Snake Bedding

I'm really interested in getting a corn snake. I'm doing my research before hand and trying to figure out all of their needs. i work at a petstore where we sell corns, and i can get one for a very discounted price, which i'm happy about. We feed our snakes pinkies at the pet store and keep them on colored sand. we don't feed them in their enclosure, we put them in a clear plastic container and feed them seperately from eachother.

i was wondering if sand was really that bad for corn snakes in specific? I bought a book about snakes and it suggested sand as a substrate as well, but i wasn't sure if they meant only for desert dwelling species or not. it's hard to find information about wild corns for the best substrate to mimic the natural kind. Also, my boyfriend who i live with doesn't really like snakes and is allergic to most types of bedding, such as aspen, care fresh, ect. sand seemed like the best option... (it'll still take a fair bit of convincing before i can get one, since a snake is about the only animal he isn't allergic to.)

also, i've heard about the mouse "snake stakes" by T-Rex, but i didn't know how easily available they were, how much they costed, ect. i don't mind feeding frozen pinkies, but i don't know if i could feed frozen mice. i would if that's the only thing my future snake would eat, but i'm just trying to get all the options.

if i could get all this situated, all i'd have to decide on would be the color. butter corns are quickly becoming my favorite

thanks for any help provided. i'm trying to be the best snake mom i can be by doing my research first.

~Char

I may be wrong but im sure i saw a thread about 10 months ago were 2 young snakes had died, both had been kept on and ingested coloured sand.
In my opinion it is definately not a good substrate to keep a snake on.
There are various wood chips that work well.
I tend to keep mine on corn cob granuals that are readily available.
They are a little on the dry side but work well, and are harmless when ingested. Search the site on substrates, there are many good ideas.
By the way does anyone else use corn granuals.?

Sand is not the substrate of choice for a couple of main reasons:

1) It can get in between scales and cause discomfort.

2) Sand tends to be overly dry and can cause shedding problems.

3) I'll take this cue from nature: Corns don't inhabit desert areas.

Seriously, if wood based bedding is an issue paper is the easiest and cheapest material. Of course it is wood based as well so I don't know if that is also banded.

Feeding: Corn snakes eat mice and other small rodents. If you have a problem feeding mice, then I'd suggest looking for another pet. I don't mean to come off as negative, just concerned. After all, would you get a dog and force him to be a vegetarian? :nope:

you could always try newspaper as a substrate. not the best to look at but it works and every day the paperboy brings more.

I use aspen bedding for my substrate. You can also use ReptiBark or even newspaper/paper towels. Dont use any ceder, pine and walnut type of wood because it is toxic. Also, sand causes respiratory problems I heard, so stay away from that too. You should do a search of this site for some more information. Hope I helped.

As Cav stated above no sand, I will add I have seen research where there was some respitory problems cause as well. There is no way you can create a good humidity with sand. If you mist daily that is a good way of building up bacteria.

There are other reptiles that live on sand, maybe you would like.

I agree with the feedings as well. Cornsnakes eat rodents. Why some people call them Ratsnakes.

oh, i know they eat mice, and i won't hesitate to feeding them mice either. that's not too much of an issue. i was just wondering if any one had any experience with the sausages, good or bad. I heard about them vaguely, but i won't feed them if they provide enough nutrition or the snakes plain refuse them.

i might try shredded paper towels, i think i've read in multiple places that those work. maybe with some repti-carpet underneath so they won't have to touch the glass so much...

thanx for all the advice, and sorry for the confusion about the mice. all i meant was that if there was another option, i might try it. but if all they'll eat is mice, mice it is

~Char

Scraps of carpet also work well. If you keep 2 on hand, you can easily replace a soiled one with a clean one and rinse the other one off. Carpet shops usually give you viv-sized bits of carpet or astroturf for free, with relatively few questions and odd looks

Char -

I'm glad to see you are willing to do the research involved with acquiring a corn snake!

Snake Steak Sausages are an "option" and will work just fine, as Kathy Love proclaims in her 'Cornsnake Manual'. Although I agree with the rest, I prefer to feed mice and rats to my captives. Another thing you may look at is price! The snake sausages are very expensive in comparison to frozen mice! They are not available anywhere here locally where I live that I know of. Which makes it even more expensive if you have to ship them over night because they have to remain cold. Mice are obtained just about anywhere, and even if you had to order mice, I think you will find it to be quite a bit less that the sausages!

PS. Check out the book 'Cornsnake Manual' by Kathy and Bill Love if you haven't already. That book will definately set you on the right path and answer most of your questions and be a nice handy referal to when you need it down the line.


WAS1 -

"I tend to keep mine on corn cob granuals that are readily available.
They are a little on the dry side but work well, and are harmless when ingested."

Just a side note, on this...not to change the subject of this thread! Corn cob bedding is indeed very dry and therefore you could encounter shedding problems. Also, "harmless when ingested" isn't necessarily true! Corn cob bedding tends to swell up with moisture. If your little one happens to ingest a piece or several pieces, even though you don't feed on it, it could swell in the digestive track and cause impaction! This would be especially true with a hatchling, larger animals would have a much better chance at passing it, although still not worth the risk, in my opinion! One last thing about corn cob, it is a great breeding ground for bacteria and mold if it becomes moist from a spilled or tipped water bowl or even with a bowel movement!

I have used corn cob bedding with my parrots in the past. Although the trays were well below the cages and the birds were not able to get to it, the molding of it quickly turned me off of it. Parrots are messy creatures on their own, no need to add insult to injury! Let alone let my slithering snake friends to be in contact with it all the time.

Just my .02...hope this may help you all make an educated choice!

Quigs

Quig, Thanks for your input on corn cob bedding, I dont use this for my hatchlings, just adults. You are correct tho it does mold quite easily if not watched.
The only reason I use it is that I feed all my snakes in their enclosures (time factor) and I`d rather they ingest a piece of that, than a piece of wood bedding.
Unless anyone uses anything else, that works well?

I once saw a pet shop keeping corns on sand. I asked him about it and he told me sand was fine. Next time i visited all the corns had pieces of shed around them. The time after that i came, they were all on reptile bark

Woodchips work good for me. Though i feed them outside the viv as swallowing chips is very bad, and may even kill the snake.

About the frozen mice bit. Well, either get over it or take a snake that feeds on other critters. I don't know about the t-rex sausages but i heard someone say the snake died from it. You may want to do a forum search and find the topic about it. Still, it can't beat the real thing