to take him out, so he climbs upand can sustain himself on the top edges of the cage by flattening his tummy scales..
but im worried he will burn himself with the lamp... the cover of the cage is made of steal so it gets super hot ( i touched it once and it burnt my hand) do you guys have any suggestions how i could keep giving him light?

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/attachments/general-discussion/19342d1338511001-any-advice-tiger-025.jpg

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/attachments/general-discussion/19343d1338511181-any-advice-tiger-023.jpg
Is that a Bloodred Stripe? If so, awesome! He actually looks like a Fire Stripe!

Also Corns are quite hardy with the temps. Yeah I agree with the others with the lower wattage light bulb supplemented with the UTH. That would be your best best short term.

[Frozenflame]

ok... so at least i don't have to worry too much about it... yea im going to change it... he seems to like when i put it on in the mornings, cuz i usually wake up and turn it on immediately and he comes out and basks for a while... and then later on in the day when im not supervising and leave the house i turn it off.

(exwizard) yea now im not sure what kind of striped corn he is xD gosh... in different lighting he appears darker in some and lighter in others... and ive noticed he has gotten much darker now that he is older.. i will post some pictures of him in different lighting, let me know what you think.

[Frozenflame]

here he is basking under the lamp in the morning, picture #1 is with both a camera flash and with his heating lamp,picture #2 is just with the camera flash and picture#3 is in sunlight. :)

[Fredricks]

You've got the passion. You obviously adore your snake, you are obviously reading like crazy. I am with gungirl, but let your snakes behavior show you as well.

[jennuhkins]

its is a great thing that he knows there's a world outside a cage, its way better to have a snake trying to get out then a snake scared of hes surroundings. :)

[Frozenflame]

Yea so i took away the heat lamp for now and its certainly warm enough right now, so im able to take him outside for an hour or so a day to get some sun :] and i was observing him when he is trying to get out and he stays away from the lamp which im glad.. but going to find a new setup for when winter rolls round!

thanks, i believe he should have more of a life than to be in his cage all the time :D

[shaunyboy]

Yea so i took away the heat lamp for now and its certainly warm enough right now, so im able to take him outside for an hour or so a day to get some sun :]

thanks, i believe he should have more of a life than to be in his cage all the time :D

i'm NOT being cheeky mate,but.....

taking your snake outside every day for an hour or more,may cause health issues,if the climate is not within their requirements

also if its sunny,you will need to give the snake,a place where they can get some shade,snakes cannot heat or cool their own body's,they need to thermoregulate,so we need to offer them the choice of places to do that

re life out his cage
snakes do NOT have emotions,they are NOT like dogs,cats,etc,a dog will look forward to daily walks,and act excited when taken out for its walk

for example.....
put a dog in a small cage for a long period of time and it will,pine,get anxious,whimper,bark,etc, to get out for a run around

a snake however will feel secure and stress free in it's small tank

in some cases,putting a snake in too large a tank can stress them out,make them nervous,to the point of them stopping feeding

also imo taking them out doors too much,may end up stressing them out,or if conditions are not suitable,may cause problems

sorry for sounding all doom and gloom,but i'm only thinking of the snake

i commend you on how much you care about your snake and how you always want to do the best by it,i wish ALL new keepers were as keen as you mate

when i take my snakes outside for natural light pictures to be taken.....

BEFORE i go outside,i take the snakes body temperature readings,with a lazer temperature gun,that way when i take the snake outside,i can use the indoor temps as a guide line,as to how much cooler/hotter the snake has become,since i brought him out his tank

cheers shaun

[Frozenflame]

hey, well not to worry, i never take my snake outside if it is cold, i always check the thermostat from outdoors before going outside, also the front yard is pretty large, and there is a tree right in the middle of the yard, so i let him go there and then sit down n let him crawl around, he does not try to escape but he usually crawls under the tree to the sun and so forth and is slow going and literally explores. i also usually give him a rinse after being outside. for the past 3 years he has been taken outside once in a while and has never gotten sick, ( not saying it couldn't happen, god forbid) hes very active so the exercise is good and i believe it actually reduces stress. if i don't take him out he gets very bad and wont stop trying to get out, however when i do take him out even f its for 10 minuets onto my bed he calms down. :S

hes the most easy going snake i have ever met, ive handled other peoples corn snakes and they dn't like being handles, they have this " muscle tensity" to them and my corn isnt that way, its to the point that even when i make sudden movements he doesn't react or get spooked. i do believe they have some sort of leaning capacity, he gets used to your body language, " he doesn't know what it is or means" but knows it normal.
i think it depends on how or how often you handle them.

he is alright with his enclosure, actually think he would be happier with a much larger one... he makes ALOT of noise at night, even in his water dish i can hear him blow bubbles with his nose or snort the water out of his nose xD

ive heard several opinions when it comes to the enclosure size, but truthfully i think it depends on what you get them used to.. i mean imagine a baby snake in the wild... you can have a 6 foot tank and have a 3 inch baby corn in it but as long as u proved enough hiding and coverage he will be fine, most people put as little as possible in the tank so that its easier to clean or so they can see the snake and so forth instead of making them comfortable.


basically they are all different, im not saying he will come home to me -_- obviously not.... hes a snake, or that he loves me or that he seeks me but he know who i am and how i benefit him up to a point. and i could go on and on and on lol

so every snake is different in my view and don't only see an animal but i see a personality. to each is own i guess really

i really appreciate your concern :) trust me i almost always want to interrogate everybody who has a pet to make sure it is done properly! lol i assure you he is healthy and happy.. he eats once a week, his cage is cleaned once a week, i change his water 2 times a week ( depending on how much he has been soaking at night) his temps are at 85, he has never struck or bitten anybody and wen i take him out he refuses to hide in a box he wants to be all out there.

would you like to ask me anymore questions? honestly feel free i don't mind at all.

cheers 2 you too, leila :]

[SidewaysAt100]

Your heat pad isn't nessesarily worn out, I just got a new one for my snake, its brand new, and its the sh*ts, it disapointed me (excuse my french can't think of a better way to describe it), so I only use it as supplemental heat and got another heat source. It is a small Zilla heat mat, 8 watts, 6 x 8. I don't know if all of Zilla's heat mats are not very good, or the larger sizes are good, but just to be careful so I don't get disapointed again I will buy different brands for now on. The other two heat mats I have are great and they are not Zilla brand. Just my 2 cents, maybe someone can say Zilla heat mats are fine, but from my experience I say to avoid Zilla heat mats. I agree with everyone else about using a thermostat on the heat pad, and if you get flexiwatt heat tape then a termostat is even more a must.

[Frozenflame]

hi there, that's good to know... the heat mat i am using at the moment is an exo-terra, and i took the advice of putting my thermostat directly above it although i should buy a new one asap ive had it since i got my snake so its time for a change. i just recently bought another hating mat and its called "zoo med" and its says "save your reptiles" 0.o... but i haven't tried it out yet. do you know the brand???

i went to the pet store and the lady hat was there kept recommending it to me and she only had those 2 brands. "exo-terra" and "zoo med".

thanks!

[SidewaysAt100]

I like zoo med products, so far I have had really good experiences buying their products, I have never tried one of their heat mats yet though, let me know how good the zoo med heat pad works. Neat snake by the way, really nice looking. Hope everything with your habitat works out how you want it to, have a good weekend.

[Frozenflame]

thank you and i will let you know! :)

have a great one!