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Paper on Corn Snake Care

Gemini8910

Gemini8910

New member
So, I really want a corn snake, but my parents aren't really going for it. I had written a 1 and a half page "proposal" to my parents and my mom was impressed by it, but she didn't really take it seriously. So I wrote one last thing. I four and a half page (at least in Word, not G Docs) paper on their care. This was both to increase my chances and also so I don't forget how to take care of them whenever I get one. I'll probably give it to my parents some time soon, but I wanted to post it here first. I want to know if I forgot anything important or if something in it is wrong. It'd be really helpful if some people read it and pointed out any errors. :)

Here's a link to the Google Doc. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kel0I3RctFvh-lIgKqxgoKbSHRNoFyVT7WH2GQRaYXc/edit

(BTW, Kevin is my older brother who just finished his first year in college, and Dillon is my cat.)

Thanks! :wavey:
 
Plants don't carry snake mites.

Punctuation belongs inside "quotation marks!"

It's space should be "its space."

Don't mix "it" and "their" in the same sentence. You should actually standardize this for the entire text.

Don't start a sentence with "but."

You might add that you would keep the frozen mice in a ziplock, in a plastic container, so they would never come in contact with people food, or even be visible.

Other than those minor items, it is a very impressive piece of research! Good luck.

Even if you don't realize your dream of owning a snake now, remember that as an adult with a much larger income, you will be able to get any snake you want!
 
Nanci's points are spot on. Although I don't like putting the punctuation inside the quotes. It looks wrong to me, even though I know it is (it's) correct.

I could never figure out when to use the apostrophe with "its" and "it's." Finally a librarian friend told me to think of ours and yours, you never put the apostrophe in those words, and "its" is the same, unless you mean the contraction of it is, which does have the apostrophe, "it's." I wish I had known that at your age, would have made my writing more readable.

Are you going to make it to the show in Anaheim? Several people from here will be there, some selling some shopping and I'd bet some doing both.
 
Yeah I never know when to put them inside quotes. My teacher says it depends on something whether it's inside or out, but I keep forgetting. >_<

What show? I heard there's one in LA on the 11th but I didn't hear about any in Anaheim. o_O
 
Oh cool thanks! :) I'll see if I can go! I'm hoping to go to the Reptile Super Show in LA, I still have to ask my parents. :p
 
When I was in high school, I was lucky enough that my dad let me get a corn. Later on, we ended up going to a reptile show, and he was amazed by all the color variations. Next thing I know he's talking about how cool it would be to build a viv rack and put a different color in each tank. I had to be the one to tell him just one was enough, and I wasn't ready to care for a bunch.

Hopefully, if you can take your parents with you, they'll see all the tiny babies in so many colors and be more willing to let you get one! Good luck!!
 
If you don't mind me asking, what are the reasons your parents give you for saying no?

I have to say, I have an underfed rescue corn given to me by the owner's mother. The tween boy got it 4 years ago when he was 11. Now that he is 15, he discovered, according to his mother, that girls are more fun than snakes and just wasn't taking proper care of the snake. To be fair, from the mother's description, it sounds like he was never very interested in the snake in the first place and I got the impression the boy was spoiled and catered to by his mom.

Have you thought of seeing if you could house sit someone's corn for a few weeks? Show your parents that you can take care of one and that it wouldn't be a disruption in their lives?
 
The problem is, they haven't. They're "thinking about it", but didn't really take me seriously. One was the whole "what about when you go to college" thing which I put in my new paper. I think my mom was a little concerned about mice in the freezer too. And they don't think I'll actually take care of it. :/

I don't think I know anyone that has one though. :/ I can see if my old school still has Speedy, I'm not sure what type he is though. It belonged to a teacher that left so I don't know if she took Speedy with her. :p If she still has him I probably could, but I don't think the school would let me if they had him. :p
 
Well I really don't think you are going to get bored and not take care of it, based on that paper. I convinced my parents to let me get my first corn snake about 2 years ago when I was 14. They were also weary about me getting a snake. I just asked my mom what made her say yes, and she said she couldn't remember. I was hoping that could help you, but I guess not, lol.

Anyway, if you get good grades, and are reliable with other responsibilities you have around the house, you could use those cards to try and convince them.

