New owner looking for feeding tips!

[sassysnake]

Hi, i just got my first corn about 4 months ago, and i have found this site extremely helpful for learning how to raise her properly (thank you everyone!) but I am still a lil unclear as to age vs size vs meal size. My baby is 6 months old exactly, about 1 1/2 feet long (approx, I'll get measurements) and is still not a thick as my middle finger (VERY small fingers). Is this the right size for her age? And should she be on pinkies still? or move up to fuzzies? I took some advice and thought that she should, but the mouse was at LEAST 1 1/2 time her girth, and someone here said that was too big, and I just fed her a couple days ago, so now I'm worried. She ate it fine, and pretty quick (not much difference from her regular pinkies) but still.........is this ok? And is she too big for her age? Approx how long does it take them to get full grown??? And what is this about them being in TOO big a aquarium? Cuz she is in an 120 gallon, and I thought i was being nice!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!

 

[madamwlf]

She should be fine. That's about the right size prey item for her. The rule is she can take it up to 1.5 the size of her girth. It amazes me watching my yearling corn who isn't very thick to swallow down a fuzzy but she does it with easy. And is back within a week looking for more. Each snake is different on how fast they grow. So there is no way of knowing how long it will take her to reach adulthood. Wow, 120 gallon. She should be set then for a long time. I'm sure some more experienced folks will pipe up later on and give you more advice.

 

[Azruial]

There is a new 'fad' in reptilian care that experts like to call "stress."
It's been known for about a decade, with different people having their own opinions.
The bottom line is that, according to reasearch, keeping your snake calm and 'stress-free' can prolong it's life. There have been some heated discussions on here but I think MOST 'experts' agree that stress has some degree of effect on the life span. With a big viv, the worry is that the snake will get too stressed and live for a slightly shorter amount of time.
To reduce stress, just make sure that there are tons of hides that are fairly small places ALL OVER the viv.
Good luck, sorry if I am hard to understand, I'm sure there will be more to follow

 

[sassysnake]

Thanks!

to the two of you who responed so quickly! Ifeel alot better about the feeding thing, and I think I'm going to be careful to chose the smallest fuzzies for the next few meals. Her home could definatly use some more hides, I'll get right on that, but for the whole stress thing, should I move her down to a smaller "viv" (this is the term for there home, correct?) cuz I have a 20 gallon, but I thought that was just so small! Yes, I know she's insanly spoilt, but she's my first and only, and I tend to pamper her more then she should be prob! Any advice? She has a couple of ledges in the 120 gallon too, is that WAY toi much for a lil snake?

 

[JTGoff69]

WOW!!! 120 Gallon??? She must feel like she's on the earth all by herself! I'm no expert, but I would think that would be a little on the big side for a viv for a 6 month old cornsnake and even an adult. Others will give you more guidance, but I would definitely make sure she has ALOT of hides everywhere or she may never make it to the other side to get warm or cool. Maybe put the UTH in the middle?? I still would be leary.......anyone else????

 

[flatrock]

I've only had my first corn snake for about 4 months, and he escaped and is hiding somewhere in my condo.

Before he escaped, I kept him in a 75 gallon aquarium with lots of hides, vines, and a reptile hammock. He had several places he liked to hide, and would always run off to a hide after eating or being handled. However, when left alone in his aquarium, he liked to hang out in the hammock in plan site.

My guess is that each snake is different. If your snake isn't eating well, he's probably stressed. If he seems comfortable in his 120 gallon neighborhood then that might be how he's happiest.

However, I bet there's people with much more experience than I have that can give you better suggestions.

 

[Azruial]

flatrock is dead on. All snakes are as individual as you and I, and the best way to decide what is good is to observe your snake. Flat pointed out some good indicators of too much stress: not eating or regurgitating means that there is too much stress.
I would be interested in the physical (LxWxH) dimensions of your viv. At that size, there are lots of varieties, and what really matters is floor space.
About the 20gal, 20gal is generally considered a slightly small viv for a full-grown corn. I have my 13 inch hatchling in a 20-long and plan to upgrade in a few years to 35 or so.
I learned so much here, I try to 'give back' as much as I can.

