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New to snakes... possible future owner?

Thank you for the recommendation!

Looks like he has 4.4 of the charcoals if the list is up-to-date, but I'm unfortunately not quite ready. The next two-three months are going to be very busy for me and I want to be sure that my enclosure is absolutely perfect before getting my snake! I'll be adding the few extra things I need slowly so that my husband doesn't notice. A bit of a DIY background and hides project is happening in the garage as well. ;)

I wonder how fast the snakes go?
 
I didn't think you were quite ready and I know you're considering perhaps a juvie. I go to reptile shows every month, and at least the one here doesn't have a lot of different morphs. But there are a lot of very reputable breeders on this site, so when you're ready, I hope you find just the right corn snake for you.

I think you are doing just the right thing by doing your research first, and getting comfortable handling snakes. Keep us posted!

Casey
 
Reading your introduction I had to double check to make sure I had not written that. I have an empty 20gal long downstairs. We raise rats. Did you know that Rats have a 'chomp stop' ability? They can stop a bite in mid motion. Apparently, it saves their young. Sure has saved my fingers many times. I never really liked snakes or had any interest until recently. I also didn't mention we were going to get any until I needed help putting my habitat together. I need a snake rack. I ordered two from Steve. We are getting a Blizzard male and a female Hypo Lavender tomorrow. They are in route. My husband thinks we are getting...one.
 
Welcome! You sound as excited as I was when I got my corn, Scarlett. She was a 13 month juvie and I couldn't be happier. She has a great temperament, is still baby enough to have that energy but is easier to handle than a little one.

The 10 gallon will work just fine for the first few years, I did get a 20L though and am waiting for my lid (ordered on Amazon, no shipping with Prime!) and she will be moving soon.

Definitely go to Amazon and stock up on Kindle books or regular books, as many as you can. Don Soderberg's was one of the best I have ever read, Corn Snakes In Captivity. Otherwise use your library for reading. I was a impulse buyer and had nothing ready for Scarlett when she came home, but she is doing great and we are definitely getting used to each other.

Keep the posts coming, you will do great!
 
You are definitely right about being excited!

I got called into work to sub for someone today so I didn't make it to the city, but I'm planning on trying again on Thursday! I am so anxious to just handle a corn.

I'll check Ebay for a thermostat. I'm am Amazon fan, so I often forget about Ebay! Speaking of Amazon, what lid did you order? I would like a nice lid plus extra clamps/locks and the Velcro closures I read about. Escaping is not something I'm interested in happening!
 
Oh, you guys... ugh.

I made the mistake of browsing craigslist. I was mostly looking to see if anyone had spare supplies, but I ended up finding a listing for a corn.

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/pet/3718006213.html

I emailed the owner to ask more questions about the temperament and if they know the exact morph. It's hard to tell from those pictures. I was really set on a charcoal, but if I can find an adult/juvie locally with a good personality, I think that would be most important, right?

Also, since they are listing it now, it would mean getting the snake sooner rather than later. I could always tell them that I'd need to wait a bit until the habitat is finished setting up, and then if someone else takes her, it obviously wasn't meant to be?
 
It's possible, but my current tank that I have set up fits the shelf I have for it perfectly. I'll ask the owner about the snake's habitat. I have been speaking with him and it sounds like she might be a good fit for me. Maybe I will go see her on Thursday to handle her a bit and check out her color!
 
Can't help you with what morph it is, but if it seems like a healthy well taken care of snake that the owner is getting rid of for whatever reason, I'd snatch it up. Never understood a "rehoming fee" in cases like this, I'm always like "whatever, you're trying to ditch your pet, you should be paying me for taking it off your hands" but if it includes the setup, then you have a spare for a future charcoal... You can't have just one, they're waaaaaaaaay too addictive!
 
I agree with Nythain. If you decide you want that corn snake and you don't pay more for the habitat, you should take it. I predict you won't stop with one :).

Casey
 
It doesn't seem as though she'll come with anything as the owner will likely be using the supplies as back-up for his current collection. I could be wrong, though!

