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New corn

babbaloo99

babbaloo99

New member
Hello, my family is a new owner of a corn. I was hoping anyone might be able to advise on a couple of questions (BTW, your postings from other threads have really helped me as I have found much conflicting info on the internet, and we have ordered the manual via mail).

I was hoping someone could advise on a type/brand of thermometer for regulating the temp. Our snake, Yoshi, seems quite content in his viv, but we want to make sure it is regulated properly. I can't feel a temp difference in his viv, but he is active and regularly switches from the warm and cool sides of the tank.

Also, can anyone advise how thick the substrate should be on the bottom? We do have the UTH that sticks to the bottom of the glass and we have about half an inch of substrate, but when he moves around it sometimes exposes the bottom. He does occasionally burrow under the substrate (does this mean he is cold?) I've included some pics (if I can get it to attach correctly).

Lastly, can anyone advise when is a good time to switch to a larger viv? He is about 6 months old and is roughly 20 inches. Thanks for the advice.
 

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Question 1: Many peole here are using the indoor/outdoor ones with a temp probe that you can get at Home Depot and such. Put the temperature probe in the warm side, and the thermometer on the cool side. Sounds like your snake is already finding the comfortable spots for him.

Question 2: I put about an inch or so substrate on the bottom. If he's clearing a spot all the way to the glass, I would put in a little more. If your snake likes to burrow, I would put a cage carpet over the UTH so that he doesn't end up laying directly over the UTH and get burned. Mine doesn't burrow. I can't tell in the picture, but is that log a hide? If you don't have a place for them to hide in, they often will burrow to get out of sight.

Question 3: I just switched mine to a 20 gl. and she's about 26" long. I'm sure she would have done fine for even longer in the 10 she was in, but you know mom's and how they want their kids to have a nice house.....:) My other one will be in a 10 for a little longer because I don't have room for another 20 right now. I would go with a tank that is less high next time, and has more floor space for crawling around in though.
 
Thanks Meg for the help again. Yes, the log in the pic is a hide. I will definitely add more substrate then and pick up one of the indoor/outdoor devices. I think I will go ahead and add something along the bottom to prevent any burns (how would you know if your snake got burned? Would it be visible?)

I am definitely looking forward to getting him a longer viv next time around. For this time, we retrofitted a fish aquarium we had handy. I saw a pic of your viv and it inspired me to add a silk plant into mine (maybe I will add a live one like yours next time around too!) He seems to really like climbing around on the stick we have in there. Occasionally (like after he shed) he hid under his water dish for two days. I think as a mom, I am enjoying the snake even more than my boys! Believe it or not, my husband actually seems a little squeemish around the snake when I bring him out. Thanks for your wisdom :)
 
.to that last comment about my boys... I meant that I am enjoying the snake more than I thought I would, not that I am enjoying spending time with the snake more than with my boys...:D
 
I got you! I just got my new corn today. She's been christened Maya. She's an Aztec Okeetee I got from Stephen. She's awesome and already causing trouble!
 

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Congratulations to you both on your new corns!

Meg: guess what - I've got an aztec okeetee too! We thought along the same lines in naming - mine is called Inca. She was actually my first ever corn, and is now a proud mother!

Here are a couple of pictures of her when I first got her. She's quite a bit bigger now.

hand.jpg


hand2.jpg


Skye
 
Nice Skye!! I just love her pattern and colors. I think she'll turn out to be really beautiful. Poor thing decided to try to escape when I brought her home today and managed to get inside the mechanism for my chair at the computer. I had to take the whole thing apart and put my feeder box out so she would crawl into it. She's already causing an uproar. You should have heard me praying to the snake gods. Let her be o.k.!! Don't let her get squashed!!:bowdown:
 
well - you may not believe this but we also lost Inca in the computer chair mechanism, and had to take the entire thing apart shortly after we got her. I blame my husband for letting her "explore". Both she and the chair survived the incident.

It must be some gene that aztec okeetees carry,

Skye:)
 
Congratulations to you both! Those are beautiful snakes and the names are perfect! I have already started thinking about what kind of snake I would get for my second one, but for now, I am just making sure I am making a good home for our first one.

I just fed him and cleaned his viv. A friend of mine gave me one of those strip-like thermometers that stick to the wall of the viv and displays the temp like temperature strips used at a doctors office (any idea if those work OK?) I put it on until I can get to a home depot and get one of those indoor/outdoor ones you mentioned Meg. Since I just added new substrate, I think it will take a while to read appropriately. This might sound lame, but if a snake feels cold/cool to the touch is that bad (even if he is pretty active?)
 
Also, can anyone advise how thick the substrate should be on the bottom? We do have the UTH that sticks to the bottom of the glass and we have about half an inch of substrate, but when he moves around it sometimes exposes the bottom. He does occasionally burrow under the substrate (does this mean he is cold?)
Click to expand...

If you want a solution that's cheaper than cage carpet, you could tape paper towels down on the bottom of the viv. I did this, and so far it's worked great. My snake can't get to the glass, but the paper towels are thin enough to let all the heat from the UTH through.

I was hoping someone could advise on a type/brand of thermometer for regulating the temp.
Click to expand...

Well, DON'T get a Zoo Med Repti-Temp R. Despite being labeled (and priced) as a thermostat, it's actually a rheostat. It regulates the temperature okay, but I have to constantly adjust it. It's a pain in the butt. :p

This might sound lame, but if a snake feels cold/cool to the touch is that bad (even if he is pretty active?)
Click to expand...

That's normal. Anything that's lower than human body temp will feel cold when you touch it. Reptiles usually feel cool--if he actually felt warm to you, he'd probably be overheated.
 
I have the stick on ones in my viv, and although they aren't super sensitive, they seem to give me a decent reading. The paper towels sound like a great solution. I haven't checked to see if my new one burrows. Eeek, I better look! Another thing to worry about. C.S. doesn't burrow at all.
 
Thanks Rinpu. I picked up a thermostat today at Radio Shack and Rigged it in there. Looks like my temps are just fine. Now that I added more substrate per Meg's suggestion, my snake ate and is now nicely burrowed under all the chips. I did tape down some paper towels beneath the chips just in case so I won't have a toasted critter.
 
Sounds like it's under control. Personally, I think we worry too much. But....what else would I do with my time than worry that my snake is too hot, too cold, not hungry, hungry, how big a food, how much......I need a drink!!
 
babbaloo99 said:
I just fed him and cleaned his viv. A friend of mine gave me one of those strip-like thermometers that stick to the wall of the viv and displays the temp like temperature strips used at a doctors office (any idea if those work OK?) I put it on until I can get to a home depot and get one of those indoor/outdoor ones you mentioned Meg. Since I just added new substrate, I think it will take a while to read appropriately. This might sound lame, but if a snake feels cold/cool to the touch is that bad (even if he is pretty active?)
Click to expand...

The only problem with the stick-on kind is that they measure the temperature of the glass, not of the air. There are a few thermometers- the ones with the probe, or also these little round ones that stick out from the glass, that measure the air. But they're also more expensive. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to make sure that you're measuring the temp of the air and substrate, and not of the glass, just buy one of the stick-on thermometers but don't stick it on, put it on the "ground" in the tank. Or buy two, one for the hot and one for the cool side...seems to be working just fine for me!

dara
 
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