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Needs Everyone's Opinion..

T

TaraRose

New member
Hello all..my name is Tara. I am a vet assistant from Washington state, and right now I have two parrots and 4 cats :rolleyes: I LOOOVE animals, but snakes have always REALLY freaked me out. :sidestep: Well, when I was in school my teacher had two Corn Snakes and a Redtailed Boa that she used to bring in all the time, and they made me so uncomfortable that I wouldn't even sit on the same side of the room with them!! But just before I graduated she announced that she would be rehoming her snakes, and lately I have really been considering taking the two Corn Snakes. I went and visited with them today, and I have to admit that they kind of grew one me!! I'd like to know all of your opinions about these guys (I know you all may be a bit bias since this is a Corn Snake forum..heh), and what you think about them as beginner snakes. They seem pretty low maintenance and I would really like to get over my silly fear :rolleyes: So..be brutally honest!! I want to hear all the good and bad..


Looking forward to hearing from you all!!!
 
Corn snakes are fantastic!

Corn snakes are great beginners snakes. The are really low maintenance. An adult only requiring regular water changes. Temperature monitoring. Feeding once a week. Spot cleaning after each feeding and a complete cage clean about once a month. They are very mellow snakes and come around to handling with relative ease. Very unlikely to bite you, which might be good to know with your little phobia. I myself got my first just before Christmas and I absolutely love how docile he is and how easy to care for they are. My one concern is if you end up not over coming your fear you've then got 2 snakes that need devotion and care and someone who isn't keen to do it. So I suggest going to see the snakes a few more times, handling them a little if permitted and then making a decision. Corn snakes are relatively uncostly. i use aspen as bedding which cost like $10-20 for a year and order my frozen mice offline which cost me between $40-50 a year. And other than a vet check for internal parasites every now and then (6-12mths), thats about all your upkeep costs.

Is the tank and set up a part of the deal or will you need to purchase that stuff?
 
Their setup is included with the snakes. The only thing I would have to purchase is a rubbermaide or something similar to use as a feeding container for them, as I heard it is better to take them out of their home to feed them. They will probably need a bigger tank within the next year or so, though. Their names are Okeetee (I'll bet you can guess what color she is!) and Razor and they are about 3 feet long right now.

I am definitely going to go over there at least once more and handle the snakes again. The people who have them now are friends of mine, so they are very willing to help me out. Her husband even said he would come over and help me feed them the first time and if I ever needed any kind of pep talk or help with them I'm sure he would be more than willing.

I am most afraid of getting bitten, although they did seem very sweet. All of their kids are able to handle them, and they said they have never offered to bite anyone. I'm wondering, though, if anyone has any pics of what a snake looks like right before it is about to bite? I would be a lot more comfortable knowing a bit about their body language etc..
 
Hi again

Well its good that the set up is included. Im taking it the snakes are housed together, Ive heard bad things about that but if theyve been doing ok together for a long time i dnt see the need to seperate them personally. what size tank are they in?? sorry i cant help you with the body language thing ive never seen one strike. i hope thats some what comforting.
 
They have been together since they were born, and I think they said they are about two years old. They are in what looks like a 20 gallon right now. And yes, the fact that you have never seen one strike is quite comforting..you are the second person I have heard that from!! :)
 
the ONLY time i ever got bit by a corn is when it thought my finger was a mouse. before, when i was a beginner, nobody every told me not to hand feed them. so i always did and then when they were done they would think my hand to put them back into their home was another generous helping of mousy buffet.

my only real advice: use tongs or something to hold the mouse when you feed, and when they are done and the food is generally atleast 1/4 down their body grab away from their head, and away from the mouse so you dont push it out. in a second it will realize its you, but sometimes less than a second is all it takes for a little nip.

good luck, dont feel afraid to ask questions here :)
 
oh, when their head and, "neck" go into an S shape and coil backwards, thats usually the sign of intimidation and the easiest position to strike from. just fyi lol
 
