Corn snake enclosure setup and heating

I was looking at getting a reptile basics 18x34x18 as my corn snake's new cage by I have a question about heating. I keep my snake's enclosure in my room since there is really no other place to put her and generally when I'm sleeping at night I keep my room pretty cool around the high 60's or so so my question is would an rhp work to raise the ambient temperature in the cage and then use heat tape or a mat to make a basking spot and would that work or is there any other things I can try out to achieve the right temps?

High 60's at night is actually fine for a corn snake, as long as you have a good UTH on one end of the cage with hides on warm & cool sides. Corn mostly
prefer temps about 70-73* & use UTH as needed for digestion. What are the day time temps in your room? Be careful you don't over-heat a corn snake,
they aren't like BPs at all. (I currently have 5, & have raised quite a few in previous years.) The nice thing about many colubrids is that you don't have to
be so worried about the whole cage being so warm. During the day, & only IF you need a little more warmth, use a low wattage incandescent light with a
dimmer (rheostat) control switch in an over-head dome-light fixture, but this is best for when your corn snake gets bigger since hatchlings aren't always brave
enough for branches, but as corn & many rat snakes grow, they love branches. Again, just don't over-do the heat, the area in the cage over the UTH should
not exceed 85*, & unless you live in an igloo ;) you want the UTH to be roughly one sixth of the cage floor.

heat mat on a thermostat

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

High 60's at night is actually fine for a corn snake, as long as you have a good UTH on one end of the cage with hides on warm & cool sides. Corn mostly
prefer temps about 70-73* & use UTH as needed for digestion. What are the day time temps in your room? Be careful you don't over-heat a corn snake,
they aren't like BPs at all. (I currently have 5, & have raised quite a few in previous years.) The nice thing about many colubrids is that you don't have to
be so worried about the whole cage being so warm. During the day, & only IF you need a little more warmth, use a low wattage incandescent light with a
dimmer (rheostat) control switch in an over-head dome-light fixture, but this is best for when your corn snake gets bigger since hatchlings aren't always brave
enough for branches, but as corn & many rat snakes grow, they love branches. Again, just don't over-do the heat, the area in the cage over the UTH should
not exceed 85*, & unless you live in an igloo ;) you want the UTH to be roughly one sixth of the cage floor.

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I work 3rd so I'm up at night but when I'm not sleeping I dont run the air conditioner and the ambient temps are probably around the low 70's with the ceiling fan running. I worry about wintertime because that's when the temps really drop but I can always use a heater to heat up my room somewhat. Right now I'm just using a dome fixture with a ceramic emitter on the hot side that's connected to a dimmer so I can control the output

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BillyBlanco

I work 3rd so I'm up at night but when I'm not sleeping I dont run the air conditioner and the ambient temps are probably around the low 70's with the ceiling fan running. I worry about wintertime because that's when the temps really drop but I can always use a heater to heat up my room somewhat. Right now I'm just using a dome fixture with a ceramic emitter on the hot side that's connected to a dimmer so I can control the output

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The main thing is to have the heat where a snake will & can use it, & since heat rises, over-head heat is not very efficient, nor well utilized by hatchling snakes.

You might consider some insulation on the external sides & bottom of the enclosure in winter, to hold the warmth in...but every situation is different, so get accurate
temps. & make adjustments as needed for your room temps. Corn snakes are FAR more forgiving of cooler or variable temps. than BPs are, so IMO you chose the right
kind of snake.

Yea, I had pet corn snakes in the past that I've just caught in my house and had them for a couple years with no issues but I think alot of my paranoia and anxiety came from the ball python I had which didnt fair to well due to the struggle I had trying to keep its enclosure just right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BillyBlanco

Yea, I had pet corn snakes in the past that I've just caught in my house and had them for a couple years with no issues but I think alot of my paranoia and anxiety came from the ball python I had which didnt fair to well due to the struggle I had trying to keep its enclosure just right.

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Lucky you, snakes just invade your place? :D I used to find tiny night lizards in my former (So. Calif.) house, but no snakes. Darn!

BPs are much harder to keep, & even with everything perfect, they still often fast & drive keepers crazy. I've had BPs in the past, I much prefer other snakes, mostly
colubrids now- they do well with my typical ambient house temperature of 70* in winter (all have UTH heat & some have added over-head warmth as needed).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Lucky you, snakes just invade your place? :D I used to find tiny night lizards in my former (So. Calif.) house, but no snakes. Darn!