----------------------------------------------------------------
am I using the "'" key too much? lol

 

[Joejr14]

120 Gallons is huge, but I'm not really sure that I buy into this "cage is too big" stuff. Think about it, do wild corns live an in area thats say 20 inches by 20 inches? Of course not.

That being said, you can house an adult corn in a 20 gallon tank, and I'd say that's what most people reccomend. I dont think that your 120 gallon is inappropriate, but like others have said make sure you have many hides, and that they're fairly close to each other. You might even consider like a connecting tube that you can put under your substrate---say like a bunch of paper towel rolls connected together that go from one end to the other. That way, if the snake wants to get from one end to the other he doesn't have to crawl across the whole tank in plain sight--that might be a bit stressful for the little guy.

I think either way you're going to get a debate going about terrarium size and such. I wouldn't say that there's one right or wrong size, but who knows.

As far as the feeding goes, if the snake is getting down a fuzzy without a problem, then you're probably okay. If there's still a significant lump visable 2 days after feeding, then you might want to step it down a little bit maybe to a very small fuzzy.

 

[Azruial]

120 Gallons is huge, but I'm not really sure that I buy into this "cage is too big" stuff. Think about it, do wild corns live an in area thats say 20 inches by 20 inches? Of course not.

just to be controversial....
Think about it, do wild corns live to be 9,10,11, even up to 25 years old like they do in captivity?
You should not compare conditions in the wild to those in your viv. Actually, the goal of this Anti-Stress Movement is to get as far from wild as possible, since these animals are VERY stressed out under wild condintions. So, to MINIMIZE the POSSIBILITY of stressing your particular animal, a smaller viv would be better. Some snakes, however, would rather live in a big viv, you have to find out what's best for your snake for yourself.


ps. I still think that big vivs with LOTS of hides are fine, I just don't like when people say "it's okay because that's how it happens in the wild."

 

[Kel]

do wild corns live to be 9,10,11, even up to 25 years old like they do in captivity?

Good point. The average lifespan of a wild Corn is thought to be around 10 years. When I first started keeping them in the early 90s, 10-15 years in captivity was considered good. However, with our improving knowledge of husbandry and healthcare, 15-20 years seems to be more common, with 25 or even 30 years being reported. I agree that stress is a factor that we're more aware of now, but I'd say it was only one of many factors that are improving all the time, along with the quality and type of specialist equpiment.

There are also the inherent benefits of being in captivity such as lack of predators, treatment for wounds/disease, a guaranteed food supply etc. All of these factors should make it likely that a captive Corn will live for longer than that one in the wild.

I also think there's no such thing as a viv that's "too big", but hides are crucial if you're going for that approach. There must be enough to allow the fella to move between temperature gradients without being seen, so that he can thermoregulate properly. Otherwise he'll.... get stressed!

 

[JeanH]

I have to agree with everyone, that if you have a big tank, then lots of hides are a must. Another thing you could use to give cover going across the tank is to add the fake vines with the silk leaves. They can give the snake some cover too.

Jean

 

[sassysnake]

Thank!

I feel a lot better knowing some professional opinion (everyone is a professional compared to me here!) and i think that i am going to majorly increse the hides in my viv. When I first took my lil girl out of the 10 gallon that she started in and put her in the 120 gallon, she spent about 2 1/2 hours exploring and moving around (she was still new, and yes, I did spend that long staring at her!). Now, although she does spend a lot of time hidden, I often see her moving accross the viv right out in the open, but it is mostly if I just walk in the room, or if I turn on the lights at night, so I will DEF increase hides! I do agree that the whole point of learning, and the point of me being on this site asking questions of you guys is that we are trying to IMPROVE on the life of the wild corn, so I appreciate everyones help and opinions!
Thanks again! :wavey:

p.s. A lil off topic, but I was wondering if JGoff69 could tell me what the name of the corn in the pic your displaying is. It really struck me when i saw it, I think it's beautiful! (I must say i have a preference for pink hues and colors, and that one is stunning! Is she/he yours?)

 

[Azruial]

sounds like she is fine in the 120, I have never actually seen a snake in such a big viv but I would expect that if it roams and eats, it is perfectly happy.