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Hatchling Moving to a Larger Viv?

Y

yay4amy

New member
First of all Hello!

I'm new to this Forum & to owning a Corn, We've had nim for about 4 weeks now, so he should be 9-10 (poss 10-11) weeks old and hes 17.5 inches long! (which im not sure is aprrox the right length for his age)

Ive done so much research on corn snakes before and ever since getting him, and we have currently got him in a starter Viv, (roughly 15 x 7 x 9inches) (the yellow one on the top) We've bought him the new bigger viv underneath which is 23 x 15 x16.

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My question is, although i understand large spaces freak hatch-lings out and put them under unnecessary stress (which i would never want to do) He is very active and loves to burrow and climb, if i were to fill the Bigger viv with lots of hide, branchs, ledges and plants, as well as deeper substrate (aspen shavings) would this still cause stress?

(sorry about the essay! i've just put alot of research into this and i just want whats best for my corn!) & Also sorry about the GIANT picture! (im such a n00b!)

i also wanted to move him to this viv because he particularly doesn't like being picking up from above, i think the sliding doors offer a more pleasant start to handling

Thank you! :):rofl:
 
For starters, it always fills me with joy to see such good owners! You can tell that you haven't just went to petco and impulse bought, but researched~. The viv size that is perfect for these little guys is 20 gallons, but a tad bit over or under is fine. I would try to mimic the build of the past viv, same hide, branch ETC. He will be stressed no matter what, but in the end he should be happy. Also, snakes don't like being picked up in general, but once held will come to enjoy your company. So do your best to mimic his old home and let him settle in for about a week. Good luck! :)
 
Thanks for your help! :) We're not going to move him in until ive found the right log and vines, i want a nice interesting viv for him. hes going to be in corn heaven! I'll definitely try my best to mimic his current layout but his favorite places are the vines and burrowing in the substrate.

Also another question, viv artificial grass - good for snakes or not? thought it would be interesting to get him loads of different textures! :) x
 
Well, you would have be sure to wash it of course, but some corns like that! Also, once he settles in to his viv you can rearrange the area if you want ^^. Since he is a hatchling, he probobly won't get very stressed out, and it's always fun to watch the snake explore. Most likely though, he'll head to the nearest hide or burrow
 
hes shy until about 8pm, bob on and then hes wriggling around the place trying to escape and making tunnels all over the sub, only down side of the new viv is i wont able to see him under the aspen!

I was also wondering if 17.5 inches is too big for a 9-10 week old ? hes soo much bigger than his brothers and sisters that came from the same batch that are still in the reptile store, hes not fat, we feed him one pinky every 5-6 days but hes just shed and seems so long! Hes gonna be a big boy!

Thank u for your help!
 
You should try feeding once a week ^^, and it's not all that bad if he's larger than usual, perhaps you should feed a little less often. For new hatchlings its every four to five days but for his age it would be weekly. After a year feed him on the ten day mark ^^
 
With lot's of hides it should work. If you notice he goes off feeding than move him back but i personally didn't have any problems. Also those fake plants vines could be used as ground cover instead of hanging them up from the sides.

Corns love to burrow so i wouldn't use something he can't burrow in but it has been done with success, so it's more a personal choice.


Further, snakes don't like to be hold and will not enjoy it, they will allow you to handle them. That's why i treat my snake (and gecko) as fish, look but no touchy. But again it's a personal choice.

I don't know about cornssnakes in particular but most reptiles are creatures of habits so changing their environment to often is not a good idea, i just change mine when he needs bigger hides (or he gets a new 'toy') or when i have a problem with anything. But corns ARE beginner snakes so they can be forgiving for mistakes so i guess this also is a personal choice.

Welcome to the forum and ask anything you want, we are here to help (and look at cute pics xD )
 
Will do :) When would we start him on fuzzies or two pinkies, one doesnt leave a large bulge in him anymore? :)
 
Well, if you are in the store, bring your snake and ask to see the frozen mice. Compare his width to that of the fuzzy. If he is as thick, or thicker then it's time to feed fuzzies! If he's a little smaller, then try to go for two pinkies ^^
 
Also, I'd love to see some pictures of him :). Here's my 13 month girl. /http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j466/LYsnake/IMGP1070.jpg



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Sweet! thanks Again ^^ i kinda went off the topic! im thinking of making a a Fake rock interior for the back wall and make a shelf for him, like a ledge.

