Bought my first corn July 4th have some concerns

[PssdffJay]

Hello, I first have to say that when I saw my friends corn snake it freaked me out. I was really afraid, he made me hold it and my opinion totally changed, (just wish my mom would change her mind... you should have seen her freak out when she saw it...) I waited until the newhatchlings were ready to be sold and I bout mine the other day. I have a few concerns though:

1. I got a glass tank with a framed mesh lid (hope you know what I mean) but on the tank there is a little lip at the top conveniently with just enough room for Nagini (my snake) to climb up and crawl along it around the tank. Nagini spends most of the day and night up there... has this happened to anyone else? I know she (assuming gender) is too small to push the lid off but will she keep trying to do this when she grows bigger and get stuck and cause harm??

2. I also got a UTH and put it on one side of the tank, and I am using Astroturf or something... green fake grass??... for a substrate and I put my hand over the spot and it is really warm. When i go into pet stores i see the corns underneath the Astroturf. I touched the spot where the UTH is and it is really really warm, I am worried that she will get burned, but i haven't seen her lying on the spot at all yet because she is always on the little lip... erg...

I appreciate the feedback and I am really new with message boards and etiquette. If I do something wrong please let me know. Thank you very much.
Jay

PS: some peoples signatures have like 0.1 corn

I understand the obvious part about what type of corn but is the "0.1" male or female? In the order? and what about with a new corn that you don't know like mine? Cause I am assuming mine is female because name Nagini is female.

Thanks again

 

[jnky]

Firstly make sure she has plenty of hides, this may prevent her from laying up there, you also need to make sure that lid is secure or she WILL escape. There are a few lids and clips you can get for this purpose, you just need to have a shop around. (tape it down until you find a solution)
Secondly I would strongly advise that you get a digital thermometer to accurately measure the temperatures. I have from cool end to hot. a temp range of approx 75-85°f, to achieve this you can use a dimmer switch on your heat mat. Do not buy stick on dial thermometers, I found out that mine was dangerously way out.

1.0.0 = male
0.1.0 = female
0.0.1 = unsexed

The only accurate way of determining sex is by popping or probing neither of which I would want my snake to endure until adulthood and only if I choose to mate it. By all means have your snake sexed, just make sure you get it done by someone who knows exactly what there doing.

 

[PssdffJay]

Thanks for the responce

Thank you for your responce. I have a half log hollowed out but I have never seen her go in it, but i go have a fake leafy vine for her to climb and she does hide behind it but maybe i'll add some paper towel rolls to see hwat heppens, should I put those in as there are or cut them in half vertically? After I posted, i was watching her and she was on that lip again and I saw her trying to squeeze out of the holes in the screen... but, I hope, that she is too big for that. Anyway, i'll look into those clips and some termometers. I am still interested in hearing if anyone esle has had the problem with the lip arond the edge.

 

[willameesh]

Hi There. My cornsnake does that all the time!! I was worried at first too. I think he just waits for me to open the lid so he can escape! Ha, ha! I know it's securely fastened so i don't worry about it too much.
The only thing i found worrying is when he fell off! but corns are semi arboreal so are fine with a little fall.
Enjoy you're new snake, but be careful they are addictive. I went to the pet shop for some mice the other day and ended up buying another one!! Couldn't resist her!! :crazy02:

 

[PssdffJay]

I agree

I had the same thing happen, I lifted the lid and she fell but at least it is only a 5gal tank. And I do want to get her a companion even though I know I probably shouldnt get another one, my mom really doesn't like that I have one as it is... if she saw another one, I think I would no where to live!lol

I put another spot for her to hide, but she is still going up there.
Thanks for the post.
Jay

 

[PtDnsr]

Toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls make great hides. So do Chinese containers (here they come in a black plastic bottom with a clear lid for some reason). Anything small and dark is a great hide. Also make sure to leave her alone for the first week or so to let her get used to her new surroundings. If you're concerned about the lip you can always buy some airline (for aquariums) and glue it up there so there's not a space anymore. It's just small thin tubing that takes up the space instead of your corn. You shouldn't have to resort to that as long as the lid is secure though. Have fun with your new corn!

