Heat Mat Or Heat Lamp For Corn Snake

A naturally basking species such as a garter snake will do much better with a heat lamp than a heat mat because it encourages natural basking behaviour which a heat mat cannot offer.

Heat mat or heat lamp for corn snake.

A common argument for heat mats is that they provide belly heat which is supposedly more effective. However this is not correct and we only recommend using heat mats as a supplementary. Heat mats produce warmth without light and are only good for heating the bottom of an enclosure not the air. It s more natural to them and you re less likely to have so many problems such as burnt belly scales.

A reliable consistent heat source is a vital part of a snake s vivarium setup. Leaving a heat lamp on at night can disrupt your snake s circadian rhythm day night cycle potentially causing confusion and stress. If you use a heat lamp you ll need to use a different heat source during the night. Heat lamps are an option for snakes that would normally bask in the sun.

It is well made and fits a wide variety of bulbs. This allows you to dial down the amount of electricity going to your reptile lamp or heat mat thereby controlling the output and the cage temp. The zilla premium reflector dome on amazon is the best heat lamp for snakes. Heat mats are the still the most widely used method of maintaining correct temperatures for corn snakes although i believe that they are an inferior heat source compared to heat lamps.

With non basking species like royal pythons and corn snakes a heat mat would be better because they don t naturally bask and prefer to be both hidden and warm for example they would find a warm rock to warm up against instead. You might have to use a rheostat or thermostat with your corn snake heating device in order to reach the desired temperatures. Without it your snake wouldn t be able to regulate its body temperature.