I was told the same thing about my fish tank when I got into it and that I wouldn't be able to stop. I'm proud to say that I am content with my one tank as it is a LOT of work to maintain and I love spending as much time as possible on one thing rather than spreading myself out too thin. With the fish tank to maintain as well as spending time with my rats (and cleaning their cage!), cats, dog, and husband, my time is pretty well spent up!

The good news is that I've been pulling some nice hours at one of my jobs and this week's paycheck is looking pretty nice! I'll be putting my Amazon order in tomorrow and gathering a few supplies locally to hopefully get everything set up this weekend. If I end up with this little gal from craigslist, I'll be ready, but even if I wait for a different snake, I'll have a neat vivarium to look at in the meantime!

I'm excited to hopefully meet this snake. The owner seems pleasant and is very patient with all of my questions. I did explain that my vivarium is not quite set up yet and that if he chooses me as the buyer, I would not be able to take her right away as her home won't be ready to go for at least one more full week.

We shall see! I am anxious about this as choosing my snake is an intense decision since we'll be spending hopefully many, many years together!
 
Heading into the pet shop in the city has been pushed back (again!) to Saturday. I am determined to make this happen! Looking at pictures and not being able to see and handle one in person is driving me nuts!

In other news, I bought the last of all of my supplies today. Some are in the mail and some I bought in person. This weekend, I'll be working on my DIY rock background and making clay structures while I wait for layers on the background to dry. All of my driftwood will be getting a good bake as well!

The person from craigslist seems to have stopped responding to my emails. I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now and assume that they have been busy! I hope that I didn't scare them off with all of the questions and concerns I had expressed, but if it's not meant to be, it won't be!
 
So, I did end up making it into that pet store in the city today. I cannot tell you how disappointed and UPSET I am. I should have seen this coming. As I've mentioned before, I do not generally support pet stores (especially chains) and have very little respect for the employees and their general ignorance.

I was lucky (unlucky?) enough to see that one of the employees was already handling their only corn in the store and was speaking to a customer. I lucked out in that regard as I more or less ignore pet store employees since I usually know better than they do. If I am in a pet store, it is for a very specific reason and I do not need assistance.

Anyway, the snake was obviously rarely handled, and never properly. It was bigger than a hatchling, but I'm not sure how old. Then, the employee proceeded to drop the poor thing with a big "SMACK" sound on the concrete floor. I almost cried! I turned away to look at other animals, but was still within earshot of the snake-dropper. He was explaining how live feeding is the only way to feed a snake and you are only setting yourself up for failure if you attempt to raise a snake on F/T because it will inevitably begin to refuse frozen meals soon. Of course, the notion of defensive "meals" was brought up and the employee admitted that he is often bitten by "the food" but that snakes know what they are doing and are safe enough with aggressive potential meals.

It took everything I had to not explain to this guy why he is bitten by rats constantly. It's clear that he has little to no respect for animals and mishandles them. I can only assume that he reaches into a bin, grabs a rat/mouse by the tail and yanks them out. No wonder he is bitten so often.

I did end up getting asked if I would be purchasing a snake with them and I should have simply shook my head and left, but I instead made the mistake of saying that I would be attending a reptile show this summer and likely buying there. THREE employees rushed over, telling me that the expo breeders are there to swindle you and often pass out unhealthy animals like candy, never to be heard from again. This is the only "advice" that they spoke that seemed as though it may be true to some extent. I do wonder how often that is the case.

So, to make a long story even longer, it looks like I will be purchasing online from the best/most accommodating breeder I can find and not handling a snake until my very own is at my doorstep.

This will be an adventure for sure!
 
Did you go to a chain store?? Most employees don't know much about reptiles at the larger chain stores. Do you have a mom & pop pet store in your town, they may not have corn snakes but they would probably have another type of snake you could hold. Do you use Facebook? There are several reptile pages for the state of Michigan & I would imagine there is at least one for PA. I'm sorry your pet store experience wasn't a good one.
 
