New here and newb with reptiles

[Dinah]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself, and give a little bit of insight into our plans for what is no doubt going to be quite an adventure. We have been planning and reading up for just under a year now so that hopefully we will be ready in the next couple of months to get a corn snake. I have never owned a reptile before and that is why I am here. No matter how much reading and planning and learning, practical application can still be tricky.

There are several reasons that my family would like to get a corn snake but the reason that started it all is because my daughter at about the age of 4 started asking for one. Now the rule of the house is that you cannot get a pet until you are 7 so she has waited all of these years and is still very interested in getting a corn snake. Her interest has never decreased, when we go to the zoo the first place she wants to see is the Herpetarium, and that is also the last place she wants to see before we leave. Together we have read a lot about corn snakes specifically and about reptiles more generally and she is consistently fascinated by the subject. She is very well informed about the needs of a snake (And I am even more informed as I think I have read hundreds of sites and several books). She understands that snakes eat mice (we plan to hopefully feed frozen then thawed out) and I have had her watch several videos online of snakes eating just to make sure that she isn't squeamish about it. We have even talked about what she would say to her friends if they were sad about her snake eating mice and she says she would say "Well that is how nature is and it would be even sadder to not let the snake eat or to feed it something that will make it sick." She has saved up and bought just about everything she needs, the last couple of things will be coming as Christmas presents. I wonder how many kids have listed substrate and a humidity gauge on their Christmas lists.

Anyways we have worked really hard to prepare and we hope to finish our preparations over the next month and hopefully be ready for our little guy or girl come January. Our plan is to set the tank up a week or so ahead of time to make sure we are doing it right, and then hopefully fate will smile on us and there will be a perfect snake for us at Repticon when it is in Orlando at the beginning of the year. But if not there are a few snake breeders online that I have looked into as well one of which I know for sure is in FL. I am a little bit worried that when I tell the breeder that we are novices and have kids they might laugh at me and ban us from having a snake :dunce:. I am sure that many people say this when it is not true, but my kids are very gentle and mild mannered and my husband and I totally understand that ultimately the buck stops with us. I am hoping that by posting here ya'll can help me out a little bit especially at first, and please feel free to let me know if you notice us doing anything bone headed. Like I said before sometimes learning is the easy part and it's the implementation that can be tricky. Plus we are new to reptiles, so I am sure we can use all the advice we can get.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!
Dinah

 

[Hallie]

Welcome Dinah!! It is so nice to see new people that have done tons of research and are entering into the corn world very well prepared!

 

[jlindp]

Firstly, welcome to the forums! If you need help or advice, you've certainly come to the right place! As far as I can tell, it sounds like you and your family are more than ready for a new snake. It's nice to see that you've put all this research behind your decision, as well as having everything in advance before actually getting a snake. It makes things much easier, believe me! :} As far as getting a corn snake for kids, it's probably one of the best species to get. Corns are very gentle and pretty easy keepers, though they are a little more active than ball pythons!

I'm sure you will find just what you're looking for, as you've been so patient. Let us know when you finally get him/her and make sure to post plenty of pictures! :}

 

[Dinah]

Well before I left the professional world to be a Mom, I was an accountant (read OCD) so I don't do anything without really trying to be prepared. My motto has always been "Life takes preparation." It works out very well when we go camping, I have the most well stocked and organized camp site EVER. People who know me well enough start rolling their eyes when I start talking about being prepared, I'm sure they think I am a broken record. Also part of the reason that kids have to be at least 7 to have a pet at our house is because I do want the experience to be one that they can learn from and I cannot properly guide the learning process if I don't know what I am doing. That being said no matter how much I have read, I have never done this before so I still feel like I don't know what I am doing. That's the main reason I am here, the advice of people who do this already especially once we get him/her, because then there is a living thing depending on my competence which may create some panic for me. We have a digital camera so pics will definitely get posted once we have something to take pictures of.

 

[Rich in KY]

Hi Dinah :wavey: Welcome to the forum!!

It is a great place to learn. With lots of friendly people. It is also a great place to share you experiences and questions.

 

[ArpeggioAngel]

You definately picked the right place for info/questions/support. This is a great community with lots of experienced keepers!

Where in Florida are you located? There are quite a few of us on here in Florida that get together periodically to attend reptiles shows, visit the Serpentarium in St Cloud and other GTG's.

