# snakes and heat



## J.huff23 (Jul 31, 2008)

Sorry for posting so many threads on this but im not 100% clear on the matter. I have been told that heat rocks are evil, heat lamps are not needed, but i have also been told that heat is an important factor with snakes. how do i keep the cage hated enough to satisfy the snake?


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## Mushroom Spore (Jul 31, 2008)

Heat rocks ARE bad - you should never use any heat source that's actually inside the tank. Heat lamps I personally don't like because they dry up any humidity in the air, and the bulbs need replacing more often than an undertank heating pad will. 

I like the UTHs, myself.

Your question is way too vague without saying what species you're getting, though. Some snakes do fine at room temp, others need 80F on the warm end, others 90F, whatever.


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## secular (Jul 31, 2008)

i like the under-tank heat pads as well.  exo-terra, zoo-med, these are two brands i'm using now with success.  heat rocks have a bad rep because they were known to cause burns.  they might work better now, but why take the chance.  heat lamps are mostly unecessary because while they do provide heat the light is not needed (and perhaps not wanted).  the heat is also coming from the top down, better for an animal that likes to bask (bearded dragon).  the snake wants to sit on something warm (or just be warm) to aid it's digestion.  spore is right on about the bulb replacement too.  the uth seems to be best suited.  i usually just locate the pad on one side of the tank and create the warm spot/cool spot idea from there.

of course as already mentioned specific requirements depend on species.  what would work for a sand boa probably won't thrill a rainbow boa.


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## J.huff23 (Jul 31, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> Your question is way too vague without saying what species you're getting, though. Some snakes do fine at room temp, others need 80F on the warm end, others 90F, whatever.


Im getting a corn snake. would it be fine at room temp. with no light, or under tank heat?


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## pitbulllady (Jul 31, 2008)

Heat rocks-BAD, no question!  
As for any other heat source, you neglected to state which kind of snakes you're referring to, and that is a very important detail.  Some snakes do not need temperatures any higher than that of the average human household, and some even prefer a cooler temperature than that.  Cave-Dwelling Rat Snakes(_Elaphe taeniura ridleyi)_, for example, seem to prefer a temp around 65 degrees F, and MOST snakes need to be cooled to between 50-65 degrees, gradually of course, prior to breeding.  On the other hand, if you have tropical snakes, like a Ball Python or a Common Boa, they need a daily basking temperature of around 85-87 degrees, at least on one end of the enclosure, so for them, auxiliary heat sources are a must, if you keep your home cooler than that year-round.  I personally prefer under-tank heaters, since heat lamps are notoriously easy to knock over, and can cause fires, and light bulbs burn out, usually during cold weather while you're away at work.  Lights can also disrupt an animal's natural photoperiod, something which can be detrimental to breeding success, and can perhaps cause problems for the animal's health, but the jury is not "out" on that yet.

EDIT:  I just saw your post where you said you would be getting a Corn Snake.  Corns do just fine at normal household room temperature.  I have NEVER used auxiliary heat sources on Corns, and I've successfully kept and bred them since I was a child.  My Corns all remain at normal room temps, around 70-75 degrees, and are cooled down to around 55-60 degrees during brumation if I plan to breed them in the spring. 


pitbulllady


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## J.huff23 (Jul 31, 2008)

pitbulllady said:


> Corns do just fine at normal household room temperature.  I have NEVER used auxiliary heat sources on Corns, and I've successfully kept and bred them since I was a child.  My Corns all remain at normal room temps, around 70-75 degrees, and are cooled down to around 55-60 degrees during brumation if I plan to breed them in the spring.


Ok. Thats a relief. Thank You so much.


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## secular (Jul 31, 2008)

j.everson23 said:


> Im getting a corn snake. would it be fine at room temp. with no light, or under tank heat?


that depends, is the room basically 75-85deg F all the time?  i suppose it would work.  i'd go with a uth on a timer if i were you.  i have mine on about 12 hours a day.  if the snake wants to be cool, it can go to the other side of the tank and hang out near it's water dish.  when it's very warm out, like this time of year, i'll often flip the switch off on external heat sources temporarily during the day.

i have a few of these little thermometers, they are great.  you can move them around whenever you are curious about what your temps are in certain spots.


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## JohnEDove (Jul 31, 2008)

Corns do fine in the mid 70s - low 80s range which most people keep their homes at.
In my Reptile building I run the temps in the low 80's during the day and allow it to drop as low as 67 at night with no problems. I only use supplemental heating for the few species of animals that need greater than low 80s temps.
The thing about Corns is the lower you go below 75 the harder time they have digesting their food. Get below 72 and they can’t digest properly. Get over 85 and they are in their water bowl trying to cool down.


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## ballpython2 (Aug 1, 2008)

j.everson23 said:


> Im getting a corn snake. would it be fine at room temp. with no light, or under tank heat?


 corn snakes are native to  north america they dont need any UTH or heat lamp at all.

I have  kept four snakes all in the same tank before without a UTH and they did just fine. so you dont need any either

alot of people also say corn snakes  will get stressed out if you house 4 or more together but this is actually untrue also because i tried it out and did just fine.

the only thing is dont feed  in the tank because other snakes are in there feed in a seperate tank and everything is cool. No UTH is needed, i even live in Boston which is one of the coldest east coast cities with the longest winters and my corn snakes did fine with room rempture, hides, and a water dish.


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## GailC (Aug 1, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> corn snakes are native to  north america they dont need any UTH or heat lamp at all.
> 
> I have  kept four snakes all in the same tank before without a UTH and they did just fine. so you dont need any either
> 
> ...


I'm sorry but that is some of the worst advice I've heard. You should never cohab snakes. Sure it might work for some but more often you either get cannibalism or a female bred too small which can cause egg binding and death. Not to mention any illness that can be spred around the tank mates or possible fighting/stress.

Corns really do best with a 85 degree warm spot. A UTH isn't expensive to buy or operate, do the snake a favor and get the heater.


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## pitbulllady (Aug 1, 2008)

waldo said:


> I'm sorry but that is some of the worst advice I've heard. You should never cohab snakes. Sure it might work for some but more often you either get cannibalism or a female bred too small which can cause egg binding and death. Not to mention any illness that can be spred around the tank mates or possible fighting/stress.
> 
> Corns really do best with a 85 degree warm spot. A UTH isn't expensive to buy or operate, do the snake a favor and get the heater.



I've kept, and successfully bred, Colubrid snakes since I was 12, and I'm probably now old enough to be your grandma, lol!  I have, I repeat, NEVER used a heat source on Corns or Rats!  Mine have never had a problem with eating or digesting food, and certainly not with breeding. Corns can tolerate a wide range of temps, naturally, but just like JohnEDove noted, when the temp gets to 85 or higher, all they want to do is soak in their water bowls, and higher temps are where I've actually seen problems with regurging food.  Unless the temp indoors drops down to below 70 on regular occasions, a heat source is not necessary.  It probably won't hurt, but all heat sources have some risk involved, and expense.  Here's a good Corn care sheet from Hawkeye Herps, long-time Corn breeders, that mentions the controversial topic of heat sources:  http://members.aol.com/Kathandcam/Hawkherp/care.html .  I'm with them-if you don't HAVE to use a heat source, don't.  It won't harm the snake not to.

pitbulllady


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## ballpython2 (Aug 1, 2008)

waldo said:


> I'm sorry but that is some of the worst advice I've heard. You should never cohab snakes. Sure it might work for some but more often you either get cannibalism or a female bred too small which can cause egg binding and death. Not to mention any illness that can be spred around the tank mates or possible fighting/stress.
> 
> Corns really do best with a 85 degree warm spot. A UTH isn't expensive to buy or operate, do the snake a favor and get the heater.


If you properly take care of your snakes they won't spread illness around the tank and since i kept 4 in one tank (they were kept in a 55 gallon so i had about 5 -6 hides which decreases stress a lot) that clearly means  i kept up the proper care. 

 and corn snakes do not get stressed living with each other as long they are  fed  weekly and i know this for a fact because i had those 4 in a 55 gallon tank and they did well.   

a female corn snake can still be of breeding age and size and still egg bind if she isnt fed the  proper amount of food, if she has an injury do to a live feeding bite, if she has a dirty (dont know the proper word for it) cloaca. 

so  even as an adult female corn snake she can still egg bind so thats going to be an issue at any age. 

when i  found out two of my  four corn snakes were old enough to breed i  had a female and male ( I didnt sex them they just turned out to be male and female) they bred and she laid her eggs without any issue.

Healthy corn snakes takin care of properly can thrive together without issue and i know this for a 100% fact cause i used to cohabit.

The only reason i dont have any corn snakes now is because i moved up to ball pythons because i got bored with corn snakes.


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## JohnEDove (Aug 1, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> and corn snakes do not get stressed living with each other as long they are  fed  weekly and i know this for a fact because i had those 4 in a 55 gallon tank and they did well.
> 
> Healthy corn snakes takin care of properly can thrive together without issue and i know this for a 100% fact cause i used to cohabit.


I am afraid I must disagree with this as a blanket statement. 

Corns can and often do get stressed when forced to live in close proximity.
I have found that it is generally males but I have 2.0 taken in as rescues, because they would not eat, and 1.0 I purchased who were in a co-habitation situation and would not eat. The 2.0 rescues were given to me specifically because they would not eat. When I questioned their husbandry situation I learned they had been housed with other corns. I placed them into their own enclosure and have had no problems getting them to eat since.
The 1.0 I purchased as part of a pair was in the hands of Bobby Hill for a few months and he kept them together. He reported to me before I made the purchase that the male was not eating. On learning that they were being housed together I went ahead and made the purchase knowing that co-habitation was the likely cause. I was not wrong, as soon as he had his own enclosure he ate without problems. 
I also have another male, produced by Rich Z. of Serpenco, who will absolutely not eat when other snakes are present and hides constantly fleeing to a different hide or curling up in an empty corner if another snake joins him.

Though you can sometimes keep corns together there are many corns who will suffer severe stress from cohabitation.
For this and other reasons I personally do not recommend the practice of cohabitation of any species.


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## J.huff23 (Aug 1, 2008)

Thanks for he responses everyone. Im going to go with Pitbulllady on this one. But if problems do arise, then i will get a heatsource.


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## J.huff23 (Aug 1, 2008)

Thanks for the link Pitbulllady.


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