[worried snake minder]

Hi , I have been given the task of minding a friends corn snake until xmas morning , picked it up yesterday and snake was very lively , however last night snake was just curled up in a ball at top of tank on its branch , snake in same position this morning , temperature in tank dropped to 55f . I think heater pad is positioned at one end of tank , the end which the snake is not at ( if snake was too cold , would it not go down to warm end ) . Not sure if heater mat has a switch to adjust temp , dont want to disturb the tank and go poking around as snake probably already stressed thru move and new enviroment .Turned up heating in house to try to achieve 80 - 85f in the hope this livens up the snake .
my worry is , poor friends son will be getting a "rubber" snake for xmas , instead of nice healthy corn snake , snake is approx 1 year old , tank is 2 x 2 x 2.5 ft
Any advice most welcome , thanks in advance WSM

 

[rossthedon]

the snake will be freezing his nuts off! try to maintain temps about 85-88 i was gonna say sometimes they just lay around especially at this time of year but the temps were way too low there. try putting a towel over the viv to warm it.
p.s where is the heat mat, does the viv have a light and is the mat connected to a stat?

 

[worried snake minder]

Not sure if mat has a stat , as i dont want to go upsetting him any more ,should i investigate ? no light in viv ,
heater seems to be positioned at one end of tank , not the end the snake is at

 

[tigger79]

well the easy way of telling if theres a stat, is to find where the matt is plugged in, is it plugged straight into the mains, or into a lead that comes outta a white box with a dial on it

another small question is, did you turn the heat matt off when ya b4 going to bed, if so thats is y it is so cold,

in this weather u cant bring in a large drop like that as the snake can go into shock, so it is advisable to slowly increase the temps ova the next few hours so as not to heat to fast,

Hope this helps

 

[worried snake minder]

mat just has a conventional 3 pin plug , directly into mains ,
no , didnt unplug heater before bed , although switched off heating in house ,
bought set-up from a reputable reptile specialist shop , so assume all the gear is suitable for the job , however should the mat not maintain the correct temp regardles of temp in house ?, If so , it doesnt seem to be performing , the mat is covered by the substrate , (i presume this is correct?)
is there anythin else i can do to slowly increase temp , i currently have a towel wrapped around the viv , covering the vents , is this ok ?
i have put a small box at heated end of tank , should i manually put snake into this , or will this cause temp shock ?
sorry to bombard you with so many questions and help very much appreciated

 

[tigger79]

firstly, the heat matt shud never be plugged straight into the mains, this will cause u need to get it onto a thermostat,

It apears to me that the heat matt may be faulty, also what size is the matt, u require a 11x17 but a 11x11 will do if u have a light which will give of some heat.

as with covering the matt, this shud always be done so as to prevent the snake burning himself, but it shud only be about 1.5 inch deep, also plenty of hides and plants will help to keep the free space down and allow snake to feel secure.

If the snake is acting slow and sluggish, it may have activated its hibernation response, as they would in the wild, if you can wear a glove and gently pick up the snake with out allowing it to uncoil, and gently place undera hide in the middle of the viv, where it is a little warmer, then in a few hours, do the same again moving closer to the hot end, u then need to continue this every couple of hours til eventually the snake is at the hot end and has warmed up slowly,

you may find he gets up and moves himself, once disturbed, if so do not worry about this as hes at a required temp to suit him.

where are you located.

 

[rossthedon]

the heatmat will put out a constant heat, it wont maintain any certain temp in the viv (thats what a stat is for) as you dont have a stat the best place for the mat is taped to the incide back wall of the viv. this will prevent the snake from getting burned and will help warm the air, it is recommended to fit a light, even a low watt bulb to give day and night temps. just put the mat on the back and put the snake back in the viv and he will prob head for his hide.
good luck

 

[Razaiel]

Hope the snake is OK - it does sound like the mat has gone wrong and needs a new one (plus stat). If I were you I'd contact your friend so he can get those two items or you could get them and he pay you back - the shops are now going to be closed from 4pm today for a couple days and that poor snake will be freezing its a$$ off. In the meantime maybe a warm (not hot) water bottle could be used up one end as a warm spot?

