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I am very cautious, but informed. Need help!

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Mamashea04

New member
Hello, I am new to the reptile scene and will try to make this short and sweet. I inherited 2 corn snakes over the weekend. I am told 1 is male the other female. The mother of the 2 teens that had this snake said the boys just started ignoring them a few months ago. They fed them, but that's it. It's a shame to, because they r both extremely gentle and loveable. Anyway, she wasn't very useful as far as info... she doesn't know when they last shed, she had no idea what to do with the eggs when the female had them (she left all 3 clutches in the tank with mom and dad), so they all died. Anyway, I guess I have 3 basic questions...1) These 2 snakes have been together since their original purchase, in the same 20 gallon tank. Do I need to separate them now? Is that tank big enough? 2) I am very well educated about what to do and NOT do if and when another clutch comes, but I have no idea when snakes mate and produce. I have already inherited a incubator for this as well. 3) I have read every post on here about habitat. My girlfriend that raised 6 snakes and their offspring says sand is a good choice, but I read its a no no. The lady (previous owner) gave me a bag of Careeresh Premium Pet Bedding and they love to burrow and hide in it, but is it the best thing for them? Sorry this is long, but I really like Bella and Oreo and want them to live long healthy lives. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You
 
It's great that you're getting corns! 1. Snakes tend to be territorial so try to seperate them. 2. Corns usually mate after the first shed upon leaving hibernation, but will mate during other times. 3. This is is fine for them, but the best thing for the corns is ceder wood pulp shavings. :3
 
1) Yes separate them now. A 20 gal is fine for eat snake.

2) Normally it is in the spring but it can happen anytime

3) NO CEDAR OR PINE!! Cedar and Pine do contain toxic substances that are harmful for snakes. Sand is not a good choice with corns because it can get cause in their scales and cause irritation. I would stick with the carefresh, aspen wood chips or news paper or paper towels.

Congrats and good luck with you snakes. It sounds like they are in much better hands now.
 
Lyion said:
It's great that you're getting corns! 1. Snakes tend to be territorial so try to seperate them. 2. Corns usually mate after the first shed upon leaving hibernation, but will mate during other times. 3. This is is fine for them, but the best thing for the corns is ceder wood pulp shavings. :3
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WOAH! Cedar or pine will kill them! You want to use aspen, paper towels, reptibark, things of that nature.
 
Lyion said:
It's great that you're getting corns! 1. Snakes tend to be territorial so try to seperate them. 2. Corns usually mate after the first shed upon leaving hibernation, but will mate during other times. 3. This is is fine for them, but the best thing for the corns is ceder wood pulp shavings. :3
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AHHH Not cedar OTL ASPEN PULP
 
I would separate them if only for the fact that uncontrolled breeding can be too much on the female without proper pre & post brumation feeding regiments.
 
Thank You all for the replies. I took them to the most knowledgeable snake guy I know today and found out LOTS of things. 1) They are between 3 and 4 yrs old so thus basically fully grown. 2) He is a Black Corn and she is a Hypo Melanistic Normal. 3) She has been bred to much and has very small eggs inside of her now. 4) He wants me to separate them...Not because of issues stated on here, but because the dingy lady that has them before, knew nothing about them, therefor can't tell me a damn thing. She doesn't even know when either snake had their last shed...:-( So I will be going out to his store and purchasing the things I got for the cage they are in currently just to have a identical habitat. He told me to put them back together around February, so there is my lingering question... They arent supposed to be together, but I'm supposed to put them together in Feb? Then what? leave them together? And in which Habitat? Hers in his or him in hers? He also said that she may not lay the eggs inside her right now, he said they are VERY small and she may just reabsorb them. So as informed as I feel, now I have just as many questions. I asked him about using a donated 10 gallon fish tank for feeding and he said use the shoe boxes I transport them in... Isn't that to small...Any help and info anyone here can give I'd appreciate. I really like these 2 and would like to keep them for a long time... Thank You
 
Honestly, unless you're planning on breeding, I would keep them separated all the time. Corns are not colony creatures. They come together to mate and that's about it!!

If you are planning on breeding, I would first take the next year to re-condition her back to proper weight/health before attempting another breeding.

Just my 2 cents tho........
 
First, I would buy the Corn Snake Manual by Kathy Love.
Get a kitchen scale that measures weight in grams.
Eggs take a whole lot out of your female, and can cause a whole lot of issues. I would keep them separate for a long time, in order for her to get back to a good weight. Since she they were neglected for so long, I would probably put off breeding for a couple of years at least, to give her a break. Believe me, she has many breeding years left in her.

I would definitely look around here for information, your really knowledgeable reptile guy may be helpful with some of the basics, but the "pro's" around here live and breathe Corn Snakes.

