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New with questions

D

dream5866

New member
Hi everyone,

My son came home with his first pet snake yesterday. It is a snow corn snake. Having no experience with snakes i have to say that he did do alot of research prior to deciding on a corn snake and went to the pet store fully prepared for what he would need based on his research and the woman at the pet store said things completely different and I want to make sure he is doing everything okay.

The snake is kept in a finished basement (right at the bottom of the stairs and the door is always left open so the tank is always in view but it is quiet enough for it to not be disturbed by our daily activity). There is also a large 75 gallon bearded dragon tank kept about 2-3 feet from it with two large heat lamps and a UV lamp/ The room is not heated, except for what comes from the boiler room and from the main living area at the top of the stairs and we live in CT. The normal room temperature during this time of the year is in the 70's, with it being more in the 60's during the winter.

The pet store that we chose to shop at is not a petco/super pet pet store. It is a small store that has always struck us as being extremely knowledgeable about their animals and very caring as well. You can tell that they really care for their animals and each department has their own specialist in that area. So we thought we were confident in what she was saying.

For the corn snake my son has aspen bedding and while he went prepared to purchase an under the tank heater, he was told by the pet store worker that the under tank heater was not necessary and that a 75 watt infrared night bulb would be plenty of light/heat. There is also a water dish (on the cool side) and TWO caves (one on the warm side and one on the cool side). There is also a long branch laying down on the aspen.

On the side of the tank that we have the lamp over the temp is around 88 and on the other side of the tank the temp is around 70. Is this adequate? I know we will have to keep an eye on it in the winter time, especially where the tank is located. I have been keeping the light on 24 hours a day (it is the red night lamp). Is this okay? Should it be off at night? What about during the colder months?

When we first brought him home he was very active, all over the cage, but since last night he has been hiding in one of the caves. My son has gone in several times to pick him up because he was told to handle it often so it is used to him handling it, but as soon as he puts him in the tank he goes right back into the cave. Is this normal? I am assuming he needs an adjustment period?

As for feeding, I know we need to put him in a separate container for feeding, but when do we put him back in the tank. As soon as the pinki is swallowed or do we need to wait longer?

I am sorry for all the questions but my son is very concerned that he is not doing something right since everything she said seemed to be different from what he read online.
 
1. Usually under tank heaters are recommended because they provide a more steady heat source that is safer for the snake. I've seen some snakes with burns that where hideous and caused by lights that got too close to the top of the cage. Not saying this will happen, but generally under tank heaters are best. But if the light is keeping the warm side of the tank around 80-85F then it's ok. As far as keeping it on day/night, I don't recommend that unless it's in the winter.

2. Expect his behavior to change as he grows and becomes more comfortable with his surroundings. At first he'll probably hide a lot like you said he's doing. You'll actually want to handle him less often for the first week or so, that way he'll be able to settle in.

3. I put my snakes back in the tank after they have the food all the way their tummies, meaning the lump stopped moving period. Every snake eats at a different pace, so this might take some time.

4. Where are the pictures??? XD
 
thank you

I will try to get my son to take pictures. I am worried about turning off the light at night and making the snake ill. I am not sure how cold it gets down there in the night time. Will it hurt the snake to leave the red light on?
 
I forgot to mention, the heat lamp is not resting on the screen top of the tank but hanging several inches above the screen top (about 4-5). Can he still get burnt if he somehow manages to reach up near the top of the tank if the lamp is not touching the screen? I placed my hand on the screen directly under the bulb and it did not feel that hot although it is managing to make the tank on that side around 88 degrees.
 
Oh gosh, forgot to mention, you should get a thermometer. It'll let you know if it gets too cold at night. The only reason I suggested not to keep it on 24/7 is because it might get TOO hot, since it's summer and all.

The light won't burn him unless the light is touching or less than an inch from the lid, so it's ok.
 
He may not get burned, but the under the tank heater hooked up to a rheostat or thermostat is much better for digestion, keeps a safer temp range, and dAoesn't dry out your tank. You may find using a light he'll have a few bad sheds because its too dry also. You'll need a way to read your warm side so it doesn't get too hot most keep theres between 80-85 like mentioned above. I would get a UTH, thermostat, and thermometer with a probe placing it under the aspen on the warm side to get the true temps and ditch the lamp.
 