Pics will be up when its done! :)

x
 
Gorgeous! is she amel? i really want another corn! they are addictive! and if i was to get another it would be amel of blood :)!! ill get some up now :)
 
No problem! And there's nothing wrong with getting a bit off topic here, it's all related to your corn ^^. Well... perhaps I went off topic there lol. I made a chopstick ladder for my girl, I'm a bit of a recycler though ^^
 
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Your corn is gorgeous, is she amel? i really want an orange/ red Corn for my next one! they are addictive¬!!
 
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My boyfriend was holding him and i was getting a picture and before i knew it the cheeky git was flicking his tongue on the lens! this is the only pic in focus, i thought it was such a funny picture!
 
Right before I bump up my hatchlings this is what I look for. If there is no noticeable bulge from the pinky after they eat it, its time for a pink size bump. The petstore pinkies are pretty much the same size but pinkies do come in different sizes if you order in bulk (usually for those who have more than one or two snakes). I bump mine up to large pinks if I dont notice a bulge, or if I notice the bulge is gone in just one day. After the bump to large pinks I follow that same protocol, then start feeding two pinks a feeding. Once I notice less of a bulge or quick digestion of two pinks, I bump to small fuzzies. So on and so forth.

The size of your corn sounds right on track. I feed my hatchlings/yearlings every 5 days until they are on hoppers, then I feed them every 7 days. Once they are on adult mice I feed every 10 days. Once I have older snakes that are at their max size, I only feed every two weeks.

One bit of advice on that awesome viv. You could put your hatchling in there with no problems. But, you might never see him (or her), or maybe you will. My experience is in big tanks they tend to burrow and almost never appear. But it doesnt mean yours would do that. Also, aspen will get into the tracks of the sliding doors. So you cant really make it too deep otherwise it will make it hard to open the doors. Also, and very important. My experience with sliding doors is you have to be careful with hatchlings, because that tiny gap between the glass seems small, but they can still squeeze themselves through it. So put a stopper at the front of the glass to keep that from happening. Because even if they cant get out of it, they will try and could injure themselves.

Good luck!
 
Hey thanks for the info on the bump, he digests the pinky quite fast i can it go right along him and then it seems to have gone, hes moves around alot after feeding too, which i was concerned about but he might still be 'hunting' could we try one pinky and then another, will he still feed if hes not hungry?

For the viv door, we've bought a rubber wedge to look it shut, will that stop him getting stuck, he does like to wriggle up the glass in his current viv?

thanks for your help ^_^
 
They will always cruise around and look for more food, no matter how old they are. Its just an instinct that once they find a food source they look around to see if there are any more around. Eventually they calm down and find a nice place to digest. It doesnt mean they are still hungry, because at that point you could feed them 4 more pinks and they would eat them. Then they would probably regurge them and you have a whole other problem. It sounds like either the pinks you are feeding are too small (small to extra small pinks) or its just time for a bump. I would start feeding two pinks at this stage and do that for about a month or so before either bumping up to large pinks, if you can find some, or small fuzzies. Just be careful to not feed to large a food item, because then you risk a regurge. Hatchlings have a hard time recovering from a regurge.

One other tip is slitting. It helps the digestion of their food, especially when you bump them up a food size. Cut 3 little slits on the back of their mouse. Just the skin, be careful to not slit too deep otherwise its a big mess! It just helps them digest a little faster. It doesnt mean you can feed more often because then that would be over feeding, or power feeding. But definitely recommended when you bump up their food.
 
Thanks, ill see if my local reptile shop (where he came from) do larger pinkies, i can try him on one larger and see how he goes, then depending on him move up to two or keep on the larger pinkys for now, i want to get a range and compare it too his head size, they are only cheap ill get a couple and see whats best in comparison! Thank u for your help! :0)

( the rubber wedge, will that help with the sliding door and him getting stuck? )
 
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