The beginning...

Hello, and thanks for viewing my very first post First of all, I have never owned a snake of any kind, but have been doing a ton of research and trying to figure out the best way to go about getting one and how to take care of it. I suppose that I would just like to ask anyone who is willing to take me under their wing(as I have a few questions) and allow me to ask them questions as they arrive about care and maintenance of my new little friend.

Having that said, my first question is this: I've been looking online for a tank to hold my snake(that I haven't bought yet), and I am getting lost as to which would be the best. I found this one but I'm not sure if its the best. Also, what about the 'screen cage'? Which would be the best for just one little guy? I want to get the right size and type. I really appreciate it guys!!

Daniel

I'm super-interested in getting a blizzard(tell me what you think)!

First of all welcome Daniel. :wavey: From what I can see of the tank it looks alright. Though, instead of ordering one you may want to see if you could find a tank at a pet store. They have ones (CritterCage or CritterKeeper) that the lid slides into place and is held there by a few plastic pins. Less chance of escape. A ten gallon would be a good size for a hatchling for a while. An all screen one would not maintain the heat very long. Your heating source will have to be on all the time and may still not be able to keep it warm enough. Blizzards are cool looking.

Re

Thanks DAND.

I'm trying not to spend a WHOLE lot of money on this, could maybe you recommend a smaller/less expensive container for the little guy? Was wondering if those little plastic ones would work until he gets big enough for, say, a 15gal tank. Because of my location, the local Pet Store is WAY overpriced on their tanks, so I'm trying to find something online. However, Wal-Mart I think had a 10gal for like $15. Which is affordable.

I'm probably going to have to get the equip in stages...first get the tank and the misc supplies(heater/bedding/hides etc) and then wait till another payday and then get the snake.

I'd like to also get a dark colored bedding of some sort so that the blizzard has a stark contrast to its surroundings. Any suggestions? Also, my roommate suggested that I get a black-light(so that the snake will glow when its dark). This sounds like a neat idea in theory, I don't want to do anything that would harm my new friend...would a black-light be harmful in any way?

again, thanks

Daniel

Those plastic ones are okay but can be harder to heat. Depending on the size of the plastic container they do make small UTH (under the tank heaters) but that may be too small for the future tank and you'd then have to buy another heat source. The ten gallon tank will be a good size for a while. If you go that route make sure you get some clips to secure the screen lid so you don't have an escape.

Some of the substrates are darker than others. I personally use aspen but there is (I believe it's called) ReptiBark that is dark.

I haven't heard of a black light causing any problems.

I bought a 10 gl. glass one like you were talking about first. For my new hatchlings I'm using a rubbermaid container for each with an under tank heater. I attached the heater to a piece of glass from a photo frame so that it doesn't attach directly to the plastic. It doesn't get too hot that way. I have my largest corn in a 30 gl. I think I paid $35 for it at my local pet store. You might want to use reptibark if you like the dark contrast. The only thing about it, is that the poops are hard to see in it, especially when they're small.

Hello, welcome to the forums!

I use reptibark with my little girl (3 months old), and haven't really had a problem with finding the poop in the viv. It is pretty dark, and it probably would showcase your blizzard quite nicely. Another bonus to the reptibark is that when she does poop on the bark it get kinda clumped together, so its easy to spot clean - just scoop all the offensive bark out of the cage! I'm a big fan of reptibark, but its what I started with, and I've never used the aspen. I suppose the one downside of reptibark is the price. It is more than double the price of aspen where I live. Like I said, I really like it though.

As for a viv, I use a ten gallon for Sienna. I use one of those heat resistant mesh tops that are hinged in the middle for easy access ($10) and I have it secured with the common interlocking clips ($1 for a set of two - I use 2 sets). Its a pretty cost effective set-up, and I won't feel too bad when I have to upgrade her to a bigger size...only $27 gone, and those 10 gallons have a way of coming in pretty handy later on - maybe even as a feeding container for your snake when he/she's bigger.

Thanks!

Sounds great, I think that I'll go get a 10gal tank today and start setting up his/her new home. Now I just need to find someone who is selling a blizzard :dunce: . Does anyone know the best place to start looking? Also...any suggestion on the heatpad I should get for the 10gal? Or is it very important which one?

