Soon to be new owner with a few questions...

I'm a soon to be new cornsnake owner. I've never had a reptile before so I've been doing a lot of online research but there are a few things I need to clear up:

I know a heating pad is supposed to be placed under one side of the tank so there is a cool end and a warm end, but is the other end just supposed to be room temperature? The snake will probably be kept in the basement and it tends to be really cold down there.

The snake that I'm buying is just a baby, and I've read that when they are that small a 20 gallon tank might be too big for them and freak them out, but due to the fact that I am a tightwad, I would rather just get the 20 gallon tank now and not have to buy a smaller one just to get rid of it when the snake gets bigger in a few months. Is it ok to get a big tank now? I wouldnt want to cause any severe psychological damage....

A lot of websites advocate feeding the snake in a different area, but if the snake needs warmth to digest, and you arent supposed to handle it after it's eaten, how do you get it back into it's enclosure? Do you just dump it in? Also, many websites say babies should be fed twice a week and not handled for 48 hours after. This leaves almost no time for handling, and I've heard that if corns are not handled much as babies they are harder to tame down and tend to enjoy being held less when they are adults, can I just feed it once a week to get around this?

I realize some of these questions may have obvious answers and I'll probably just feel like an idiot after I read the responses but before I bring my baby home I'd like to be sure I know my stuff and not have any doubts. Thanks for the help.

What I would do about the temps is go ahead and buy the cage and things now and set it up, to see what temperatures you have (remember the thermometer!)...The hot side should be about the mid-80s, and I don't think the cool side should get any colder than...maybe the mid-70s. If the temps aren't any good, then at least you have some time to fix it.

Tank size:
I think as long as you have multiple hide spots, the snake should be fine in a 20-gallon.

Feeding tank:
I feed all my corns in seperate containers. I move them whenever I noticed that they're finished. If you want, I suppose you could tilt the feeding container into the cage to minimize stress, but I've never had a regurge from picking them up and putting them back in thier cages.

Feeding schedule:
I think feeding hatchlings every 5 days is good. Any more than every 4 days is too much, IMO. Feeding every 5 days also leaves time for handling. Feeding once a week won't harm, either. The snake will be healthy, but just won't grow as fast.

I agree with,what pinatamonkey said, but just want to explain summin ...

The reasons most people feed a snake in a different enclosure are so that a) the snake can't eat any of the substrate and b) so the snake doesn't associate your hand entering the vivarium with feeding time. So feeding him ourside then picking him up will be fine - just make sure you're gentle then leave him alone for 24-48 hours afterwards.

If you want to feed your snake weekly, and have him grown a bit quicker, you can feed him two pinkies, once a week rather that one, twice a week. But if he's small this'll probably be too much anyway.

Best to clear up any doubts before you get the snake home - and here is the place to ask!

I have my baby corn that i got a week ago in an enclosure that is 4.5 feet long, 2 feet deep and 2.5 feet high, i was super worried that this would be too big too but my snake loves the room, i have braches and plats that go all over and lots of hides and such on the bottom, but he mostly just climbs around on the branches and hangs out there

i have astroturf with newspaper underneath in my tank, so i do feed mine inside the cage, but i put him in a little margarine dish and then use a large set of tongs to feed him the pinky.. i just set the dish somewhere in the tank cause he feels a whole lot safer in his home then he does outside right now and its been a lot easier feeding him this way...

with my short experience, i feed my baby one pinky the first time and just observed how well he ate it.. since he gobbled it down and the bump in his abdommen dissapeared quickly, the next week i offered him 2 and he took them, just let him have a short period between the 2 so the first one can get down.. i wait about 10 mins fo mine, but that might not be necessary, its just my snake doesnt seem interested in another one till hes totally done swallowing the first and had time to rest for a little bit

Wow - that's about 135 gallons - enough for 7 adult corns!

It's not too big providing the temperature is right, and your snake has lots of places to hide. It sounds like you've set it up properly - if your snake is basking on the branches, he probably feels safe.

Wow

well i made it from an old long dresser i had, so its all wood except the screen on the doors, so i guess he just doesnt feel threatened b/c he cant see us walking around or anything unless we are right in front of it...

i wanted him to have lots of room when he got big, i'd be really upset if i ever thought he was unhappy, so hopefully lots of room to explore and climb and lots of yummy food will be enough for him to be happy throughout his life... the guy at the store i bought him from tried to tell me he'd never climb up the branches cause they are mainly gorund snakes... i have yet to see him come down without me carrying him off a branch