Question about having a cornsnake in my college dorm...

Would it be wise to buy a baby cornsnake that presently eats pinkies, from a local pet store if I plan on leaving it in a 10 gallon aquarium for two years?

I guess what I'm getting at is, will a presently baby cornsnake ourgrow a 10 gallon aquarium in 2 years? 10 Gallon is the biggest aquarium that I want to have in my dorm, because I barely have enough room for everything else.

Are there different types that will grow faster than others or do they all grow an average length and girth?

A ten gallon should be fine for two years. ( I don't suggest starting a baby corn out in a ten gallon though a small four or six quart container with some holes melted in it would work for the first six months to a year at least.)

Thank you.

haha yeah

Tell that to my male snow corn Loki.
This guy is about 45 inches at a year and a half. He would hate me for putting him in a ten gallon.

Just make sure you have other ideas available like the one mentioed above about rubbermaid. they are cheap and convienet and safe for snakes to live in .
bmm

No. Some corns grow slowly and other corns grow faster. By the time they are about 2 feet long, I would suggest moving them to a larger tank, but you could probably keep them in a 10 gallon a little bit longer... However, you can't predict how big a corn will grow in 2 years, especially if you're buying from a pet store and don't know what the parents were like. Frank, my two year old, is currently a little over 4 feet long. He has been in a 20 gallon long tank for awhile now, and would be miserable in a 10 gallon. My hatchling is in his old 10 gallon tank...

To keep a corn from growing fast, feed at a slower rate. Just make sure you aren't starving the poor thing.

How often should I feel him?
When should I take him off of pinkies?

Off topic, sorry, just had to ask...

Hi Alex,

just curious but what college are you going to? Do they allow you to keep snakes?

I'm applying to Twin Cities in Minnesota for next year but they don't allow anything except fish in a ten gallon.

Not that I'm suggesting breaking college rules or anything, but I know from personal experience that a corn snake is about the easiest animal possible to keep in a dorm room without anyone knowing about it, especially if you keep it in a rubbermaid container. Just make sure it doesn't escape!

I picked up one of my corns that way. Someone must have had an escape and my friend was an RA and called me to capture one in her dorm. No one ever spoke up to say they lost one so I kept her.

I went to Cornell University, and they allowed snakes in the dorm rooms. They actually allowed any pet that could normally and healthily be kept in a cage or aquarium. Your roommate, if you had one, also had to agree to it. I can't guarantee that Cornell hasn't changed this rule, but that's the way it worked when I was there...

Thanks for the advice , thats probably what it'll come down to; either that or letting my bro take care of him while i am gone.

Mo will be a yearling at about that time, how big of a rubber container do you use for yearlings or adults?

'sup!

Hey Nagah, I went to the U of Minnesota in Morris and knew of someone who hid several snakes in the dorm room. He even got a ride home from me once and had snakes with him but didn't tell me because he figured I wouldn't like it. Like it-- I would've loved to see his snakes, darn it!

Anyway, you have to be extra careful keeping snakes in a dorm. They are such close quarters, if you had an escape, it could be a big unwelcome surprise to someone on your floor. I do agree it is easy to hide a corn, though. Under the bed is a great place to keep a rubbermaid. I would just make sure your roomie is OK with it.

One more note on college snake escapes-- the science dept. at the U of M Morris has a b. c. constrictor "Ramses" who loves to escape. I guess the janitor finds him every now and then just cruising the halls of the science building. Yikes. I'm a snake lover, but even I might be a little freaked out if I were going to class and a big boa slithered past me in the hallway.

Hi BloodyCats!

My only problem now is making sure Morley doesn't escape. One of my friends from high school wants to go to the U of Minnesota too, so hopefully we can room together. She already knows and likes Mo and is totallly comfortable w/ the idea of having him in a rubbermaid under the bed. (As long as I don't feed him in front of her!)

Anyway, back to the escaping problem. I have seen Sterilites that are 24" long x 17" wide x 6" high, and I have a small one, used for Mo's feeding, but i'm always paranoid of him escaping out of it b/c i don't think that they close tight enough by themselves. Are there rubbermaids that get that big with a secure lid?

Most rubbermaid-type containers don't have a secure enough lid. Several people have suggested using medium or large binder clips to hold the lids, and I've been using this method for a couple weeks with no problems so far. Good luck!