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Another newbie (new to corns and the site both)

sarae

sarae

New member
Hi! I'm new to the forum and preparing to get my first corn. I hate doing introductions, but figure I may as well!

I'm sarae and I live in Northern Kentucky. I've worked for a pet store for 5 years and have a soft spot for "unadoptable" animals, so you can imagine i've amassed quite a few critters.

I have 3 dogs, 3 cats and a ton of fish as well as a cage of 9 rats that are either biters or have some physical ailment like a chronic head tilt or lame foot. I also have 9 ferrets, all of whom are either drop-offs/abandonments or from a rescue shelter.

I have two beardies, one of whom was epileptic as a baby and I spent many months nursing back to health. My last critter is a Kenyan Sand Boa. She sat in the store for over a year before she got sold. She was promptly returned because "she doesn't do anything. She just hides in the sand." She's a picky eater sometimes but a good girl.

My corn snake (as some may have read on the health/behaviour forum) is a very small non-feeder that i've been syringe feeding at the store for many months. He's scheduled to see the vet soon and have a fecal done and if that comes back clear, i'll be bringing him home. I'm the only one in the store with the patience to keep trying to get him to eat.

I ramble, sorry.

I don't have any pictures of him yet, but i do have some in-progress pictures of his future home.

I hope to learn a lot here and get my new baby to thrive. Y'all seem like a great bunch :D

cage1.jpg


cage2.jpg
 
Your little nonfeeder is going to have nice digs. Do you have a UTH for him? Maybe in a quieter environment he will be a better eater.

Good for you for giving homes to those critters. I have had a number of cats over the last 20+ years, all rescues/strays/etc, and always been glad I did it.
 
He does indeed have a UTH on a rheostat. it's on the far left side kind of in the middle. The humid hide will be partially on it (he's had some shedding issues in the past. i figure it can't hurt to have a humid hide!) I've got to find a new battery for my digital thermometer still though, his UTH doesn't seem to run nearly as hot as my sand boa's (hers topped out around 145º!) but better safe than sorry.

Can you think of anything my cage might be missing?
 
That set up looks good so far :D just make sure the water is in the coolest part of the viv.

sarae said:
I also have 9 ferrets, all of whom are either drop-offs/abandonments or from a rescue shelter.
Click to expand...

My Boyfriend is totally jealous. He wants a ferret (or two) really bad. Were going to a Pet Day Event at the University here tomorrow where the Oregon Ferret shelter will have a booth. We will investigate how we could adopt one in the future :D How do you keep the smell from being overwhelming? Fell free to PM a response.
 
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sarae said:
He does indeed have a UTH on a rheostat. it's on the far left side kind of in the middle. The humid hide will be partially on it (he's had some shedding issues in the past. i figure it can't hurt to have a humid hide!) I've got to find a new battery for my digital thermometer still though, his UTH doesn't seem to run nearly as hot as my sand boa's (hers topped out around 145º!) but better safe than sorry.

Can you think of anything my cage might be missing?
Click to expand...

Not really, but I find my little corns like really little hides that they can just fit into. I bought one of those half log things and Attitude does not ike it at all. So my only suggestion is to swap out one of those log things for a coconut shell, my little ones like those a lot.
 
Nice set-up i would be caucious of the doors, little snkes can easily slip through cracks. You don't need a light and a heat mat, would be very hot for a corn. Can't wait t see pics of the new snake.
 
He hides under the logs in his enclosure at the store...but lately he seems to like curling up at the base of his branches.

I think the doors will be ok, when they're locked, they close together pretty tight. I just have to remember to keep it locked!

The light is just for right now because my house is very cold. It's been about 63º in the evenings/mornings for a few months now. The light on the cage brings the ambient temp up to about 75.

(the light is not on the same area as the heat mat either)
 
sarae said:
He hides under the logs in his enclosure at the store...but lately he seems to like curling up at the base of his branches.

I think the doors will be ok, when they're locked, they close together pretty tight. I just have to remember to keep it locked!

