Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to snakes and have been doing my best to learn everything about how to take care of my new sunglow corn, Mo. I just got him on Monday and have since heard many conflicting approaches to taking care of him.

HEATING: I think that I should keep the warm end of the 10 gal. tank between 80-85,(but I have heard between 80-90) and the cool end between . 74-79 But my snake doesn't seem to care where it is, he always runs for the nearest hide and never comes out. He usually seems to hang out where it's 74. Once he moved to the warm side and burrowed down right next to the UTH, but I heard they can't sense heat near their belly only on top. I have a 50 watt narrow beam bulb with a dimmer lamp over the area where the UTH is.

FEEDING: I have heard they have faster metabolisms than most snakes and can eat twice a week. I have also heard every 5 days, every seven days. And he never drinks. I haven't seen him touch the water/soak dish once.

Please help me! My head is spinning trying to sort through everything! I don't want to kill my poor Moe lol.

-Kevin

The temperature gradient varies. There's no "right" gradient for all corns. Some corns from from northern areas (Kentucky) while other are from the south (Florida). This is a wide range of temperatures. In addition, if it were 75 degrees out in the wild, a snake could crawl in a hole under a creek and cool itself off to 50 degrees. Or it could bask on a dark rock in the sun with a surface temperature of 120 degrees. That's a 70 degree temperature gradient. So what we're creating is much smaller. I wouldn't sweat over the warm spot being 85 or 90 - there's no "right" number.

"I heard they can't sense heat near their belly only on top." For the most part corns are nocturnal, staying hidden in the daytime, so there's no "on top" heat they're getting in nature. Snakes know when they are warm.

"I have heard they have faster metabolisms than most snakes and can eat twice a week." Not true. Generally speaking, rodent eating snakes take longer to digest their food than insect, amphibian and reptile eaters. I recommend feeding babies every five days. However every snake is different - some digest food faster, some slower. There's no "cook book" recipe for dealing with animals - they're all subject to individual tendencies. Every five days is a good starting point.

As far as drinking, I wouldn't worry about it. The snake will do so. Even snakes that refuse to eat, will drink water.

Tim

Third Eye

Thanks Tim! this is a great help I feel a lot better now. =)

Kevin:

Your corn snake loves to hide. Corns will often hide in places that are not conducive to appetite and digestion, just to satisfy a primary instinct to be hidden from their predators. Hence, if you offer two or more temperate zones in the cage, they must also offer privacy and seclusion. At least put one DARK hide on the warm end and on the cool end, but even one more between would be beneficial.

Temps: 90F is too warm. What happens here is that your snake knows it can survive sub-digesting temps (even if this means no caloric intake), but also knows that temps above 85F can kill it. Okay, they don't really know exactly that, but they do not feel comfortable in temps above 85F. After they feed, it's not uncommon to find them between the hottest cage temps and the coolest ones, but this does not mean your cage should be over 85F. Ideal hide temps are 80F-84F on one end and below 80F on the other end. If the warm-side hide is above 85F, you will usually find them spending very little time in it. Hence, on the cool end of the cage, where they hang out, they will not achieve appetite and digesting temps. This is not a good scenario. Some of them will still eat something, but will be incapable of complete digestion. This is how chronic regurgitation begins and the outcome is never certain when that begins. Make sure the hides are dark inside, or they may not utilize them. Do not worry about your snake getting burned on the UT heater.

NOTE: The only way to determine the temperature inside the hide is to put a thermometer where the snake should lie, INSIDE that hide.

Good luck,
Don
South Mountain Reptiles

How are you checking your temps?

A UTH a light is overkill IMO.

Thanks so much don I feel a lot better now.

The above posts in regards to your cornsnake were "righ on"!, and all the VERY same things they suggested came to mind before I even read them. Keep THOSE things in mind, and your snake should thrive well.

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"