How hardy are these snakes?

I've been reading the forums for the past week or so to prepare for our new snake (arriving this Tuesday by my calculations). This is all new to me, and my sister is the primary caretaker of this pet. However, as is the case with most of her projects, I find myself getting sucked in despite myself

Anyway, I'm just curious about the general health of cornsnakes. Are they pretty hardy pets? From what I'm reading on the forums, it feels like if they regurge or get RI, it can easily turn from something minor to a fatal situation pretty quick. How common is it for cornsnakes to get sick? Has anyone in this forum managed to see one of their corns live out its lifespan (12-15 yrs, yes?) without any trouble?

I'm a cat owner and cats get sick (be it throwing up, worms, etc) several times in their lifespan, but they're pretty hardy animals. I guess what I'm trying to ask is: should we expect at least some minor health issues along the way (like we do with our cats)? Or is that not the usual state of affairs when it comes to owning a cornsnake?

I would say that husbandry is key with these animals. I think they are easier and less needy than my cat's.

I don't think that just because a snake regurges means it's automatically going to be something fatal.

I've never had to deal with RI's but I don't know that they are terribly common.

I wouldn't say they get sick anymore than any other animal (though I have never had to deal one of any of my animals getting sick besides a hairball). Again I believe if your husbandry is good then you should have a healthy animal.

I have a 17 year old and two 14 year olds who've never had any health issues.

Generally speaking, the better the breeder you're buying from, the better the bloodlines and the more hardy the Corn.

I had far more trouble with one small cat than I've ever had from my thirteen Corns combined. The cat seemed to take up residence at the vet's surgery on occasion.

mcarabian said:

Anyway, I'm just curious about the general health of cornsnakes. Are they pretty hardy pets? From what I'm reading on the forums, it feels like if they regurge or get RI, it can easily turn from something minor to a fatal situation pretty quick. How common is it for cornsnakes to get sick? Has anyone in this forum managed to see one of their corns live out its lifespan (12-15 yrs, yes?) without any trouble?

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Research is the key. With a proper set up and proper care a corn snake is one of the easiest snakes to care for. As for Regurge and RI, these are normally problems that result from improper care but even the best cared for snake can some times have these problems but if caught early they are not that big of a problem.

Sorry for the quick simple replie but i have got to go.

couple people beat me to it. i got a phone call while making my post

bitsy said:

I had far more trouble with one small cat than I've ever had from my thirteen Corns combined. The cat seemed to take up residence at the vet's surgery on occasion.

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Oh boy can I sympathize with this. I think I bought my vet a vacation dream home when my Chesapeake Bay Retriever was diagnosed with diabetes. I think he spent as much time at the vet's than he did at home during the last year of his life.

All my snakes are just yearlings, but so far, I've never had an issue with any of them.

:-offtopic

bitsy said:

I have a 17 year old and two 14 year olds who've never had any health issues.

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for a minute there I thought you were making a sarcastic comment about you children. :sidestep:

guess that shows what kinda sence of humor I have..

mcarabian said:

12-15 yrs, yes?

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Early to mid 20's in captivity if well looked after.

My eldest are 14 and 15 and I've never had any problems with them.