The light is just for right now because my house is very cold. It's been about 63º in the evenings/mornings for a few months now. The light on the cage brings the ambient temp up to about 75.

(the light is not on the same area as the heat mat either)
Click to expand...

OK, but you want a cool side 70-75 and a warm side 80-85.
You would be amazed at how small of a space a little corn can get through.
 
I would say lose the light too, just because he will go over to the warmer side if he feels a little chilly. My house stays about 68 lately and all 4 of mine are perfectly happy as far as I can tell. Hopefully the little guy will perk up and realize that food is good once he gets in a quieter home. My little one regurged 3 times at the store before I got her and I've never had her skip or regurge since she's been left alone and has some solitude... Maybe I just got lucky though. Good luck and welcome.
 
Ok, no light! I'll just cover up a little more of the screen with plexi to hold in heat and humidity.

Pictures of him are up in the photo forum here!
 
Looks like your little guy is going to go from rags to riches! My only concern is about the hides and that they do seem a little close to each other.. you want one on the warm side and one on the cool side, and they look like they might get into kind of a similar area, but it looks like there are plenty of potential hide spots for your new little guy. Also, if he already uses them then I'm sure he'll be more comfortable using them in your nice quiet home than in a loud busy pet store! Also, I'm really encouraged that it looks like you have a moist hide in there!
Hrm, although they're not popular as cages here, I'm sure someone has used an Exo-Terra. Maybe someone can give you a personal account of their experience. I have never used one. Beautiful set up though, I hope it works out for you!
 
Jessicat said:
Hrm, although they're not popular as cages here, I'm sure someone has used an Exo-Terra. Maybe someone can give you a personal account of their experience. I have never used one. Beautiful set up though, I hope it works out for you!
Click to expand...

That was why I made my comment about escape, I know others have also had hatchlings escape through those doors. The other problem is not enough floor space to get good gradiant temps. Another note if that is a water feature with a pump, little guys will crawl up in the back area.
 
susang said:
That was why I made my comment about escape, I know others have also had hatchlings escape through those doors. The other problem is not enough floor space to get good gradiant temps. Another note if that is a water feature with a pump, little guys will crawl up in the back area.
Click to expand...

There was a water feature at one point built into the wall, but i've filled in the holes/gaps and secured it so there will be no snakey-hide-and-seek. I've also moved around the hides and secured the climbing branches so they don't move around.

Right now the gradient ranges from 112 (ack! need a new rheostat or thermostat!) on the far left-center to 72 on the far right (front, center and back).

I'll probably see if i can't come up with a way to make the doors escape-proof, but they seem ok right now... you guys know better than I do though, so I'll definitely look into it!

I've still got a little while until I bring him home, but he was certainly being feisty today. Wanted NOTHING to do with a pink though :/ I weighed him before I fed him and he was 8g. His last mousey-meal was in mid-december.
After his syringe-dinner he was 10g.
 
Just a note duck tape is not the answer for the doors. I remember someone on her trying that and the snake got stuck in the duck tape.
 
susang said:
Just a note duck tape is not the answer for the doors. I remember someone on her trying that and the snake got stuck in the duck tape.
Click to expand...

Noted!

Nor is clear packing tape. Someone had the bright idea to use that to put up a background in the ball python enclosure at work... nothing like trying to un-stick a seriously pissed off python from 6" of tape :angry01:
 
Your set up is a literal herp mansion. But if the snake is really small, the space may stress him out a lot. When I got my second snake she lived in a toilet paper tube for a month, only coming out to hide under her water dish. I had to move her tank inside a bookcase before she even ventured out to explore. I don't want to be a downer; but your snake is already very stressed, putting him in there may compound the problem. I'd suggest a minimal small set up in a quiet corner just until he is eating, then placing him in the big habitat.
 
the cage is only 18x18x18. He's currently in a large kritter keeper at the store. I'm not sure how much smaller I can go and still be able to keep a gradient.
 
I think we are trying to say the gradiant is hard to get in the viv you have, a 10 gal would be plenty good for now and easier to get gradiant temps.
 
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