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10 Posts |
 Posted - 02/03/2010 : 23:36:56
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Hi all! (im new so go easy!)
I bought a corn snake 2 weeks ago ( its not fully grown yet) and have its enclosure set up in my room. I am trying my best to keep the warm side about 28-30C and the cool side about 20-22C. i have a heat mat (with a fitted thermostat) on the warm side and also a heat bulb in hte warm side. If i have the bulb off (heat mat on), the warm side stays around 24-16c (in the hide) and the cool side drops to about 16.5c. I i have the bulb on (with the heat mat on), the warm side rised to approx 33.5-34.5C and the cool side stays about 22-24C. is there anything i can do to try and get a balanced temperature within the enclosure without worrying every 30 mins if hes goin to freeze or boil? Or are these temperatures ok? I have found that he is always in the hide on the cool side, i have neva found him in the warm side. (even when the cool side drops to approx 17c) any help would be appriciated! There is also a digital thermometre in both sides.
Thanks
Jack |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 23:47:34
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hey and welcome 
a heatmat on a thermostat will do just fine in the warm end.. if you set the thermostat to about 28/29'c it should be just right for your new snakey what sort of thermostat do you have? really the stat should kick in once the mat temp goes to below the set temp so it shouldnt drop by quite that much..
what sort of viv/faun have you got and where is the heatmat in relation to the viv - ie wooden vivs need the heatmat in it and the plastic fauns need them underneath also where is the thermometer probe?
the other end should be fine at room temp - around 20-23'c is about right
sorry for the q's! |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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10 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 00:02:44
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The thermostat i have is made by habistat thermostats. I can see it switches on when the temp drops in the warm hide (when the heat bulb is off), i have the sensor in the hide buried in the aspen shavings (is this the correct location?) The heatmat is located under the aspen shavings, with the hide on top. I find if i only have the heat mat on, then the cool end drops to approx 16.5c (the house does not always have the heating on)
Thanks! |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 02:58:32
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Jack, I am no expert on heatmats etc, except that I have had trouble with mine recently so can only talk from my experience.
There certainly is no need for the heat lamp and the mat. Most of us just use a heatmat and then a bulb with the lowest wattage possible, which is just for our own benefit so we can see into the viv.
You say you are measuring the temps with a digital thermometer both sides? Where are the probes for that? If they are above the substrate then they are measuring the ambient temp and that is not of any help in seeing what it is your snake is actually experiencing temp wise, as they absorb their heat mainly through their belly (hence why the heatmat is more effective than the light).
One thought, how big is your viv and the mat? Does it cover one-third of the floor area of the viv?
If you have a habistat one then that is good (is it pulse or dimmer?) - a lot of us have had problems with the microclimate ones. What temp is it set at?
You say you have the probe for the stat in the hide buried under the aspen. It needs to be laying FLAT along the heatmat....so it has direct contact. The best advice I have heard is to rubberband your digital thermometer probe and stat probe together, cos then you can get a more accurate reading.
Is the probe weighed down or could it be being moved by the snake? Some people suggest attaching it to the mat or vinyl covering the mat, but I have found that weighing it down with a heavy hide or stones works well.
How deep is your aspen in the warm end? You only need a light covering there, getting deeper as it approaches the warm end so it lands up deep enough for the snake to burrow in.
I shouldnt worry too much about the cool end temp, it is not ideal as it should be around 21oC but your snake does have the option to move to the warm end if it gets too cold.
Of course you could have a faulty stat, which is what I had with the microclimate one....but now I have a habistat pulse and it keeps temps around 27.5oC and I have a much happier snake.
Look at this topic as there are others that have had trouble with getting their temps right, so you are not alone - http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8459.
The more info we have the better we can help, so sorry for adding more questions to the ones HannahB asked!
xxx |
  
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Edited by - Kellog on 03/03/2010 03:00:31 |
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 09:24:34
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Could it just be that you need to tweek your thermostat a bit?
As has already been said the heat bulb isn't really necesary and dosnt work aswell for snakes as what the heat mats are. A heat mat on a thermostat is normally sufficient enough.
Im sure you will eventually get to the bottom of it if you answer the questions already asked, the most important probably being were your thermometer and thermostat probes are situated and what type of thermostat it is that you have. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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352 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 13:43:52
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heat mats can't heat the surface the substrate if it is too thick over the mat side. That was one reason I was using indoor outdoor carpeting when I was using the mat. I've seen someone in here though recommend that you keep the cool end's substrate thicker for burrowing and the warm end thinly layered for heating purposes.[quote][i]Originally posted by jackturner
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 18:45:38
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Jack,
Kellog gave you some sound advice there. Attach the two probes of the thermostat and thermometer with elastic bands and lay them flat on the heatmat in direct contact with the mat. Set your stat for about 30c and cover the whole lot with a fine layer of aspen. That way the substrate temp should be around 28c and if your snake wants it warmer he can burrow to the surface of the mat. Doing it this way ensures your mat never exceeds 30c and therfore cannot harm your snake. Your heatbulb is superflous and having it on will only effect the ambient tempreture of the viv and therefore effect the way your mat stat runs. Some people use heatbulbs to heat their vivs some use heatmats. As corns prefer to regulate heat through their bellly a heat mat is preferable but either will work. One word of warning...if you keep the heatbulb be sure to make sure you have a guard around it as there is a high chance your snake will try to wrap around the bulb to get heat through its belly and will get burnt.
Personally I'd ditch the heatbulb and just put in an energy saver.
hope that helps
Cheers
Steve
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1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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10 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 22:19:00
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hey guys! I have attatched the two probs together, and have also moved the viv away from the window to the otgher side of the room. I think there was a major draft coming through from around the window and now since i took all the advice, i now have a balance in temperature!! Thanks for all your help people! i can now put my mind at rest! 
Cheers!!
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2010 : 02:40:27
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That is really good news Jack. Just keep an eye on it for a few more days to make sure it remains stable. You now know what the temps need to be each end and you have obviously done what was necessary to make things stable. It is great to hear when our advise is followed and the result is positive !
xxx |
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Temperature balance
