Adjustment week

[Stefanie]

So here's another question about "bringing home baby":

We should recieve our baby in early August. Her tank is being set up in our living room, in perfect height for the kids (3 and 6) to glue their noses to the glass.

I know to let the snake adjust to her new home for the first week, and the kids have been warned. I've read to "carry on business as usual" while leaving the baby in it's tank for those 7 days, but considering the location of the tank I know that those little noses will be glued to the snaketank at any possible moment.
Now I wonder if I should plan on covering the tank up for the first week (with a light scarf or piece of cloth) to keep the snake undisturbed as well as possible - or if those noses will not affect the snake as much as I might think as long as she's not being touched or taken out of the tank?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated <3

 

[Nanci]

I usually cover three sides with something solid, like a towel. I guess in your case I'd do that, and then start with the front uncovered, and try to explain to the kids that the new baby needs to settle in. A few looks a day won't hurt, but if they are scaring and startling the baby, I'd cover the front with something light, too.

If you put in lots of vines, the baby will have a safe haven to hide in and observe you from.

 

[Stefanie]

Thank you Nanci!

The back is already closed up because of a poster I stuck onto it. so there are 3 sides open - I might just tape some paper to the two sides and if necessary hang a scarf over the front.

I have two vines in the tank, one on each side of the back wall, reaching all the way from the top to the bottom. The ground will be covered in the 3 permanent hides, 2 waterdishes and the collection of TP/Paper towel rolls that we've collected over the weeks. She'll have PLENTY of hiding spaces. I just don't want the kids to startle her when she DOES come out to explore.

we're pretty excited

 

[roadtowhere]

After my first four days with hatchling, I bet it won't matter. The hatchling will hide out within vines and/or substrate during the hours the kids are up so they suspect they'll get board and stop peering through glass in short order.

 

[ScottyK]

Whenever I hear "baby" and "tank" or "kritter keeper" in the same post I always get nervous. Especially with new keepers who don't realize what incredible escape artists baby corns are.

It's not the question you asked, but "please" make sure you have that tank sealed up tight. So many of these turn into an escaped snake thread. If there is a hole or crack big enough to push a bb through anywhere in the top your snake will get out. One of the first things it will do is explore every nook of that cage.

To answer your question and also help with the above, have you considered starting it in a Sterlite tub? I have two little kids who love our snakes, but I make them be patient with hatchlings. They get to hold them for just a minute at feeding time for the first few months. The opaque tubs give the snake some peace while it settles in, and you can keep it right inside the tank. In a month or two it will be eating regularly, and hopefully a bit fatter and less likely to get out of it's tank

Best of luck with your new addition. I'm offering the above advice in the hopes that you get started right and it doesn't turn into a big disappointment for your kids. Escaped hatchling threads are too common and always a bummer....

Scott

 

[Stefanie]

Scott, thank you so much for being worried! Makes me feel good that people are watching my fingers

If there is a hole or crack big enough to push a bb through anywhere in the top ...

What's a "bb"?

I'm pretty sure I can seal the tank up tight enough. I have one of those metal screen covers, and had purchased Clips for it. They arrived, I tried them out and immediately returned them because ... well, they seemed like small piece of junk!
I did a little more research and found these locking clips by Zilla which I'm still debating about getting, because they seem the best. I ended up returning my screen cover to buy one from Zilla because it needs those predrilled holes to hold the little screws which hold the clips.
Shopping for a zilla screen the pet store owner talked me into getting [URL="http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/7000/product.web]THESE clips[/URL] and told me they are working great for him and even demonstrated to me how tight they hold and that no (baby) snake can pry those open.

I told him that if I'm not 100% Satisfied I'm returning them and he has to order me the big zilla clips.

The only part I won't be able to secure seamlessly is where the wires for the probes come out of the tank. I have a total of 3: 2 Thermometers (one on each side) and the Thermostat. But those wires aren't very thick, so as long as they are squeezed tightly in between the rim and the screen it should be tight enough, right? I mean, everybody has the probe wires coming out, right ?!

After reading all the escaped snake threads I'm PETRIFIED of the baby getting out. I can almost guarantee that there's no way we'll ever find her here if she happens to get out of her tank unsupervised. The tank is in the living room, next to the couch (I'd see her sneak in there) and neither one of the "common" rooms in the house has any doors, so from there she could go anywhere. I'm especially careful about locking the tank up right.

