New Corn Snake: Problem with heating

[Snipes]

I have a small corn snake that i picked up at a reptile show today and i know that the warm end should be somewhere around 70-85 degrees. I have a five gallon tank and a heat lamp (i couldnt pick up a heat pad) that is 50 watts. The bulb is about a foot off the substrate which is shredded newspaper. The hot end is 100 degrees and the cold end is 80. The cage is well ventalated and when i put my hand on top of the substrate where the i put the thermometer, it does not seem all that hot. Any suggestions on how to bring the temp down?

 

[Cirith Ungol]

- Move the tank away from the heat source
- Get more ventilation
- Use a timer to set the lamp to 15min intervalls (for example)

 

[Thoth]

Or you can buy either a thermostat or rheostat to better control the temperature, they can be pricey though.

 

[David_F]

A lamp dimmer works great for controlling temps, IME. Just like with any other rheostat though you need to monitor it pretty often in case of any temp fluctations in the room. Actually had to turn one of mine up a bit today since the temp in my room dropped about 10 degrees. You can also get fairly cheap thermostats at pet shops (I can't remember the brand...maybe exo-terra?). Never used one of them though.

 

[Joe]

The two easiest things to do:

1. Raise the lamp a little bit.

2. Use a smaller bulb.

 

[Daisey_Boo222]

at Petsmart i got a bulb that was specificly for reptiles....if that's not what you already have

 

[Joe]

Those bulbs are basically a waste of money. Normal household bulbs do the exact same thing: Put off heat.

 

[Snipes]

yeah i switched to a household bulb and it is not as hot so i can keep the temperature at 80-85 at the hot end

 

[GootySapphire]

yeah i switched to a household bulb and it is not as hot so i can keep the temperature at 80-85 at the hot end

Hey go to my pet store in Kent, or the one in Renton. I work for the company. I bought two ball pythons at the show. And so I needed a heat source. We sell the light fixtures for 17 bucks about, and they have a lever on it to control how hot you want it in there, and we sell nice red bulbs 100watt that are prime for the heat, or just buy a heat pad. Mine works well.

 

[Snipes]

i think i might have been there before, so will you be the "tarantula and reptile guy"?