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couple of questions

jonnyw

jonnyw

New member
hi all im new to snakes so i just have a few questions so here goes...oh i have a baby corn snake about 8 weeks old.

1.ok so the viv i got is wood all around and has glass sliding doors, i am using a heat mat which covers around 1/3 of the floor and its is under the viv and is set to 85 degrees with a habistat mat stat, i have the probe on the inside of the viv on the wood in the centre of the mat and it reaches 85 degrees no probs. but i just read on a caresheet i found online that the heat mat should be on the inside of a wooden viv as the heat will not get through what would you recommend?

2. second question is about feeding, when i bought him from the store last sunday they said he was being fed once every 14 days and that he was due a feed the day i got him and he also told me that he refused his last meal which would of been on the 17th august. i tried to feed him on thursday night which he didnt take probably because he needed more time to settle but i just worry as he is only a baby and its now been about a month since he last ate on the 3rd of august. do you think i should try tonite or leave him a little while longer? also was the the store ok to feed him fortnightly because i thought it should be around 5-7 days in between feedings?

3. ok last one now, as you know i have the warm side of the viv at around 85 degrees controlled by the thermostat but the cool side isnt controlled by anything and can sometime drop to just under 70 degrees but mainly sits around 72 degrees. Are these temps ok i figure if the cool side gets abit colder at night he will just go over to the warm side, its never been below 68?

i will just add that he seems healthy and is out exploring(well, mainly trying to escape haha) the viv every night and sometimes during the day. i havent handled him yet although he seems very curious and outgoing.

thanks all, if im not clear on anything please let me know.
 
Hi there!!

about the UTH in a wooden enclosure, I personally have no clue.

feeding a corn that young should be a mouse pinkie once per week, mine is about 9 weeks and I feed him every 6-7 days. Don't listen to the people at the store, most know nothing at all about exotics!! As long as the baby is still healthy and active, he'll be ok for now. Leave him totally alone for a week, only going into his enclosure to change the water, then try feeding again in a really quiet, warm room. If he eats, put him back in his enclosure for 2-3 days without bothering him, this will help prevent another regurg.

The cold side temps are not as important as the hot side temps as the snake can decide where in the tank to go for the desired temp, if the cold side is too cold, they will stay in the middle or the hot side. I have three hides, hot side, middle and cold so my babes can decide thier preferred temp while still staying hidden.
 
hi thankyou for fast reply he has been totally alone since i got him last sunday except for the feeding attempt on thursday night, should i still leave him 6-7 days from now or from thursday when i last bothered him, sorry for being a pain just want to get it right :)
 
There are a lot of people who don't give time to settle in and some who do. I would try to feed him five days after the last time you tried to feed him. As long as you see no big loss of weight you should be fine. This is why it's a good idea to get a scale.

If he still doesn't eat you can try scenting his food with a lizard or try an easier method by braining the mouse. That's when you cutting the head with a knife, exposing the brain.

As for the wood thing, I'm not sure. As long as the temperatures Inside the viv are right, which It seems then you should be okay.

Then again I don't own a corn snake yet so I have no idea. This is just my answer from what I know. I haven't put any of this to the test. Hope it helps regardless. -HSJ.
 
thanks headset i do have scales i just havent had him out yet to weigh him i was goin to weigh him in his feeding tub when i next feed him.
 
This might help you too....
cornfeedingschedulepng.jpg
 
1. This seems nice and accurate- what bedding do you use?

2. Every 7 days! When he is past a year, you can start feeding every 10 days. He should be eating a single pinky every seven days.

3. The tempratures are fine. It's nice that you are waiting to let him settle in.

Good luck with the corn! :D
 
i use aspen some body on this forum recommended it. he loves making tunnels he makes the same ones every night lol
 
i just read on a caresheet i found online that the heat mat should be on the inside of a wooden viv as the heat will not get through what would you recommend?
Click to expand...
All of my vivs are that design and I use mats inside and outside. Both work just fine.

