Baby corn death within 12 hours?

Hello! First time snake owner and new to the forums.

I received a grant for Pets in the classroom and picked up my new corn snake from PetCo last night. Upon putting it into the tank, it didn’t move much at all. After a couple hours, it had shifted positions but never found a hide and stayed mostly stretched out under the heat lamp. (The store didn’t have heating pads, I’ve since ordered one.)

The temps read at 72° in the cool end and around 78° under the lamp, which I know is cooler than preferred. Humidity was close to 50%.

I got up a few times throughout the night and it had moved to a couple different places in the tank but was never, ever in any kind of hide... just stretched. The snake hardly moved on the few times I handled it, it almost never flicked its tongue, and even the two days I saw it at PetCo, it wasn’t in a hide but lining the tank.

It’s pretty limp this morning and I’m confident it’s dead. I’m really upset and feel responsible, but my instinct tells me something must’ve been wrong before I brought it home.

I’m looking for some clarity. Thank you!

if you saw the snake at Petco was not in a hide, and you noticed it didn't move much and you noticed it didn't flick its tongue much, you probably should have kept your money and looked elsewhere.

I doubt it's anything specific that you did, the snake was probably already a goner, you just happened to be the unlucky patron that walked off with it.

For future reference: When purchasing a baby corn snake, the tongue should be flicking almost non stop while you are handling. Most baby snakes are a bit nervous and flighty, so it should squirm and move a lot too while handling. Its nose and mouth should be clean and free of mucous, no wheezing or coughing, and you should ask the store (or dealer, breeder, etc....) for feeding records, shed records, and medical reports. If they can't or won't provide this info, move on.

Fortunately, corn snakes for the most part are "Cheap" and you can easily find another one if you wish. But do some research first, you don't have to buy the first thing you see.

Optimum temps should be 82 to 88 on the warm end (this temp should be measured inside the warm hiding spot). On the cool end, room temps are ok, just try not to let them drop below 70. (74 would be better).

Heat lamps are generally frowned on, although some people use them successfully.

Even if your temps were not ideal, the snake should not have died in 12 hours. That's why I say there was probably something else going on.

I appreciate your comments, Karl_Mcknight. You're affirming what I feared.

Luckily, the snake was included as a part of the grant and the clerk did guarantee me a 30 day money back/exchange if the snake died. I will be going back up to Petco within the hour. I was so excited about the purchase that I neglected to wait until the "right one" showed up and just selected the only remaining one as soon as my grant approval arrived.

Even with my research prior to its purchase, and warnings of purchasing from a chain store, I still should have looked it over for signs of illness and knew something was wrong with it when it wasn't in a hide even at the store.

Again, I appreciate your help.

I would try to find a snake to purchase from a local breeder. Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles is located in Texas. I know it's a big state, but I'd go through him. His animals are top notch and healthy.