New Mother of 1

Hello reptile lovers. 2 days ago I purchased a baby corn (6-8wks old) and like any new mother i am obsessed. I have spent the last many hours researching care techniques. Habitat, feeding, handling(Iwant to hold her/him all the time) and although there is alot of info i am finding myself confused w/ lots of questions. How much handling is too much? How long should I give my baby in his feeding box to decide to eat? Unfortunatley most of my research has been post purchase and now I am frantic. In addition I have tried to find a local veterinarian who specializes and have come up empty. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

well, give him/her a couple of days to get acquainted to his new home, for feeding do one pinkie once a week, and put him into a diffrent container when feeding , handling him 30 Min's for each day is good but if he has eaten leave him be for a few days so he doesn't regurg, i use cypress mulch for bedding, temps for be around 80-85 for the hot side and 70-75 for the cold side, any more questions contact me at xXxBl1ndOnexXx if you have aim hope you have fun

First of all, congratulations and welcome!

I don't know how much handling is too much, but I'm certain someone will chime in with that shortly. For now, though, give him a few days to get settled into his new habitat. There's really no reason to handle him for about three days - let him destres.

If your baby doesn't eat right away, he might be distracted. Try putting a towel over it and leaving him alone for an hour. If he still hasn't eaten at that point, it is okay* to leave him overnight to work on it. *As long as you're feeding f/t. If you're feeding live, then never leave him alone with anything weaned. Right now, he's eating pinkies, so it's less of a problem, but an adult mouse or rat can cause a snake serious injury. You should wait until after you've let him settle in to feed him. He can go quite a while without food without hurting himself, and it'll be less stressful for him if he's not having to cope with a new house and a new diner all at once.

Try the Association of Reptile & Amphibian Veterinarians for a local herp-vet. Their website is at www.arav.org.

If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Kathy Love's Corn Snake Manual or the updated Comprehensive Owner's Guide. Both are available on her website, http://www.corn-utopia.com/. This book addresses most husbandry issues you might encounter from a pretty experienced point of view.

For other specific questions, try searching the threads in these forums, and if you fail to find the answers you're looking for, post your questions. The responses tend to be rich and prompt in most cases.

Some shorthand you'll see around here:
x.x.x = number/sex of animals = males.females.unsexed - I have 3.3.13 right now with my hatchlings on hand.
het = heterozygous - a genetics term that probably won't be important to you for a while but means that the animal carries an inheritable set of genes for that trait.
f/t = frozen/thawed
uth = under tank heater/heatsource - cornsnakes like/need belly heat, and this is a great way to give it to them - usually in the form of heat mats.
GBB = grand bubble burster - joejr14 - a nickname for one user.

Those are all that come to mind at the moment. Have fun with your new baby!

Rorryy said:

i am finding myself confused w/ lots of questions.

Click to expand...

First of all congratulations on your new baby. Secondly - don't worry too much, it is going to be ok. You have allready got the most important pieces of advice, so slow down and take your time to enjoy your pet.
Keep pen and paper handy and write down any questions that pops up and when you have a list of things, post it here or go searching, as you might find a lot of beginners have had the same questions as you - I know I had.
I hope your new pet gives you lots of enjoyment in the future

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your new addition! For the first week, I would just leave your baby alone completely so he/she adjust. Just make sure he/she has fresh water and something to hide in so he/she can feel secure. Young corns are fragile and easily stressed. Let him/her get acclimtated first, that way when you go to feed and handle, your baby will be a little more comfortable and a little less stressed. When you do go to feed, I would give him/her one small pinkie in a smaller seperate container (like a deli cup). He/she may refuse at first...after a move its normal. I'm sure he/she will be fine. You are going into this a lot more prepared than some, so I'm sure YOU will do fine too! Thats the beauty of corns...they are kind of easy. Hope to see pics of the baby soon!

Congrats!!! You will have to post baby pictures as soon as you can!!

You've gotten some great advice already, I would also suggest you get one of Kathy Love's books. It should answer a lot of your questions.

Don't panic, chances are your baby will do just fine. Just as others have said, leave him/her alone for a few days to settle in and then offer a small meal. Corns are easy, I've gone from 1 to 8 in less than 6 months!!!

Thanks

Thank you for all of your great and promp responses. I am trying to post a picture with this but Im not sure I did it correctly. Here goes

nope, that didn't work but that's ok. I can't figure that part out either! ha! ha!
Welcome and just have fun, oh yeah and read ... alot....you'll love it! :cheers: