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New, fairly anxious owner.

J

JDJake

New member
Hey guys, first and foremost I'd like to thank everyone that posts on these forums because all the information that I've read here has been super useful! I'm very grateful for that and I'm sure my corn snake Kellog is too.

I'm the type of owner that gets very, very anxious because I don't want to be unintentionally harming Kellog and I want him/her to be happy. I've got a few questions and if someone wouldn't mind answering, I'm aware that they're probably quite stupid questions but it really does help set my mind at ease!

I purchased a vivarium as part of a starter kit and was told this viv would be suitable for the entirety of my little corn snakes life, although I'm not sure how true that is. I was hoping that an experienced owner could tell me what I could/need to add in order to make my snake more comfortable!

http://up.artificialanimation.com/images/img_1626-1465552020.jpg

http://up.artificialanimation.com/images/img_1627-1465552059.jpg

Another question is, I had to handle Kellog today in order to move him into his eating tub. I did so because I had to lift his/her vivarium onto the temporary stand and didn't want to frighten the snake too much. He was fine with me handling him but he's been buried in substrate since. This was about half an hour ago, is this normal? I hope I haven't terrified him.

Thank you guys!
 
JDJake said:
I forgot to mention that I've had Kellog for a little under 24 hours.
Click to expand...

Welcome JDJake!

Nice pic of your terrarium there! It's awesome, btw. I would've gotten one with more ceiling height, but I'm sure it's more than fine. What are the dimensions?

Light is not important to a sneaky one and if they could speak, I'd bet they'd like almost total darkness. But where is Kellog? Didn't see the little bugger, but I also didn't look that closely. Your temp variance, substrate, and hides are important but it looks like you've got the latter two covered.

Since you just got him/her, patience is the key. Just let it rest and adjust. Usually, a few days is good.

So how old is Kellog? What does it look like (morph or color)? Does he or she have a good history of eating?

Looking forward to some pics of your little sneaky one!
 
axis1 said:
Welcome JDJake!

Nice pic of your terrarium there! It's awesome, btw. I would've gotten one with more ceiling height, but I'm sure it's more than fine. What are the dimensions?

Light is not important to a sneaky one and if they could speak, I'd bet they'd like almost total darkness. But where is Kellog? Didn't see the little bugger, but I also didn't look that closely. Your temp variance, substrate, and hides are important but it looks like you've got the latter two covered.

Since you just got him/her, patience is the key. Just let it rest and adjust. Usually, a few days is good.

So how old is Kellog? What does it look like (morph or color)? Does he or she have a good history of eating?

Looking forward to some pics of your little sneaky one!
Click to expand...


Yeah, I had heard that your viv should be at least a third of the snakes height so it seems fine for now. If it's a problem as Kellog grows, I'll be sure to upgrade to a slightly larger one in height. He's actually in the bottom left of one of my pictures hiding under some substrate! Very hard to see him though, he's a light orange Amel corn snake.

I'm not entirely sure how old he is, though his feeding history seemed good. He's eating fluffy mice and doesn't seem to have had any trouble feeding. His last feed was on the 31st of May so it would've been his 10th day without food when I bought him yesterday though you wouldn't know it, like I said, I handled him very briefly earlier and he didn't lunge for my fingers or anything. I imagine by the time it comes around to feeding Kellog, he'll be very hungry so here's hoping there'll be no trouble with that. I've been told to feed him one of these fluff mice a week, despite the fact he won't have eaten for 17 days when I feed him next, should I stick to this schedule?

As for temperature variance, I'm using a heatmat with a microclimate ministat 100 (though I've heard a few complaints about these) which turns itself on/off. The heated area remains at around 29-30C but normally goes down as low as 28 when the heater turns itself back on. I'm hoping the on/off won't bother the snake too much as my room is normally quite hot regardless.
 
JDJake said:
Yeah, I had heard that your viv should be at least a third of the snakes height so it seems fine for now. If it's a problem as Kellog grows, I'll be sure to upgrade to a slightly larger one in height. He's actually in the bottom left of one of my pictures hiding under some substrate! Very hard to see him though, he's a light orange Amel corn snake.

I'm not entirely sure how old he is, though his feeding history seemed good. He's eating fluffy mice and doesn't seem to have had any trouble feeding. His last feed was on the 31st of May so it would've been his 10th day without food when I bought him yesterday though you wouldn't know it, like I said, I handled him very briefly earlier and he didn't lunge for my fingers or anything. I imagine by the time it comes around to feeding Kellog, he'll be very hungry so here's hoping there'll be no trouble with that. I've been told to feed him one of these fluff mice a week, despite the fact he won't have eaten for 17 days when I feed him next, should I stick to this schedule?

As for temperature variance, I'm using a heatmat with a microclimate ministat 100 (though I've heard a few complaints about these) which turns itself on/off. The heated area remains at around 29-30C but normally goes down as low as 28 when the heater turns itself back on. I'm hoping the on/off won't bother the snake too much as my room is normally quite hot regardless.
Click to expand...

17 days is a relatively long time to go between feedings for a hatchling, though by your use of the term "fluffy" I would venture to guess that Kellogg is not a hatchling(?) However, it does seem kinda difficult to guess, so how old is he? And do you mean "fuzzy"?

It is easier to suggest what type of prey to feed your snake if its weight is known. For example, if your snake is 50 grams, a 5 gram fuzzy would be appropriate, as a snake should consume 10-13% of its body weight (weekly if it's a hatchling and bi-weekly if it's an adult). If you don't have a scale, a rodent should be 1 to 1.5 x the width or diameter of the snake at its widest part.

These are just kinda "rule of thumb" suggestions many on this forum go by, but the more precise of a weight you can get on Kellogg, the better the suggestions you will receive as responses from your fellow snake-lovers!

Talk soon!
 
BTW

You MAY be correct in delaying feeding your snake if it is due to its having a new home or environment. If that's the reason, then that's fine as it is better to wait than to risk a regurge!
 
axis1 said:
17 days is a relatively long time to go between feedings for a hatchling, though by your use of the term "fluffy" I would venture to guess that Kellogg is not a hatchling(?) However, it does seem kinda difficult to guess, so how old is he? And do you mean "fuzzy"?

It is easier to suggest what type of prey to feed your snake if its weight is known. For example, if your snake is 50 grams, a 5 gram fuzzy would be appropriate, as a snake should consume 10-13% of its body weight (weekly if it's a hatchling and bi-weekly if it's an adult). If you don't have a scale, a rodent should be 1 to 1.5 x the width or diameter of the snake at its widest part.

These are just kinda "rule of thumb" suggestions many on this forum go by, but the more precise of a weight you can get on Kellogg, the better the suggestions you will receive as responses from your fellow snake-lovers!

Talk soon!
Click to expand...

Hello, I've just been in touch with the pet shop and I've been reassured that he's around 10 months old. I believe that makes him a yearling, though I'm not entirely sure. Yeah, I did mean fuzzy mice, for whatever reason they're actually called fluffys here! I haven't had a chance to properly weigh or measure Kellog yet, as he's still very shy and getting used to his enclosure I wouldn't want to freak him out too much.

The reason I'm waiting a week in order to feed Kellog is, like you said, to avoid him regurgitating his food as he's in a new enclosure, though I plan on taking him out of said enclosure in order to feed him in a separate tub. With him being ten months, is 17 days still a very long time to go without food? Will he be OK?
 
Nerves are normal! We all had them at first. But it sounds like you've done some research and so far I think you're doing everything right, JDJake. So congratulations on your new friend, Kellog! :)
That viv looks like it should be fine, it sure is a nice one! Do you know the dimensions on it?
As far as feeding goes, a full week may not be necessary but you do want to give him time to figure out where his warm spot and water are, and to relax after the stress of moving to a new home. I would give him at least 3 or 4 days of absolutely no handling, and then try to feed. On the other hand, waiting 17 days won't hurt him, and he sure will be hungry after that! Just don't do it regularly.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Thanks very much for all the replies, it's definitely reassuring to hear that I'm doing the right things. I think that's part of the problem, I've read so much over the past few days from a lot of different sources, some of which contradict each other so it's knowing what's best for Kellog. I'm generally learning as I go along though and I'm enjoying every moment of it, so I have no complaints!

