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Few newbie questions

L

Limejoker224

New member
I was looking to get my first snake hopefully in the next couple months. Doing some research before i get started. I did some skimming through the forums to try to answer some of my questions but i could not find all of them.

1. Prices. I understand snakes require a unique type of care. I was wondering how much does the avg person spend per month on snake care. Not including food. Bedding, cleaning products, temp/humidity control, etc. things are the bigger things i was worried about.
2. Training. I know every animal has a chance to bit and with patience I'm sure i can tame it. I was wondering how timid are corn snakes compared to others.
3. Smell. Alot of people say that even with proper cleaning snakes tend to give a smell. I wasn't sure since they dont like like dirty animals.
 
1) The only thing I buy are mice and bedding. I have upgraded their tanks, and spent money on the vet, but other than that no. Maybe a nice hide or a few fake flowers from the dollar store every now and then.

2) You can't train them, Corns are pretty friendly compared to other snaked but it's still down to individuals. One of mine hides ALL the time, the other is outgoing and could care less about hiding. Pick a snake that seems less freaked out than the others, or ask the breeder which one is the most "outgoing". But at least get one that's alert (and from a source you trust) because you don't want to take home a sick one.

3) No smell. I don't even smell their poo unless I stick my nose over their tanks (Aspen absorbs nicely). Unless you're not cleaning enough, they don't stink. Spot clean when you see poo, change the substrate every 2 months or so. My roommate didn't know what he was signing up for when he said I could have however many animals I wanted because "If I can't smell it, I don't care", haha. That being said, I have been to people's places (two different people) where you could smell 'reptile'. It was gross, and it had more to do with them not taking proper care of their animals than anything.
 
Besides the initial setup and the general maintenance (food and bedding) the only other cost I can think of is the electric usage for the UTH. My bill went up $1.75 a month when I got my corn. Unless you have to visit the vet there shouldn't be any other fees...
 
i've kept alot of odds and ends from puffer fishes to dogs and imo snakes are by far easiest, cheapest and cleanest to take care of, so in terms of price and smell there really isn't much/none to maintain
 
I was really wondering about the smell, too. When I mentioned my desire to get a snake, my mother couldn't say enough about how smelly they are, and how it would stink up my place! I'm glad to hear that that was probably due to someone's maintenance (or lack their of) of their pet and not because snakes smell bad. Thanks from me as well!
 
My little guy who is on paper towels, his poo smells a little, but you have to get right above his tank. My other guy is on aspen, and I never smell it. So if you're concerned about smell, I'd definitely go with aspen.
 
I was more worried about the prices than smells but it is good to know they don't smell bad.
I was thinking about building my own living place. It doesn't seem that hard and would be alot cheaper to make ( i think).

Should i bother spending money on the digital readers and timers and such ?

and

Should i really build my own tank or get my own pre-made. I was thinking of making it from wood and have one side be acrylic.
 
Adults poop is stronger smelling (probably due to sheer volume) but all that is to me is a "clean my bin" alarm. Once cleaned, there's no smell. The animal itself doesn't smell at all. Okay, I'm sure it does have a scent, just not one I can detect. :)
 
MerlinsPop said:
Adults poop is stronger smelling (probably due to sheer volume) but all that is to me is a "clean my bin" alarm. Once cleaned, there's no smell. The animal itself doesn't smell at all. Okay, I'm sure it does have a scent, just not one I can detect. :)
Click to expand...

You can't really ask for less smell then that, even dogs and cats fart now and then. :sidestep:
 
Limejoker224 said:
I was more worried about the prices than smells but it is good to know they don't smell bad.
I was thinking about building my own living place. It doesn't seem that hard and would be alot cheaper to make ( i think).

Should i bother spending money on the digital readers and timers and such ?

and

Should i really build my own tank or get my own pre-made. I was thinking of making it from wood and have one side be acrylic.
Click to expand...


Building is more expensive than finding a used aquarium on craiglslit (or whatever buy&sell you use). If you want too, go ahead! They're too much work for me, I just paid someone to build a couple for me, haha. There are many DIY threads around here, so do some searching and lurking if you want to go that route.

It's important to know your temps. I have a digital thermometer with a probe, they are called 'indoor/outdoor thermometers and usually used to measure the temperature inside your house and slip the probe through a window to get the out sided temp. Just put the probe on the warm area, and you can monitor ambient temp and heating pad temp. mine was $15 at walmart. I use a rehostat (table top lamp dimmer, $10) to control the heating pad, I don't use timers or thermostats. Just make sure you know the temperatures and that they're right, how you do it is a matter of preference.
 
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