Repticon can be a good show, but the Gila shows in Tampa are usually much better. And you are right, there are a few breeders here in Florida that you could always contact directly (myself included -shameless plug!). Just make sure if you do decide to purchase a snake at a show to ask the breeder some questions....are they eating? Frozed/thawed or live? Do they shed without issue? Any health issues (regurges for example)? Genetics of the parents if you are interested in that aspect at all. I find that most of the vendors at the shows are pretty good and honest people, but there are some that are a little unscrupulous and are just out to make a buck.

 

[Asbit]

Welcome glad to have you...there is a thread created for new members that may help you out with the language around here...it is called Common Terms and can be found in three different areas(I'll just give you the first word in each forum area) under Husbandry, Cultivars and Miscellaneous.

Can't wait to see some pics of your corn when you get it, after it has had time to settle in that is!:spinner:

 

[Dinah]

We are about an hour NE of Orlando, and that was one of the reasons we where thinking about going to Repticon (distance), although after all of the planning we have done, there is no way I would get a snake until it was the exact right snake for us, so I have told my kids that we can start looking then, but that it doesn't mean we will necessarily get a snake there. I have a couple of other shows on our Calendar as well, even if we find our snake at Repticon or a breeder, new tank toys/accessories will always be fun to shop for. Also there are several very good reasons to get a snake from someone who is at least local to Centralish FL or even south FL becasue we have family down there. The thought with that is that then we have someone at least somewhat locally that has an interest in our snake doing good (read safety net). We are spending this next month or so figuring out exactly how we want to proceed in acquiring him/her. I have compiled a list of criteria and things to look for so that way when it is time to buy him/her I will have a cheat sheet and wont have to remember it all :dunce:. Most of the list is based on the health info/what to look for that I have read in books including the feeding/shedding questions. To be honest I have not researched the genetics aspects as throughly as I have the other aspects of getting our snake and that is because we are not going to be making baby snakes (LOL that is the tired Mom in me speaking). Are there any genetics question to ask regarding health issues though because that would be good to know.

Also I googled the Serpentarium, I didn't even know about it, but now that I do I can assure you my daughter is very grateful to you. I have been teaching them how to identify all 4 types of venomous snakes potentially found in our area, as well as the copperhead and the timber (the other 2 in FL) just in case one strays away from their traditional range. So it sounds to me like a field trip is in order for the girls. Thanks for the tip!

 

[wstphal]

Dinah,
Welcome to the next family addiction! You are lucky, there are several breeders on this forum who are in FL so would be pretty easy to pick out a snake & go to them or meet them if the expo thing doesn't work out to find the right snake.

Great that you are doing your research in advance. Your snake(s) will thank you.

Do your girls have any opinion about color morphs? I would have so wanted a lavendar when I was a kid -- my favorite color was purple.

 

[ArpeggioAngel]

The Serpentarium is great. They do a live milking demonstration as well. And usually beforehand he will bring out a non-venomous snake for everyone to handle - if you are lucky it will be one of the eastern indigos! It isn't a big place, and they only take cash to get in, but has a great display of various venomous snakes from around the world. If you do a search here you can probably find pics from some of our visits out there.
We also recently found that the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford has a great reptile display, but I imagine that is the Zoo you mentioned previously?

My roommate and I both raise and breed cornsnakes. We are currently in Seminole (near Clearwater) but will be moving north towards Hudson/Spring Hill soon. Kathy Love is down south further and she is one of the nicest people you could possibly hope to meet and of course her snakes are always outstanding.

In regards to genetics/health issues....there is some speculation that things such as picky feeders, kinks and such could be passed along if one or more of the parents had these traits. I know most breeders do try to avoid breeding any adults that have these kind of issues, but again, not everyone is as scrupulous.


Edit to add - found some of the photo threads from our trips to the Serpentarium:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68294&highlight=serpentarium

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67459&highlight=serpentarium

We have also gone together to Gator Land and the St Augustine Gator Farm:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67459&highlight=serpentarium

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85822&highlight=gator+farm

 

[Dinah]

I read Kathy's book and considered her first (I figured go with the pro) except sadly she is about 5 hours from me which is quite a drive although I am still considering her because I have family south of her and can always plan to see her on the way home from a trip down there. Seminole is about 2 hours away from me so it is not that bad. I do also know that shipping is an option sometimes but with this all being new to me I would really prefer to see in person to decide and to get last minute helpful tips.

We do have a wish list (loosely in order of importance), so if you or anyone else here knows the perfect snake let me know. Of course we wont be ready until January so no rush.

Obviously we want a healthy snake (we are beginners and don't want to make things hard on ourselves).