Thanks to my new-found friends :dancer:
Daniel

You guys really have been a tremendous help!

With my first, and I am still a novice, I used a 10 gal which should be fine for a couple years. I also use aspen bedding which is what was reccomended by the breeder I got my first one from. I now house my "butter" in a 20 gal and my other in a 10. I will be getting 3 more next week which I plan on putting one an extra 10 I have and 2 in the smaller acrylic holders. I agree with Dand that they are harder to heat but I was able to manage before.

I use the "under tank heater" uth for the 10-20 gal size

Good luck with your snake, you can find a lot of help here.

DdotSpot said:

Sounds great, I think that I'll go get a 10gal tank today and start setting up his/her new home. Now I just need to find someone who is selling a blizzard :dunce: . Does anyone know the best place to start looking? Also...any suggestion on the heatpad I should get for the 10gal? Or is it very important which one?

Thanks to my new-found friends :dancer:
Daniel

You guys really have been a tremendous help!

Click to expand...

Daniel,

Welcome!

As far as looking for breeders selling corns, I would advise putting a thread on the corn snakes wanted page. There are a TON of great people here with such great snakes for sale...

As far as the UTH for your tank, I have used a couple and they are pretty much the same. (Zoo Med, Cobra) Just get the one that says it is good for 10-20 gallons. Good luck with everything and I have one thing to say to you..

Corns are very, very addicting! I started out with one about 3 months ago and now I am up to 4! LOL!

Congrats on your decision to get a new snake. I was looking around the pet store the other day for something inexpensive I could house an "extra" snake in and found these cage They are about $8. I think they would be fine for a temporary set up. Plus I have seen the heat pads sold for hermit crabs that work well with this type of plastic (they cost about the same as a UTH). Also, there is a product called Care Fresh that is like a recycled paper bedding that is dark grey which might look good with the contrast of a blizzard. I have used it and my amel loves it. But it doesn't quite keep the tank as fresh smelling as Aspen. Here is a link care fresh .

But overall, I think the best value is one of those Critter Cages mentioned above. Not a bad cost for a 10 gal size WITH the secure lid that can keep the snake for a while. Here's a link critter cage

Also, some inexpensive ways to furnish the tank:
-- go to dollar store and find some inexpensive silk plants
-- empty toilet paper rolls (they love these)
-- a small pet dish or even plastic saucer for plant pots
-- empty plastic butter containers with a small hole turned upside for a small enclosure

Good luck! Also you can post that you are looking for a blizzard in the Corns For Sale section here when you are ready and breeders will contact you.

Irene

there is only one thing you might not wanna just go to the pet store and buy a snake, you might wanna do some research for a herp store near you, they take much better care of their reps. i was also gunna say that a 20-30 gallon tanks will house your corn for its whole life, they get to aobut 4-5 ft and about 2-3 in thick and a 20 gallon will house it its whole life :crazy02: :crazy02:

The first tank you showed from LLLreptiles. Is a great Viv i live 10 min from a LLLreptiles and I love that store. I have a 15 gal. one and a 20 gal. one. One thing to be aware of is that baby corn snakes are very tricky and can escape very easily if you do not have a secure lid or a lid with gaps. I use kritter cages to feed my snakes in and they have never been able to get out of them.
I did a quick search for you and found a reptile store near you called royal Reptile the phone number is (620) 783-5276 address is 115 N Main St
Galena, KS 66739 I couldn't find a website for the store but its worth a trip to take a look. or maybe some one that reads this KNows of the store and can comment. I would ask them some questions and get a feel for the store before buying from them, also They should have a copy of the corn snake manual written by Kathy love. That is an investment that is well worth it. (Trust me)
Also if you find a corn snake you like From any store i would ask them if they can hold it till next feeding and go back watch it eat to make sure its a good eater. Then pick it up a few days after so it can properly diagest its food. You can also get snakes from online breeders but I would research them to make sure they are a experienced breeder and shipper. Good luck!! you came to the right place. And you sound like you are doing the research before buying a snake and that earns you so much respect in my book.

Welcome to the world of snakes!