~Katie

 

[TrpnBils]

You should probably get rid of the astroturf too... it's a bacteria magnet regardless of how much you clean it. Most of the people here use aspen shavings, and a bag of these is very cheap. Aside from the bacteria thing, the aspen also allows them to bury themselves in it to hide. I have hides in my snake's viv, but he still buries himself fairly often too.

 

[PssdffJay]

The guy at the store suggested the Astroturf but after reading a lot of the posts and looking at pictures, I can see that it would be a better idea withthe shavings. I have another question though, is it ok to cover the tank with a fairly thin dish towel to make it darker? I don't think it would restrict oxygen would it? And I have her in a 5gal tank right now, when should I move her onto a bigger tank and how big should it be?
Jay

P.S. Sorry for my lack of knowledge, we all gotta start somewhere though right? :cheers:

 

[~slither~]

Hi there, for my hides I've got 2 plant pots on there sides, and 1 terracotta one that I grinded a door in.
IMO I'd say don't worry about her going up there, wherever she feels comfy. And about the over heating , I'd recommend going to faunology.co.uk (I scoured t'internet for ages and they're the cheapest ) and looking at thermostats. They simply plug in and you dont have to keep adjusting the dial like you do with a dimmer switch, they have a probe on them that detects the temp and turns the mat on/off accordingly. It'll cost around 30 quid inc. p+p, but IMO they're worth it.

 

[Mary-Beth]

Advice from one of the corn snake experts about housing snakes together - Click Here

 

[~slither~]

I had every intention of saying something about the housing of 2 snakes together but got sidetracked onto thermostats. D'oh

 

[So Pirate55]

The guy at the store suggested the Astroturf but after reading a lot of the posts and looking at pictures, I can see that it would be a better idea withthe shavings. I have another question though, is it ok to cover the tank with a fairly thin dish towel to make it darker? I don't think it would restrict oxygen would it? And I have her in a 5gal tank right now, when should I move her onto a bigger tank and how big should it be?

Astroturf can be safe, but you have to be really cautious. It usually requires having several pieces so that you can cycle them through and involves a lot more than just spot cleaning. Shavings is the way to go. Most people prefer aspen (no pine!!!! or anyother wood that would have strong oils in it), b/c it's easy to clean. Personally i like the look of Cypress Mulch better, even though it's dark. IN personal experience it holds humidity better than aspen. Either one of those is the way to go. No sand or calci-sand etc. Newspapers and Papertowels work fine as well but arent visually appealing.

Dish towel would be fine but it will reduce air circulation and raise the humidity. I highly doubt it'd raise it a dangerous amount but it's just a trick people use when they need to raise their humidity.

So far as here climbing up around the edge, it's what they do. She'll be fine. I have one that has gotten way too big to get up there so it's nothing to hear a kaplunk when it falls. However, as mentioned before, you need to invest in some clips for holding it on there.


Last but not least, Relax!!!! There is no one perfect set up. As long as it's clean, temps are in 75 to 85 range, and the snake is eating/shedding with no problems, it's fine. It's really easy to try to take every little piece of advice in and worry yourself to death over it. Read up and research, find what you like and go with it.

 

[Susan]

Getting a thermometer has been mentioned several times and should be your first priority. If the bottom of the tank feels very, very warm to you, that may be the reason your snake is spending so much time at the top of the tank (besides simply looking for an escape route). Clips to help secure the lid should be a close second on your list of priorities as corns are expert escape artists, and yours seems to be doing it's best to live up to the reputation. Your next step should be to purchase a copy of Kathy Love's book (older or newer version is fine). You can purchase directly from Kathy from her website at www.corn-utopia.com.