I prefer them on the outside, underneath, as this minimises the risk of the cable junction being pooped on and shorting out, which is a danger to the snake. However, sometimes putting them inside is unavoidable and that junction can be given extra shielding. Make sure you don't rest any heavy hides on the mat.

Outside underneath is fine, as long as you have airflow over the mat. This prevents overheating. It also stops the weight of the viv resting on the mat and causing damage to it. I make two viv floor sized mats from cork floor tiles, taped together. I then cut a mat-shaped hole in one of them, in the position where I want the mat to go. I place the complete mat on the surface where the viv will rest, the mat with the hole on top of that, I slide the mat into the hole and then put the viv on top. The probe for the stat needs to go inside the viv, on the floor surface immediately above the mat. I drill a hole in the backboard just above the floor, position the probe and then stick Blu Tak around the cable in the hole.

85 degrees is just right for either setup. The mat outside will work a little harder to heat through the wood, but it doesn't get more than a couple of degrees warmer than it would inside.

Hope that helps!
 
thanks bitsy i will just keep mine outside the viv , the viv is lifted from the table so the mat should have airflow and to be honest it is rarely on thermostat does a very good job lol its only on for 5 mins at a time so it shouldnt over heat
 
Yes, aspen is good. don't use pine or cedar as the volatile oils can be very harmful!

Honestly, because he's already regurgitated a meal, I would leave him another 5-6 day from the last feeding attemp to try to feed again. Every time they regurgitate, they lose valuable stomach acids and will not be able to properly digest another meal too soon. If you don't wait, he could reguritate his next meal and you don't want that! As long as he is not dehydrated or malnourished, another 6 days won't affect him at all!!
 
I can see you are a responsible owner, aren't you? And while Aspen pulp is best, shaving or multch is indeed, great for the corns ^^. Make sure you have a rock in there for shedding too! And 80 heat is nice for the hot side :). Make sure he doesn't stay at the hot side when he's finished tunneling, in case he burns.
 
80 degrees is a little too low. Aim for the mid-high 80s on the floor above the heat mat.

A snake doesn't need to be forcibly moved from temp zone to temp zone. If they have the optimum temperature, they'll move around as they need to. Forcing them to be too hot or too cold, risks a regurge. If you have the temp in the mid-high 80s, they will never burn. Only unregulated heat sources cause burns. If you have the setup right, always trust the snake to know what's best. Hides at both ends will ensure he always feels secure enough in both temp zones.
 
Sorry farm girl I may not have been clear he didnt regurge his last meal he refused it :) , the bedding is aspen shavings and the temp never goes above 86 on the wood above the heat mat so he shouldnt get burned he also has a few hides in different temp zones so he should feel pretty secure in whatever heat he is in. thanks for all the replies guys and gals
 
Sorry one last question what is the best humidity to keep the viv at because I think mine is too high its around 70%, is there a easy way to bring the humidity down if need be?
 
70 % is O.K. But I would not want it hovering around there too long. I usually keep my corns around 50%. The easiest way to lower humidity is to provide more ventilation. I'm not sure what you have your snake in right now, if it's a screen top you'll probably notice the humidity drop soon. When I first put my corns on aspen a few days ago (I used paper towels before) I noticed their humidity jump to 70% at first and now it is steadily decreasing. But, I think that as long as your substrate is dry you should be fine at 70%. It's when the substrate is wet that high humidity can lead to health issues.
 
Thankyou alicat im also using aspen that may be what it is, the substrate is dry so hopefully it will drop. I may open the viv for a bit later see if it drops any.
 
Ahh sorry, could be I'm mixing you up with another thread.

Humidity around here is very similar to yours. HIGH! the humidity in my corn tanks naturally hovers between 60-75, the relative humidity outside rarely drops below 80. My point is that my corns and friends corns, breeders corns, ect all seem to do just fine in these humidity levels, which I know are similar to yours.

Bringing humidity in a tank down usually has to do with a light, which here in Western Canada makes the viv too hot 8 months of the year!!
 
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