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First snake, I need help lol

Jenn

Jenn

New member
I was given a three year old snake (the tank and everything was free) but there is NO HEAT source at all and its just basically a hiding place, a deep but not wide water dish, and some newspaper. I'm 15 and my dad said i could only get the snake if he doesn't buy anything, well myonly source of money provides me with about $35 (american money) a week, and i don't get paid for a while. So, what sort of heat source should i get..i need something reliable but NOT expensive, and would a different substrate be better as well? :confused: :confused:
 
Congrats...

on your new snake. $35 bucks a week will be more than enough to set your snake up and keep it in good style. Actually, a mouse a week is about the most regular thing you'll have to get (max $1-2). If you are near a WalMart, you could get their aspen bedding for cheap and it works really well. Or, paper towels work fine as a substrate.

As for a heat source, if you have a glass tank, use an undertank heater mat that you can get at a pet store or one of the big chain stores for about $25. Depending on where you are in California (I live in SoCal), on a good warm day, I turn off the heat. In fact, summer time I usually keep the heat off the snakes unless someone turns on the air because my snakes are in an upstairs bedroom that stays really warm in the summer. If you don't have a glass tank, I'm not sure what sort of heat source is best... but others can help too.

Enjoy!
 
Another substrate choice that is even cheaper than Wal-Mart bedding is....

NEWSPAPER :)


What kind of enclosure is the snake in? That really affects the option that are available. A cheap alternative to a tank heater is a heating pad (the ones for humans) You can easily find one at a Walgreens, Eckerds or Wal-mart for under $15-17.

Best of luck!
 
Its just a glass tank, with a screen top. oh and this really bugs me about the tank, in order to keep the screen top attatched to the tank she put a little nail through a hole so the snake can't slide off the screen, it bugs me a lot that the pointy part of the nail is facing down. (the "she" i am referring to is the friend of mine's mother who gave me the snake and the tank etc) I have the newspaper in it, but i would really rather have another substrate not only to make it look more appealing but I just feel sorta bad because the previous owner neglected the snake...also I haven't picked it up out of fear it would bite me lol. if anyone has been bitten by a fairly large corn snake how much does it hurt? lol just wondering so I can prepare myself just in case!:(
 
Oh yeah, I forgot, I read on a post here that wearing gloves helps boost your confidence when first holding snakes (which I'm all for with mine) but I also read that the snake gets used to your smell..so wouldn't the glove affect that?:confused:
 
Gloves and heating pads...

Jenn, if wearing a glove makes you comforatable, go for it. The snake will still get to know your smell. Chances are, it will never bite you. There are some that are nippy, and almost all will go for anything that moves and smells like a mouse, so don't handle it after touching a mouse. Once you get used to reading it's body language, you'll feel more at ease and can ditch the gloves.

CAV... I, too, use human heating pads for some of my animals. I have used them for years (over 10) and have never had a problem. I find they work really well under the rubbermaids because they don't get too hot. I also like the fact that they are portable. But, I didn't want to say anything about them in the first post for fear of being flamed by the people against using them LOL!

Mare
 
So, do you put the heating pad outside and under the tank? what setting do you have it on? I have a heating pad at home and no one really uses it anyway so might as well put it some use..as long as there is no way of it hurting my snake..I'm fine with using it :)
 
heating pad

I put mine on the outside. I would check the pad VERY well before using it. The deal with mine is that they have all been purchased just for this reason and have always been taken really good care of. No kinked cords, never had anything really heavy on them, and I use them on the plastic containers. For all my glass tanks, I use under tank heat mats. So, for whatever it's worth, I think I'd break down and get one of those or a brand new heating pad than take a chance with one that's been used for people because people usually are a bit rough with them. Just my opinion, but it's not worth risking a fire to save money.

Oh, and as for settings... it depends on the time of year. In the winter, they are usually set to medium, as it gets warmer, I turn them down. They are also under only one side.
 
I too have a glass tank heated by a 7watt undertank heater and a 40watt blue overhead lamp. I`m lucky in that the room that i keep the snake in has a fairly constant temperature and so its easy to keep the snake`s temp just about right... 85degrees at the hot end during the day, 70 at night (witht he lamp off).
But then again, i guess Lincolnshire isnt half as hot as California!
 
 
CAV said:
Another substrate choice that is even cheaper than Wal-Mart bedding is....

NEWSPAPER :)


What kind of enclosure is the snake in? That really affects the option that are available. A cheap alternative to a tank heater is a heating pad (the ones for humans) You can easily find one at a Walgreens, Eckerds or Wal-mart for under $15-17.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Yo i own an petshop and DONT ZGO To WALMART THERE STUFF IS ****
 
The stuff Wal-Mart carries is usually of decent quality. If I listened to what pet shops told me to do and bought their stuff, my corn snakes would all be in glass aquariums with desert litter as substrate. On top of that, I would be using heat lamps as my only source of heat, providing an even drier environment. I would be feeding my iguana lettuce and using a Vita-Light, which provides little to no UVB. Sounds great.

Of course, there are a minority of pet shops that sell good products and give good advice. Who knows, Crevdog's may be one of them.

Hm, and a lot of people's room temperatures really would not be fine for a corn snake. My corns always seek out the warmer side of their tank (in the mid-80's) after a meal. I think that 68° F might be a tad too cool for them to be at constantly. For night time, when they are not digesting a meal, that temperature should probably be fine, though.
 
thank you all

thanks everyone, its great to get so many people's opinions on this stuff..for now i think i'mjust gonna sick with newspaper and use a heating pad. for those of you who asked its a glass viv with a screen top thanks!
 
tank

its about 2 1/2 feet by 1 foot..the snake is ROUGHLY 3 feet and a few inches..i have no idea what a snake is content with but as soon as i get enough money i want to buy it a bigger tank..my father thinks the tank and size of the snake is almost animal cruelty..and if its that bad i'll borrow money to buy a bigger tank. but the snake seems pretty content..s/he has a big enough hide box and has room to move around..but then again i know nothing..i was given this snake not even a full 2 days ago. so if this tank is way too small someone please let me know
 
i meant to say i was given the snake WITH the tank..i was given everything for free by a friend..lol don't want people getting the wrong idea about me
 
It's not animal cruelty as the recommended size for a tank is about two thirds the length of the snake with the depth being about half as long as the length. You'll need to step up to a 3'Lx1.5'D soon to give the snake a little extra room. If you get a viv with sliding glass/plastic doors, make sure you buy a lock or a plastic stopper to prevent snakey from escaping. You could get a tank that is a little bigger but provide more hiding places :D
 
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