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New Snake Owner

G

Greatcocojoe

New member
Hi everyone i have been on this forum only a short while but most of the time the past few days trying to absorb as much information as i can. I currently have 2 snakes. One hatchling(6-8weeks) and a 2 year old. Both are classic. I just recently got both the past week and everything has been great. So enough chit chat, i just wanted to ask a question about terrariums. I see most people describing their terrariums with only numbers such as 30longx30widex20tall . Is this in inches or centimetres, i just wanted to know what most people are describing in for a feel on what is the best. I live in China,Shanghai. I have a 30Cm Long 30Cm Wide 20Cm Tall terrarium for my 2 year old. Is this big enough? I have seen many people house sub-adults in that size cage but im not sure if its the best as it seems a little cramp. And any suggestions on what size terrarium i should get on a growing hatchling? Thanks for reading this far! and thanks for the time.:D
 
Oh and i almost forgot to ask. I plan on feeding my snakes in the future in a feeding tub. I was wondering what would the procedure be like? Do i introduce the snake in with the mouse already in or not?(i have seen videos on both, would like to know the pros and cons) I also can only buy live mice here. Coudnt find any frozen mice suppliers. After the snake has eaten do i leave it alone in the feeding tub for 48 hours or do i move it back to its home shortly afterwards.
 
Usually when you see sizes like 30x30x20, they're talking inches, so yes your 2-yr-old is probably a bit cramped. That would be an ok size for your hatchling probably for the next 6mo to a year.

When feeding live, make sure not to leave your snake alone with a mouse for any great length of time if it isn't eating right away. We feed live at work and all uneaten live mice are pulled the same day so they don't injure our snakes.
 
Ah okay, thank you. That makes sense, i will go buy a terrarium later today for the 2 year old. Im thinking a 80CM Long 37Cm Wide 45Cm Tall terrarium should be sufficient? Or a 50Cm Long 30Cm Wide 25Cm Tall is sufficient? Most likely getting the first one. Im sorry i hear mostly 10 gallon or 20 gallon and im not sure how to compute that into what size of a terrarium that is ( Terrible at math on this ). So what is the size for a 10 Gallon and a 20 Gallon? About feeding i do plan on keeping a tight supervision when feeding live as i have heard of the risks many times. But do i leave my snake in the feeding tub to digest for 48 hours or move him/her back shortly after he/she has eaten to digest in the home.
 
An 80cmX37cmX45cm terrarium is essentially a 40gal and should be plenty large enough for your 2 year old.
 
About the feeding tub, I put my snake in first. Then I introduce the frozen thawed mouse using feeding tongs. i usually wiggle it in front of my snake until he strikes. Then I quietly watch, but otherwise leave him alone while he swallows it. I return him to his terrarium as soon as the lump from the prey is down as far as it will go. There is no heat source in the feeding tub. My snake much prefers to be in his warm hide to digest his meal.
 
Do you take the snake out of the feeding tub after 48 hours or after it has eaten for a shoret while? Sounds good on the terrarium. I think it will make my 2 year old quite happy hopefully ( I keep saying 2 year old since i keep having problems trying to think of a name).
Thank you for your answers.
 
I usually wait until my Tango has finished swallowing all the way and is moving around again (looking around for more lol), then gently pick him up and let him crawl back into one of his hides from my hands.
 
Right. Sorry I was unclear. Dragonling said it better. You take them out after a short while. It takes around 5 minutes at most for a corn snake to move its food all the way to its stomach. The snake should not be left in its feeding tub after it has finished swallowing. Corn snakes need the proper temperature in order to digest their food and that can only be found in the terrarium (often called a viv or vivarium here) where you have set up their warm and cool hides.
 
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Okay thank you both for your answers. I now know what to do with the feeding tub situation. Planning on feeding both on monday (suppliers say most stock on mondays). I have just had Jeff (Hatchling) escape today at lunch time (Girlfriend didnt close the lid properly), spent a few hours looking everywhere, taking everything apart and moving furniture but to no avail. Found him later in the evening in a bag where i store my substrate just right near by, lol. I should probably post pictures in the new member introduction and introduce them. I think i will wait till the new terrarium arrives which is very soon, delivery here is pretty fast. Usually at 2-3 days at most. Quick question dragonling when you say tango is that the name of one of your snakes? I was thinking of naming the 2 year old Tango( Favorite orange drink) earlier today, the odds.
 
Glad you found your little escapee! :D They can be sneaky little goobers.

Greatcocojoe said:
Quick question dragonling when you say tango is that the name of one of your snakes? I was thinking of naming the 2 year old Tango( Favorite orange drink) earlier today, the odds.
Click to expand...

