• 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.

Rescued a corn snake and desperately need help!!

T

Tatianna

New member
Hi! My name is Tatianna and i rescued an albino corn snake. The woman i got her from didnt know how old it is or even the gender. She guesses female and 4-7 years old. I dont know how this snake (named Kandi) was taken care of, but i CANNOT touch her. Even to take her out of the tank for feeding. Shes incredibly jumpy and tries to strike at my feeding tongs before they get anywhere near her. Im talking like the pinky is three inches inside the top of the tank and shes jumping at me. I have co-owned a ball python a long time ago but my ex did most of the care for him.
When i first got the snake, i had to kind of trick her to change the stuff on the bottom of the tank because there was so much poop she couldn't get away from it. And the metal water dish had turned green. The woman just didnt have enough space for the sweet snakey apparently and was talking about setting it free outside and stuff.
Now i have a snake that kinda seems like she has PTSD and i dont know what to do with her. I know im an incompetent owner and really really need someone to help me because i dont know what to do and how to take care of her properly and dont want to be neglectful. PLEASE HELP!!
 
Well...if the snake is only being fed pinkies and is an adult, it is quite possible she is starving... If you were an adult that hadn't been given enough to eat, you would probably act aggressively when the object you associate with food entered your prison cell....
They're are very few situations I can even imagine where a snake that is 4-7 years old would be fed pinkie mice...or even pinkie rats for that matter.
~Beau
 
I feed her four a week. I was going to try moving to fuzzies next feeding. I understand their jawd come unhinged and let them swallow huge amounts but her head is the size of the first digit of my thumb
 
I can appreciate how it seems to a new owner hen they see the size of the mouse vs the size of the snake, but trust me, they really can accomodate the larger mouse (the degree to which a snake can open it's mouth and stretch it's throat is ~AMAZING~!).
The best way to go about determining the approximate size of prey animal is to weigh the snake and then look up the right size prey item on the Munson chart, but the next best way (imo) is to look at the thickest part of the snakes body and then find a mouse 1 to 1.5 times that size to feed.
Trust me, your snake will thank you!

Otherwise, keep in mind that you are new to this snake and she will need time to settle into her new home. Give her a few days to settle in with out disturbing her. While she is settling in, take the time to read up here on the forums about proper husbandry. Once you fall into a regular feeding and handling schedule, she will begin to calm down. When you do reach into her cage to handle her, do so with confidence! Snakes can sense fear and discomfort! Also, try to pick her up from the side rather than from above, you will seem less scary to her then!

Congratulations on your rescue! I hope she becomes as valuable to you as my own are to me!
 
There's so much more to tell you- first you need to make sure you have the right sized tank for her, 20gal or larger. Make sure it locks, is secure and has a tight lid.
Then, obviously, make sure it is clean, fresh water, and two hides for the snake, one on each side.
Heating mat or belly heat is the only heat source she will need, and it needs to be set at around 85ish degrees, with a thermometer checking to make sure it stays around there, and a thermostat to actually regulate the temperature to stay at 85degrees on the warm side. Cool side should be average room temp, around 75degrees.
Heat mat should cover 1/3 of the bottom of the tank, on the OUTSIDE, never inside. Never use any type of tape, Velcro, glue, etc inside the tank as the snake can get stuck and rip off scales or go blind...

No heat lamp is necessary, and could be harmful.
I would SLOWLY move her up in size on her mice, since she isn't used to eating adult mice.
That way her system gets used to the larger mice and she has a lower chance to regurge on her mouse- you don't want her to regurge, that's very bad.
After she has eaten, I would just leave her alone. She has gone from a neglectful state to a new owner and new environment and she doesn't understand.

Let her be for a few days and make sure she always has clean water.

Read all the threads on here about care and husbandry, especially since you're not sure how to care for a corn snake at this time. READ READ READ and read some more- do research, ask questions. It will make sure she has a happy and healthy life from here on out.
Good luck, hoped this helps- it's a very VERY brief rundown to get you started.
 
a snake of 4 to 7 years should be eating large jumbo adult mice. If that snake is eating Pinkies, it's either a baby or it's dying of starvation
 
Hi Tatianna!

Sorry to hear that someone could or would treat a snake like you described! I mean, WHERE do these people COME from!? I really believe that anyone who would treat an animal, ESPECIALLY a snake, the way you described (i.e., "there was so much poop she couldn't get away from it. And the metal water dish had turned green") should be locked up for awhile and at the very LEAST, until they understand what they did was wrong and promise NEVER EVER to do it again to another living creature!!!

Okay, now that I got THAT out. . I think what you are doing is great! And if you "co-owned" a ball python, you aren't exactly a total newbie to the world of herpetology. I think you are getting great feedback here and the main points I see are what other members stress as the appropriate size of her food and a clean and safe enclosure, not necessarily in that order. But as far as priorities, are you CERTAIN she is over 4 years old? If so, does she have a 20-gallon or larger enclosure? (Even if you are uncertain about her age, her size should dictate how large an enclosure she needs and I believe that an adult snake should, at the very LEAST, be able to stretch out to their entire length around the perimeter of the tank without running into their own tails).

Also, if she is an adult, she should be fed adult mice, preferably frozen/thawed.