PS: I think your friend could do with visiting this forum for a bit of good basic reptilekeeping advice when he gets back - no mats without stats!!

 

[worried snake minder]

thanks for the advice , heres what i plan to do , correct me if you think this is a bad idea ,
un-cover the heater mat and leave exposed against back wall , ( dont want to use tape as may cause further problems ,)
gently move the snake down to bottom of tank , 8 inches from heater ,
wait 1-2 hours
move snake closer to heater 4-5 inches
hopefully this will warm him up sufficiently ,

mat size is 6" x 11" , with no thermastat , , as for it being faulty , it is quite warm and hasnt seemed to go off ,

snake has moved slightly , does this suggest he has not began hibernation ?

will probably advise friend to buy a 2nd heater , (maybe slightly larger?) and fit with a thermostat ,
no light fitted to viv ,

so much for a reputable reptile specialist , and charged £200

located on wirral , merseyside ,
many thanks tigger79 and rossthedon for the advice

 

[tigger79]

well all sounds good, but i will say, the placing of the heat matt depends on the snake, if its a corn, then they prefer the heat from under neath, where as other breeds prefer heat from above,

obviously the heat mat is not the correct size, and you friend shud go back to the shop and try to get the correct equipment for the price he paid, as a 2ft viv fully set up will usually cost £100-£150, depending on what equipment u choose to use,

is there a thermometer in the viv, if so where is it located,

a pleasure to lend a helping hand

 

[worried snake minder]

fortunately i have found a pet shop thats open today.i am going up there now to buy a 11 x 17 mat , sadly they got no thermostats in stock , will just have to observe temperature constantly ,and ensure over-heating dont happen , will return to original shop when they open and get a thermostat , will gradually heat up tank in increments of 5` f .

many thanks for all the advice , will post later regarding outcome/health of snake ,

 

[worried snake minder]

tigger79 , you say £100-£150 for viv set-up , is this inclusive of lighting , thermostat and all "furnishings"
thanks

 

[tigger79]

well it all depends on what equipment you buy, but my old pet shop in aldershot used to sell 36 x 18 x 18 with lights, heat mat, thermostat for arounf £170, you need to shop around for the best deals available.

24x15x15 £80,
11x17 £10
Mat Stat £20
Light Fitting £5
Heat Buld £5
Light Guard £10
So thats £130 just for starters if buying seperatley, not including substrate, hides, water bowl etc etc.

But most Larger reptile shops will sell them as package deals, and it al depends on sixe and type of snake too.

 

[rossthedon]

well all sounds good, but i will say, the placing of the heat matt depends on the snake, if its a corn, then they prefer the heat from under neath, where as other breeds prefer heat from above,

he doesnt have a stat remember mate, i would have advised to stick it under the viv but hes having problems with it heating inside it so the best place for the mat is on the back wall no doubt about it.

 

[tigger79]

that is true, i didnt think of that, so is a good idea

 

[royalpython]

hi there,

i found a site that will supply everything, even a book on corns for £122.85. I'm assuming the vivarium is what you're after rather than a plastic box? The corn tank is smaller than the one you have, it's only 18" in length, so i'd suggest a bigger one..

The other alternative on this link would be to go for the royal python viv, as it's a little bigger than the corn starter viv, just ask them for the corn book instead i'm sure they won't mind, i don't see much difference between the two viv's... both supply the same... kit costs £133.. for a 24" x 15" x 15" viv. Both say low watt bulbs, just make sure a 25W or 40W red bulb is used.

http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/snake-beginner-kit.html

Hope this helps.

I'd place a temperature strip on top of the basking area substrate and make sure the temp's are correct. I'd also leave one in the cooler end and make sure it's not too cold.. Once this is established measure the air temperature and eventually once you get round to it, get yourself a thermometer with a probe and leave it in the basking area.

 

[jimbosimbo43]

sounds like youre friend dosent know how to look after a snake!

 

[worried snake minder]

correct , my friend doesnt know how to look after a snake ,thats why she seeked proffesional advice from specialist reptile shop . guy in pet shop suggested this was the most appropriate snake for a beginner (one year old corn snake) .
Friend can always log on to this website and seek good advice as i have done , i am sure you`ve learned stuff from here , and werent always quite so knowledgable !