We have found that with babies, it's easier to keep them in a critter keeper INSIDE a 10g until they are big enough that they can't push past a screen. We've learned the hard way that those little buggers can squeeze out of anything if you give them an inch (or less, much less). Some screens don't fit as well as they should, so be careful. Also, you can use an UTH attached to the fish tank itself, providing a bit more insulation between heat and snake as well as offering a heat source from above, resting on the screen. Some tropical fish stores sell 10gals for as low as $10. We have been super lucky to find 29gal tanks at thrift stores for $15 and $20. If they have a little crack that's ok (as long as the basic integrity is intact and it's not going to break). They don't have to be water tight. So that's something to consider for when your baby grows up, and for all the other snakes you're likely to get! If you house them in the critter keeper at first, then you still have the 10gal ready to go. If you get a 20gal long, you can house two critter keepers side by side until the snakes get big enough to go into their own tanks. All 17 of our "kids" are in fish tanks or critter keepers inside fish tanks and everyone is living large.

OK!!

Well...some new developements!! First of all I have my viv all set up waiting for my new guy(or girl)!! Here's a pic , tell me what you guys think...does it look ok(remember this is my first time)?


I'm planning on getting another hide for the other side of the tank, to balance out his/her comfort zones.

Ok, there's more exciting news...my blizzard is on his way! He will be shipped out tomorrow(monday) and arrive on tuesday!! He's coming from LLLReptiles.com, I got a great recommendation from a breeder that works at a local pet store. They only had 1 left and he's on his way!! Thanks everyone for all your help and encouragement. I can already tell that I'm going to fall in love with these snakes.

Thanks,
Daniel

P.S. Here's of my set-up:

Yes...that's Extreme home makeover(Home edition) reflecting in the corner of the glass. Here's another picture.

thats great daniel, so glad to hear you have everything sorted now, and good luck with your new little blizzard!
i find the hardest thing with a new snake is your not allowed to handle s/he for a few days coz they have to settle in, ahhh, that always annoys me, you sit there staring at s/he waiting for the time to go by. LOL



edit: oh btw daniel, im sorry but i am unable to see your pictures?

The viv looks great from what I can tell. With that extra hide you should be all set! Congratulations on your new snake!



Oh, its hard to tell from the picture, and you probably have it taken care of already (but I just thought I'd double check for your sake), but does the lid close securely?

your links did not direct me to your pictures. Im glad you got your snake from LLLreptile. Like I said before Im located about 10 min away from one of there stores. They know what they are doing and they take great care of there snakes. You can feel safe buying from them. Last time I was in they had a couple blizzards. I can't help but look at the hatchlings everytime I go in. They are so cute.
Jaimee

Sorry about the links to the pictures...I'm trying to figure out this posting thing...I had to set up some kind of website in order to put the pictures on, I can't figure out how to put them on directly from my harddrive. ANYWAYS, KatieL - I just added my second hide on the other side of the tank and I DO have 4 clamps to hold this lid down(1 on each side). Woooo! I'm so excited he/she will be here tomorrow morning! The warm side of the tank is sitting at 80 degrees straight up. Sound good to everyone? I don't have a thermometer to measure the other side, I can only guess its cooler. My apt temp is at 75 deg.

Oh...in order to see the pictures you have to right-click on the link and paste the location in the address bar yourself, it should pull them up then.

Missy, I totally agree, its going to drive me nuts not being able to hold it for a few days.

He's 14" from what they tell me. I've got a second coconut hut sitting underneath the 'Palm' tree for the cool hide now. I want him/her to feel secure and not feel like its in an empty tank. Besides the tank is 10gal(from what I've been told thats a little big for him still).

Thanks,

Daniel

sounds great! Bet you can't wait for your new little one! We'll be waiting for pics of him. Good luck tomorrow!

Woohoo!!

Ok, well, he arrived at 9:00am this morning(Tuesday)!! He went straight to work as soon as he arrived, checking the place out and climbing over everything. Sadly, however, I didn't get to see him because I was at class. My roommate received him for me and put him in the viv. Even more sad is when I got home he was already sleeping under one of his hides :eek1: . My roommate said he looks really healthy and active. He's beautiful from what I can see.

I would take a picture and send it, but I don't want to disturb him. Thanks for all your help guys. I'll keep you updated for the next few days and hopefully catch a pic of him when he's out exploring again.

Daniel