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New to the snake world!

N

Nyrkorey

New member
So i plan on getting a corn snake, it will be my first tank! So I figured ide come here and get more information on everything before I just go and get one.

I plan on housing him in either a 65 or 75 gallon tank. ( have both laying around in my shed)
Are those too big or bigger the better??

Im ok on substrate and decor. My next question would be about lighting. I've had a bearded dragon for about 10 years, and I know they require alot more lightning then snakes or corn snakes.

So for lightning do people recommend having a light on top of the tank on the hot side and ALSO a heating pad underneath the substrate? And if so does the heating pad stay on 24/7 or turn off when I turn off the heat lamp at night? Do you suggest putting thier hidding spot on top of where the heating pad is?

As for humidity? I read conflicting things from 50% all the way up to 80% so I'm wondering what everyone else does? And how do they keep thier humidity? Just spray the substrate and monitor the readings?
 
They need a 40 to 50 gal at adult age. And the temp is between 70f
and 85f. Mine hangs out on the cool side most days. This is my 1st snake and it's been really easy to manage the tank and snake.

They do get out easily so just make sure whatever set up you get is secure as our daughters corn snak got out (we got her a week after ours and the tanks were different [emoji25])

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Nyrkorey said:
So i plan on getting a corn snake, it will be my first tank! So I figured ide come here and get more information on everything before I just go and get one.



I plan on housing him in either a 65 or 75 gallon tank. ( have both laying around in my shed)

Are those too big or bigger the better??



Im ok on substrate and decor. My next question would be about lighting. I've had a bearded dragon for about 10 years, and I know they require alot more lightning then snakes or corn snakes.



So for lightning do people recommend having a light on top of the tank on the hot side and ALSO a heating pad underneath the substrate? And if so does the heating pad stay on 24/7 or turn off when I turn off the heat lamp at night? Do you suggest putting thier hidding spot on top of where the heating pad is?



As for humidity? I read conflicting things from 50% all the way up to 80% so I'm wondering what everyone else does? And how do they keep thier humidity? Just spray the substrate and monitor the readings?
Click to expand...
Also I forgot to add we have a 24 hr light on a timer. They spend most of their time underground and are crepuscular so they are only really out at dusk and dawn.

We got a heat lamp and that will be good for the winter in our area but currently we only use a heat mat on one side of our tank

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So i plan on getting a corn snake, it will be my first tank! So I figured ide come here and get more information on everything before I just go and get one.

I plan on housing him in either a 65 or 75 gallon tank. ( have both laying around in my shed)Are those too big or bigger the better?? Most people go with a minimum of tank length + width should equal the length of the adult snake. For using a larger tank with a smaller baby make sure to provide a thick layer of substrate and plenty of places to hide.

Im ok on substrate and decor. My next question would be about lighting. I've had a bearded dragon for about 10 years, and I know they require alot more lightning then snakes or corn snakes. I dont povide any additional lighting.

So for lightning do people recommend having a light on top of the tank on the hot side and ALSO a heating pad underneath the substrate? And if so does the heating pad stay on 24/7 or turn off when I turn off the heat lamp at night? Do you suggest putting thier hidding spot on top of where the heating pad is? A heat pad under one side of the tank controlled by thermostat is usually recommended. Have hides on the hot side, cool and some in between.

As for humidity? I read conflicting things from 50% all the way up to 80% so I'm wondering what everyone else does? And how do they keep thier humidity? Just spray the substrate and monitor the readings? 50-80% is typically for ball pythons. I've had the ambient humidity in me snake room down to 20% in the winter and still get full sheds. Normally my room is around 40%. A humid hide can also be used.

Also since you are in new jersey you will be limited to what you can legally own for corn snakes. So read up on the laws.
 
Awesome thank you so much for all that info!

Looks like I just use a heat matt for the hot side and just monitor everything else! I plan on putting him in a big tank so ill make sure too give him enough hides.

Feeding wise, how often do the babies usually eat and do you guys take them out to feed them, then put them back in the enclosure, or do you feed them straight into the enclosure, I read mix things about that too!

Yeah NJ is a tough one, I plan on getting permits but at the same time ,how would the state even know I own one honestly?
 