Well the fact that snakes kind of freak you out makes me a little worried about weather you can handle having one. I don't know if you are a squeamish type of person all together or if its just snakes but there are some unpleasant things that go along with having a snake. Such as feeding it mice, and cutting the mice before you feed it to your snake. I think corn snakes are great, but I was never really afraid of them. Snakes do bite sometimes (not that is hurts all that much) and you should be ready to handle that and not ditch the snake the first time it flashes you a defiant eye;).
Also I really wouldn't say that corn snakes are "low maintenance" or any reptile for that matter. You have to worry about proper temperatures, feeding schedules, tank setup, etc. I'm not saying that its really hard to care for them, its just not super easy either. Sorry if this is kind of a rant but I really have a problem with people getting pets and then getting rid of them because they didn't realize how much work/patience went into their care. But basically my advice is to do a ton of research, even look specifically for the cons of snake ownership so you will know what problems you might have. Good luck, and if you end up getting the snakes, CONGRATS!! ;)
 
Well..lets not turn this into a rant about rehoming, because I am the queen! LOL I have an amazon right now that is 4 years old and I am her 5th home. She has SO many issues because no one did their research and basically got her as a 'trophy pet' (which p*sses me off!)..she plucks ALL of her feathers because she is so darn upset about being bounced around etc etc etc. She is just about the most high maintenance pet you could imagine..she bites (HARD..I have had several trips to the ER for sutures in the few sort months that I have had her), she screams and she is naked from the neck down! Point of the story being that I am determined and do not give up easily on animals. This is exactly why I am doing my research here..to make sure I am going to be able to give these beautiful snakes a loving forever home :)
 
hah when you said amazon i instantly thought amazon tree boa.

i was pretty confused because in this same thread you are trying to "get over your fear of snakes"

im not sure i would have the balls to keep one of those even though they are gorgeous.

see, thats how hooked youll get. a year ago i wouldnt touch a snake, now all i do online is look at pictures and read articles about snakes. its almost a plague. a plague of cool
 
Corns snakes are awesome pets. They are relatively easy to care for, provided you know what needs to be done, and you make it a routine that becomes regular. They do need to be handled for excercise, though. Please, Please, PLEASE make sure that this is something you are going to able to commit yourself to before you decide to take the snakes.

As far getting bit...I don't think you'll need stitches if it does happen. But FWIW...my hatchling has never even made an attempt at biting. She's never even struck out at me.

And here is a picture that I have posted several times on this forum, that just might help you overcome some of your fear:
this is my daughter and HER Sammi Snake ;)
 
Cornsnake bites are few and far between. When they do bite, it hurts less than a cat scratch, it's just the shock of how fast they can move that freaks you out. I don't like being bitten and as much as I know it doesn't really hurt, I still wear gloves to pull out a few of mine who think every time the lid opens there is food involved. Yes, I'm a weeny and I'm proud of it. :grin01:

Corns are the best first snake. I applaud you for facing your fear of snakes and that you are making the effort to learn about them. I think you would get over any hesitation of feeding or handling pretty fast. They're just too cool to keep your hands off of them. Good luck and let us know!
 
Well..I really think I have decided to bring them home. I'm thinking that my fear is based mostly on ignorance and lack of understanding for these guys. Like I said, I really love all animals and for the most part I don't allow myself to touch any animal that needs a home because once I touch it I can't help but to bring it home! LOL Well, with the snakes I thought it would be different, but after handling Razor last night I surprisingly got that same feeling of wanting to take them home! They still make me a little nervous (I don't like it when they go down my shirt, and Razor is definitely a 'boob man'! I guess it's just another warm place to sleep..LOL). I am going to ask the couple to let me watch them feed them once before I bring them home just to make sure the Cornsnakes aren't as crazy as their boa (they have a 5 foot red tailed boa who they fed yesterday, and he would hold the mouse up and the snake struck and grabbed it really violently! Kind of freaked me out :sidestep: )

ANYWAY..sorry about that ramble. I am excited and nervous at the same time, but the pic of your daughter makes me feel better. She is cute as pie and that snake sure seems to like her!!! :)
 
Hi Tara,

I'm glad you're giving the snakes a new home. I have a wild caught corn snake, that I got as an adult. In the almost two years I have had her, I have never even seen her get in a defensive S posture. She would _never_ bite.

