New corn owner with questions

[LBoz]

Hi! I just got my first corn last Friday and have a few questions. We've been considering this for over a year and have done a lot of reading, but now that we actually own one, I'm wondering if we made the right decision in purchasing this particular snake. S/He is approximately two years old from what I can tell by comparing photos to other snakes. When we got her, she had just fed that day. Probably not the best time to transport her to a new habitat, I know now. She was taken in to the LPS by a person who was moving out of town and coudn't take the snakes with him. My snake was housed with another corn of roughly the same size in a 20 long. So my questions are:

1. They said she might be stunted due to being housed with another snake. Is this something she can overcome, or will this lead to long-term issues that cannot be corrected?

2. She *looks* healthy, with a clean vent, nose, mouth and smooth scales with no signs of mites or other parasites, but should I have her checked out by a vet?

3. She's housed in a 20 long alone with eco-earth as a substrate. They told me she should be moved to be fed, but someone else told me I can lay a towel or newspaper down to feed her in her cage, as long as she can't ingest her substrate. I've not fed her yet and she's due to eat on Saturday. She eats two fuzzies per feeding every week to ten days. Is placing a towel under the fuzzy ok, or should I really feed her in a different place?

4. As I said, she ate on the day I purchased her, but I've yet to see any waste in her tank. Shouldn't she have defecated by this point? I'm wondering if she really did eat or if the other snake took the whole feeding.

Sorry for the newbie questions. I really want to do the best I can for him/her (doesn't matter what it is, but we're calling *him* Cornelius. No intentions of breeding him.)
Like I said, I did a lot of research about care and feeding, but being "book smart" on the issue is not quite the same as actually owning one. Thanks for any and all input!

 

[FunkyRes]

Hi! I just got my first corn last Friday

Congratulations! Welcome to the hobby.

1. They said she might be stunted due to being housed with another snake. Is this something she can overcome, or will this lead to long-term issues that cannot be corrected?

I've never heard of that before - as long as she was adequately fed, there shouldn't be a problem. It is generally best not to cohab though.

2. She *looks* healthy, with a clean vent, nose, mouth and smooth scales with no signs of mites or other parasites, but should I have her checked out by a vet?

Yes - have a fecal float done.

3. She's housed in a 20 long alone with eco-earth as a substrate. They told me she should be moved to be fed, but someone else told me I can lay a towel or newspaper down to feed her in her cage, as long as she can't ingest her substrate. I've not fed her yet and she's due to eat on Saturday. She eats two fuzzies per feeding every week to ten days. Is placing a towel under the fuzzy ok, or should I really feed her in a different place?

This was really a bigger problem when pine bark was the substrate of choice.
Eco-earth - is that coconut fiber? If so, it's really not dangerous at all. Generally it is better to have a feeding tub for them, but I feed some of my shy eaters in their own tubs, with aspen, and never have had a problem. Pine bark was really bad to do that with, as it really expands when wet (and is toxic) - in my opinion, it's really not that big of a deal in aspen. A tub is better though.

4. As I said, she ate on the day I purchased her, but I've yet to see any waste in her tank. Shouldn't she have defecated by this point? I'm wondering if she really did eat or if the other snake took the whole feeding.

No clue - how long it takes them to delicate varies. It's easier to see it with aspen bedding than in coconut fiber.

Sorry for the newbie questions. I really want to do the best I can for him/her (doesn't matter what it is, but we're calling *him* Cornelius. No intentions of breeding him.)
Like I said, I did a lot of research about care and feeding, but being "book smart" on the issue is not quite the same as actually owning one. Thanks for any and all input!

Heh - I just donated an amel motley to my nieces school - they named him Cornelius as well.

 

[FunkyRes]

how long it takes them to delicate varies.

should be

how long it takes them to defecate varies (darn spell checker ...)

 

[LBoz]

Thanks so much for your response! The eco-earth comes in a brick. You place it in water and it expands. We had it when we kept hermit crabs because it helps retain moisture, although it really dries out under the heat light. Once we move him into the 40 long, I'll use an UTH. I have fish in the tank now, so I need to rehome them into my 60 and clean it out for him.

That's cute that the school named your snake Cornelius, too. My kids love it, but my youngest has trouble saying it.

A fecal float...is this to check for internal parasites?

 

[ssmith_1187]

A fecal float...is this to check for internal parasites?

You are correct.

Best of luck!!!

Regards,
Steve

 

[dbouklias]

Okay I have to ask. What is a fecal float??

 

[clipclopclip]

Thanks so much for your response! The eco-earth comes in a brick. You place it in water and it expands. We had it when we kept hermit crabs because it helps retain moisture, although it really dries out under the heat light. Once we move him into the 40 long, I'll use an UTH. I have fish in the tank now, so I need to rehome them into my 60 and clean it out for him.

That's cute that the school named your snake Cornelius, too. My kids love it, but my youngest has trouble saying it.

A fecal float...is this to check for internal parasites?

