This is what I need to know:
1.) A description of your group of animals. The number of animals you have, their ages and the type of accomodation you have (just the type, don't describe furnishings yet).
60+. Ranging from hatchlings to 10 years old. They're housed in rack systems.
2.) Your basic healthcare routine, i.e feeding, cleaning, daily checks, record keeping,weighing, any routine medications or treatments.Please include chemicals used, equipment used, and record your routines using a step by step format.
Feeding for the hatchlings is normally twice a week, and eventually turns to once a week when they get to hoppers. Spot cleaning is once a week for the adults when they get fed, and hatchlings is everytime they're fed. Occasionally takes weights of the hatchlings but normally don't weigh the adults until they come out of brumation.
3.) What preventative medicines and vaccinations do you use?
None, really. Adults out of brumation get calcium and hatchlings occasionally get Herptivite and Nutribac.
4.) How do you deal with specific cases of illness? You might want to include quarantine, if you ever do this, or what you would do in the event of acquiring a wild caught snake.
Illness is determined on a case by case basis. Adults see a vet if medications are required. Hatchlings are normally culled if warranted.
5.) What do you furnish the accomodation with? How do you maintain the environment?- so mention lighting, ventilation, heating, humidity, natural behaviour and enrichment, dimensions, siting, housing materials, safety, security, hygiene...anything else u can think of.
Each tub has a hide and a water dish. Substrate varies depending on the time of the year, but is either newspaper or aspen for the adults, and always paper towels/napkins for the hatchlings. Heat for both racks is set on 87.5 and tubs have holes drilled/melted into the sides and tops to control humidity and condensation build up in the cage. Adults are housed in 28qt sterilites, hatchlings in sandwich ziploc/gladware containers, and sub-adults in 12 qt sterilites.
6.) What welfare considerations to you take into account. I thought you may consider the implications of housing more than one snake together, what the right conditions are for a corn snake, what their natural behaviour and preferences are, what are their space requirements, how often you breed them and starting at what age, whether you accept wild specimens, and any other welfare considerations you can come up with...
Absolutely no housing together except for breeding circumstances. Occasionally pairs are left overnight to 'do the deed'. Bred starting at age 2 or 3, depending on size.
Thankyou, if anyone has the time and patience, it would really help me! I know you all love talking about your babies!