We want a snake that eats F/T (happily), I am going to order the mice a week before we start the search for our snake so that I have them in the freezer and ready before he/she arrives, even if I get a snake that is slightly bigger than I expect I can always feed several small foods at a time until I arrange for bigger food. I understand that things can happen and a once good feeder could decide to become difficult, but at least a snake who has already had that type of food would be a good starting point.

We want the snake we pick to be laid back. I know most corn snakes are but I do not want to end up with the feisty one, so laid back is a trait I definitely want to ask for. I am hoping to find someone or someplace that has a feel for their snakes and would say well these ones are the relaxed ones and these are the feistier ones. That way I can get hooked up with a laid back one.

Youngish we are not at all attached to getting a baby (although we are not necessarily opposed either) we would be perfectly happy with a juvenile. But we would still like to be able see him/her grow up some.

And yes possible a Lavender, my daughter really likes most of the color morphs as well as the normals, but there is something so sweet about the lavenders (although color like gender is last on the list b/c it isn't a huge issue for us).

I will be sure to post when we go to the Serpentarium, it may be after the holidays though.

 

[ArpeggioAngel]

Kathy does attend some of the shows and she is more than happy to let people handle the snakes to find the right one for them. If you PM her on here or send her an email in advance what you are looking for she may be able to bring some specifically for you to look at. Joe and I have not started vending at shows yet, but hopefully next year!

The personality on individual snakes can vary greatly. Some that are handled frequently are very calm, even some that are not handled frequently have a very good, laid back disposition. I try to handle my hatchlings a lot so that they are used to it, but not every breeder has that kind of time. We are only small breeders thus far compared to people like Kathy who produce many more babies per year than we do. Although I have to say that all the snakes from Kathy I have had have always been easy to handle and work with.

If you ever do want to make a trip out here we would be more than happy to spend time helping you find the right one, or just chit chat and share general info. I know right now all I have left from this years hatchlings are some miami phase (line bred normals) and one little hypo lavender girl. I am not even sure what Joe has left at the moment!

You will start to see a bigger selection available early/mid spring next year as the new babies start hatching.

 

[starsevol]

Hi Dinah!
Welcome to the forum! You are about to embark on a wonderful but addictive lifestyle. Corngrats!!
You might want to consider a yearling over a new hatchling, as yearlings are a bit more established and bomb proof than the little ones.
Also, most breeders will all they can to fill your needs as far as temperment, but keep in mind that most babies are a little bit "flighty and bitey". They just think everyone out there is going to eat them!

I am up to 35 corns now (as well as 6 rosy boas, a florida king and a 15 year old blue tongue skink).
One of my corns is named Syko, and he came out of the egg as mean as a hatchling can be. He would actually strike the side of his cage if I walked by, trying to get at me! I rarely handled him, and when I did I used "wussy gloves". Sometime after he turned a year old, he became as sweet as pie, even without being handled all that much. He is 3 now, and a total sweetheart. So maybe an older snake is what you are looking for....

 

[Nanci]

I think a yearling or two year old snake would be a good choice for a young child. Not so flighty, not so fragile, and easy to handle. Good luck in your search!

 

[Dinah]

I am not super worried in terms of temperament...I just don't want to end up with the problem child or the exceptionally difficult snake. I dated a guy in high school many years ago now (to many to mention), and for whatever reason his snake disliked me or perhaps considered me tasty, but long story short I have been bitten before (I don't remember what type of snake he had but it was not a corn snake), so it isn't like if one grabs me I am going to hold it against him/her, but I just figure I already have my work cut out for me being a new owner I don't want to make my life especially difficult by getting a snake that is known to be difficult.

In terms of age a yearling is something we would definitely consider as would a snake that is 1 - 2 or so, not because of babies being bitey but because an older snake is just not as fragile and again being new I am nervous that I might mess up. Although we don't want to go to old as we would like to witness some growing up.

I will probably feel better once we get the tank set up and I can see that we are able to maintain the right environment. I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch so as far as I am concerned until I see that our tank works right for a week or two, there is still a chance that I will be terrible and completely unqualified.

 

[Asbit]

Dinah....relax you will do great...you have read lots and that will take far...but what will take you the farthest is the fact that you care about the snake and you do not even have it yet.....definitely gonna do just fine. Like I said earlier can't wait to see those pics after it has settled in.

 

[Dinah]

I just wanted to thank everyone for such a warm welcome. I am very excited about being part of this forum and having ya'll around for advice.

 

[starsevol]

I am excited about you joining too!

I LOVE new keepers who do their homework and want what's best for their new baby