I know quite a bit about animals in general, but am constantly learning from the people I have met here.
 
Hello everyone. Just wanted to update you all on Oreo and Bella. We went to the best pet store around and got Bella her own 20 gallon tank today as well as a new climbing stick and some mice. Both feed- live mice...I am going to when them to frozen- and put each of them into their own new space alone. Now here's my issue. They r both on top of their hides, looking at each other and have been for over 15 minutes..... I have no choice but to put their tanks side by side because the room they are in is only 9x9. Are they really staring at each other? Are they thinking what a meanie I am for separating them? I only want what's best for them, and you all said cohabing was NOT. Now I think they are missing each other...:-( another thing is Oreo got bit while feeding and has a small drop of blood where it got him... Do I need to fix that or just leave him alone? If he hadn't let the mouse run around for a good 3 minutes before he grabbed it, I don't think he'd have received the injury. Thank you all for your help. You are a godsend.
 
I don't think they are missing each other. Snakes don't have the emotions we do, they probably are just watching each other. My snakes are all in cages right next to each other too. As for him getting bitten by the mouse, if he is not bleeding anymore then it should be OK. Where did he get bitten? I would make sure that you put non-pain killer neosporin on it to prevent infection, and put him on paper towels until it heals. (or his next shed)
 
Hello. Yes my Oreo got bit. About a finger space behind his head and it is no longer bleeding, but then again I cannot tell much because he's curled up in his hide so I can't get to him. I will check in the morning thou to assure its stopped. But as of last post it was just a little bubble of blood. Like I said he was playing with the mouse it would not have bit him..Bella jumped on hers and it was gone within 3 minutes. The other thing I've noticed is the difference in size between them....He is HUGE circumference wise compared to her. The mouse going down made a big bulge for her, him not even a notch once it past 1/4 the.way down. I know the stupid lady that had her let her breed way to much, but does that account for her small size? Should I maybe feed her more than one mouse a week to help her thicken up?! I know I'm supposed.to leave them alone for 72 hrs so I don't want to mess with.them to much. Thanks again.
 
Look into switching them to frozen-thawed prey items. It's safer for the snake, kinder to the mouse, and cheaper in the long run as you can stock several months worth of meals in your freezer that way.

Just keep feeding 1 mouse a week and the female will be okay. Some snakes grow faster than others.
 
Until you decide to feed them frozen thawed prey, you should stun the mice before giving them to the snakes. Take the mouse by the tail and wack it against the wall or table, do it quickly so the mouse doesn't suffer. If you break its neck that's alright too. Dangle the mouse to tease the snake into striking. I've fed several ball pythons this way, but I prefer to feed my own snakes frozen mice and rats that way I can keep a supply.

The female can be feed every week to gain back her weight after all the breeding she was forced to do. The male can be fed every two weeks. You can get a digital food scale to weigh them and determine their feeder size. Monitor the female closely as she is the one who's suffered the most.

Keeping a male and female together is cruel for the female as the male can bully her into mating and she has no where to escape. I find it to be abusive for any female to put up with essentially date rape no matter the species. Besides that if he is an anery and she a hypo they'll only produce normals. Do plenty of genetic research before deciding to breed on your own.

Thank you for taking them in and good luck with your new pets.
 
Now I think they are missing each other...
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Living together isn't a natural behaviour for Corns, so each of them will have had to adapt quite radically to co-exist in the same small space with another snake. I've had trouble in the past when separating co-habbed snakes, as reversing this adaptation can be stressful for some. Some become quite nervy and start to hide away, others go off their food.

However, please be assured that separating them is the right thing to do in the long run. They don't "miss each other" in the emotional way that we would understand, or the dependent way that a cat or dog might experience. There may just be a period of re-adjustment to a more satisfactory situation, which they will all overcome in the end.

If you can manage pre-killed mice, that would also be better in the long run and avoid the risk of more bites. However, one step at a time. It's lovely to see a new owner putting so much thought into how to care for their Corns. They're lucky beasties!
 
Thank you all so much. Your information and opinions in what I'm doing mean the world to me. I don't like to see any animal abused and what this lady did to these beautiful creatures boarders on abuse. But they are my babies now and I will do everything within my power to help them live long HEALTHY lives. I know this is an adjustment period for us all, and I'm hoping I get it all correct. I will do the stunned mouse from now on, and according to my reptile guy each feeding I should wait increments of 5 minutes so they get used to eating dead ones. So that we won't have the biting issue any longer. I really appreciate you. All for helping me. Thank you so very much and ill be lurking around here, asking questions if I have them, because you all are a godsend. :)
 
They don't need to "get used to" eating dead ones. Even many wild snakes will take F/T prey items immediately and without qualms.
 
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