Temperature discrepancies...

[Lolo76]

Call me confused, but there seem to be differing opinions on how hot corn temps should be... the caresheet on this site says basking spot of 88-90, but most of the folks on my corn forum say 80-85 MAX. Some even think anything above 80 is dangerous, and can cause serious neurological damage. So what's the real answer?

As for myself - Keeping 20 pythons & 9 colubrids in 4 racks gets confusing, and I simply couldn't find a configuration to keep everyone at "perfect" temps. Right now 6 of the corns are in their own rack, with back heat at just above 80. The other 2 corns (and the hognose) are housed in a python rack, where the flexwatt keeps basking spots at 90... I have the corn tubs pulled slightly out, so they're just barely touching the flexwatt. So far everyone is happy and healthy, so I'm assuming this is okay?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

For most colubrids I would definitely recommend 85 max as well as far as hot spot goes.

I keep a my colubrids (and I have a few different species) at 73/75 with a hot spot of 83/85

[Blue Apple Herps]

90 is too hot and even with it not directly on the flexwatt, you're probably pushing the temps.

They can tolerate cooler temps better than warm temps. If you can't find a cooler place for them, then just keep them at room temp. So long as the temp doesn't get too cool (less than 65 during winter) or too warm (above 85 in summer) then they will do fine. I keep all of my corns at room temperature - never any issues.

[Lolo76]

Cool... thanks guys! I'll move Eddie & Wednesday off the flexwatt, and just keep them at room temps for now. It is pretty cool here, but extremely temperate/constant - rarely gets above 70 or below 50, and my house stays around 70-73 upstairs (where the snakes live). Does that sound okay for them?

[Blue Apple Herps]

Yes, that should be OK, especially for the winter. If it doesn't get any warmer than that in spring/summer I'd probably think of some heating options then. But for the next few months, they're fine.

You will also want to cut back slightly on feeding. Lower temps mean slower digestion. So instead of once a week, I might do every 10-12 days at cooler temps to allow them to digest.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Cool... thanks guys! I'll move Eddie & Wednesday off the flexwatt, and just keep them at room temps for now. It is pretty cool here, but extremely temperate/constant - rarely gets above 70 or below 50, and my house stays around 70-73 upstairs (where the snakes live). Does that sound okay for them?

If you want to keep them at ambient temp without hot spot year round I would suggest something more along 78-80 degrees.

If you want to keep them at 70-73 I would suggest you to provide a hot spot.

During winter time if you happen to breed they can handle even cooler temps, but this will mean brumation.

[Lolo76]

Local temps don't often get warmer than 70 (year-round), and it's actually more like 55-60 most of the year. We live right on the ocean, so it's typically cool Pacific coastal weather. My bedroom where they're housed does stay warmer, but never much higher than 73-74... with the exception of the last few days, since we're in the middle of a rare heat wave. They're loving it right now, and I'm hating it - LOL.

But due to our overall cool climate, I'll see if I can reconfigure things, and find an appropriate rack space for them. I'm actually thinking of changing everything around, and giving ALL the corns my 5-shelf melamine rack... then I can set the flexwatt at 80ish, and there's plenty of room for everybody in there. That will mean using my back-heat rack (currently housing 6 corns) for my BPs, which might be tricky w/ getting it warm enough for them. Oy vey!

[chromeitout]

FWIW I keep my corns in a temp controlled building @ 75 year round (no brumation) with no hot spots. I feed every 7 days with the snakes pooping around day 5.

[CopperNightShade]

Then why does the caresheet from this very website say this:

"Provide your corn with a basking spot of 88-90° F and an ambient (background) temperature of 70 - 75° F. The ambient temperature should not fall below 70° F. It is vitally important to KNOW the temperatures at which you are keeping your snake(s). DO NOT GUESS!! A great way to monitor temps is to use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Stick the thermometer to the inside of the cage on the cool end and place the probe on the warm end, and you'll have both sides covered at once."

I have had issues with this question again and again, and I always hear something different.

[Blue Apple Herps]

I have no idea why the caresheet says that. But its wrong. The cool side is correct, but the warm should be 80-82. Ignore the care sheet temps.