Buying Supplies

Where you you think I can get better deals on caging and supplies, a reptile show or a PetsMart/Petco? I guess it really depends, but I was just wondering if there would be a difference in prices and selection.

show!!!!

I would think it would be a show because people there are trying to get rid of and will sell them cheap!!!!! As for me I will probibly get it at a petco for Convience reasons!!!!

there are lots of vendors online too. it really depends on what you are buying... some vendors have better prices on one item, others on others. If you are counting your pennies it really pays to do your homework because there ARE really great deals to be had if you track them down.

^Curtis

Yes I would think that the Petco would be more expensive just like a any petstore... since they are there to make money off of you... shows are the best way to find lots of stuff for cheap... its a way to find lots of stuff that you really dont need to you feel that you do need it lol online is another really good source the only bad thing is the shipping and handeling... but at certain times the shop will have a special with no shipping... just look around and im sure youll find what you need

Cages for under $20.00?

Before I learned about Rubbermaide, I always used 10 gal. fish tanks. I hate spending a penny if I can help it, so I bargain shop. The cheapest place I found for 10 gallon aquariums is PetsMart. They sell them for $8.99. Then I go to PetCo for the FourPaws screen lid. They're the cheapest for that at $9.99. Then, back to PetCo for the Aspen shavings (I forgot to get them while I was there the first time). Boom! You're set. Oh, yes, while at PetsMart, get a dog food dish, or check your local grocery store. They are sometimes cheaper than a pet store. If you get the right kind, you can cut a hole out of the edge so your new snake can get inside under the water. If you need another hide, then three to five minutes rumaging around inside the recycle bin can get you one for dirt cheap. Of course, you'll want to wear appropriate clothes for dumpster-diving.

Since Carol beat me to the punch on getting you corn snakes, I could let you have a tank or two, if you want. I could pass them on to Carol on her trip over to give you the snakes. Stick with us, we'll getcha hooked up.

Lids at Wal-mart...

The Wal-mart here has lids that are mostly all plastic. They have a small place with screen where a light can be put. But anyway, they are designed for rodents as there are holes for tubes and such. They work well with snakes, too! And they are only around $7.00. The best thing is that they lock onto 10 gallon aquariums that have a lip around the inside of them. So far, I've never had a snake get one open!

SHOW ~~~~~~:~

I found that the shows were the best for prices for heaters, and those stick things that the snakes climb on, thermometers and humidity gages, lots of the special stuff,
Greggs got the right idea about shopping around. I always keep my eyes peeled. I was at Mackeys gettting horse treats and was going through the dog isle and WOW spotted a small water bowl, the raised ones with the hide built right in, the snake goes in...... the snake goes out........ and the water is on top. ONLY 50 cents on the clearence rack. Keep your eyes open for deals. I bought a bunch of tops and screens from a pet store going out of business for one or two bucks each. Sam ~~~~~:~

HI KILJARA16,
IM ALSO FROM CALIFORNIA AND I FIND MOST OF MY TANKS FROM SWAP MEETS OR YARD SALES. I RECENTLY GO A REPTLIE TANK (10 GAL) WITH A BUILT IN SCREEN TOP A SMALL PORTABLE
PLASTIC TANK AND A LARGE BRANCH FOR 3.00. I TRASHED THE BRANCH BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE PARASITES. BUT IF YOU LOOK YOU CAN FIND THINGS CHEAP IT MIGHT TAKE TIME BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT. WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR SNAKES? IF YOU LIVE IN SO. CAL I KNOW A GREAT SHOP WHERE THEY HAVE HATCHLINGS FOR ABOUT 40 BUCKS LEAVE A POST IF YOU WANT THE PHONE # GOOD LUCK. THERE IS ALSO A SHOW COMMING UP IN SAN DIEGO NEXT MONTH I THINK.. JUST CLICK THE HERPSHOWS.COM

Responsiblity 101

Now my parents are saying I pay for all the costs of my up coming cornsnake. I have no problem since I'm not a big spender, but what would be the monthly cost of a corn? I have enough for the intital cost of food and supplies and I basically get $40-$50 dollars a month in allowance. Think I can make it? I'm looking into jobs.

Once you have the supplies for the cage then really all you have to do is buy food and vitamens for it. And give it lots of love

You can get their food pretty cheap if you buy in bulk. Pinkies are 18 cents each at RodentPro.com, and they come in a bag of 100. You'll have to pay a charge for the shipping, too, but it's still way cheaper than buying them at a pet store. The pinkies should last up to 6 months if you keep them well sealed in the freezer. Substrate isn't very expensive either. You can buy a big bag of aspen that lasts for quite a long time. Or if you want to use paper towels for your babies, just get a cheap, plain white roll of paper towels. The only time corns snakes are expensive pets is when you're buying them (depending on the morph), and when you're first getting the cage set up.

So when will you be getting your little ones?

I'll be choosing one (Only one since thats my mom's limit right now. I hope she'll warm up to this one and allow just a few more ) before Thursday and get it in August. It might be an amel, miamiphase, or hypo miami. Carol seems to be trilled with her logos I made for her. I'm also getting 50 pinkies so food wise I'll be set for a while. I'm so excited.

Congrats, and good work with the logos! I love the miamis, that's what I'd go for (or maybe a hypo miami. Once your mom sees what a cute little baby you've got, how can she possibly resist?

