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DIY Projects Use this forum to post threads related to home made projects for your corns... Vivariums, hides, decorations, accessories, you name it. Anything to save some bucks or give your personalized touch.

Are snakes happy living like this???
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Old 08-15-2012, 01:39 AM   #11
Carpe Serpentis
Thanks for sharing this information. I'm learning loads just perusing these forums. Again, thanks for sharing and asking these questions as well as they are very helpful.
 
Old 08-15-2012, 04:38 AM   #12
rprimeau95
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliCat37 View Post
The thermostat does control the temperature, I think you probably have a digital thermometer.
Age isn't really a determining factor for adult, it's more size than anything. If they are around 3 feet in length then I put them in a 41 quart tub. I would start out with a smaller tub just for security. You can probably keep them each in a 15 quart tub. I usually will keep my babies in 6 quart tubs, then move to the 15 quarts, then up to 41.
Thanks AliCat37 this was very helpful I will look into the thermostat I was pretty sure what came with the snake starter kit said thermostat however it was by no means a device that controls temperature when I asked the pet store if there was such a device that controlled the temperature she told me know I asked two places I then asked if there was a heat mat that had a dial on it they said no. I then put the digital thermometer on bottom of glass to get reading how hot mat got and it read 99, then I put it on top of the substrate on top of hot spot reading was 85-88. Also Tuesday is our feeding day in the evening so I put them both in their feeder travel areas and Kora my butter motley who is the one who has eaten first always the last two times would not eat... the only thing I did different was put a newspaper print ad the smoother paper on top of the aspen substrate because the last two times I fed the the first and the second they pinkie mice were getting substrate stuck to it and they were ingesting some of it and I thought that cant be good. Wonder if she did not like the change Boomer did not care I tried moving her food around using tongs she would not eat so I left her in their from 11:30pm till 3:30am and she still did not eat so I put her back. Wonder when they are about to shed do they not eat sometimes? I saw a little piece of her scale flaking off on top of her head last few days?
 
Old 08-15-2012, 05:54 AM   #13
bitsy
A Corn's safe maximum is 90, so you need to get that 99 degrees down, as they can burrow and reach it. I've never known a Corn starter kit which came with a thermostat as it bumps the price up and puts buyers off. Kinds ticks me off when it's so important to the snake's health.

You definitely just have a thermometer and you need to buy a separate thermostat that the heat mat plugs into.

A refusal to eat in one which has been eating, usually indicates stress of some sort, This could be due to cohabiting or the over-high temperature - possibly both. As hatchlings they're capable of starving themselves to death so it's best to get these aspects sorted.

They can be left with the pinkie overnight (in an escape-proof tub with air holes). Sometimes absolute dark and quiet will make them feel safer about eating - they'd be vulnerable to predators whilst swallowing and digesting.

They do sometimes refuse food just before they shed.

Flaking on top of the head isn't a good sign, as the skin should come off in one piece at the same time. Sounds like she may be too dry, which would follow from the high temps drying the air out. You can give her a humid hide to help keep the shedding skin moist (if it dries out, it sticks onto them and won't come off). That's just any small cheap plastic tub with a lid and a snake-sized hole cut in the side or lid. In the bottom, put something damp. Vermiculite or sphagnum moss are recommended, but kitchen towel will do the job as long as it's changed regularly and stays damp. Put the humid hide at the cool end of the tank and she'll use it if she needs to.
 
Old 08-15-2012, 01:12 PM   #14
AliCat37
Glad that we are able to help you out. Bitsy already covered your other questions, but I want to address the thermostat thing.

Generally, you won't find them in a pet store because they don't seem to realize that heat mats/lights get too hot (IMO). You can find one by hydrofarm on amazon for pretty cheap.

As bitsy said, the temp on the floor matters, so even though it is appropriate on top of the substrate, the snakes tend to burrow and can get injured on the hot floor.
 
