# Corn snake with no heat light?



## dougiefresh0702 (Jul 20, 2012)

Hey all! 

I'm soon to be a first time snake owner and I have a couple questions:

The situation: my friend has a 3 year old, 3.5 foot long, female corn snake that she is giving away simply because she doesn't spend enough time with her. She wants it to go to a good home with someone who will care for her. I've always wanted a snake so I figure now is the best time.

I've read that snakes need to have heat, since they cannot regulate their own body temperature, so using a heat lamp on one side of the terrarium is advised. However, after talking to my friend whose snake I'm taking, she says she has never used any kind of heat light or heating pad for her snake.


I'm wondering, when I take this snake, should I just do what she does and not use anything? Or should I set up the light for the snake? 

I'm afraid if she isn't used to the heating lamp her whole life than what could using it now do? 


sorry if these are stupid questions, but any advice is welcomed!!!


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## deedee71 (Mar 28, 2010)

i suppose there are a lot of things people do differently to each other, but i personally have my cornsnake on a heat mat, which is controlled by a habistat mat-stat so the heat is controlled not to go above a certain temperature. 

my snake hardly goes to the side of the enclosure with the heat mat, but i do sometimes find him there, so he does use it, i think if i were you, that i would get the cornsnake a heat mat and a habistat mat-stat.

dee x


sorry, forgot to add, i dont have any light bulb in with my cornsnake, just the natural light in the room i keep him in, but i have my cornsnake in a plastic Really Useful Box, RUB, so i dont have an option of putting a light in there, but soon i will put him in a vivarium with just a low wattage uv 0.2 light on a timer, (and a heat mat with stat), just so i will be able to see him, but i havent found any ill effects living without a light.


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

Heat should be provided as snakes require a heat gradient so they can choose what temp to be at and also heat is needed for digestion of food in most snakes.
However corns are a north american species and are very hardy snakes, they can live in our climate without heat specially if her house was warmish anyway.

Personally I would put it on a heat mat set at a lowish temperature to start with then you can gradually increase it a few degrees if it needs it.
Then at least you are providing a gradient.

There are various forms of heating, heat lamps, ceramic bulbs, mats and avh systems. A heat mat would be fine for a corn.

You need a thermostat to control any heat source, and a thermometer to make sure it's set at the correct temp. 

Put the mat in the bottom of the viv and plug it into a mat stat, set the dial on the stat using a thermometer so it reads about 26-27C to start with. Once all set up add the snake and watch it's behaviour and habits. If it doesn't use the mat much turn it down a few degrees, if it uses it all the time, turn it up a few degrees.


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

deedee71 said:


> my snake hardly goes to the side of the enclosure with the heat mat, but i do sometimes find him there, so he does use it, i think if i were you, that i would get the cornsnake a heat mat and a habistat mat-stat.
> 
> dee x


If he avoids the heat all the time then you need to turn the mat down a bit as it's too warm.


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