Hey Kilo, I was just looking through my clutches, trying to find some great ones to photo for ya. I am just waiting on these amels to shed so I can send all the pics at once. One that did shed looks like a candy cane so I hope the others look the same. The clutch that has a Hypo Miami for a father, and an Upper Keys het hypo for a mother are looking awesome! They were so dark at hatching they almost looked anery, but now they are turning RED! Sorry, I just got through looking at them and I am still excited. Anyway...back to the subject...
Its all the supplies in the beginning that are the most expensive. With one corn, once you get all your supples, it will hardly cost anything. Once your pinkies run out, most stores in our area sell all sizes of mice for about a dollar. When it grows up to eat small rats (all my adults eat just weaned frozen thawed rats), you may want to consider ordering on-line because those are around 3 or 4 dollars at the pet stores. However, since you only feed corns about once a week, your still talking only about $15 a month to feed an adult, and that won't be until another 2-3 years. I personally buy DISTILLED(not spring) water for my corns, a $1 jug will last awile. You may want to put about $10 a month away for an emergency vet visit, but honestly it is pretty rare for a corn to need a vet especially if you are not breeding. Oh and I almost forgot, aspen for bedding. You can get a bag at Target for about $4, and it will probably last you two months.
As for the main supplies, if you don't have enough for a terrarium with a built in lid, the next best thing would be a critter keeper. They make one called "the reptile ranch" or something like that and it is nice sized. I find these are the most secure of all the "snap on" lid type enclosures. But you do have to be religious about making sure the lid is snapped, and the little door on top is snapped. Make a habit of checking the lid, over and over to be sure it is snapped. And once in a while check the strength of the door because they get weak with age and I have had corns pop it open themselves. I actually recommend taking the whole lid off instead of using the little door so this doesn't happen. The big critter keeper will house your corn comfortably for about a year and then I'd look into a 20 gallon terrarium. Also, besides the obvious water bowl and hide, you will need an undertank heater and a tempreture adjuster to keep it from getting too hot. Petco sells Zoo Med Undertank heaters for about $15 and a "Repti-temp control" for about $20. I am not sure if you save $$$ after shipping but LLLReptile supply has good prices and sometimes have good specials. Plus, you can call them and ask if they will be at a show in your area, and if you ask them to, they will bring certain items to the show for you. Keep in mind, most shows charge admission. Thats about it, all those once or twice in a lifetime (of your corn) purchases are the ones that do the most damage after that they are one of the most inexpensive pets out there. Let me know if you need me to pitch in anything else, you did a GREAT job.
Carol

Tank questions

What are the dimensions of a 10 gal tank? Do they come in long size? When should I move up to a 20 gal when starting with a hatchling?
To Carol: How much are 20 gal tanks with built in lids? LLLReptile is coming to the show, so I'll see what I can get.

I advise against

I would not get a ten gal or 20 for hatchlings. I have a ten gal for my ball python and I am always making sure she hasn't escaped yet. They just don't seem to make good enough lids for aquariums for tiny tiny snakes like a baby corn. I have my ball's velcroed on so much it's tough to remove, and then weighed down. The clips leave too much leeway if you use only two of them, and they didn't fit my top well at all.

But I do use the critter keeper reptile ranch for my Irwin. I taped the smaller lid down because I never use it, and might as well limit the ways he can escape. They are like $11.99 at Petco. They aren't as visually pleasing as an aquarium, but I don't think of it as a permanent enclosure, just a darn good one for a baby pet corn. He is 26 inches and still looks little in the cage. Someday I hope to buy a nice cage system for all my snakes, but right now it's sterelites and a critter keeper for the corns and a ten-gallon aquarium for the ball.

Oh, and have you bought the Corn Snake Manual yet? It's personally my favorite corn snake supply!

Ten gallons are about 10 inches deep, 20 inches long and 12 inches tall. I don't think they come in "long" but I know 20 gallons do. A ten gallon or a large critter keeper will house a corn for about a year. You don't HAVE to get a 20 gallon, when a 10 gallon gets too small you could always go rubbermaid. I was just assuming you may prefer a terrarium. I have seen the built in screen lid 20 gallons priced anywhere from $50-$100 depending on the mark-up of the store. Happy Hunting! Carol

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm going to get either a critter keeper or 10 gal. which ever I find at the Petco/PetsMart.The Cornsnake Manual is on top of my list. It's not in any of the bookstores around here but I'm either going to order it online or go to the pet store. I have some hides and a waterbowl already, so I'll get most of the other stuff at the reptile show. Thanks again.

HI KILO,
YOU NEVER SAID WHAT PART OF CALIFORNIA YOU ARE FROM, BUT IF IT'S AROUND WHITTIER OR LA HARBRA I KNOW A GUY THAT JUST HATCHED SOME CORNS AND IS TRYING TO SELL. LET ME KNOW MAYBE I CAN HOOK YOU UP....

A couple of cost cutting suggestions...

First nobody mentioned it yet but you can try flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores(like goodwill, salvation army). Plus to control the heat it's easier to use a dimmer switch instead of that thermostat which will constantly turn the heat on and off. Home Depot and Lowe's both carry an in line dimmer switch, one where you cut the power cord and plug the cut ends in to the dimmer or one where you just plug the male end of the power cord into the dimmer switch. Check this out because they are only 13 dollars and I liked them a lot better than the thermostat. I got the thermostat first but the temp fluctuates 5 degrees. Which probably doesn't bother the corns but it does me so I now have the dimmer hooked up and use the thermostat as a back up. I'm glad your mother let you get the snake, good luck and take this opportunity to learn everything you can not just about corns but all reptiles. Also it would be a really good idea to get the Cornsnake Manual. If you can't find it, let me know I can probably find it here cheap like $6. Good luck again.
Rhoman