Yes, a fecal float is to look for parasites. You have a vet do it. Also, if you are worried about when/if he may be defecating, put him on paper towels for a awhile instead of the eco earth. You don't want a damp substrate to begin with(scale rot..not sure if your stuff is dry once you put him in), and also putting paper towels in the bottom of the tank allows you to more accurately track when/if he has pooped and what the consistency was like.

When you give him a UTH, remember to always regulate it with a rheostat (dimmer) or a thermostat (even better!). UTHs can get extremely hot, even if they SAY they are self-regulating. You'll want a probed digital thermometer to place directly over the UTH to check temps.

Lastly, welcome to the site and I hope that you will have a great time with your new pet!

 

[LBoz]

Thank you, Rachel!

I'm confused now. How do you guys keep the humidity up if the substrate isn't damp? I don't keep it wet, but I mist it along with the driftwood and silk plants. Is this inaccurate? The last thing I want is to cause problems with him due to my ignorance.

I will call and make an appointment to have him checked out this week.

 

[Snake Dave]

Welcome to the forums

You don't need to mist in your Corn's tank unless he's in shed. If the humidity in your house is between 40 and 50% (their preferred range), then their shouldn't be any problems and you can just mist when he's in blue. If you live in a dry area and your humidity is really low, then you could mist once a day to keep it at around that level, but honestly, it's not too big of a deal unless they're in shed.

The substrate should never be wet, not even when they're in shed. It should feel damp to the touch, and as it dries, the humidity will be slowly released (especially with eco-earth). Misting the plants is fine too, but the substrate will allow for prolonged periods of higher humidity, but as I've said before, this isn't necessary apart from when they're in shed.

Long periods of high humidity can act as a catalyst for a URI (upper respiratory infection), and other things such as scale rot.

All the best

David

 

[bitsy]

I'd advise keeping them on completely dry substrate and providing a humid hide when they go blue, if that's a concern for you.

As stated above, permanently damp substrate is an invitation to scale rot, as well as a respiratory illness. Both can be difficult to clear up, so prevention is way better than cure.

 

[susang]

Hi and Welcome ditto with above, just oe more thing a two year old snake should be eating more then two fuzzies once a week. I would gradually move the snake up in food size. Saying that pictures would be nice, if it is stunted, or small.

 

[LBoz]

Really. Ok, I can do that. Let me post some photos so you can see him and let me know what you think. Right now I'm thinking I may have been better off with a hatchling, as I'm feeling a bit over my head. Thanks so much for all the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[diamondlil]

What a beautiful snake! The advantage of starting with an older snake is that it's past the delicate hatchling stage and should be an established feeder. Congrats on a lovely pick-up and for giving it a new home

 

[LBoz]

Thank you, Janine! Unfortunately, I don't really know much about him. Susang above said he should possibly be eating more than what the store was feeding him, which is two fuzzies every week to ten days. Does that seem like enough for a snake his size? I'm only guesstimating that he's two based on other photos, but I really have no way of knowing for sure. I don't want to starve the poor creature. Any thoughts?

 

[Snake Dave]

By looking at those pictures, I'd say he's ready for a larger prey item. My Corn's about the same size as yours (but he's a year old), and he's on adult mice (between 20 and 30g). However, don't go straight to adult mice, it might be a bit of a shock to the system. You could try him on a weanling first for a couple of feedings to let his stomach become accustomed to the larger size, and then move on to adult mice.

A good rule to go by is the 1.5x girth rule. A prey item should be roughly 1.5x the girth of the snake at its widest point. If it doesn't leave a noticeable bump then you know it's time to move up a size.

 

[FunkyRes]

That snake is definitely ready for adult mice.

 

[FunkyRes]

Just for size reference - here is an '07 Okeetee just over two feet long with two weanlings in her (weanlings are bigger than hopper but not yet adult)

 

[LBoz]

Excellent! So one more dumb question....I have four fuzzies that I purchased when I got him. Can I give these to him, say, give him three at his next feeding? I just hate to waste the cash if I don't have to. I have 14 fish tanks running as well, and it adds up. What do you think?

You guys rock, here. Thanks sooo much for all the comments!

 

[NFS07]

You can give two at each feeding. Three is to much for him to handle and you don't want to risk him throwing it ack up for you. So be safe and give him two fuzzies for two feedings then start giving him adults. Congrats on the new snake!!

 

[LBoz]

Cool, thanks, Nicole! You know what REALLY amazes me? How many women are on this board into snakes! My husband thought I was insane when I told him I wanted this guy. He'd never even held a snake before, much less had one as a pet. I'm the one that breeds all the fish and brings home the stray animals.
I had snakes as a kid, but they were wild caught, and we never kept them for long. Mostly black snakes that we'd found in the wood piles and once a copper head that was lying in the driveway. We'd toss them into a tank and when we found that they wouldn't eat in captivity, we'd let them go. I don't live in the country anymore, but I think snakes are great pets for kids when they're young, so they don't grow up to be afaid of them...you know...like some husbands!