Nyrkorey said:
Awesome thank you so much for all that info!



Looks like I just use a heat matt for the hot side and just monitor everything else! I plan on putting him in a big tank so ill make sure too give him enough hides.



Feeding wise, how often do the babies usually eat and do you guys take them out to feed them, then put them back in the enclosure, or do you feed them straight into the enclosure, I read mix things about that too!



Yeah NJ is a tough one, I plan on getting permits but at the same time ,how would the state even know I own one honestly?
Click to expand...
Feeds are based on size. We only feed ours 1 pinkie once a week. She's 17 inches long. I know there is a formula on here for feeding but a veteran could tell you more.

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While they're on pinkies, I feed once every 5 days. You certainly can do once a week, but I like to get them past the fragile baby stage a bit more quickly. After they're on fuzzies and everything larger, I feed once a week until they're adult sized, and then I adjust the schedule according to weight gain, but usually once every 10 to 14 days is a good schedule for most adult corns.

And the state probably wouldn't know if you got one, but if you did get caught, it really gives a bad name to the reptile hobby as a whole (as well as personal consequences like fines and having the snake removed). And since so many people are already afraid of snakes, I think it's really important not to give them any extra ammo for further bans. I'm not an expert on New Jersey laws, but my recollection is that you can own light eyed morphs? You'll have to do some reading and see what is legal for you to own.
 
Now do you take him out of the tank to feed them? And then when they have eatin, put them back in and leave them be? I hear mix things about feeding inside enclosure or outside in a plastic bin
 
Nyrkorey said:
Now do you take him out of the tank to feed them? And then when they have eatin, put them back in and leave them be? I hear mix things about feeding inside enclosure or outside in a plastic bin
Click to expand...
We do both, our perfers eating in her tank. We've tried to feed her in another container and she just tastes it.

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Either method can work, but I much prefer feeding in a separate container. For a new baby, I've always had the most success feeding then in a little container, like a deli cup. They seem to sometimes either not find it or not feel secure enough if offered food in the enclosure. Plus, I've always wanted to avoid any chance of impaction from eating substrate accidentally. And I also like to clean and refill water while they're contained outside of their enclosure. If you do decide to feed inside the enclosure, I would recommend feeding on a dish or plate to try to avoid letting the snake eat substrate. They may end up dragging it off the dish anyway, so it won't be 100% preventable.
 
Awesome, im definitely going to try and feed him outside the tank, it just seems like an all around positive thing to do. Now I know you can't handle them after they eat nut is it ok to just pick them up to put them back in the tank and leave them be? Or would that little interaction stress them out ?
 
Also, this may seem like a dumb question but how can you tell when they are out of the pinky phase? Is that by length of the snake? Or how old they are? And then fuzzies come next after the pinkies. I'm sure I can find solid information about this online but ide figure i just ask also
 
Yes, the small amount of handling required to move them to and from a container is perfectly fine. As for feeding, going by weight is the easiest and most accurate way to determine the correct feeder size. If you look up the "Munson plan", it's a pretty good guide on what size to feed at which weight. It's a bit on the aggressive side, so feel free to scale back the frequency it recommends and/or wait until your snake weighs a bit more than what is suggested for each size before moving them up. A digital kitchen gram scale is perfect for weighing them. If you don't have one or don't want to get one, you can eyeball the correct size. Properly sized prey will be between 1 to 1.5 times as wide as the widest part of the snake.
 
This is all so helpful thank you so much!! One more question again! As for the heat mat that goes under the tank not inside.. when I hook my thermometer to it. Does the probe go inside the tank unleash everything to measure the heat or do I put that under the tank by the heat mat?
 
Nyrkorey said:
This is all so helpful thank you so much!! One more question again! As for the heat mat that goes under the tank not inside.. when I hook my thermometer to it. Does the probe go inside the tank unleash everything to measure the heat or do I put that under the tank by the heat mat?
Click to expand...
I put them in the tank in the "air" on the warm and cool side. My tank measures 82 on 1 side and like 74 to 78 on the cool side.

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I put the probe inside the tank directly on the glass above the heat mat. Secure it with a bit of hot glue or silicone so it can't be moved. Make sure not to use any tape.
 
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