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Does this look like a good setup for a hatchling corn?

TriggerHappy101

TriggerHappy101

New member
Like I said before - I purchased my 40 gallon breeder critter cage.

First off is the substrate:

Aspen 24 quarts.
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=679

Will a single bag of 24 quarts be able to cover the bottom of the tank with 2-3 inches? Or will i need several bags?

Then UTH

I am not sure on which UTH (and which size) to purchase. I want the UTH to be able to heat the critter cage all by itself (no heat lamps.)

Some people suggested these:
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=50
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=459

Any other suggestions? I hear exo terra products are overpriced.

Water dishes:
3 cermaic plant pot dishes.

Humity/temp meter:
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=78
How accurate is this? Do I have to calubrate the humity meter?
Any other suggestions?

Hides:
Toliet paper rolls and MacAndCheese boxes until the snake grows bigger and I can buy him good natural hides.

Please give me suggestions!

Thanks guys/gals this forum is truely the nicest forum I have seen in my life! Everyone is so nice!
 
Howdy!
I'm glad you're being such a careful petowner, and researching so well.
Here are my opinions on your choices.

One of those bags will go a very long way. Aspen is pretty compact in its package. 2" to 3" is perfect.

Heating: I use all Zoomed right now. Make sure it is the size that covers about a third underneath. The one you picked out looks good, but you may want the next size smaller. I use minis (up to 5 gallons) for my ten gallons because thats the right size. Sometimes reptile products are geared towards more heat loving snakes than corns. I don't know about the other product. Also, I put a piece of paper on the glass over the uth, but before I put the bedding in. Thats just my nethod of keeping their belly off the burning glass when they burrow.

You really only need one water dish, but thats up to you. Be careful, the water evaporates quickly, so check on it everyday. I have heard of people using planter pots dishes. I use a variety of things, including finding little dishes on sale in kitchen sections of stores.

Your temp gauge looked fine, though I haven't used that one.

If you want you can find a cheap, but nice looking hide, instead of the tp rolls. One of the things I use is the coconut shells they sell for some herps and hermit crabs. They are cheap, will last long enough to be worth buying, and look good.

I'll try to post a couple of neat links. Be as creative as you wanna be! :cheers:
 
looks pretty good, however i would recomend getting a digital thermo/hygrometer instead of the analong one. Digitals are usualy more accurate (sometimes by 20%).
 
Some pics, oh and they love something to climb on.
 

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Aspen:
As Kimbrya stated, the aspen goes farther than you think. It's compressed in the bags, so all you have to do is fluff it up in the cage to whatever depth you want.

Water:
One water bowl is all that should be needed, I think anything more than that would add too much ambient humidity into the environment. Which if you're living in the middle of nowhere Arizona, you might need.

Unless its glazed the water dishes are going to be a bear to clean out. Plus, terra cotta absorbs water and it'll keep the bedding around it moist, which can lead to mold or whatnot. I don't think plant saucers would work well because of their short sides and bedding getting in and stuff. I know my snakes are masters at excavating under bowls and eventually lowering the bowl and piling all the aspen into it, and mine have 3" sides.

I use those plastic Tough Crocks from Walmart for most of my snakes. It's heavy duty, dishwasher safe, mineral deposits come off easily, and you can get it in a rainbow of colors. Another good solution is to check out the cat aisle at any petstore chain and get a good heavy bottomed ceramic bowl that won't be easy to tip over.

UTH:
I've had good luck with Exo-Terra despite their price, their products seem to last a little better than others. I refuse to buy anything from T-rex. ESU also makes good stuff too. And other people swear by the Cobra brand UTH. So really its up to you.

The only tank I've ever adhered the UTH to is my BP's 60g breeder tank since he needs more warmth than a corn. For corns, I've had great luck just adhering the UTH to a ceramic tile and placing that on the table under the elevated tank. The extra air space buffers the heat a little and the resulting heat in the tank is a little more to a corn's needs, and virtually eliminates the "hot spot" that can happen on the bottom glass.

One that is 1/3 the size of the tank should be sufficient. I would rather opt for too small than for too large initially. You can always add another small one if the one isn't enough.

