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  1. #1
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    Heating inside PVC?

    I'm considering upgrading from a glass 40gal with UTH to a 4x2x2 PVC (AP) in the next year. For those of you that keep your corns in PVCs, what do you use for heating? The setups I have for my boas in their 4x2x2s are using a ceiling mounted RHP, but I'm wondering if there's a better arrangement for corns.

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    A UTH should be fine as long as the ambient in the room isn't super cold.

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    I'm planning to do just UTH in my corns cages when I swap them to PVC

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    Agree with above posts- corns don't need or like a lot of heat- just a corner with UTH unless your room is very chilly- I think an RHP would be hugely excessive for corns. (& yes, I have corns & have had many for years.)
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    Am I correct in thinking the UTH in this case would be the "11 inch flexible belly heat tape" they offer as an Accessory? Installed under the PVC with the therm gauge b/t the two?

    Any concerns with 24in height not getting warm enough? I like offering the climbing height, but curious if 15in is better in this regard.

    Edit: Placement likely in upstairs bedroom so temps no lower than 68 in winter. Normal temps in 70s. Mid-summer perhaps low 80s at most.
    Last edited by Nick_MD; 08-02-2022 at 03:04 PM.

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    Re: Heating inside PVC?

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick_MD View Post
    Am I correct in thinking the UTH in this case would be the "11 inch flexible belly heat tape" they offer as an Accessory? Installed under the PVC with the therm gauge b/t the two?

    Any concerns with 24in height not getting warm enough? I like offering the climbing height, but curious if 15in is better in this regard.

    Edit: Placement likely in upstairs bedroom so temps no lower than 68 in winter. Normal temps in 70s. Mid-summer perhaps low 80s at most.
    UTH heat tapes come in various widths, some cut to length, to customize whatever size (dimensions of enclosure) you're working with. Yes to install question for temp. probe (under PVC- between enclosure floor & heat tape.) Be patient- PVC is more insulating & will take a long time for heat to build up- test temps. for at least a week before snake moves in, & keep substrate shallow over the UTH. (substrate = insulation, lol- so many don't realize that)

    Ambient temperature of "low 80's at the most" is the highest a corn snake should be- you'd be turning the heat OFF when it's about 80* as they won't use it anyway. They seem to prefer about 75* ambient, with an option at one end for nothing higher than low 80's-(85* max over UTH- & certainly not the whole enclosure)

    Your low winter temp. is fine with UTH provided, but it's sounding like your mid-summer might get too hot for them, unless you take them to a cooler part of the home?

    In the long run, 24" height is preferred, but you're correct that it's much harder to maintain the proper temperatures. If 24", you might want to use an external heat source from above (a light or CHE) to warm the upper part of the enclosure from the outside- or even a heat pad might help? Gets tricky (& dangerous) to put light/CHE inside, even with a cage to keep the snake from getting burned on it, since corn snakes are good climbers & metal mesh may prove dangerous. (I'm a glass tank fan myself- full disclosure. I keep mostly rat snakes & they do best IMO with good air-flow- not a PVC fan here, sorry.)
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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    Re: Heating inside PVC?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    ...(I'm a glass tank fan myself- full disclosure. I keep mostly rat snakes & they do best IMO with good air-flow- not a PVC fan here, sorry.)
    Thanks for the info. Just curious, what size glass tanks do you use for your adult corns and rat snakes?

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    Re: Heating inside PVC?

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick_MD View Post
    Thanks for the info. Just curious, what size glass tanks do you use for your adult corns and rat snakes?
    Adult corns do great in 40 gal. "breeder" tank size (3' L x 18" w x 17.5" tall). Rat snakes come in many sizes, & my largest (male) yellow rat snakes (about 15 years old) are 7' long, so...it really depends what kind of rat snake you're talking about. I know glass tanks don't please everyone- you can't stack 'em & they're heavy, but they're very sturdy (not to mention that glass is 'inert' unlike plastics which, like it or not, do off-gas unhealthy stuff, & are subject to warping or melting, etc.) & the screen tops allow both ventilation & easy supplemental heating in winter.

    Call me old-fashioned, if you like, but I tried & hated a couple plastic enclosures in the past. (Prolines, made of food-safe HDPE) Glass tanks aren't very hard to insulate too, if needed. And scenery can be applied first to the outside of glass, so you never see the insulation unless you want to. (some looks better than others)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 08-02-2022 at 08:20 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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    Re: Heating inside PVC?

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick_MD View Post
    I'm considering upgrading from a glass 40gal with UTH to a 4x2x2 PVC (AP) in the next year. For those of you that keep your corns in PVCs, what do you use for heating? The setups I have for my boas in their 4x2x2s are using a ceiling mounted RHP, but I'm wondering if there's a better arrangement for corns.
    I have both my corns in 4X2X1' Boaphile tanks. I use a RHP and heat tape working off the same thermostat on the hot side and nothing on the cool side. They are both pretty active and use the space although it's overkill. Having a taller tank would allow climbing and heating will not be an issue especially with your house temps and the temps corns like. Having said that, height is an option, not a necessity for them. It's really up to you if you want to spend more and take up more space for a taller tank.

    Like bogertophis said, make sure the cool side is about 74-76F with ambient in the 78-80F range. The hot spot for both my corns is about 83-85F depending on where I measure under the RHP/on the heat tape. All my Boaphile tanks have the same setup except for the Pythons and Boas I have lower wattage heat tape on the cool side to keep it about 78-80F and 87-91F on the hot side, depending on the type of snake.

    One thing I've learned is that if you are stacking tanks, you want the cooler tanks on the bottom. Heat rises. In 4X2' stack I have the two corns on the bottom and then Yafe my CP and then Shayna my BP. Yafe likes things a little warmer than Shayna, but Shayna's hot spot (above Yafe's RHP) stays about 88-89F without much work from her RHP or heat tape. The heat from Yafe's RHP warms the floor enough and the RHP does enough for ambient temps.

    However, if you put a corn on the top of the stack, you might not be able to get it cool enough for him/her to be happy. Again, this is only if stacking.

    I like PVC tanks overall, but especially for my scaleless corn, Solana. They hold moisture really well and she has a little more trouble shedding than a normal corn would. PVC with a big water bowl = plenty of humidity for her. Having said that, corns do not like a ton of humidity either, so you might have to adjust water bowl size to keep humidity in the desired range of 40-50% humidity and then up a little in shed if you need to.

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    Cool side &/or ambient can easily be 68-70* in cooler months- as long as they have warmth (including a hide over that) in one area. Corn snakes are easy to please & don't like excessive heat.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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