Yes, my boyfriend works for the US Air Force (civilian) and used the NATO phonetic alphabet to name the 3 kittens he rescued (Oscar, Echo and Victor), so I decided to continue that tradition with Tango, Alfa, and November. :) Echo and Victor live with his parents in Columbus.
 
Thanks for the reply. Yes, very sneaky. Nice names, quite creative. I have a quick question due to my ordered terrarium not being in stock ( Got the refund, no idea why they didnt take the product off shelf online,grrrr). So i looked around a bit more and found a really attractive terrarium at a pretty good price at 200Yuan(30-35USD). The size would be 50Cm Long 30Cm Wide 25Cm Tall, how many gallons is that may i ask?(I know im still asking about darn gallons). And secondly is that ok for my 95Cm Long 2 year old(Just learned that she may be about 27 months old around). Third i wonder if that is considered long or short to the average on a snake at that age, havent got to weighing due to not having the scales to properly measure, will do that in the near future though as i am pretty curious myself. Weight and energy wise the 2 year old is pretty healthy from what i can gather. Quite alert and not lethargic while not being cranky at all.I think he/she is generally pretty happy overall, just maybe a bit cramped.
 
This is a smaller terrarium (Much prettier and obviously cheaper, i can get better hides and decos instead as well). Which is why im gonna wait till i know how many gallons that is and if its suitable for my 2 year old till i order it. If i do they say it will arrive in 3 days which is great.
 
Greatcocojoe, the dimensions you have given above are approximately a 20 gallon size tank. That's a great size to start with. But as the snake becomes larger, you will eventually need a larger tank. An "Adult Corn snake" can measure between 4-1/2 ft and 6 ft. A tank of 300 sq. inches by 18 inches high would be ideal.

For reference, 1 inch is equal to 2.54 cm.
 
Thanks for your quick reply. Wow i was not expecting they can grow to 6ft long, i thought 5ft at most. I have another 2 questions, i hope you can answer (i know,im annoying. i like asking lots of questions. I hope you dont mind). My snake is currently at 95 cm give or take 5cm. Im wondering how long will a terrarium( that 20 gallon one） will last the snake. When it becomes an adult at about 3 years old? Sooner? Or much much later? I heard snakes keep growing as they get older, just slower.
 
your current tank will be ok until he reaches about 3 feet long (80 - 90 cm.) A typical corn snake can reach that length in 1 to 3 years.
 
sorry, your snake is already at 95 cm???? Ok your tank is probably too small. I would move up to a larger tank ASAP. Go ahead and get a tank of 600 sq in. (3,860 sq cm) and that should last him his entire adult life
 
The tank you have ordered is fine. While it is always nicer to have a larger tank here's a quote from the book of a renowned expert, Kathy Love:

"We feel the minimum size enclosure for a single adult corn snake has the dimensions of a standard 20-gallon long aquarium—12 inches wide × 30 inches long × 12 inches high (30 cm × 76 cm × 30 cm). Even larger enclosures that will allow it to roam and exercise properly are preferable for a large adult snake."

So it may be the minimum, and bigger is better, it certainly is adequate for now.
 
Greatcocojoe said:
Thanks for the reply. Yes, very sneaky. Nice names, quite creative. I have a quick question due to my ordered terrarium not being in stock ( Got the refund, no idea why they didnt take the product off shelf online,grrrr). So i looked around a bit more and found a really attractive terrarium at a pretty good price at 200Yuan(30-35USD). The size would be 50Cm Long 30Cm Wide 25Cm Tall, how many gallons is that may i ask?(I know im still asking about darn gallons). And secondly is that ok for my 95Cm Long 2 year old(Just learned that she may be about 27 months old around). Third i wonder if that is considered long or short to the average on a snake at that age, havent got to weighing due to not having the scales to properly measure, will do that in the near future though as i am pretty curious myself. Weight and energy wise the 2 year old is pretty healthy from what i can gather. Quite alert and not lethargic while not being cranky at all.I think he/she is generally pretty happy overall, just maybe a bit cramped.
Click to expand...

The tank you ordered is about a 10 gallon. Kathy Love recommends nothing smaller than a 20 gallon for an adult. It might be beneficial to just order a larger on now rather than having to change fairly soon down the road.
 
The tank you ordered is about a 10 gallon or 37.5 liters. Kathy Love recommends nothing smaller than a 20 gallon (75+ liters) for an adult. It might be beneficial to just order a larger on now rather than having to change fairly soon down the road seeing how large your snake is already.
 
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