When you watch the snakes feed, keep in mind that a snake that is an eager feeder is _good_! You won't later be posting questions about how to get your snake to eat!

Also please don't forget that letting a snake wander around in your clothing is a great way to lose it. They can be gone in a second.

Nanci
 
TaraRose wrote:
ANYWAY..sorry about that ramble. I am excited and nervous at the same time, but the pic of your daughter makes me feel better. She is cute as pie and that snake sure seems to like her!!!
Click to expand...

My daughter and her snake LOVE each other. It really is funny to watch them. I swear that our snake CRAVES human n=interaction. It always seems to come right out when we go to hold her, and she just enjoys "crawling" around on our hands. She always goes up to my daughter's face licking away, sniffing her out...

I know that alot of people will argue that snakes don't have the cognitive resources to literally crave human affection and interaction, and I agree. But I firmly believe that they can learn to enjoy their exercise and handling experiences, and some may anticipate these moments as much as they do feeding time... :shrugs:
 
Well you sound like you take car of your pets well. Ok no corn snakes probably arent the easiest of all pets to take care of but in the scheme of things theyre one of the easiest I have personally add. Having a good set up is the key to that however. Temperture regulation is the hardest thing. Making such that the warm side of the tank is always between 80-85 and the cool side is around 70. Living in washington means this will be a lil harder than the likes of all the ppl on here who live in florida and the such. I live in montana so I know. What does their tank set up come with? And I think you should maybe watch your friends feed them once and see if you can stomach it. All going well for handling and stomaching keep researching on here and different care sheets onling, its where I got all my info from and I feel pretty confident that im doing a good job.
 
I love my snakes, BUT

Snakes are very different than other pets. As far as being afraid of them, I admit to jumping every time one strikes at me. However, your cats and birds are much more likely to inflict real pain on you than your snake. Most of the times I've been bitten, it's felt like dragging a comb across my skin.

Two provisos...

1. Snakes are kinda boring compared to cats and birds. They hide and sleep most of the day. They do not seek attention, but will tolerate handling now and then.

2. Keep the cats away from the snakes and the snakes out of sight of the birds. Cats think snakes are the neatest toys ever and will torment a snake. Most birds are genetically programmed to be terrified of snakes. My Amazon becomes a drama queen at the sight of the garden hose.

That being said, older snakes are pretty forgiving pets. They need to be fed about every 7-10 days and have their enclosures cleaned once a month. The main husbandry requirements are keeping their temperatures within acceptable ranges. That's over simplifying it, of course, but I am fascinated by snake behavior and genetics and I think they deliver a lot of satisfaction for the little investment in time and money.

One final warning, and this one that virtually everyone on the forum will agree with, snakes are addictive. Once you get one or two, you're gonna want more. Welcome to our world!
 
Hehe..thanks for the warm welcome guys ;) Now what about keeping them in the same tank?? They said they are about 2 and they have lived together their whole lives. As far as they say Okeetee is a female and Razor is a male..will they have babies?

The tank setup comes with a 20 gallon long tank, an under the tank heater-pad thingy, a locking lid, two hidey rocks and a water dish. I guess Razor likes to get in there and soak, so I am thinking of getting a bigger dish for him because he looks too big for the one he has. Am I missing anything??
 
Cohabitation is generally frowned upon as it can lead to many problems including cannabilism. However, if they have spent their entire lives sharing an enclosure, I would think that unwanted pregnancy would be your largest concer.

A 20g long tank is the MINIMUM recommended tank size for a single snake. Personally, I would recommend at least purchasing one more 20g long tank and seperating them.

A probe thermostat or rheostat connected to your under tank heater(UTH) will greatly reduce the risk of your snakes getting burned, should they decide to burrow under the subastrate and lounge about on top of the UTH. As pretty and entertaining as they can be, they are not always the sharpest tools in the shed.

It is imperative that you have a "hot side" and a "cool side" in your vivarium so the the snake can thermoregulate it's body temperature. Also, have a nice, comfortable hide on both sides of the tank so that the snake need not choose between the security of the hide and the comfort of proper body temperature.

Most of your other care questions can be answered quite completely by following the link in my signature.
 
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