Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking of getting a corn snake soon. Been reading what caresheets I can find online and the posts below. However there is a question I have that so far hasn't really been addressed. I really don't want to use an undertank heater (but will if that is the best choice) so to provide the proper ambient and basking temperatures (between 76 - 85F I think it is), would a holded spotlight bulb be enough? My home doesn't drop below 65F at night (and only this low when the nights have been cool and I forget to close the windows. Normally it stays around 69-72F). Daytime room temperatures are typically mid 70's.

I have a 35 gallon long aquarium which I am planning to use as the snakes home. Though I don't have a proper fitting top on it (will buy/make one before I get the snake), I do have an under counter flourescent light fixture with UVB bulb (used to be my bearded dragon cage till he out grew it) which most likely I will remove as being unnecessary. Rambling done, will a 60 - 75 W household bulb be alright to maintain proper temperatures in this size tank?

I've used a dome reflector and a spotlight ever since I got my snake, and he's always done great with it. I would think that a healthy snake for 6 years shows it's a fine way to heat it. I use a 50-watt zoo-med spotlight, and that gets it up to 85 in his basking spot. Just NEVER use a hot rock. Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice. Don't worry I would never use a hotrock. Only hot rocks in my reptile enclosures are natural rocks heated by the spotlamps.

I think it's really up to personal choice. I have heat lamps on my 2 20L tanks, the rubbermaids use either heat pads or 'stealing' heat emmited from other sources (like one is heated by sitting on a wire shelf above another heatlamp, so the heat radiated up works as a heater)

You will have to experiment with wattage bulbs if you choose to use a heat lamp, the size you need will vary a lot depending on your room temp, tank size, etc. (my 20L for example only need a 15-watt bulb with reflector lamp, but I have a warm room) Just grab regular house bulbs and see how they work...they're a lot cheaper, too.

I would probably not get a zoomed heat pad - the 2 I have get much too hot without regulation, and I have heard others with the same experience. I know you should have regulation on the heat pads anyway, but I don't want a cooked snake if the thermostat were to malfunction. I have not heard as many bad reports about the cobra heat pads, and I have some human heat pads I use that put out the correct temperature naturally.

I like having lights on nice setups, but a flourescent tube would work fine and not put out a whole lot of heat if you use a heat pad.
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The trail and error method of checking bulb sizes is very important since each house is different. But don't trust the temps by sticking your hand in to see if it feels right. Get an inexpensive household thermometer at Wal-Mart or some similar place (DON'T let the petshop sell you a fish tank stick-on thermometer. Unlike fish, the snake won't be floating in the middle of the tank!) Then measure the temp on the floor (or basking area) of the HOTTEST area the snake has access to. Check the temp at different times of the day for a few days. Then you will KNOW if the temp is right, or if you should use a bigger or smaller bulb. Put it on a timer (or turn it on and off yourself) to approx. go on and off with the rising and setting of the sun, so your snake will not have 24/7 "daytime". Don't forget to re-check temps when the season changes and your home is warmer or cooler than when you checked previously. If the temps are correct, you won't need the undertank heater (just don't feed big meals when it will get quite chilly at night)

Good luck!

Thanks again for the advice. I currently have a bearded dragon so during my research for him I learned most of the no no's about reptile care, like heat rocks, undertank heaters, calci sand etc. I don't use those petstore stick on temperature things cause they are useless. I was able to get much better quality thermometers for much cheaper that have an extra probe. I use two now to keep track of the warm and cool ends of my bearded dragon's tank, and currently have one extra I am not using right now which will be used in the snake's cage once I get it set up.

When my bearded dragon was in the 35 gal glass tank I plan to use for a corn snake, I used a 75 W bulb to maintain a basking temperature of 95-100 F and ambient temperature of about 80F. For the snake I figure a 60W bulb will be sufficient but I will test it before I get the snake. I still have to build an escape proof lid for it, only had half of it covered with the dragon, as dragons don't climb glass nor do they jump very high. Not sure if a snake can climb up a glass side of a tank or not...but I am sure once he is long enough he could.

It will be a few months before I get one, as I really don't want to pay the price the local petstore is selling them for. Not to mention the poor care he is getting while in that petstore.