| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:11:12
hey guys.
just bought an amel corn snake yday. its a 6 months old male.
got the vivarium set up etc just wondering if use had any advice on how to keep the temperature at a constant? i know its got to be between 21-30degrees and at a gradient but mine keeps differing all the time.
i have a heat mat and a heat lamp at one end of the tank.
any advice or tips welcome.
thanks |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 22/12/2009 : 23:17:27
the thermometer should be as Kaz said above: on the substrate above the heatsource if a mat (or below the heatsource if it's a bulb) that way you're measuring the temps where the snake actually is. the dial thermometers are notoriously inaccurate digi ones are cheap enough and give you a proper, accurate reading.
if your still struggling to get the temps up at the warm end thin out the substrate as it will insulate heat away from the snake, also where is your heatmat actually positioned? |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 22/12/2009 : 23:11:37
quote:
Originally posted by civictrev
just bought an amel corn snake yday. its a 6 months old male.
quote:
Originally posted by civictrev
i have a 102x50x52 (cm) viv and a 40x30 (cm) heat mat.
ok where ever this petshop is they're ripping you off selling you unneccessary equipment and giving you bad advice.........
a 40"x20" viv is suitable for a 5ft adult cornsnake, definitely NOT a 6 month old hatchie..........
selling you a lamp AND a mat and telling you you need both is complete and utter b**locks..........
just hearing about this shop has made me soooo angry!! 
ideally, depending on the exact size of this 6 month old corn, it should be in faunarium or small viv, with a heatmat as the only neccessary heatsouce, running off an on/off stat - dimmer stat usually have a minimum wattage to run which is much higher than a heatmat. |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:51:11
ahh right. i will give that a bash. thats my dimmer stat ordered now. thanks for the help guys |
| Kazerella |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:46:18
Where were you checking the temps though?
You should place the thermometer on the substrate where the snake would be to get an accurate reading. Heat mats don't really do much for the ambient air temperature |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:44:26
i have a 102x50x52 (cm) viv and a 40x30 (cm) heat mat.
im going to get a dimmer for the heat mat to...just for at night thought. i only use the lamp during the day but this morning when i checked the temp it was down at 22 at the heat end and 20 at the cold hence why i dont think the mat does a good enough job? |
| Kazerella |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:38:07
That's alright then - but are you going to use the mat at night?
Corns only need 12 hours of light, so if the lamp is on all the time they'll not be able to regulate night from day.
Might be a good idea to do a swap of heat sources before you go to bed. The mat should work with a dimmer too  |
| gmac |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:37:49
what size of Viv you got i use a mat and it heats the viv fine. ive got an 11" x 11" heatmat for a 3foot viv |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:35:02
the women in the shop told me i need both. so i got both lol. the heat lamp is a 150w and that gives ample heat! i dont think the mat gives off enough heat. i just bought a dimmable stat for the lamp. |
| Kazerella |
Posted - 20/12/2009 : 20:18:52
Well you need to regulate the heat source with a thermostat, so that it will control the temperatures.
The mat will need a mat stat like the Ministat100 and the bulb will need a dimmer stat.
Just wondering though - why do you need both heat sources?. Normally people have one or the other. If you are getting enough heat from the mat, I would change the bulb to a low wattage energy saving bulb so it doesn't give off much heat but will allow you to see your snake. |
