I am getting a corn snake. I am planning on getting him a 20 gallon long tank to live in his whole life. Do i need an undertank heater as well as lights? I would prefer to see my snake so could i get a basking bulb and fixture on one side and a black, red, or blue, "night" light for the other side and he would be okay?
2007-09-30 13:09:41 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Corn snakes really don't need a basking lamp... in fact that can get too hot for them as they use belly heat to digest their meals by. Under the tank heat mats or human style heating pads are best. If you want to add a light to see him by, use a compact or tube florescent as they put off very little heat and won't disturb the temperature gradient by more than a degree or two..... if at all.
2007-09-30 16:09:09 · answer #1 · answered by mochasr4me00 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
20 gallon is fine for a corn snake.
You can use the undertank heater OR lights, no need for both as corns only need mild temperatures.
You can put lights on either end, but it's better to put them on the same end so he can thermoregulate properly. If you put them on opposite ends, you force him to move more often to find a comfy temperature. I used to get 2 of the small dome lamps and set them side by side on the hot end of the cage, one day bulb, one night bulb, and put the water near the middle to keep it cool and prevent constant evaporation. You should have a hiding spot at both ends so he can hide comfortably in either temperature zone.
Just a note, I've found my snakes prefer the black/purple night lights- they seem to be able to see or feel something weird with the red ones, they didn't act quite right when I used those. And be careful with the blues, some blues are actually day lights. I would go with 50watt for your snake and tank, maybe 75 for the daytime if it's really cold in your house, but definitely 50 or less at night.
2007-09-30 13:28:11 · answer #2 · answered by Dreamer 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Nope, corns just need belly heat to digest. They are nocturnal, so they hide during the day. You don't need lights unless you want one nearby to look in at him. Just get a UTH and attach it to a thermostat or dimmer switch to keep the temp at glass level at 85F. Check out the corn snake forum!http://cornsnakes.com/forums/
2007-09-30 13:58:52 · answer #3 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