Old 08-15-2012, 09:05 PM   #15
rprimeau95
exactly why I have been trying so hard to get a hold of the breeder to get answers cause I was very concerned about them going under substrate even for a little bit. On top it is 86 where they lay but I have seen them go under for just seconds when i put them back in then they come up under the hide. I was already a head of you bitsy on the moss thing but thanks for confirmation I went out earlier today and bought moss from pet shop and put it in one of those cherry tomato dishes that has a high dome and hole in top I was just not sure if it should be on cool side or the warm side. I just moved over to the cool side so thanks for pointing that out. She buried herself into the moss is that OK ? or should she be on top of it? I am pretty sure she is not stressed out I think it might be more of the temperature and it was just one scale flipped up, no dull eyes as of what I saw late last night anyway.





that is where I had it for about an hour but just moved it to the cool side it was not warm to touch anyway when I picked it up to move it.

how long will she stay in there? will she get cold?

I had found this one and was about to post is it the one you mention AliCat37?

Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats

http://www.toolking.com/hydrofarm-14...FYdFMgodyDUAfQ

so am I clear by having one of these it will allow me to turn down the heat mat that gets up to 99 when I put my digital thermometer on top of glass to read how hot the mat is alone without substrate?
 
Old 08-16-2012, 04:14 AM   #16
bitsy
Quote:
She buried herself into the moss is that OK ? or should she be on top of it?
Nope, buried is good, The farther she is in the moist environment, the more help it will give her to shed.

Quote:
I am pretty sure she is not stressed out I think it might be more of the temperature
Refusal to feed can be an expression of stress - they don't always show it the same way that furries do.

Quote:
and it was just one scale flipped up, no dull eyes as of what I saw late last night anyway.
OK well keep an eye on her. If she doesn't shed in the next week, then take the humid hide out. They can get scale rot if they stay in a damp environment for too long (happened to one of mine once). It's a real juggling act sometimes!

Quote:
that is where I had it for about an hour but just moved it to the cool side it was not warm to touch anyway when I picked it up to move it.

how long will she stay in there? will she get cold?
Most Corns will spend most of their time in the cool zone of the tank, only moving to the warm side for short periods when they need to. She'll be fine, but you do need to get that warm side at the right temperature, otherwise she might not go over there and without ability to thermoregulate, they can refuse to eat.

Quote:
so am I clear by having one of these it will allow me to turn down the heat mat that gets up to 99 when I put my digital thermometer on top of glass to read how hot the mat is alone without substrate?
Yes. You put the probe for the thermostat under the substrate, directly on the floor above the heat mat. Then you can turn it down until your digital thermometer reads around 85 on the floor surface. It will feel just likewarm to you - I still have trouble understanding how cool a Corn needs the "warm" side, even after all these years!
 
Old 08-16-2012, 10:23 AM   #17
AliCat37
And, yes, that's the one!
 
Old 08-16-2012, 11:15 AM   #18
jessicashallperish
just putting my two cents in... i have a snake that i will never put in a tub, hes always climbing around and loves to be out and about... but then for example my new male candycane.. he is FLIGHTY ! he slaps himself around if hes not in an inclosed space looking for a tight spot to cram himself in, he was hiding in his water bowl, full of water.. so i put him in my rack/enclosure thing with a small box i hot glued together. he doesnt come out of that box. he has plenty of room but prefers to be jammed in the smallest space he can fit in. honestly, it depends on the snake. if they have a hide and heat they dont really seem to care.
 
Old 08-17-2012, 03:13 AM   #19
rprimeau95
ok thanks I was worried today when i went in and could not see her and then I peeked through bottom hole saw no movement I panicked opened it up to see if she was alive lol ... she was her eyes today were cloudy... OK so I will just keep peeking in on her like that but you said if I don't see a shed in a week take moist hide away? how will I know what will I see inside the moss hide? will she just come out once she has shed? how does it come off if she does not move? I would flip out if something happens to her she is such a cool snake. I will get one of those devices this week thanks
 
Old 08-17-2012, 04:03 AM   #20
bitsy
If her eyes are cloudy then she's definitely going to shed. It's safe to leave the humid hide in there until she's done. Just take it out afterwards.

Check on her every couple of days - they get pretty nervous at this stage as the scales over their eyes loosen and they can't see. Peace and quiet is the key. Just before she sheds, she'll stop being cloudy and go back to her normal colour. Then she'll shed and you can take the hide away.

Shedding is a natural process for them and with the humid hide, you've done the best you can for her with your current setup. It's now up to her.
 

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