First baby cornsnake!?

[Matt R]

Hi Tanya,

For your questions -

- I would wait at least a couple weeks before trying to handle to allow your snake to become acclimated to its environment. There's no exact rule on this, but taking your time is always better in these circumstances.
- According to the article I reference here - you'll want a temp. between 77 and 82 degrees and that it's OK to allow the temp. to drop into the lower 70s at night. You should also try to create a hotspot around 90 degrees, during the day, should your snake wish to bask. I suspect your snake is fine, and simply looking for a place to hide (they LOVE to hide and it makes them feel more secure) at night. You could try moving the hide area closer to the warmer side of your tank? I would recommend doing what you can to offer your snake a few separate temperature options within the tank, so that he may regulate more naturally. Using a red heat bulb would be fine to achieve this at night - but I would start with a thermometer first to get a sense of what your temperatures actually are. You may not need one at night? Good luck!