Newbie Walking In

[jesse0319]

Hey, I've wanted a snake for a really long time, but never had the chance to own one since my mom is terrified. I'm getting my own apartment near my college now though, so I'll be saving up!

I think I know the basic needs of corns since I've been researching so much, but any advice would be great! Also, approximately how much do you guys think everything (snake, tank, heating, feeders, etc.) will cost? I'm not picky about the snake, just hoping not to spend more than $65 on it!

Also, it seems like everyone that owns snakes breeds them. Is there anyone here that doesn't? Once I'm used to caring for my snake, what reasons can you give that I should breed it? Just curious :3

 

[Tavia]

Hello and welcome!
Price for your setup kind of depends on what you get. You can shave off somewhere around $30-$90 on enclosure if you do some sort of plastic tub instead of a glass fish tank or other glass enclosure made to house animals, depending on the size of it. Your snake won't care, as long as you make sure it can't escape from whatever you choose but the tubs are usually more unsightly.
The biggest item you don't want to skimp on when starting out is a heat source and either a rheostat or thermostat to regulate it. You can set up a new enclosure from anywhere from $50 to $250 just depending on how you want it to look.

Some of the reasons people breed is fascination with the genetics, wanting to watch little noses come out of eggs, knowing that you are taking good enough care of your snakes that they will breed successfully and some probably think they will make lots of money doing it.
If you have no desire to breed, that is perfectly fine to just enjoy them as pets, while I don't judge people who think about breeding, I personally do sometimes feel that other keepers/breeders in the reptile community push the need to breed too much.

 

[Alicia P]

Hello :wavey: Thank you for doing your research before bringing home your new pet.

Prices are approx, you may be able to find a nice used tank trolling craigslist or a local b/s/t facebook group.

You'll need:
-A tank/viv - $100'ish for a 20 long critter cage
-An UTH - $20
-A thermostat - $30 (check ebay or amazon for hydrofarm)
-A digital thermometer - $12 (I like this one, from Walmart)

You'll also need:
-Substrate, paper towels are cheap ($1) and work well or aspen ($15-20)
-Hides, paper towel or toilet paper rolls work great and you've already paid for them. You can also cut a hole in the side of an empty butter tub, cereal box, shoe box, etc (again already all paid for)
-Foliage, take yourself to the dollar store and check out their fake plants. You can deck out a whole viv with tons of plants for less that $10. Make sure to check the ends for pokey wires/sharp plastic bits and trim or file as needed so no injuries occur.

If you saved up $300, you could set up a rockin viv and buy a snake with some left over. You always want to make sure you have a little saved $$ set aside in case you need to head to the vet, usually not an issue, but always best to be prepared.

As far as breeding, I do not breed and have no plans to. I guess my feelings on it are that anyone can throw 2 cool looking snakes together, get eggs and hatch them out. But are those babies special? Are you trying to better corn snakes as a whole? If you can't really answer those questions positively then your just adding to an already saturated market.

 

[Chip]

Hey, I've wanted a snake for a really long time, but never had the chance to own one since my mom is terrified. I'm getting my own apartment near my college now though, so I'll be saving up!

Welcome to the forums!

I think I know the basic needs of corns since I've been researching so much, but any advice would be great! Also, approximately how much do you guys think everything (snake, tank, heating, feeders, etc.) will cost? I'm not picky about the snake, just hoping not to spend more than $65 on it!

I'd suggest going to a reptile show, where $65 can get you something nicer than at a pet shop.

Also, it seems like everyone that owns snakes breeds them. Is there anyone here that doesn't? Once I'm used to caring for my snake, what reasons can you give that I should breed it? Just curious :3

My thoughts on "should" vs "shouldn't" breed: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126082

Well, I think the nature of a corn snake forum is that it will attract breeders, more than most people who own corns breed them. They are easy to breed, but babies are a lot of work and sometimes heart ache. It is also a terrible economy to try to profit from breeding snakes. Most every breeder here will tell you they lose money with their endeavor. If I looked over a profit and loss sheet of every corn I've bought and sold over the years, I am sure I could have a very nice car! I am great at buying high and selling low, but it's a hobby for me, and I enjoy it.

 

[jesse0319]

Well the forum ate my response when my internet went out riiiiight as I was posting, but ah well. Thanks everyone for the responses! As long as I'm able to get a job at college, I should be able to have the money in short order :3

Does anyone know of Retile shows in the Dayton area? I always forget that they actually sell stuff at those lol. I've never been to any kind of animal show.

As for breeding, that'll be a no for me. I couldn't stand it if something happened to one of them!

 

[Tavia]

Just from a quick Google search, I found this one in Dayton,
www.daytonherps.org
And it looks like there are shows every month in Columbus and Mason, not sure how close those are to Dayton. A show can also be a great place to get supplies or feeders, depending on how good of vendors are at it.

 

[Tavia]

Hmm, that link doesn't seem to work. I just grabbed it off a list of shows around the country I found, suppose its possible that the show is defunct? Or changed websites.

 

[jesse0319]

it's ok I found Cin City in Cincinnati every month :3 thanks~