Set-up questions...

Ok, so our new baby Okeetee arrived today. We set everything up a couple days ago, but I just want to make sure I have everything set up correctly.

We have a 20L critter tank. (locking screen slide out lid) We are using the aspen bedding, about 1 inch deep. (which seems really deep once we put our little baby in?) Should it be more shallow while he is little?

The warm side has a UTH which is stuck to the bottom of tank on the underside. Then we have a Zoomed 500R thermostat which is hooked to the outside, side of tank with the probe snaked inside of tank, resting on the glass above UTH. Our digital thermometer has a probe also laying under the substrate on the glass above UTH. Is this right? The temp has been reading between 82-86F. He has not gone in the hide on the warm side at all yet.

The cool side also has a hide and is reading about 72F. The water is on the cool side. There is also some greenery. I will try to post pics soon.

So far, he has been cruising around in the open exploring everything. I also put his shipping cup in the tank with him in case he wants to crawl in for familiar smells. Thanks!

Sounds good to me. The aspen will give him the option of tunneling through too, turning the whole floor-space into potential hiding places

Gralena said:

Ok, so our new baby Okeetee arrived today. We set everything up a couple days ago, but I just want to make sure I have everything set up correctly.

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Contrats! :dancer: You came to the right place.

Gralena said:

We have a 20L critter tank. (locking screen slide out lid) We are using the aspen bedding, about 1 inch deep. (which seems really deep once we put our little baby in?) Should it be more shallow while he is little?

Click to expand...

Some people recommend smaller than 20L for a hatchling. I put my first in one, though, and she seems pretty comfortable. I think the biggest factor is the snake itself. Watch for signs of stress.

Cornsnakes, especially babies, LOVE to burrow and Aspen is great for that. You might even want to add a bit so your snake can really get in there. You'll find that before long there's dozens of snake-sized entrance and exit holes all over the place connecting a veritable snake subway system.

Gralena said:

The warm side has a UTH which is stuck to the bottom of tank on the underside. Then we have a Zoomed 500R thermostat which is hooked to the outside, side of tank with the probe snaked inside of tank, resting on the glass above UTH. Our digital thermometer has a probe also laying under the substrate on the glass above UTH. Is this right? The temp has been reading between 82-86F. He has not gone in the hide on the warm side at all yet.

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All that sounds pretty good. The 500R is an "on/off" thermostat, so you'll get a bit of a spread of temperatures, as opposed to a "progressive" unit, but that's okay. Corns are tolerant.

Gralena said:

The cool side also has a hide and is reading about 72F. The water is on the cool side. There is also some greenery. I will try to post pics soon.

So far, he has been cruising around in the open exploring everything. I also put his shipping cup in the tank with him in case he wants to crawl in for familiar smells. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Since the 20L is a huge expanse for a baby corn, I'd recommend adding 2 or 3 more hides! They don't have to be any nicer than a couple of cardboard rolls from your TP or paper towels. Cut them in half lengthwise and arrange them so your snake can use them as tunnels to get from one place to another, as well as giving it ample choices of temperature so it can find the spot that's "just right." Stuff to climb on is cool, too. Mine climbs into a drilled out stump that affords her a view of the bedroom TV and she'll often go in there at night and watch (I'm sure the flickering light dazzles her).

Thanks for all of the advice!! I forgot to mention we also put a twisty, wood thing in there for climbing. But I am also going to add some more hides like you suggested. Thanks again!

Sounds perfect to me! All three of my new hatchlings are vine climbers/perchers. I have about two inches of aspen. The one that is in the 20L has a ton of stuff in there. Sometimes she races around like she thinks she's wild or something.