• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

new to this

D

darkwish3

New member
Hi,
I have Norc(my new albino corn snake) housed in a 20 gal tank with a screen lid. I have a few sheets of newspaper on the bottom a largish stick in there , the small petco box he came home in (for hiding in) and a shallow water dish in the tank. i got a blue day bulb (60W i think) and have it positioned under part of the tank that over hangs the file cabnet it sits on for warmth. Does this sound good? I took Norc out of the tank and have a small screen cage that i fed him 1 pinky in he/she gobbled it up and is now hiding in the tank, under the newspaper more than likely. he/she seems to like to hide under the paper against the glass. is that normal?
 
Most of your set-up sounds fine for a young snake, however, I would advise buying a heat mat (HabiStat ones are excellent) which is just a bit smaller than the tank, then place half of it underneath the tank. When he grows to an adult size and you move him to his final home, then a bulb which is protected by a mesh cage (so he/she doesn't stick to it and get burnt) inside should be fine (providing that he/she has a cooler, shaded area).

Oh, and to answer your other question, yes, it is perfectly normal for them to hide underneath newspaper and other substrates.
 
Hello and welcome!

My first suggestion would be that you add an extra hide - ideally they need one at the warm and and one at the cool end. Lack of hides could be why he's under the newspaper, but they're pretty secretive as youngsters anyway.

Secondly, you need to make sure that the temperatures are right at the warm and cool ends of the tank. Too hot/too cold/not enough difference between the two, can lead to problems with digestion. Measure the temps at ground level, where the snake spends most of his time.

Cheers for now :cheers:
 
Well a 20 gallon tank doesn't provide a huge amount of space for multiple hides, I suppose you could add a cave or something, but if hiding under the paper makes him/her feel secure then there's no problem really. Adding another hide could restrict movement if he chooses to keep the original box, making him even more stressed.
 
Well, hides don't have to be whizzy if he's just a hatchling. Just the inside tube from a toilet roll or kitchen roll, cut in half lengthwise, or an eggbox. Let's face it, at that age they just poop all over 'em anyway, so throwaway hides are one way to stay sane for the first few months!

Lack of ground cover can lead to stress if the little fella feels exposed as he's moving from one temperature to the other. I always advise stuffing any viv with as many hides as you can get in there.
 
feeding question

I fed him/her the first time today. I got him 2 days ago. Norc ate one little pinky and I am wondering if that is enough? Norc is a foot or less long and maybe as thin as a pencil. I've been trying not to handle Norc to much. also is there any way to know as a youngling if Norc is male or female?
 
From the size it sounds like one pink is enough every 4-5 days. It should leave a lump in the snake for a day or two. The pinkie should be about 1.5 times the width of the snake.
A young snake can be popped but it is best done by someone who knows how to do it, as you can harm the snake. You can have it probed, but same thing, experienced person.
 
Either go to Kathy Loves website corutopia.com or do a search on popping. Kathy's website has a video on popping and probing. susan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top