I think you are a wonderful human being for rescuing this animal who was caught up in an unfortunate situation with a person who obviously lacked the ability to empathize with one of God's most beautiful creations! I wish you and your little sneaky one the BEST! And I hope that he or she will live a long and safe life with you!

Monty from Brooklyn

PS - I forget where I saw it, but there is a saying that goes something like, to the WORLD, an animal means nothing, but to an ANIMAL, you mean the WORLD!
 
Tatianna ... hope all is going okay! Let us know. Send us a pic so we know what you're dealing with!
 
Update on my snakey.
I moved her up to small mice and shes been eating two per feeding!! While i am thrilled, i feel absolutely awful thinking about how hungry my poor beastie has been. The last two feedings (small mice) i have wanted to try a third but she hides after two so i clean her water and leave her alone. Should i try medium mice next time? Im also wondering about the best type of flooring to use in her tank (which is 20 gallons i believe. She can stretch out and not touch herself) currently its what i think is felt. Is that ok? Im going to get a second hiding spot to put on the other side of the tank because she likes to hide under the felt on that side. Ive also gotten a ceramic heating lamp and am keeping her tank around 80 to 85 degrees. Shes still super jumpy and doesn't like my hands in her tank. I dont like feeding her in there but i literally cannot take her out
 
I want to post a pic but i cant figure out how? I can only see a place to put a url address and im doing this from my phone
 
I got a ceramic lamp because i tried a heating pad, put under the outside of the tank under her hiding rock and she stopped going in the rock completely.
 
Hi Tatianna!

Glad you and your sneaky one are still with us!

An under-the-tank heater with a thermostat to ensure 90 degrees on the warm side is so much better for a snake's ability to digest because they require belly heat to do so. Ceramic heaters are difficult to monitor and adjust and do not provide the best for a snake's digestive process.

Congrats on upping the size of your snake's prey! I doubt she would need three mice but it all depends on the weight and size of your snake. An adult snake should be eating approximately 10% of it's weight every two weeks or so. While I'm not as scientific as others in this forum, I try to feed my adult corns, who range from 450-800 grams each, 1 large mouse or 1 small rat every 14 days. The point is, once you develop some sort of regular feeding pattern with your snake, you will know by her developing weight and size just about how large or small or if she needs one or two mice per meal.

So for now, why don't you tell us her exact length and weight and I'm certain members here will be able to tell you the best size mouse your snake will need and then you can adjust her meals accordingly as you get to know her!

Sound like a plan?
 
Oops! Just saw your post about the UTH!!!

But that's why you need a thermostat to ensure its not too hot and only a little above 90 on the glass and under the substrate where the UTH is. You might have had it too hot under that hide or maybe not enough substrate between the glass on the bottom and the hide itself.

Also, when you say "heating pad," do you mean an "under-the-tank heater" made exclusively for snakes and reptiles?
 
Make sure to eliminate that heat lamp. It's not necessary and can become dangerous.
You need a thermometer to check the temp and a thermostat to regulate the temp.
Luke Axis said, once you fall into a regular feeding routine it will become less stressful and you'll be able to get the size up to where you only do one mouse per feeding, at the appropriate size. I'm glad she's eating and doing well, keep us posted.
 
Heat lamps are not the devil, guys. Mats might be more ideal, but there are enough folks that have used them without issues for decades. The important thing is that the surface of the substrate (top or bottom, depending on your heat source) on the warm side is the right temperature. 90F is also a bit hot and more appropriate for ball pythons. I find that when I bump my rack too far above 86F my corns all squish against the front to cool off, even ones that have just eaten.
 
Hi Dragonling! True, NOT the devil! And not to sound hypocritical but I actually use one in my large viv (where my gravid female stays) because it's made of a nylon mesh which would probably melt with a UTH. But it literally took ages to get the temps just right and while I'm not a stickler for such a scientific setup (how do so many snakes live with the variables Mother Nature throw at them?) I always try to direct newbies, or in Tatianna's case, a very decent person who saved a snake from a sadistic woman who should be publicly humiliated and flogged, toward a practical solution within their individual predicaments.

But your comments are definitely noted and I believe correct! Thanx for your input!
 
I noticed you had asked about substrate, and I don't think anyone addressed that yet. The reptile carpet is fine, but kind of a pain as you have to clean it and let it dry thoroughly before replacing it. I think the majority of us use shredded, shaved, or chipped aspen, which is really easy to spot clean, and allows the snakes to burrow and hide themselves anywhere in the cage they want to. Also having an actual hide on both the hot and cold side will help reduce your snake's stress level and keep her calmer. As far as weighing and taking her out for cage cleaning and stuff, I've found it's really convenient to have a hide with both a top and bottom (like a gladware container with a hole cut in it, but not a clear one so it's dark in there) so once your snake is inside you can move her around and weigh her easily. Of course, you'll want to weigh the empty container first before you put it into her cage so that you know how much to subtract from the total weight of container plus snake. Once you two get comfortable with being able to feed, clean, etc without too much drama, you can worry about learning to handle her. You will both be less stressed and more inclined to trust each other by then.
Really good job saving her from such a neglectful situation!
Also, I agree, 3 mice at once might be a bit much, even if she's been starving, gaining weight slowly will be much healthier for her. I feed one mouse at a time, approximately the size of their thickest point on their body. And using a thermostat to keep whatever heat source you are using at around 85 degrees is absolutely necessary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top