# Corn Snake Hates Heat



## ColleenHorwood (Mar 22, 2021)

I have a corn I don't know how old it is. Think it's female. In 4x2x2 glass ambient cool 75 warm 82, surface temps cool 78 warm 85. I'm sure her cool side gets a bit cooler at night. I try to drop her temps a bit at night. She hates the heat though. She never goes to the warm side and the problem is she has had one RI a couple years ago and once in awhile she starts to get a bit of a wheeze so I have to increase her temps and force the heat on her and that always makes the little wheeze sound disappear instantly. I also have another corn that is male in the same setup but PVC and he also does not ever go to his warm side, but he has never had RI. So is this normal? Am I running it too warm for them? I mean I kind of have to right or they're gonna get sick and I can't have that.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

ColleenHorwood said:


> I have a corn I don't know how old it is. Think it's female. In 4x2x2 glass ambient cool 75 warm 82, surface temps cool 78 warm 85. I'm sure her cool side gets a bit cooler at night. I try to drop her temps a bit at night. She hates the heat though. She never goes to the warm side and the problem is she has had one RI a couple years ago and once in awhile she starts to get a bit of a wheeze so I have to increase her temps and force the heat on her and that always makes the little wheeze sound disappear instantly. I also have another corn that is male in the same setup but PVC and he also does not ever go to his warm side, but he has never had RI. So is this normal? Am I running it too warm for them? I mean I kind of have to right or they're gonna get sick and I can't have that.


Surface temp for warm spot is too high at 85f. Should be no higher than 80 for a corn.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Gradually reduce the heat over a couple of days to around 80f.... Provided there is a thermal gradient with hides at both ends and in the middle then you have given the snake the options to thermal regulate. My guess is that the sounds you are hearing may be the start of an RI, but I think you have already answered the question of the possible cause. If you are keeping the female in an glass tank then there will be lack of air circulation, especially on the base. I would make or purchase another 4 x 2 x 2 in either wood or PVC and rig that out so its the same as the males viv and leave the glass tank for the fish...


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## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

As others have said, temperature of hot spot too high. RI is more likely to be from lack of ventilation, which in turn can give high humidity. 
Overnight, unless you live somewhere where your house temperature gets very low, I wouldn't provide heat.


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## ColleenHorwood (Mar 22, 2021)

Malc said:


> Gradually reduce the heat over a couple of days to around 80f.... Provided there is a thermal gradient with hides at both ends and in the middle then you have given the snake the options to thermal regulate. My guess is that the sounds you are hearing may be the start of an RI, but I think you have already answered the question of the possible cause. If you are keeping the female in an glass tank then there will be lack of air circulation, especially on the base. I would make or purchase another 4 x 2 x 2 in either wood or PVC and rig that out so its the same as the males viv and leave the glass tank for the fish...


Thank you


Elly66 said:


> As others have said, temperature of hot spot too high. RI is more likely to be from lack of ventilation, which in turn can give high humidity.
> Overnight, unless you live somewhere where your house temperature gets very low, I wouldn't provide heat.


It is also to my understanding that they can get RI from too low of humidity. Anyway the humidity is fine. I was more just curious that they really do not like to go to the warm side, and I suppose it has been too warm for them a lot however the reason she did get sick two years ago was because she got too cold and her humidity got too low. So I hate to let that happen again. I also hate for her to be uncomfortable and if she wants to be cold I suppose I will just have to keep the temps low and really monitor her and increase them if and when I notice she gets a little sniffle. Thanks for your input


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

You also have to take in to account that each snake is it's own personality. Like people some will seek out the heat higher than that stated in 1001 care sheets, and equally the reverse. I've got 11 Royal Pythons, and each one has its own individuality. One prefers the cool side, and will visit the hot side in frequently, whilst the one above loves the heat and seldom ventures off it. Both are kept in identical enclosures.

