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New corn owner.

J

Jayneshere

New member
I was in the pet store getting some crickets for my gecko and pacaman frog and fell in love with an albino corn snake....
So he is now housed temporarily in my 5 gallon aquarium.
He is on mulch and moss. He has a hidey hole at the cool end of his home. At the other end he has a water bowl.
He was fed two pinkies on thursday, today is saturday. I was told he should be fed again on thursday. What do you think?
Also he is used to live food. How soon can I switch him to frozen? Do you think I should give him a few days to settle in, or handle him straight away?
 
wel..

well depends on the age of the snake
i have a baby corn and i feed it only once a week!!
give him dead/ frozne its safer!
dont handle him straight away give him a week to settle!
 
for safetys sake he should be switched to frozen as soon as possible. Try him and he may take to it easily or you may have to teach him
 
I recomend you read as many caresheets as possible and order The Corn Snake Manual by: Bill and Kathy Love--endless amounts of info

For safety reasons, he needs to be switched to frozen/thawed. If it is a hatchling/young corn- feed it once a week. As it nears adulthood, switch to one every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.

Does he have a heat pad? Don't forget it.

Give him a few days to settle in.... he probably won't eat right away even if offered.
 
heat pad

Thanks for all your replies.
A heat pad was mentioned here, I have a heat lamp with a 75watt dayglo bulb in for during the day and 50 watt night lamp for the nights. Would I still need a heat pad? I was told the lamp was ok.:confused:
 
The lamps should provide enough heat, but they can dry out the cage. Corns don't need tons of humidity, but they need some. Plus, the heat pads require less electricity, and you don't need to get a separate heater for night time. :) You can use the lights, though, just make sure you keep the humidity high enough.
 
Do you have a thermometer? A 75 watt bulb sounds like it would get too hot for a 5 gallon tank. I don't know how much lamps affect humidity, but in my experience, it hasn't been a whole lot. It was 5% less directly under the light than it was outside of the cage. Unless you live in a dry area, I don't think a light will lower it too low.
 
You really need to get a larger tank than 5 gallons to keep him in. A 20 gallon long would last your snake throughout its life. You are going to have trouble regulating the heat in such a small tank as well.


Peter
 
You will need your water bowl at the cool end as well otherwise it will evaporate too quickly.
 
larger tank

I am getting a larger tank next week. But as there seems to be some concern about regulating heat, I am off to get one today.
I have a piece of wood attached to a piece of slate that used to be in a salt water aquarium, would that be ok to place in the tank with HissyFit. (groan...kids idea for a name not mine!) I have washed it well and it has been sitting in my basement for well over a year now.
I was told to spray the tank twice daily, can't I instead place some water under the heat lamp and let that build up humidity?
I would also have one at the cooler end too.
 
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Just provide a water bowl big enough for the snake to coil in. There isn't really a need to mist/spray the tank daily except when your corn is about to shed. You will notice the colors starting to dull, the belly getting a bluish tint, and the eyes clouding during the week prior to shedding. Once the eyes cloud up your snake probably won't eat until the shed is complete. I just wait until the shed is done and have had no problems with them being very hungry afterwards. The piece of wood shouldn't be a problem, but I'd wait a while to allow your corn to adjust to its new home before adding anything like that.


I'd also suggest using an undertank heater instead of a heat lamp. It provides more of a variance in the hot and cold sides of the tank.


Peter
 
Not sure if anyone mentioned this

Sounds like you'll be a great new mom! I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this or if you knew or not. One end of the tank should NOT be heated. Your snake needs a warm area and a cool area in order to regulate her body temperature properly. Also, you mentioned you had her on moss. Paper towl (plain, no dye, no scent) might be easier for you for the first few weeks. It's easier to tell when the snake pooped (gross, I know, but it must be known!) or shed or whatnot. A corn should poop between 2 and 5 days after being fed. Any longer and she could be impacted. With a new snake it's good to monitor things like this for the first few weeks. After that you could switch to Aspen shavings (NO Pine or Cedar PLEASE!!). Other woods (pine, cedar) contain phenols that are harmful to the snake and could cause respiratory infections as well.
 
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