Temp & Humidity Gauge:
You really want a digital one with a probe. The unit can be on the cool side giving you the temp there, the probe can be extended and buried slightly in the substrate on the warm side giving you the temp there, and also accurately display the humidity in the tank.

All that thing you selected is going to give you is how warm that side of the tank is going to be.

Something like this..

Yes they're a little expensive. But they last a long time if you take care of them. I've got some going on 6 years old that are still as useful as the day I bought them.

Hides:
You can even make hides out of terra cotta flower pots/saucers. If you know someone with a Dremel tool, you can make holes in the sides of short pots, or carefully break a pot for a hide. One of my snakes has a broken piece and she loves it, even though she's really beginning to outgrow it.

Or you can buy PVC pipe sections or elbows in varying diameters and take a blow torch to it lightly. It causes the plastic to turn a mottled brown, similar to the bark on a tree. I saw that done for Green Tree Python perches, and it looked remarkably realistic if you didn't know any better.

Food:
The Grow-Up-Pack sounds awesome. I've heard they're really good and minimize wasted mice for the most part. And for $36 shipped, you can't beat it really. To buy that amount of mice at the petstore would easily cost you more than that.
 
Everything looks good to me.

As for the aspen, like everyone has said, it goes farther than you think. I have a 40 g Critter Cage, and an 8 quart bag was plenty to fill it up. So your 24 quart bag will last through a couple of cage cleanouts.

The thermometer/hygrometer I would get at Wal-mart or somewhere similar. they have one that reads indoor and outdoor temps plus humidity. They cost about $12, I think.

Your UTH, as has been mentioned, is really a matter of personal preference. I have Zoo Med and Exo Terra, and personally I prefer the Exo Terra. For heat regulation, you can go with a thermostat or a lamp dimmer. I use a lamp dimmer because my house stays a pretty constant temp through out most of the year. There is no need for me to constantly adjust the temps. A thermostat, while more expensive, will do it automatically. A lamp dimmer would require you to adjust your temps manually.

The grow up pack sounds great. I wish I'd known about them when my corns were hatchlings! And the price is good as well.

I commend you for doing things right by your little snake, even before you got him. I'm getting excited for you and can't wait to see the new baby!
 
Hiya. I'm relatively new here as well, but I gotta say 'thanks' for the link to the grow-up packs. Those look like they are more than worth it!



Bri
 
Yea, you obviously care a great deal about your snake. Its always good to see someone cares as much as me about my pets.
 
Thanks for the great replies! Very helpfull.
I think I will purchase my stuff tonight and get a therm/humity meter at a hardware store (digital one with a probe).

Hopefully soon I will find a snake on the net that I want. I was hoping to get an Okeetee or Blizzard.

Other than cccorns.com, where would you buy your corn?
 
I'm getting my first corn from cccorns.com in May. They are the nicest people I have ever dealt with! I have been emailing back and forth with all sorts of questions, and they have been very nice and answered them all. I'll be picking up my snake in May. They've made buying my first snake an enjoyable experience. I'll probably go back to them when I decide to buy another, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone. There are a lot of other reputable breeders online. Moreptiles.com was also very helpful and they seem very professional. Given that I'm about to buy my first corn, I haven't dealt with many breeders. But, like I said, there are a lot of great ones out there. Ultimately, I went with a breeder in the Midwest.
 
What ever snake you get it is going to be a happy one when it sees how you have prepared for it!!!

I agree with Tyger about Kathy Love's website www.cornutopia.com she has actually written the book on cornsnakes!!
 
I really enjoyed dealing with Don from Cornsnakes.net. My 1st corn from him will be arriving Wednesday! He has a nice site too with many morphs.
 
Isn't a 40 gallon viv a little big for a hatchling? I was told not 2 months ago that a 33 gallon will stress a hatchling out WAY too much and not to use more than a 10 gallon. ((I asked about a 33 gallon with LOTS of hides.. and was promptly told that that would kill my hatchling from stress... and I mean PROMPTLY told ~.~))
 
I dunno who told you that, but it isn't true. I've started nearly all my snakes in their adult size tanks, and none have shown signs of stress, and none are dead. If the snake has plenty of places to hide, it'll be ok.
 
I won't point any fingers hehe... good to know tho =) At some point I imagine I'll want to start one in a 33 gallon and not the old, cracked, 10 gallon hehe =)
 
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