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Newbie Housing Questions

Medevil_Nuke

Medevil_Nuke

Cornsnake Enthusiast
I've been wondering about feeding corns while them being still in there normal housing, as apposed to moving them to a separate feeding container.

1. I know it can be done, but it is unadvised against doing due to the risk of the snake accidentally swallowing the substrate. What I'm wondering is what substrates hold this immediate risk, should I do it at all even?

2. How should I provide normal 50% humidity to a corn within a tank should I at all? Will a water bowl suffice?

3. Since I will probably be keeping my corn in a residential home with it being 80*s normally should I only provide some slight heating in its housing via UTH or some cooling as well?
 
About the question why you should not feed your snake in it's normal tank, I have heard that if you feed in It's every day tank it could start mistaking your hand for mice and you could have a hard time handling it when its time. Another reason is bacterial growth the prey usally or sometimes can leave little hairs or blood which can cause bacterial in your snakes tank. i would recommend that you have two seperate tanks for your snake:)
 
i feed all my snakes in their tanks (well tubs..). at the moment they are small and nice, but they are gonna get bigger and frankly i really dont want to handle a big, hungry snake. We once tried to move our boa to a different tank to feed and she came veeery close to biting one of us.

if you keep your snake well fed, it shouldn't mistake your hand for food when you are trying to pick it up. If your still worried use tongs when you feed the snake...that might help it distinguish your hand as not food and tongs as food. :D

just my 2cents
 
Thank everyone for your quick responses, I've decided I'll just go with a separate bin, just because its not that much trouble really.

Now about those other questions! :D
 
If you live in texas, a single water bowl would probably do the trick. Its usually humid here. I live pretty close to you and all I have ever used to create humidity is the water bowl and a few sprays of aloe vera spray when the humidity gets down around 30. It doesn't really have to constantly stay on 50...the snake can take little humidity changes and it won't hurt them. I have had my snake a while and the east texas heat and humidity usually does all the work for me.

You may have to add some extra humidity during shedding time, but thats easy. I just put a wet wash cloth over the lid of my viv and over it with cling wrap. That keeps it up in the 90's while Erricca sheds, and the rest of the time she is fine. Like I said, corn snakes naturally live in Texas so the natural conditions agree with them most of the time.

As for question two, my house is also that temperature and it seems fine. The only heat source I use is a red light for night time when it gets a little cooler. For winter, I just leave the red light on 24/7 instead of just at night and move her tank away from the window. She seems fine with that. They only really NEED heat for digestion, so providing extra heat after feeding doesn't hurt at all, although in texas I have found its works to just open the window during the summer ;)

All you need to provide cooling is a water bowl. They will soak in there if they get to hot, and when you notice alot of soaking you can shut the window, turn on a ceiling fan, turn down the A/C ect.... Temperature&humidity IS important, but in Texas its not to hard to handle.
 
Thanks erricca! You helped out alot. :)
Its always good to have another Texan help you out.
Hehe now all I got to do is draw up the plans for my viv and get it made and I'm good to go!
 
Medevil_Nuke said:
I've been wondering about feeding corns while them being still in there normal housing, as apposed to moving them to a separate feeding container.

1. I know it can be done, but it is unadvised against doing due to the risk of the snake accidentally swallowing the substrate. What I'm wondering is what substrates hold this immediate risk, should I do it at all even?

2. How should I provide normal 50% humidity to a corn within a tank should I at all? Will a water bowl suffice?

3. Since I will probably be keeping my corn in a residential home with it being 80*s normally should I only provide some slight heating in its housing via UTH or some cooling as well?
Click to expand...

1. i always feed my snakes in there regular vivs, and have never had any problems. The chips i use are a good enough size that it would be hard to get one in there for the snake, and my snakes will usually grab the rat before it gets close enough to the bedding...

2. have a big enough water bowl for the snake to soak in and mist the cage from time to time.

3. you should have a UTH, and get a thermostat with the probe inside the cage some way (of course a way that would not let your snake get out) that would control the heat of the UTH. And you should have a thermometer with a probe so you can measure temps to be sure they are right...
 
sorry, double post

Oh and my snakes have never bitten me. they seem to know the difference between food and me...
 
Oh, on question one, I guess it depends on the size of your snakes. Hatchlings usually aren't agressive feeders and mine pushes on her food and stuff before eating it so it would get lots of substrate on the pinkie if I were feeding her in her viv. I feed her out because I use shredded coconut and its like soil and very small. If your snake is older it will do like Cornsnake 124 said and eat the rat before it gets to the bedding. So it all depends on the substrate you use and the age of your snake when you get it. I've always heard that you should be consistent with your feeding method though, so pick one and stick with it.

I prefer the seperate container because its so much easier to handle your snake and pick it up out of its viv without it striking....I have had a king skake of my dads try to swallow two of my fingers just because I was picking him up out of the viv on feeding day...but thats just my opinion.
 
i was taught to use tongs (as i call them) to feed, so i think part of why my snake knows the difference between me and the food. it really is much easyer to use your regular cage, and thats why for when my snake was a hatchling i used paper towels until it was old enough that it could just strike it good and when i moved it to a bigger tank. really i think it is just a matter of opinion and the risks you are willing to take, the kind of substrate, the thickness of the substrate, etc etc etc.....
 
Yeah, I agree. Its all just a matter of personal opinion and what kind of substrate you use and how willing you are to try different methods(paper towels, ect). Either way, be consistent.
 
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