I'll update this topic with some pictures when I'm able to catch some, as well as Kellog's weight which I'll probably take right before his first feed!
 
JDJake said:
Hello, I've just been in touch with the pet shop and I've been reassured that he's around 10 months old. I believe that makes him a yearling, though I'm not entirely sure. Yeah, I did mean fuzzy mice, for whatever reason they're actually called fluffys here! I haven't had a chance to properly weigh or measure Kellog yet, as he's still very shy and getting used to his enclosure I wouldn't want to freak him out too much.

The reason I'm waiting a week in order to feed Kellog is, like you said, to avoid him regurgitating his food as he's in a new enclosure, though I plan on taking him out of said enclosure in order to feed him in a separate tub. With him being ten months, is 17 days still a very long time to go without food? Will he be OK?
Click to expand...

Fuzzy mice sound about right for a 10 month-old snake, but depending upon his size and weight, he may be ready for hoppers. Generally, a good rule of thumb is for a snake to consume 10% (or a little more) of its body weight weekly until it reaches adulthood.

But as Albertagirl points out, you seem to be doing everything right in this case, so Welcome to the forum again and hope to talk soon!
 
axis1 said:
Fuzzy mice sound about right for a 10 month-old snake, but depending upon his size and weight, he may be ready for hoppers. Generally, a good rule of thumb is for a snake to consume 10% (or a little more) of its body weight weekly until it reaches adulthood.

But as Albertagirl points out, you seem to be doing everything right in this case, so Welcome to the forum again and hope to talk soon!
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I'll definitely make sure to weigh him before I feed him for the first time and see what's best from there. The owner of the pet store said that he should be on fuzzys for another 18 weeks or so before moving onto small adult mice, not entirely sure how true that is but we'll wait and see!
 
That's OK but between fuzzies & small adult mice are what are known as "hoppers." Unless that's what he means by "small adult mice?"
 
Depending on the store's supplier, "small mice" could actually be hoppers. Arctic Mice "smalls" are at least, averaging about 10g, and those are at every PetSmart. Their "mediums" are closer to weanlings (~15g), and "larges" are more like small-to-medium adults (~20-25g).
 
Dragonling said:
Depending on the store's supplier, "small mice" could actually be hoppers. Arctic Mice "smalls" are at least, averaging about 10g, and those are at every PetSmart. Their "mediums" are closer to weanlings (~15g), and "larges" are more like small-to-medium adults (~20-25g).
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Oh man, it just gets more and more complicated! :eek: I'm so glad I found good feeder breeder in town!
 
I just always go by weight. Any good supplier should give an average weight regardless of what they call each size.
 
Dragonling said:
I just always go by weight. Any good supplier should give an average weight regardless of what they call each size.
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GREAT POINT!! I often find that I tend to complicate things which are often not that complicated and oftentimes, SIMPLE!

It sure helps people like ME to "KISS," otherwise known as: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!

:bang:

After all, some of us need practical advice! :eek1:
 
My cousin has just left. He's had numerous corn snakes and actually encouraged me to briefly handle Kellog (mainly so he was able to show me how to do it properly) and tomorrow I'm going to attempt to feed him.

For those of you that wanted pictures of Kellog, I managed to snap one whilst he was on my arm. He seemed calm, he was a little squirmy when I first got him out of his viv but after that he was fine and didn't lunge for me at all. I know most people would insist that I wait 7 days before handling Kellog, but I haven't really bothered him at all since I got him 3 days ago and the breeder that I bought him from actually encouraged me to handle him the following day after I bought him.

But here we are, I've also been told that it looks like he COULD be due to shed, sadly it doesn't really capture his size:

http://up.artificialanimation.com/images/img_1633-1465670173.jpg
 
Just had his first feed with me. I took him out of his vivarium and placed him in his feeding box, he ate a fuzzy mouse. He insisted on constricting it for a little while first which I thought was quite amusing before he gulped it down.
 
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