Oh my frakkin' god. That employee should have been fired. I would have been raising hell at the dropping alone! I would have publicly schooled him in corn snake care knowledge (and I'm just a beginner, but a thoroughly researched beginner), made him look like a fool in front of other customers, then stormed out grumbling on the top of my lungs (is that the right phrase for really frakkin' loud?).

As for cons/expos it's really hit or miss for the area, but I wouldn't discredit them based on what retarded pet store employees have to say about them. Many of the reputable breeders here, and reputable breeders of other species on other sites, attend many of these conventions. If I was you, I'd still head to the next show just to check it out. Find something that looks good if you can, then get to chatting with the vendor. You could probably tell a lot about the product by the vendors demeanor.

If you do choose to just find a reputable breeder here (not terribly difficult since most of the major ones have been around here forever and there's always the BOI) don't feel disheartened about not handling until you receive the youngin'. I hadn't handled my first snake EVER until weeks after me and the wife got little Plissken (She's the handler, I'm the research and husbandry caretaker). The important thing is to just love and handle your snake whenever is best for you and him/her... they'll almost always get to a very comfortable and docile point with you, even the flighty or defensive spunky ones.
 
Alicia, no, it was not a chain. It was just an independent store that has a heavy emphasis on reptiles. Their rodents are basically just there as feeders and their fish are... well, they're just there. I had heard of the place before but I rarely ever have a reason to visit a pet store, so I'd never been there. The only reason I went now was to just see the snakes and hopefully get to hold one, but man... I was out of there so fast.

Nythain, I was so upset that I was literally shaking. My husband, bless his heart, put up with my growling and spewing of expletives the entire drive home because I was so angry with the whole thing.

I will be going to at least one expo anyway for the experience, but I have a feeling that I would much rather get a snake from someone here in the community, if possible. I am growing more comfortable with the idea of having a snake shipped to me seeing as how an in-person sale with a reputable breeder may not be the easiest task.

Thanks for listening to my ranting, guys. I'm just so shook up. Honestly, the chain pet store employees seem far better than the people I saw today. I'm still reeling.
 
To the opposite experiences of others, I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with my local PetCo employees. While the store couldn't offer records (I don't think they really keep "records" per se), Diego the employee who let us handle little Plissken was educated enough in his conversation with us. Most of the care advice he told us was right in line with someone who actually knows about snakes. He also seemed rather relieved when the wife mentioned we had done research weeks in advance to better prepare.

Sadly the best local owned pet store near me doesn't have the best selection of more common snakes. Lots of jungles, some anacondas, ball pythons, and even a new GTP last time i was in there. So I go there for my supplies and conversations. I'm thinking about going through them when it comes time for the next major purchase, a Jungle Carpet Python. But only if the snakes look healthy and they can provide feeding and shedding and birth date records. I'll be damned if I buy a recordless snake ever again.
 
I am so sorry you had such a bad experience at the pet store! Twice I have seen hatchling corns dropped on the floor at two different pet stores. I bought my first at Petsmart. I had done my own research, and the while the pet store employees were nice, they were not knowledgeable and didn't pretend to be. The ones I spoke with were afraid of snakes, so I took Jasper out of the small display case to put him in the deli cup myself.

Do go a reptile expo/sale, just so you can look at what's available, for snakes and also for supplies (including frozen feeder mice). I got my second from a breeder at a show. He was very helpful and worked with me through some feeding issues we had at the beginning.

My last I got from a breeder here, Steve Roylance. This is now my preferred way, but I am also very happy with my first two babies.

Please don't lose heart. You will find the one you were meant to have.

Then you'll find the next one :)

Casey
 
Thanks, Casey. Wish I could give you a big hug!

I am also under the "what's meant to be will be" belief. The right breeder and the right snake and I will find one another!

I think I will contact Steve. I am also considering making a post in the "Wanted" section just to see if anyone is expecting anery/charcoal clutches this season? It might be easier than trying to sort through everyone that is working on different morphs? I'm a bit lost!
 
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