I understand that an old aquarium isn't the IDEAL place for a snake, already for the fact that you have to reach in from the top, but after it took me so long to talk my husband into getting a snake and making it sound like we already HAD half the equipment needed, there's no way I could go out and buy a vivarium now LOL.

I have thought about putting the baby into a small tub INTO the tank at the beginning, but then ultimately I'd have the same problems getting her used to the tank and the life around it once she DOES live in the tank. I have a lot of hides ready for her, with thick aspen to burrow into and I think/hope that that will be not so overwhelming for her as opposed to her little hatchling box. I also kinda want to give her a home she won't outgrow so she knows it's hers and she'll stay there and won't have to endure a lot of change once she arrives here. I might be thinking too mommy-like for a snake's point of view though lol!

I haven't taken any pictures of the set up yet, as I'm not done putting it together. I'll post pictures in my introduction thread once I have the baby (LOL! 145 postings and not even an introduction yet, shame on me ...!) and hope that everybody points out where I should improve.

 

[Stefanie]

Ooooooh, forgot to mention: If everything goes accordingly my baby will arrive from Stephen Roylance, who's been holding her for me since quite a while (Can't thank you enough, Steve!). By the time I get her she should be a little over 3 months, so not a tiny skinny baby anymore, and I'm hoping she won't be AS TINY as the ones I've seen in petstores /sigh. She's a wonderful eater and is being introduced to peach fuzzies soon, I'm hoping that she'll be nice and chubby when I get her, and he continues eating well for me!

 

[Caryl]

Sounds like you're well started. Aquaria can make good vivs, as long as you make sure they're escape proof. And anything that helped hubby go along with the idea is a good thing in my book!

As long as your baby (the one inside the tank, that is) has enough places to hide it will adjust to your kids' noses, eyes, noise, etc. How much you'll see of the snake, and how quickly, depends in part on its own personality. Don't fret if it spends most of its time hiding while its young.

It's a good idea to assume that your snake is going to find anything sharp and try to commit suicide in its viv. Your job is to prevent this, while keeping it contained. If there are any sharp spots on fake plants, rocks, etc., beat her to the punch and cover those with a dab of hot glue.

We look forward to pictures when your baby is settled in. Good luck!

 

[Caryl]

Sounds like you're well started. Aquaria can make good vivs, as long as you make sure they're escape proof. And anything that helped hubby go along with the idea is a good thing in my book!

As long as your baby (the one inside the tank, that is) has enough places to hide it will adjust to your kids' noses, eyes, noise, etc. How much you'll see of the snake, and how quickly, depends in part on its own personality. Don't fret if it spends most of its time hiding while its young.

It's a good idea to assume that your snake is going to find anything sharp and try to commit suicide in its viv. Your job is to prevent this, while keeping it contained. If there are any sharp spots on fake plants, rocks, etc., beat her to the punch and cover those with a dab of hot glue.

We look forward to pictures when your baby is settled in. Good luck!

 

[ScottyK]

Scott, thank you so much for being worried! Makes me feel good that people are watching my fingers


What's a "bb"?

You are welcome, and a bb is what you shoot out of a bb gun lol...

Put another way, make sure there are no holes or cracks much bigger than 1/8" anywhere in your setup.

Regarding the tub, it sounds like you are getting a larger established hatchling and taking extra care to seal the tank. You should be fine in this case.

If you ever acquire a newborn and/or are ever a bit unsure how well a tank is sealed, my opinion is that preventing escape is more important than worring about a second acclimation. I take my hatchlings through a progression of two or three small enclosures before they go into an adult tank. Once they are used to your home environment and feeding regimin, moving them to a different tub/tank is pretty much a non event. They look around for a day then settle right in....

Enjoy your new addition and keep us posted...

Scott

 

[AliCat37]

I never used clips when I used tanks. Instead, I loaded the top with books and 12 packs of soda. I also would duct tape a side down so that the lid would "swing" open. After realizing that tanks are more hassle than they are worth, I switched to sterlite double shoeboxes for my babies and juveniles, and bought Showcase cages for my older snakes.

One thing that has not been mentioned yet is that you MUST cover the screen top in seran wrap. Only leave about an inch of screen showing for air flow. By wrapping the top in plastic you can hold in heat and humidity. I don't know why this is so often over looked, as you CANNOT hold in heat or humidity in an open top.

