I'm new and ready to learn!

Well, It was worth a try! Bu thanks for letting me know about petsmart! I have been looking in our paper and on craigslist fro local breeders and can't find one. So online seems to be the best option. All I want is the best for my new buddy, and if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. :-D

Many of us have gotten wonderful snakes at pet stores. Where do pet store snakes come from? They come from breeders. My Dolly came from PetSmart and you never saw a healthier snake. The snakes there were wonderfully housed in separate containers with water and hides. They were healthy. One advantage is that you can see the snake before you buy and you don't have to go through shipping. The down side is that you rarely get hatch dates or sex.

Then again we have some wonderful breeders on this forum and I think it is important to support them and their efforts. The first snake I bought via an ad on this forum was not a corn, but the experience was the same as it would have been with a corn. The breeder stayed in close check with me through the shipping and we remain in touch. She answered all my questions and cares very deeply for her snakes and customers.

Not all pet stores or pet store snakes are bad and not all breeders and their snakes are good. If all breeders/sellers were good there would be no need for a Board of Inquiry. If your best source for your first snake is a chain store, just read up on selecting a snake and realize that your snake came from a breeder. In life rarely is anything all one way or another. So it is with choosing where to buy a corn snake.

Edit: I decided to add the name of the breeder to this post. I bought from Tavia whose business is called Elemental Exotics. She breeds a number of colubrids including corn snakes. You couldn't ask for a better breeder or seller. There are many other breeders I've gotten to know and respect from this board and I would not hesitate to buy a snake from a number of them.

I think we will check out petsmart. The least I can do is give it a try.

I got this beautiful girl at a Petsmart


Nicole

She is beautiful! I will definitely give it a try! Now, speaking of gender. Is one better tempered than the other?

Gusku said:

She is beautiful! I will definitely give it a try! Now, speaking of gender. Is one better tempered than the other?

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Generally no. The biggest difference is somewhat related to breeding issues or behavior. I'd recommend that even if you have no intention of ever breeding, which is fine, that you skim the breeding info. Because as they mature, they will often exhibit behaviors or maybe even have a health issue related to being ready to breed and you will spot it quicker and understand what's going on better if you have an idea of that side of things.

Males tend to go off food for awhile, generally in the spring, once they are mature. That's because they are more interested in finding a mate than in eating. Might fast up to several months. That's normal for a male and some females will do that too.

It's somewhat rare but females can produce eggs even if never with another snake, so knowing how to care for an egg laying snake is useful and how to watch out for egg binding. Not every unbred female will do this though.

Males can have a few health problems specific to their gender too, though that's even rarer.

I had no idea females could produce eggs without a male!! If for some crazy reason I ever run into something like that are the eggs like stillborn or can they actually hatch? Sorry I just had no idea that was even possible


Nicole

Typically the eggs will be infertile, but parthenogenesis does sometimes occur.

Another good place to look for a corn snake is if you ever have any reptile shows in your area. You can talk to breeders there and you can actually see what you are buying if you are uncomfortable purchasing on line. As suggested I would steer clear of large chain pet stores...

I don't believe there are any shows coming up anywhere near where I am. But I will keep my eyes out. I mostly just need to shop at this point.

I think I'll get a female. I don't plan on breeding, but you never know.

My bad! There will be one in Kansas city on January 10! I'm so excited! How perfect is that. 3 days before my birthday too! It's called cold blooded expos.

Gusku said:

My bad! There will be one in Kansas city on January 10! I'm so excited! How perfect is that. 3 days before my birthday too! It's called cold blooded expos.

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Awesome! I hope you find your new best friend there!

Me too! I'll probably see a bunch of animals to add to my wish list...

If you do decide on a female, and especially if you ever decide to breed, start setting aside money each month in case she ever needs surgery should she become egg-bound. I spent around $900 getting that surgery done, and dealing with complications.

I've talked about having an emergency fund. So thanks for bringing that up!

What is the ideal amount of money I would want in my fund? I won't be breeding, so should I have less because I will not have anything involving risk?

It's always a good idea to have emergency funds with the care of any animal.
Shiari is right that with females there is a heightened concern over possible health issues. I had a bloodred female egg bound last year (she was mated with a male) and unfortunately could not be saved. That being said I still feel the odds, even just based on the % of my females having an issue, are minimal.
Call a local Vet that deals with these kind of problems and get an estimate for an office visit and what they might feel the procedure for treating an egg bound snake might cost.

My girl who got eggbound was not bred. She ended up having to have her tail amputated because she threw a blood clot during surgery. I would say $1,000 minimum in the emergency fun.

I hope you realize how great it is to see a young person getting so educated before getting the snake!! Just so you know as well sometimes if you get a snake from a pet store you need to watch out on taking any advice they give you!! I have gotten some terrible advice from pet stores in the past!!


Nicole