 

[PssdffJay]

Thank you to everyone who was replied. I am going to go out to the pet store right now to pick up some clips, couple thermometers, wood chips and Kathy Love's book, I have seen that recomended a bunch of times too. You are right, I shouldnt stress over it and if I ever figure out how to post pictures... i'll post one of her in her viv. If it will ever come out not blury...
Thank you again to zll who have posted. Oh and i will look into a sensor or probe taht slither mentioned.

 

[TrpnBils]

The guy at the store suggested...QUOTE]

One thing you'll learn in a hurry is that "the guy at the store" generally isn't a good place to go for advice. With few exceptions, pet stores (chain ones mostly from what I've seen) don't have people that know much more than what they read in books about reptiles.

Aside from that, there is a way to get rid of the lip on the top there where you said your snake is laying... When I got mine at an expo back in February, I intended on getting a small one, so when I set up my viv (a 10g aquarium at the time), I eliminated the lip. Long story short, my snake was far too big to fit up there, but I still know it'll work in your case. I've put some pictures in here to show you how it came out, but I can't remember which order they post in, so they may appear in the wrong order

I cut a piece of plywood out that fits into the area where the lip occupies. Then, cut out a chunk on the middle of the plywood so that it allows air to move in and out. The screen top fits overtop of the wood, so you can fasten the lid to the plywood (I used staples, but it looks like crap, so you might want to find another way). In either case, the lip is taken out and the screen lid fits tighter.

Another thing, I'm really anal about making sure my snake doesn't get out. Instead of regular clips, I used utility straps and plastic clips. It keeps the lid extremely tight and was recommended to me by a few people on this forum.

 

[PssdffJay]

Back from the pet store

OK, so I went to the pet store and I got some clips and 2 thermometers and some "shredded aspen", but it has pictures of rabbits and other furry animals on the package. It does say for small animals and reptiles but it looks like the stuff for rabbits that are in the store. Is this the right stuff? I found other packages of "Reptile bark" that looked more natural, some packages said Fir and some others didn't list what kind it was. Any suggestions before I open the package and cant return it?

 

[debcash]

Aspen bark

The aspen bark sounds just like what we use for ours. No problem. It sounds like your snake has a nice new home. By the way - welcome to the forum!
Deb

0.1 Reverse Okeetee "Angel"

 

[PssdffJay]

Thanks

The aspen bark sounds just like what we use for ours. No problem. It sounds like your snake has a nice new home. By the way - welcome to the forum!
Deb

0.1 Reverse Okeetee "Angel"

Thanks for welcoming me, I will use the aspen then, but i now have another question... surprise surprise... so i took temp readings and the cool side is 73 and the warm side was at 85-86 on top of the Astroturf now. I put the probe between the bottom and the turf and the temp is at 112 and still rising!! If she decides to burrow on that side I'm afraid she will get burned!! Should I put a few lawyers of newspaper on the bottom before the shavings to help protect or what?? It could be that turf is helping keep the heat in between but I'm not sure. Any ideas, I know i am just stressing but still, I dint want her to get hurt.

 

[Bug22baby]

Tank Lip

I thought I would give you another way in which I have fixed the lip problem on my tanks. I also have had hatchlings in 10 gallon tanks where the tops are just not snug and leave that lip. To fix mine I took plain masking tape. I took the tape and layered it around the edge of the tank (on the outside all 4 sides) I layered it for a good amount to make a lip on the outside of the tank. Then put the top on. The masking tape is layered just enough so that the top fits tightly. I have had this masking tape on for over a year and never had a problem, nor any escapes. You could always place something on top of the tank/or use velcro or some form of straps for added security. Thats my quick fix!!

 

[ScottyK]

Thank you to everyone who was replied. I am going to go out to the pet store right now to pick up some clips, couple thermometers, wood chips and Kathy Love's book, I have seen that recomended a bunch of times too.

There is a new edition of Kathys book that you can order from her website www.cornutopia.com . I have not seen this new edition in stores yet, and it's 100 pages longer than the original. I'm anxiously awaiting my copy, which is coming with my hatchling order next week.