If they let you get one soon, they will most likely realize what awesome animals snakes are and they won't regret letting you get one. Be careful though. Getting a corn snake will spark an obsession you didn't know you had. I'm only 16, and already have 3 corn snakes, a boa, a leopard gecko, a salamander, and a turtle. I bought them all with my own money, and buy their food and such. They are also all in my bedroom, excpet the turtle. I'm pretty much in love with reptiles and amphibians.

I've also thought about what will happen when I go to college. I really hope I will be able to find a good appartment that lets me keep animals, because I also have a cat and 2 gerbils that will be coming with me. Worst case senario, I can leave the the animals here with my parents when I go to college. They have taken care of them before when I go on church trips or vacation with my friends, and I can come home every weekend to feed the snakes and clean cages.

Now I'm rambling. Just wanted to let you know that you aren't the only teenager with difficult parents. I'm sure you'll get through to them soon. :) Good luck!
 
Yeah I guess they think I'll forget, not really sure how because I'd have to look at him every time I walk into my room lol. :p Or I'll get bored, which is also unlikely. :p

I almost always get straight A's. :D Sadly, when we got a new cat, I cleaned the litter box every day for a few months and then started forgetting. :/ But I forgot for 2 main reasons: 1. It was the only responsibility with the cat, I wasn't solely responsible for taking care of him, making it easier to forget. 2. The litter box is in my parents room, which I don't really go into, it wasn't in plain sight. I told those things to my mom, but it still definitely makes me lose responsibility points. :(

Haha, well my mom thinks reptiles are cool too. And I'm already obsessed with them. :D If I get more pets, it'll probably be more corn snakes and maybe a kingsnake or two. :p I don't really like lizards or turtles, it'd be all snakes. :p My brother and I had a turtle named Shelly when we were younger. It kept scratching on the glass and my brother couldn't sleep, so we gave her away. :p I plan on waiting until I'm old enough for a good job first before buying more than one, I have so many animals I want to have at some point. XD
 
I thought the same thing: I really don't want any lizards or anything, but I love snakes. Wellllll that thought really didn't work out. My dad found the salamander at his shop in October, and he was dehydrated and dusty, so my dad brought him home. I got the turtle a couple of months ago from one of my mom's friends that didn't want him anymore, and now I love him. I'm really not sure what possessed me to get a gecko. But I love him too. :)

I also want a bunch of animals when possible. Mostly reptiles. High on the list are a tortoise and a Green Tree Python. I'm definitly going to wait to get those, until I'm at least 10 years older with a steady job and income, and no worries of school. My "other" animals I want are a ferret and a mini goat. My mom says no to the goat, but the ferret, you never know... ;)
 
Oh, and I just got a chance to read your paper. A few things: You might want to add digital thermometers with probes, so you don't forget and get the wrong ones. If you use rocks from outside, you should boil them instead of baking. Baking can create hot pockets in the rocks and cause them to explode.

It's a good paper! I liked when you said "And maybe occasionally check up on him while I'm at school, to make sure he isn't dying or anything." I don't know why but this made me giggle. :)
 
Yeah a ferret is on my list too! :D They're so cute! But I think they're illegal here. o_O Someone I know has 3 they keep in secret. :p

Ah yes I didn't really pay attention to that, I'm sure it's important to note huh. :p Wow I didn't know that about rocks! o.o That's both terrifying and awesome. XD

Haha yeah, that line was supposed to be funny. XD
 
You're right Gemini, ferrets are illegal in CA. Have been for some time and it doesn't look like they will be legal anytime soon. Kinda funny really when hamsters could cause just as many problems if they ever got established in wild.

Saying they think about it is not really giving you an answer, I'm sorry to say. You can't provide counter points, as they didn't say no, but you can't buy one, cause they didn't say yes.

Best of luck with it. Keep us posted and do try and get to a show. Maybe if one of he sellers here is there, they couldn't talk to your parents about it. I think Carol is in CA, but I don't know what shows she does.
 
I heard somewhere that it was only illegal to buy and sell but owning them was legal, but I don't think that's true. :( Too bad.

Yeah I know. >_> I'm really annoyed, hopefully this paper will help me out and find out why they aren't sold on the idea. :p

Thanks! :) I plan on trying to go to one for sure! :D

And I just realized my last post was my 25th post here! Yay! :D
 
I updated the paper! :) Added the fact that there should be digital thermometers with probes measuring under the substrate, and changed "a baked, rough rock" to "a boiled, rough rock". :)
 
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