I like to add the the good advice given to you.
That you can save a few $$$ by making your own hides and such.
Used/clean food boxes can be used as hides. painted if you want. I even save old cardboard tubes from carpeting. Branches or wood that you may find in the woods is good too as long as you bake them and/ or bleach them.
Craft store are also cheaper place to buy vines and such.
You just have to think out side of the box.
 
dream5866 said:
My son came home with his first pet snake yesterday. It is a snow corn snake. ... My son has gone in several times to pick him up because he was told to handle it often so it is used to him handling it.
Click to expand...

Hi,

it's generally suggested to not handle a snake at all for at least one week after purchasing. It's got to get used to its new home first and therefore is already kind of nervous and every handling means extra stress for it.
see: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88321
When it has settled in, there are different opinions on how often a snake should be handled. I think that handling two times a week doesn't harm a healthy snake.

I also would suggest a hygrometer to make sure that air humidity stays in a healthy range.

Congrats on your new pet snake :) . If you read the FAQ on "husbandry and basic care" and use the search function on some of your questions, I'm sure you'll find lots of answers. If there are still some unsolved questions, everyone will be pleased to help.

Greetings,
marike
 
Thank you for all the advice. I will have him pick up an UTH and a thermostat. He does have two thermometers in the tank (one on each side). They are the round ones pictured here:

http://store.petside.com/product/thermometers/9357/rept-o-meter-thermometer.html


I am a little worried about the snake getting its tail stuck behind it because it seems to like to try to climb on top of it to explore higher up the tank wall. Has anyone heard of this happening?

In the winter should we had the red heat lamp? What about the flourescent UVB bulb? Do we need that at all? Does it make a difference if it is a snow corn vs. another type?

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you so much for your help.
 
Don't use those cheap little dial thermometers like those. They are horribly inaccurate. Pick up a couple digital ones. You can get them at Walmart for under $10. The one for the warm side should ideally have a probe that you can stick on the glass about the UTH to measure the temp of the UTH.
 
I do have a digital one with the probe but I was worried the snake would climb up the wire and get out of the tank. I keep occassionally going down there and putting the wire in the tank and watching to see what temp it gets to and then taking it back out again.
 
You can put the thermometer on the warm side attaching it to the wall of the tank and siliconing the probe down under the aspen so it can't move. I may be wrong, but I think lighter colored snakes can actually get burns just from having lights on them and since they don't need the light at all stick with the UTH:)
 
dream5866 said:
I do have a digital one with the probe but I was worried the snake would climb up the wire and get out of the tank. I keep occassionally going down there and putting the wire in the tank and watching to see what temp it gets to and then taking it back out again.
Click to expand...

Not sure what your setup is, but if the tank has a removable screen top, they make clips that hold the lid on the tank so the snake can't push the lid off.
 
Okay, I picked up an UTH but have not been able to find a thermostat yet so I dont want to use it until I get one. I will look at a few more places tommorrow and then order online if I cant find one. One last question however. Should the probe for the thermostat be inside or outside the cage (between the UTH and underside of tank). I have one of those tanks that have the sliding screen top (instead of the ones that sit on top and fit over the edges) so if I run a probe down into the tank from the thermostat it will leave a hole at the top of the tank that the snake may be able to squeeze out through. Is it okay if I have the probe for the thermostat outside the tank between the UTH and glass, but use a digital thermometer with probe inside the tank (held on with velcro) to monitor the temp?

By the way, my son fed him his first pinkie today. I couldnt watch it, but supposedly he ate it very quickly and then went back into the cave on the cool side of the tank. I guess its a good sign that he is eating. My son put him into a separate container to feed him and then put him back into his tank.
 
You can put the probe between the UTH and underside of the tank, but remember to still secure the probe down or else it will slip and allow the UTH to get waaaay too hot:( I have plastic bins so I just drilled a small hole and fed the probe through using silicone to glue it down on the floor of the bin.
 
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