Also, you seem very concerned about having to settle your snake in again if you were to use a bin. I personally do not feel that it is necessary to settle them in twice. I've moved my snakes into at least ten different enclosures before buying the showcase cages and I never once (not even when i first bought them) settled them in. With my first snake I didn't know I was supposed to. I've seen absolutely zero difference in my snakes behaviour between the ones that were and were not settled in. I think that settling it in once is enough, you won't have to worry about it a second time, especially if the enclosure is in the same spot.

 

[jessicalb]

We've never covered our screen tops with plastic. If they are having a rough shed we will cover the top partially with a damp washcloth to add to the humidity. We've definitely never had problems keeping a warm spot using under tank heaters.

 

[ScottyK]

Ali- Covering the top may be more or less important depending on where you live. Here in New England there is plenty of humidity almost year round. Even inside the house. It may get a bit dry from the heat in the dead of winter, but I've never had a problem with open screen tops either. I've also lived in Florida, Missouri, Long Island, NY and Oregon with the same results.

I know it's a lot drier in Colorado. My wife is from Littleton, and almost withered away from the humidity when she moved to Long Island

 

[Stefanie]

You are welcome, and a bb is what you shoot out of a bb gun lol...

Aaaaah! I see, thanks for clearing that up =) I've never shot a BB gun so I'd have no idea how big the "bullets" are, and for some reason I thought you had a typo for Ball-Pen or something lol.

I never used clips when I used tanks. Instead, I loaded the top with books and 12 packs of soda. ...

I doubt it would keep the kids out of the tank lol! I feel safer with the clips.

Also, my hygrometer reads 50% humidity inside the tank. Being down here in MS where you run into a wall of 95% humidity once you leave your house I'm not too worried about that. The temp inside the tank right now is 75°F and I don't have the UTH running atm. I have a humid-hide ready to be set up if there are shedding problems, but I don't see there being issues with the temps or the humidity

 

[Millinex]

Ali- Covering the top may be more or less important depending on where you live. Here in New England there is plenty of humidity almost year round. Even inside the house. It may get a bit dry from the heat in the dead of winter, but I've never had a problem with open screen tops either. I've also lived in Florida, Missouri, Long Island, NY and Oregon with the same results.

I know it's a lot drier in Colorado. My wife is from Littleton, and almost withered away from the humidity when she moved to Long Island

It isn't just about humidity. It's about trapping the heat and maintaining a solid ambient environment for the snake. The snake will do better if given a constant environment and the humidity/temps are kept solid, rather than fluctuating because someone doesn't feel like taking 2 minutes to wrap the top a bit.

 

[ScottyK]

It isn't just about humidity. It's about trapping the heat and maintaining a solid ambient environment for the snake. The snake will do better if given a constant environment and the humidity/temps are kept solid, rather than fluctuating because someone doesn't feel like taking 2 minutes to wrap the top a bit.

Great first post.

I've rarely seen someone that willing to display such complete lack of snake husbandry knowledge on a public forum. If you are searching for someone to waste time debating nonsense with, please look elsewhere....

Regards,
Scott

 

[Millinex]

Great first post.

I've rarely seen someone that willing to display such complete lack of snake husbandry knowledge on a public forum. If you are searching for someone to waste time debating nonsense with, please look elsewhere....

Regards,
Scott

Your sarcasm was cute. Thankfully corn snakes are so simple to keep, and can put up with a wide range of stupidity. Let me guess, you keep your ball pythons in screen top enclosures as well?

If more people managed to figure out how humidity worked and understood basic husbandry (which you seem to fail at)- you'd have less "omgawd my corn snake has bad shed I better soak him lul".

Regards,
Mike

 

[Stefanie]

Ugh, this is turning into a drama thread! Not another one!

I've not heard about wrapping up the screen covers yet. Is there anybody else on here that does it religiously?

 

[ScottyK]

Ugh, this is turning into a drama thread! Not another one!

I've not heard about wrapping up the screen covers yet. Is there anybody else on here that does it religiously?

Hi Stefanie,

You don't need to with corn snakes. They range from the Florida Keys to New Jersey and out to the great plains. A natural range of humidity is fine for them. This is better supplied with plenty of ventilation, and possibly a humid hide if you live in an extremely dry area. They also like a range of temps including a warm basking area and cooler retreats.

Tropical jungle snakes like ball pythons and things like dart frogs require higher ambient temperatures and sealed terrariums for increased humidity. Applying those conditions to a temperate colubrid species like a corn snake shows a lack of husbandry knowledge.

 

[Stefanie]

Thank you Scott