| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| paula houghton |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 12:36:47
i got my firt corn snake yesterday and even though it got hide places and plant stuff, mine has decided he likes to get behind the fales polysirine desplay rocks and lying between that and the glass, the thing in worried about is it being to cold in that spot... any advice on this please  |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 14:05:19
Yer i know what you mean, just that none of mine seem to bury on the warmside, but they all have little tunnels on the cold side. |
| gmac |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 12:56:21
Danny i wasant implying that yours werent statted, i was certain they were, so I wasnt meaning you sorry for the confusion.
I have one that will burrow not very deep mind just so he can have 5 or 6 escape hatches from his hide lol. And have seen a few in the pics gallery that will burrow, but dont really think its worth taking a chance.
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 12:38:28
None of mine burrow on the warm side and my matts are statted,although that dosn't mean that others won't. |
| gmac |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 12:31:17
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91
One thing you could do is to put a little more substrate over the mat making harder for the heat to penetrate.
If you dont have stat, turn the mat off, corn snakes can burrow so even if the syrface temps are fine the heat below the surface can still be incredibly hot with potentially nasty consequences to your snake |
| Kellog |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 09:11:03
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
Did you order your thermometer from China Kellog? or maybe there was a postal strike then. Mine came fast it's the stuff that I ordered from 888 reptiles that is taking forever to come. It seems like it takes a week to pack something lol.
You can get digital thermometer of ebay cheaper than you can get dial ones. I would just say be careful with he ons from China.
Nice to know he's making good use of his background decoration :)
Ordered it off ebaby Staple, but it didnt mention anything in the info about where it was coming from or in the reviews about it....which were all positive. Knowing it had taken so long and knowing how important having one is I would probably have bought a more expensive one from 888, who I have had no problems with - but luckily I had one in my other viv which I knew to be stable and just spent the time while I was waiting switching it between vivs to make sure both stats were working correctly.
xxx
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 19:16:23
quote:
Originally posted by paula houghton
any ideas how i can bring it down abit please 
You need to have a thermostat controlling the temps, this is also why a digital thermometer is important as the thermostats arn't all that accrate.
As said 88F is a bit hot and any hotter the snake could burn itself.
One thing you could do is to put a little more substrate over the mat making harder for the heat to penetrate and if you don't already have a thermostat get one ASAP. Most shops tell you that you don't need them, but then most pet shops don't seem to have a clue what you need. In actual fact a thermostat is an absolutely crucial piece of kit. |
| gmac |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 18:38:23
do you have a thermostat regulating the heatmat?, if you do turn the stat down a bit, if not i would really recommend you get a stat at the same time you get your new heatmat. Heatmats should be controled by a thermostat as the damage an unstatted mat can do to our corn is quite frightening.
If you can get your heatmat and stat in a few days I would just suggest turning the mat off. Corns are resiliant so it shouldnt be a problem for a short period of tme.
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| paula houghton |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 18:29:50
any ideas how i can bring it down abit please |
| gmac |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 18:19:51
yes 88.5 is a bit too hot you would look to be around 82-84 degrees f |
| paula houghton |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 18:16:55
hi guys, well i,ve put my mat at the bottom of the tank, the only problem is its bigger than it should be, cause i was told by the pet shop to put on the outside of my viv which is taller than it is wide, i went for a slightly bigger mat than i would had i been putting it inside, but now that i,ve put it inside it covers slightly more than half of the viv, which i think is alittle to much, but can,t get to a decent pet shop for a few days, in the mean time i also got a digital thermostat which is reading 88.5 f,h is this way over the ideal temp, i hav,nt bothered to put light on cause i don,t want it to get any higher, whats the max the temp should be, will appriciate any advice |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 08:00:11
Did you order your thermometer from China Kellog? or maybe there was a postal strike then. Mine came fast it's the stuff that I ordered from 888 reptiles that is taking forever to come. It seems like it takes a week to pack something lol.
You can get digital thermometer of ebay cheaper than you can get dial ones. I would just say be careful with he ons from China.
Nice to know he's making good use of his background decoration :)
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| Kellog |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 05:08:08
It is absolutely fine to cover the heatmat with the hemp substrate you are using Paula. Most of us just have a small sprinkling over the heatmat and then deepen it towards the cool end so that the snake can burrow.
The heatmat needs to be weighed down with a heavy hide or stone....to stop your snake from getting underneath. I actually have both my heatmats covered in lino, but not everyone does this. I just feel it helps protect my snake from the direct heat of the heatmat and it also protects the heatmat from any water spillage etc. I then have a heavy hide and a few stones weighing the lino down and therefore stopping my snakes from getting underneath. But this is not a necessity.
It is so good that you have obviously done some research into your snake and have already made adjustments by supplying it with the smaller viv, it will be a lot happier in that than in a large open spaced viv.
The digital thermometer is really important. Are your dial ones stuck to the wall of the viv? If they are it means they will be registering the ambient temp rather than the substrate temp, which is where your snake will now be getting its heat. I dont do Fahrenheit very well, but think you are aiming for a substrate heat of 82 -85oF (please correct me if I am wrong  ). Have a look on ebay as you can get some great digital thermometers from there at not much cost, but there may be a delay in getting them (I ordered one and it took nearly 2 weeks!). You could also try 888reptiles, more expensive I know but worth it for your snake's sake. Something like this - http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=942&ProductGroupID=528.
xxx
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| paula houghton |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 20:38:42
thanks danny, ihave read ur advice, the reason i put the mat on the side is cause the person in the pet shop said it stopped the snake from getting burnt as they tend to burrow under there floor covering...if i put mat on bottom can i cover it with the hemp bedding that im useing? i have a dial at the moment but after reading other posts me thinks i,ll get a digital one, my temps around 82f. i will also get a guard. thanks again!!! |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 18:20:06
You could do with putting the heatmat on the floor as corns absorb heat through their belly. Do you have a guard for the light? Lights are not needed for corns but if you use one it must be guarded to stop the snake burning himself.
You say you have a thermomter which is at the right temperature but is it a digital or a dial and exactly what are your temps?
It is true that young corns don't like large open spaces, so you did the right thing in getting a smaller viv first. |
| paula houghton |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 17:57:44
thanks all who replyed,my heat mat is on the side of my viv, i have a thermometer, which is at the right temp,i also have a light for extra day time heat which is pointing the same side the mat is ,so that all the heat and light is on the one side leaving the other side darker and cooler. i,ve just got home from work and looked behind the tank an he was,nt there, looked in his hide rock and there he was all curled up. so hopefully he,ll decide its better in there, o he,s around 13, 14 inchers the viv is only about a foot an a half at the moment cause i read they don,t like big spacers when there young..will now go and seal them gaps, thank! |
| HannahB |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 15:04:40
we had to do that with my king - just got some kitchen towel and filled up the little gaps with it and made sure the backing was really wedged in tight,
but dont panic - your snake has found somewhere he feels safe which is a good thing really, just a slightly unideal spot!
how big is your corn and how big is the viv? |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 13:41:22
Spaghettino used to hide back there so i sealed all the holes from where he could go back there..!
I used just paper!  |
| Mouse |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 12:49:49
Snakes are self regulating, and corns are pretty rugged.
If he's decided he likes it there, it could be that he just wants to sit in the cool bit, it could be that he feels safer there.
Where is the hide in relation to the heat mat, and do you have the heat mat on a thermostat?
It may be that the 'hot end' is too hot for him/her, if it's not on a thermostat.
How big is the heatmat in relation to the viv?
Do you have a thermometer?
(Sorry for all the Q's, but it'll give a good idea as to what could be causing it!)
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