I am a first time reptile keeper and I researched a great deal before buying my first corn snake. She was a normal red and pink coloration with red eyes (I don't know the scientific names for colors, sorry). I got her as a hatch-ling and had her for about six months before she died last week. I've been looking at forums trying to determine what I did wrong. I will try to give details without giving too much.
Habitat: 10 gallon aquarium with aspen bedding. Coconuts halves on warm and cool sides, plus a fake hollow log in the middle for hiding. Water dish on cool side. Plastic suction cup plants on sides and back. Climbing branches gathered from outside and baked at 250 for 90 minutes before adding to tank. They came from a dogwood tree which I had researched as being safe for reptile enclosures.
The cool side of the tank was around 72 degrees (slightly cooler at night) and the warm side was 85 inside the hide. I measured on top of the substrate with an infrared thermometer. Heating was a UTH regulated by a temperature switch set at 92 degrees.
I had the tank lit with a 13 watt UVB light which was on a timer from 8:00 to 8:00
Problems: About a month in I noticed that she was out roaming around all the time and wasn't eating. Examining her closely I found tiny black mites. I treated everything in the tank and the snake with 'Natural Chemistry' Reptile Spray. I used disposable hides and paper towels to monitor for mites. She started eating again and after two more treatments I saw no mites on the paper towels or hides. Concluding that the problem was solved, I returned the habitat to its original condition. I never saw any more evidence of mites, but I began using Provent-a-mite as a precaution. I always allowed for the tank to air out before returning her to it, and did not spray the water dish. Shortly after this she shed for the second and final time. Both her sheds were one flawless piece, including eye caps.
Behavior: Most of her behavior was textbook as I understand it. After feeding she would retreat to her warm hide and remain there for two days or more. Afterward she would often come out and explore the tank. She frequently stayed out of the hides and would often be up in the branches or on the log. Occasionally she would refuse a meal, but mostly was a good eater. She never regurgitated.
The first time I weighed her was about three months in. She weighed 12 grams. The second time was about a month later and she still weighed 12 grams. I had been feeding her every six days, but concerned that she wasn't growing I started feeding her every five. The final time I weighed her was about a month before she died and she still weighed 12 grams. She had not shed in about three months. I started feeding her one pinkie every 4 days. She took them eagerly for two weeks.
My Behavior: I was spot cleaning her tank whenever she pooped, and changing the entire bedding about once a month. I added fresh water every few days and washed out the dish once a week, or any time she pooped in it. I was handling her for about 10 minutes twice a week, but never until 48 hours after she ate.
The Final 2 Weeks: When I went to feed her she sniffed at it but wouldn't take it. I didn't think much of it and waited 4 days before trying again. This one she wouldn't even sniff at. I waited two more days and tried a final time. Again she showed no interest at all. The next morning I went in to check on her and found she was dead, face down in her water dish.
I have been scouring the forums, trying to find out where I went wrong. If anyone has advice I would like to hear it. A few questions:
1. Should I have taken her to a vet? If so, when?
2. Should I get rid of the UVB light? Can I replace it with something else just to make the tank look brighter? If so what?
3. Did I overfeed her in the final month? I had seen several feeding charts, some of which said one pinkie every 5 days, others said every 4-5.
4. Is it possible that I did nothing wrong but she died anyway? I hope to get another snake in the future, but not if I can't determine what happened.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I know it was long. Any advice is appreciated. Questions welcome.
Habitat: 10 gallon aquarium with aspen bedding. Coconuts halves on warm and cool sides, plus a fake hollow log in the middle for hiding. Water dish on cool side. Plastic suction cup plants on sides and back. Climbing branches gathered from outside and baked at 250 for 90 minutes before adding to tank. They came from a dogwood tree which I had researched as being safe for reptile enclosures.
The cool side of the tank was around 72 degrees (slightly cooler at night) and the warm side was 85 inside the hide. I measured on top of the substrate with an infrared thermometer. Heating was a UTH regulated by a temperature switch set at 92 degrees.
I had the tank lit with a 13 watt UVB light which was on a timer from 8:00 to 8:00
Problems: About a month in I noticed that she was out roaming around all the time and wasn't eating. Examining her closely I found tiny black mites. I treated everything in the tank and the snake with 'Natural Chemistry' Reptile Spray. I used disposable hides and paper towels to monitor for mites. She started eating again and after two more treatments I saw no mites on the paper towels or hides. Concluding that the problem was solved, I returned the habitat to its original condition. I never saw any more evidence of mites, but I began using Provent-a-mite as a precaution. I always allowed for the tank to air out before returning her to it, and did not spray the water dish. Shortly after this she shed for the second and final time. Both her sheds were one flawless piece, including eye caps.
Behavior: Most of her behavior was textbook as I understand it. After feeding she would retreat to her warm hide and remain there for two days or more. Afterward she would often come out and explore the tank. She frequently stayed out of the hides and would often be up in the branches or on the log. Occasionally she would refuse a meal, but mostly was a good eater. She never regurgitated.
The first time I weighed her was about three months in. She weighed 12 grams. The second time was about a month later and she still weighed 12 grams. I had been feeding her every six days, but concerned that she wasn't growing I started feeding her every five. The final time I weighed her was about a month before she died and she still weighed 12 grams. She had not shed in about three months. I started feeding her one pinkie every 4 days. She took them eagerly for two weeks.
My Behavior: I was spot cleaning her tank whenever she pooped, and changing the entire bedding about once a month. I added fresh water every few days and washed out the dish once a week, or any time she pooped in it. I was handling her for about 10 minutes twice a week, but never until 48 hours after she ate.
The Final 2 Weeks: When I went to feed her she sniffed at it but wouldn't take it. I didn't think much of it and waited 4 days before trying again. This one she wouldn't even sniff at. I waited two more days and tried a final time. Again she showed no interest at all. The next morning I went in to check on her and found she was dead, face down in her water dish.
I have been scouring the forums, trying to find out where I went wrong. If anyone has advice I would like to hear it. A few questions:
1. Should I have taken her to a vet? If so, when?
2. Should I get rid of the UVB light? Can I replace it with something else just to make the tank look brighter? If so what?
3. Did I overfeed her in the final month? I had seen several feeding charts, some of which said one pinkie every 5 days, others said every 4-5.
4. Is it possible that I did nothing wrong but she died anyway? I hope to get another snake in the future, but not if I can't determine what happened.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I know it was long. Any advice is appreciated. Questions welcome.