BPs are much harder to keep, & even with everything perfect, they still often fast & drive keepers crazy. I've had BPs in the past, I much prefer other snakes, mostly
colubrids now- they do well with my typical ambient house temperature of 70* in winter (all have UTH heat & some have added over-head warmth as needed).

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I live out in the country in the middle of VA so I'm surrounded by snakes and pretty much they usually find their way into our basement and chill out. There was a black snake down there not to long ago but I left him alone. My first snake was a baby corn snake that happen to be out on our front step trying to get in the house and this was during the fall season so I took her or him in and I had that snake for maybe 3 or 4 years and for being a wild snake it would let me reach in and pick it up after awhile. It eventually got free because my mom found an exo terra cage at Goodwill for like 10$ but after handling one day I forgot to close the front doors and he got away. I pretty much did no heat for him and I had no issues. Would always eat when i had food even coming up to the glass waiting for it and then would look at me wanting more. That's pretty much why i got another one because they're so easy to manage and handle but the ball python i got was way more then what i thought it would be

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BillyBlanco

I live out in the country so I'm surrounded by snakes pretty much and they usually find their way into our basement and chill out. There was a black snake down there not to long ago but I left him alone. My first snake was a baby corn snake that happen to be out on our front step trying to get in the house and this was during the fall season so I took her or him in and I had that snake for maybe 3 or 4 years and for being a wild snake it would let me reach in and pick it up after awhile. It eventually got free because my mom found an exo terra cage at Goodwill for like 10$ but after handling one day I forgot to close the front doors and he got away. I pretty much did no heat for him and I had no issues. Would always eat when i had food even coming up to the glass waiting for it and then would look at me wanting more. That's pretty much why i got another one because they're so easy to manage and handle but the ball python i got was way more then what i thought it would be

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All snakes need some additional heat for digestion & for their immune system to function optimally (to keep them healthy). Corn snakes don't need as much, but
they do need some. UTH is very cheap to run, to give them a warm optional area of about 85*. The fact that one survived without heat is like saying you can live
in prison on bread & water...that's not the best life & I'm sorry, but when you keep a snake captive, you owe them better than "no heat"...their bodies have evolved
to thermo-regulate...they need options. They cannot tell you how bad they feel internally...so please don't keep a pet snake if you aren't willing to provide
proper care.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

All snakes need some additional heat for digestion & for their immune system to function optimally (to keep them healthy). Corn snakes don't need as much, but
they do need some. UTH is very cheap to run, to give them a warm optional area of about 85*. The fact that one survived without heat is like saying you can live
in prison on bread & water...that's not the best life & I'm sorry, but when you keep a snake captive, you owe them better than "no heat"...their bodies have evolved
to thermo-regulate...they need options.

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I my room at that time was on the other side of the house that saw more sun and got alot warmer and it also shared a wall with the chimney so trying to keep the house warm sent off heat into my room to the point where I had to open the windows and have a fan running trying to keep it cool during the winter. I did have a small uth for him but this was back in 2011 or so and I cant remember what temps was running but I kept it on a dimmer so it wouldn't get to hot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

High 60's at night is actually fine for a corn snake, as long as you have a good UTH on one end of the cage with hides on warm & cool sides. Corn mostly
prefer temps about 70-73* & use UTH as needed for digestion. What are the day time temps in your room? Be careful you don't over-heat a corn snake,
they aren't like BPs at all. (I currently have 5, & have raised quite a few in previous years.) The nice thing about many colubrids is that you don't have to
be so worried about the whole cage being so warm. During the day, & only IF you need a little more warmth, use a low wattage incandescent light with a
dimmer (rheostat) control switch in an over-head dome-light fixture, but this is best for when your corn snake gets bigger since hatchlings aren't always brave
enough for branches, but as corn & many rat snakes grow, they love branches. Again, just don't over-do the heat, the area in the cage over the UTH should
not exceed 85*, & unless you live in an igloo ;) you want the UTH to be roughly one sixth of the cage floor.

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Now you've said to get a uth that's about one sixth the length of the cage. I've watched some videos and they said they should be about one third of the size is there in big difference between the two? What brand UTH's do you use for your corn snakes?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BillyBlanco

Now you've said to get a uth that's about one sixth the length of the cage. I've watched some videos and they said they should be about one third of the size is there in big difference between the two? What brand UTH's do you use for your corn snakes?

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It ALL DEPENDS...on how cold your room/house is (the colder it is, the harder it is to keep warmth in a cage, & the more you'll need to insulate the cage for best results)
It ALL DEPENDS...on what kind of snake you're keeping, as some don't function well with excessive heat (corns, for example) & some don't function if too cool (like BPs).

