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New Owner Questions (Substrate and Tank Size)

M

michaeljeffrie

New member
I am about to buy my first snake, an okeetee! It is a baby, about 13 inches or so. I know mostly everything there is to know about their proper care, but i do have a few questions.

First, i was offered a 40 gallon tank with many accessories (driftwood, several hides, plants) for the price of 40 dollars. Obviously i didn't pass that one up. The question i have is that is it too big to put a juvenile in? I have heard that corn snakes get uncomfortable when their tank is too big. On the other hand, I have been told that by placing hides throughout the tank, smaller snakes will do just fine. I hope this is the case, so i can let it grow up in the same cage.

My second question is that i have just finished setting up my tank, and decided to use eco-earth (coconut fiber). I figured this was ideal for a large tank, since they are sold in bricks for roughly 5 dollars. Now, one brick can fill up a 40 gallon tank completely, where as i would have to buy 2 or 3 bags of aspen or bark at 10 bucks a pop. That being said, it just made sense to get the eco-earth. Now for my potential problem. I wrung out the excess water to the best of my ability and put it in the tank, but it is still a little moist. Will this be a problem for a corn snake? If so, is there any way of fully drying coco fiber out, or are there any affordable alternatives? Any help would be much appreciated!
 
First off, you are right, a 40gl is ginormous for a 13 inch baby. That being said, I wouldn't have passed up a 40gl tank priced at $40 bucks either, so you made a good purchase. What you can do (and what I did with my 20 gl) is to make a divider out of a piece of plywood, or even cardboard. You can quarter your tank so you use 10gls of it, and leave the remaining 30gl empty. As the snake grows you can inch the divider back and give the snake more and more room until it is big enough to get the full upgrade.

Unfortunatley I can't answer your Q about the cocnut husk because I have no experience with that material.

Good luck and congrats on your Okeetee!
 
martin-bernstein, thanks! the divider is a great idea, i will definitely be doing that. as far as substrate goes, if the coco fiber doesn't work, what do you recommend using?
 
I use aspen for my corns. It's light, relatively easy to clean, inexpensive and nice-looking. It is probably the most commonly used substrate for corns. It does retain liguid easily though so make sure you fluff or remove wetspots from spilled waterbowls and pee and poo.
 
I'm still fairly new to corns but as far as I know coco fiber is not too good for a corn as with it being a moist material it raises the humidity in the viv which can cause respiratory infections. If anyone wants to correct me then go ahead, also I use aspen for all 3 of mine and they seem to be fine with that and it looks really nice as well.
 
this is all really helpful stuff! back to the tank size, how big do you think he should be before i can put him in the 40 gallon? I was thinking he could handle it at around 20-25 inches or so.
 
I don't think a 40 gallon is too big for a baby as long as you have enough hides. Like everywhere lol.

My baby corn (about 7 months now) seems to be doing quite well in his 40 gallon, but like I said, I have coverage everywhere in the tank, about 5 hides as well as the little fake plants placed througout the tank. (He really seems to like those cuz he thinks he's hiding from me when I can clearly see the whole back half of his body lol)
 
Congrats on the new kid!
Personally I use newspaper. It is not pretty, but it insulates well and I always have a clean supply. Plus my snakes like to hide in the pages. I have alot of snakes so even if it's not pretty, clean and cheap works for me!

The tank you got was a great deal. However you may find that after this obsession takes hold of you, a big heavy 40 gallon is hard to clean. You may in the future opt for a heated rack outfitted with plastic sterlite bins that are really lightweight and easy to clean. (And can comfortably accomodate alot of snakes...LOL)
I say this out of experiance, since I started with a tank too. :)
 
i think i'm just gonna let him loose in the 40 gallon and see how he reacts to the size and substrate, since i already have it set up. I have plenty of hides and driftwood scattered about, so it should be fine. i'm going to be getting him tomorrow i think, any pointers on what to do the first few weeks? I have heard you aren't supposed to handle them until they get acquainted.
 
don't handle him for about a week when you first get him. This will let him settle in and get used to his new environment.

You might even think about covering the tank with a blanket or towel so that he cannot see out, that will also help him get more comfortable and feel more free to explore his new home!
 
i'm getting excited! a few more questions...

here is my set-up. i know its totally overboard but all of it was 40 dollars!
mail


i was given a light with it, but i'm pretty sure a UTH would be better for cornsnakes. is there any specific UTH you recommend? remember that this is a 40 gallon tank. i'm not very knowledgeable about the whole heating thing so the more tips the better. also, i know that he needs a light cycle, so should i just by a regular lightbulb and put it on a timer? i've also heard that using a UTH as the only heat source is not enough. opinions?
 
No specific UTH but the one I have is from ZooMed (from Petco), just make sure it's the right size (they will say it on the package). Also, corn snakes do not need artificial light, so you don't need to waste your money on a lightbulb and timer. A UTH by itself is all you need for a corn snake as far as heat goes, it supplies belly heat which helps the corn snakes digest.

99% of your questions as a new corn snake owner will be answered here http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28341

I suggest reading through the whole thing as there will be answers to questions you didn't even realize you had.......lol
 
As far as light cycle goes -- if there are windows or skylights in the room he lives in, that will give him natural day/night cues and that's what he needs. If he is living in an interior room with no windows, you can put a table lamp in the room & put it on a timer so he has fake day & night. I'd use a compact fluorescent in that light if you go that way, so it doesn't heat the room or his vivarium, and will save you $.
 
wstphal, that makes sense, will do. i did a little more research into the UTHs and found that many people suggest using rheostats or thermostats along with them. is this necessary? i don't want to burn him :( :(
 
michaeljeffrie said:
wstphal, that makes sense, will do. i did a little more research into the UTHs and found that many people suggest using rheostats or thermostats along with them. is this necessary? i don't want to burn him :( :(
Click to expand...

Rheostats or thermostats are almost always necessary with UTHs. Before I put the rheo on my tank, it was reading around 125º...just a tad bit too high for a corn.. or anything else!
 
i figured that much! i was reading about a light dimmer to control the temperature of the uth, will that work or should i just put the money into a rheostat or thermostat? thank god i found this website.
 
I paid $10 for a lamp dimmer, but didn't have much success with it. It was either way too high or way too low... but others on here seem to have had good results.
I have a rheostat that I paid $25 for at a pet store and it works ok.
My husband made a rheostat for me for about $12 and it works great.

Unfortunately my house temperature fluctuates too much and now i'm looking for a good thermostat!
 
I tried a rheostat, lowest temp was almost 100 degrees. I returned it and got a dimmer switch, it worked ok but my house temp also fluctuates too much so I was constantly adjusting it.

So I went with a herpstat proportional thermostat from spyder robotics! I love it! It is a set it and forget it! I was a little shocked at the price at first but everyone on this forum made a good point. You will have your snake, depending on the age of it when you get it, for 20+ years. Might as well make sure it's a healthy 20.

Hope this helps you out.
 
michaeljeffrie said:
i figured that much! i was reading about a light dimmer to control the temperature of the uth, will that work or should i just put the money into a rheostat or thermostat? thank god i found this website.
Click to expand...

I have light dimmers. Lots of them! They work fine for me but my apartment temperature doesn't change very fast. If it changes quickly, they tend to end up too hot or too cold. For me they are great & cheap but they are not suitable for all situations & setups. If your home doesn't change temperature quickly over the course of the day, they might work fine for you.
 
i dont understand why the temperature flux would make a difference? if you set the dimmer to the temperature you want it at, why would you have to change it?
 
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