As for RI. It's all dependent on the species. Boa's and Pythons tend to prefer humidity between 60 - 80%, some like rainbow boa's need more. For those species where high humidity is preferred, keeping them dryer can lead to an RI. Corns on the other hand are quite robust and anything from 40-70% can be tolerated. Having said all this, don't get too hung up on the numbers. Humidity will vary based on the ambient value in the room, which can be biased by the weather outside. We've just had a lot of rain over the past few days, outside humidity is 74%. The room where most of my snakes are is 78%. This time last week it was down in the 50's, so if I too a reading in the vivs it will appear high around 78-80%. The other thing to remember is the weather in the wild is so variable and changeable. On any summers day it could range from 30% under a baking sun, to 99% after a storm. 

If you suspect the snake has an RI then seek the opinion of a vet. If caught earlier enough there is no reason why the snake shouldn't make a full recovery.


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## Malum Argenteum (5 mo ago)

I agree that a lack of ventilation can lead to problems, but I'd clarify the situation: RIs are caused by pathogens and only by pathogens. Many situations can increase an animal's susceptibility to any given pathogen (or pathogens; coinfection is increasingly known to cause animals to be symptomatic; viral load increases can spark bacterial growth), including improper humidity/ventilation/temperature/general environmental stress caused by a hundred different things including undesirable thermal gradients and the insecure feeling of living in a transparent house.

Reptiles that have an RI (whether acute or low-grade chronic) do sometimes avoid heat, presumably to "turn down" their metabolism as a response to the effects of restricted breathing efficiency. 

If the snake is not thermoregulating in an expected fashion *and* has recurring RI-type symptoms, I think a vet visit (to a qualified exotics vet who has the knowledge and interest in digging deeply) are called for.


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## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

ColleenHorwood said:


> Thank you
> 
> It is also to my understanding that they can get RI from too low of humidity. Anyway the humidity is fine. I was more just curious that they really do not like to go to the warm side, and I suppose it has been too warm for them a lot however the reason she did get sick two years ago was because she got too cold and her humidity got too low. So I hate to let that happen again. I also hate for her to be uncomfortable and if she wants to be cold I suppose I will just have to keep the temps low and really monitor her and increase them if and when I notice she gets a little sniffle. Thanks for your input


The reason I mentioned humidity is that, with a combined lack of ventilation, it's an ideal environment for bacterial growth. It's always a balancing act. It's important to get the RI treated fully and after any infection I'd recommend a deep clean of the viv/tank. If it's a reoccurring issue, maybe a test for type of bacteria/virus causing it would be useful. That way treatment cen be more specific. It's always a worry when our pets show signs of illness.


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## ColleenHorwood (Mar 22, 2021)

Malum Argenteum said:


> I agree that a lack of ventilation can lead to problems, but I'd clarify the situation: RIs are caused by pathogens and only by pathogens. Many situations can increase an animal's susceptibility to any given pathogen (or pathogens; coinfection is increasingly known to cause animals to be symptomatic; viral load increases can spark bacterial growth), including improper humidity/ventilation/temperature/general environmental stress caused by a hundred different things including undesirable thermal gradients and the insecure feeling of living in a transparent house.
> 
> Reptiles that have an RI (whether acute or low-grade chronic) do sometimes avoid heat, presumably to "turn down" their metabolism as a response to the effects of restricted breathing efficiency.
> 
> If the snake is not thermoregulating in an expected fashion *and* has recurring RI-type symptoms, I think a vet visit (to a qualified exotics vet who has the knowledge and interest in digging deeply) are called for.





Elly66 said:


> The reason I mentioned humidity is that, with a combined lack of ventilation, it's an ideal environment for bacterial growth. It's always a balancing act. It's important to get the RI treated fully and after any infection I'd recommend a deep clean of the viv/tank. If it's a reoccurring issue, maybe a test for type of bacteria/virus causing it would be useful. That way treatment cen be more specific. It's always a worry when our pets show signs of illness.


Absolutely a vet visit is something I will not hesitate to do. Thank you all!


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