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Baby Corn Snake

S

SnakeLovah

New member
Hi! I recently got a baby corn snake, and I'm curious about a few things. First, can I put him in a 20 gallon tank? He's about 10-15 inches long.

Second, what should I feed him, exactly? I know I should feed him pinkies, but should I cut them in half? Or is he big enough to eat them whole? I just got him so I'm a little cautious. :p

Thirdly, the temp in our house seems pretty good for him. At night his tank can be around 70-75 degrees, but at day it can range between 75 for the cool end and 85 for the warm end. So the degrees are basically perfect during the day. Should I get him a heat lamp for at night, or is he fine without it?
 
First of all, welcome to the forum! And congrats on the newest addition to your family. You came to the right place for corn snake resources. And now to answer your questions....

- He is fine in a 20 gallon tank. Just make sure that he has ample hides. And make sure the tank is VERY secure! Corn snakes are Houdinis and will find a way out. But make sure you never use anything sticky (ie. tape) to secure the viv because they can get stuck on it and get badly injured. When he gets bigger you'll probably have to evaluate moving him to a larger viv but for now he should be good.

- He should be good to eat a pinky. No need to cut them in half. I feed outside of my viv in a large plastic container with the F/T (frozen and thawed) pinky.

- It sounds like the ambient temps are good, but for corn snakes, it is important they have belly heat for digestion. Therefore, heat lamps are not recommended to be used with cornsnakes. They should actually have a UTH (under tank heater) that is plugged into a thermostat for safety. UTHs are sold at petstores or online and should cover about 1/3 of the tank. This way he has a good temp gradient with hides on both sides.

Once again, welcome! And we'd love to see a picture if you have a chance :)
 
Two more questions. This one is about feeding. The people at the store where I bought him said he hadn't eaten for about eight days, which I find surprising. I fed him when I got him, but I'm still not sure if I should wait till Wednesday, or feed him tomorrow. She's moving very slowly when I hold her, and almost wormlike, like, she'll pause, then continue. I know snakes use their belly scales to move, but I'm just a little worried about her. :p She seems a little hungry too.
 
Hatchlings are usually fed about every 5 days. And with my older (6yo) snake, I feed her every 7-10 days. When exactly did you get him?

His behavior may be from just the stress of settling in, or it is possible he is do for a shed. Activity levels do decline before a shed. Be on the lookout for hazy colors or blueing eyes (or if he is an amel - light pink).

Make sure he has plenty of fresh water, a warm hide. If the last time you fed was more than 5 days ago, you can definitely feed again. There is a feeding plan here called the "Munsen Plan." This shows you what mice to feed for what size snake. The plan is known to be a little aggressive though, so if it tells you to move to the next mouse size when the snake is "x" grams, maybe wait until the snake is "x+5" grams.

Good luck!
 
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