Confused!!!

I've been reading several different caresheets on Corn Snakes and the few things I'm confused about is temperature, humidity, and handling.
A large majority of the care sheets I've read say that the hot side should be 85 degrees and cool side around 75 degrees. I found one care sheet that said the hotspot should be 90-95 degrees.

So what should the hot side/ hot spot be?

second, none of the care sheets say what the humidity % should be! They just say to keep humidity "low". I would like specifics.

lastly, how do you handle/tame a baby corn snake? They're so small and quick, I'd be afraid to hurt it if I grabbed it! I read you should start by just putting your hand in the tank and letting the snake explore your hand. But how do you pick it up??

thanks for any advice/info!

Cool side really doesn't matter. Hot spot should be no higher than 85. Humidity also doesn't matter unless you live in the middle of a desert. I'm in the bay area of California and our natural humidity is just fine. I have no problems with them shedding. If they DO have a problem, you can provide a humid hide in the form of a tupperware full of damp sphagnum moss. Pick up the snake around the middle gently, and treadmill your hands one in front of the other.

Use a UTH (Under Tank Heater) with thermostat. I Keep mine at 83-85 degrees with great results. cool side doesn't matter.
I'm in Florida I don't keep an eye on the humidity % when they go into blue I start misting with good results. I would say 50 - 65 % normal 75 - 90% in Blue. As for handling just pick it up if it's flighty try letting him run threw your hands in a small tub twice a week they normally calm down within a few weeks

I just shut the heat off these girls for brumation but that is a different story


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Originally Posted by Marshhopper

Use a UTH (Under Tank Heater) with thermostat. I Keep mine at 83-85 degrees with great results. cool side doesn't matter

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oh yeah that reminds me! If I set the UTH to 85 degrees, but have about 2 inches of substrate over it, won't that cause the hot spot to be a bit lower than 85? Because the substrate will block out some of the heat?

I'm in north Florida and my house stays at or around 75 degrees all year. No need for extra heat or humidity. Mine all eat very well every week, drink lots of fresh water, and have perfect sheds. Most homes are 40-50% humid already which is perfectly fine for corns.

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Originally Posted by Ballpythoncrazy

oh yeah that reminds me! If I set the UTH to 85 degrees, but have about 2 inches of substrate over it, won't that cause the hot spot to be a bit lower than 85? Because the substrate will block out some of the heat?

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You may have to tweek your temps a little. I have to set my t-stat to 90-92 to get my shallow substrate temps to 86-88. I keep my warm sides at slightly higher temps. Maybe I should lower my temps by a few degrees over the next few weeks and see if I notice any difference in their activity levels, attitude, or feeding response.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ballpythoncrazy

oh yeah that reminds me! If I set the UTH to 85 degrees, but have about 2 inches of substrate over it, won't that cause the hot spot to be a bit lower than 85? Because the substrate will block out some of the heat?

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2 inches of substrate is way too much when using a UTH. If you crank the heat up to get your 85 degrees on the top layer of substrate the actual bottom of the cage will be too hot and when the snake burrows it can burn itself.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

2 inches of substrate is way too much when using a UTH. If you crank the heat up to get your 85 degrees on the top layer of substrate the actual bottom of the cage will be too hot and when the snake burrows it can burn itself.

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That's what I'm worried about. The care sheets say to have a few inches of substrate because corn snakes love to borrow. So should I just set the UTH to 85 and hope that if the snake gets cold it'll burrow?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ballpythoncrazy

That's what I'm worried about. The care sheets say to have a few inches of substrate because corn snakes love to borrow. So should I just set the UTH to 85 and hope that if the snake gets cold it'll burrow?


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What type of cage are you using? Glass or Plastic, I have kept corns quite a bit in the past, and they are incredibly active and will burrow, that being said 2 full inches I still think in a lot, you could easily cut that in half, since they stay slender, their eitire body will be easily covered, especially as a baby, it will be hard enough to find in the cage as it is. But yes I would get the surface of the CAGE to about 85-88 max and you should good to go.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ballpythoncrazy

oh yeah that reminds me! If I set the UTH to 85 degrees, but have about 2 inches of substrate over it, won't that cause the hot spot to be a bit lower than 85? Because the substrate will block out some of the heat?

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You want the 85 degree temp to be the temperature that is the closest the snake can get to the heat source.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

2 inches of substrate is way too much when using a UTH. If you crank the heat up to get your 85 degrees on the top layer of substrate the actual bottom of the cage will be too hot and when the snake burrows it can burn itself.

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'Tis not. I give all my adults at least 3 inches so they can burrow as they want. The bottom of the cage where the UTH is is 85 degrees and they go down there after feeding. They *adore* lots of substrate to burrow in, and an inch is not enough to do that with an adult that is 500 grams or more.

For a baby I will use about an inch because, as you said, they are quite slender and it's MUCH easier to find them.