I have no idea what the intent was of the video you watched. (what kind of snakes was it aimed for?) :confusd: Nor do I know how cold your room/house gets in winter...:confusd:
or how your cage is (or will be) set up? (insulated?)

I personally have used & prefer (mostly) Flexwatt...but the "heat tape" sold on Reptile Basics is very similar AND they will hook it up for you, which is what I'd recommend that you have them do, since you're unfamiliar. Please READ carefully all of their information about it (heat tape needs to "breathe"...a little air gap so it's not overheating). http://www.reptilebasics.com/heating
You also need to control it so it's not too hot...probably a thermostat is best in your case...ask them.

It's important that your snake can digest properly, that it has options for warm & cooler that are appropriate temperatures year-round. Corn snakes can be harmed if over-heated, but no heat is just as wrong. For sake of comparison, my house thermostat regulates the ambient temperatures so my house stays 70* in winter and 79-80* in summer. In the very warmest months of summer (when it's 80*) I will turn off the UTH for my corn snakes during that time, because it's warm enough for their digestion and only making my A/C work harder. ;) The UTH you use should provide warmth in the cage (directly over it, where the snake may be) that measures no more than 86* for a corn snake. You do NOT need to heat the ambient air in the cage to that extent...about 70* is fine, & even a night-time drop to upper 60's is fine for a corn snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

It ALL DEPENDS...on how cold your room/house is (the colder it is, the harder it is to keep warmth in a cage, & the more you'll need to insulate the cage for best results)
It ALL DEPENDS...on what kind of snake you're keeping, as some don't function well with excessive heat (corns, for example) & some don't function if too cool (like BPs).

I have no idea what the intent was of the video you watched. (what kind of snakes was it aimed for?) :confusd: Nor do I know how cold your room/house gets in winter...:confusd:
or how your cage is (or will be) set up? (insulated?)

I personally have used & prefer (mostly) Flexwatt...but the "heat tape" sold on Reptile Basics is very similar AND they will hook it up for you, which is what I'd recommend that you have them do, since you're unfamiliar. Please READ carefully all of their information about it (heat tape needs to "breathe"...a little air gap so it's not overheating). http://www.reptilebasics.com/heating
You also need to control it so it's not too hot...probably a thermostat is best in your case...ask them.

It's important that your snake can digest properly, that it has options for warm & cooler that are appropriate temperatures year-round. Corn snakes can be harmed if over-heated, but no heat is just as wrong. For sake of comparison, my house thermostat regulates the ambient temperatures so my house stays 70* in winter and 79-80* in summer. In the very warmest months of summer (when it's 80*) I will turn off the UTH for my corn snakes during that time, because it's warm enough for their digestion and only making my A/C work harder. ;) The UTH you use should provide warmth in the cage (directly over it, where the snake may be) that measures no more than 86* for a corn snake. You do NOT need to heat the ambient air in the cage to that extent...about 70* is fine, & even a night-time drop to upper 60's is fine for a corn snake.

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Well I put out one of my temperature gauges last night to check and with just the ceiling fan going it was around 68.9 F we usually have the AC running during the the summer time so it does stay cool and it stays about that temperature maybe dropping down to 66 or 67. So right now I'm trying to upgrade her cage to something roughly 30" inches long and being that my room gets cooler at night would an uth be able to get warm enough to provide the right temperature gradient and this is for just a corn snake

By the way, if the gap of air space under your tank is too big (as yours apparently is, as per PM), you can buy some inexpensive ceramic tiles* to function as a
'heat sink': they'll reduce the excessive insulating air space while retaining heat & even help protect the surface of wood furniture if that happens to be what your
tank is sitting on. (wood furniture subjected to UTH over a long time tends to dry out & may even crack a little, even if the UTH isn't touching the wood)

*Be sure to measure the gap under your tank first, then check with local "floor covering" business (they usually install carpet, tile & vinyl) for a few spare tiles of
the size you need...they sure don't have to match or be pretty. When I asked about a few tiles at my local store, they practically gave them to me. They often
have a few tiles left-over from installation jobs...;) But tiles come in many sizes, so measure the space under your tank first- the width, length & height.

Hey I just wanted to give an update to this thread since it's been awhile. I did up getting this enclosure and I just bought a small ceramic room heater that that worked out fine keeping the room warm around 70-73 degrees. This enclosure is a bit smaller then a 40ga but it works out fine. I do like the extra high since my corn snake seems to be more of a climber then a burrower.