Rescued corn

[ozzy512]

HI, I obtained a corn snake hatchling this evening that had apparently tried to strike and rattled its tail at those who found it in their garage, although I'm doubting this since he was quite calm in my hand once i got him home. Seeing how we live in dayton, OH it is very unlikely that this wasn't someones that found a way out.
Unfortunately, the person who found it said something about their Akita dog got a hold of it to some degree. When I looked at him briefly, there appeared to be a few scales here and there that were slightly out of line, but other than that he appears to be OK. I set him up in a 10 gal tank with water and everything, should I do anything else? My room is almost a constant 80 degrees, so I don't have a UTH. (I'm sorta of scared to use a UTH, since I have read some places that the snake can be burnt by them?)
I"m planning on feeding him on Saturday when my other corn is due to be fed, since that will give this new snake a few days to settle in. Let me know if you have any other ideas on what to do or watch for. Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
-Robb

 

[amelanistic frank]

I think you are good to go man, nice find, I would say you should check him thoroughly for mites though, and no- if you use UTH's with sufficient substrate, you really dont need to worry significantly about burns, just stay away from heat rocks and open faced bulbs...
Is he nervous around you? Has he struck at you or rattled at all? I she terribly headshy? If so, you might want to let him settle in for at least 3-5 days without bothering him at all other than for water changes and cleaning after he voids.
Keep us posted and good luck!
Dave
Oh- you may want to sex it/have it popped/probed and consider a vet trip if you are planning on keeping it.

 

[PtDnsr]

If the room it's in is 80 degrees there is no need for a UTH IMO. Make sure to provide plenty of water and hiding spots. I'd keep him on paper towels (or something similar) to make it easier to see any mites or bugs since he was found outside. It will also make it easier to keep an eye on the places of missing scales. Also be very careful to quarantine him from your current corn and make sure to wash your hands in between, which I'm sure you know. Good luck and post some pics soon!

~Katie

 

[amelanistic frank]

I agree with Katie that theres no need for UTH in 80 degree ambient air...but,
who do you wan to live in that kind of indoor heat? get some UTH's and cool that off outside your viv's for good "people" temp man...then you can relax comfortably, and so can your herps!

 

[JTGoff69]

I agree with Katie that theres no need for UTH in 80 degree ambient air...but,
who do you wan to live in that kind of indoor heat? get some UTH's and cool that off outside your viv's for good "people" temp man...then you can relax comfortably, and so can your herps!

I grew up with the same conditions, my parents hated a/c. Maybe he has no coice. Since I've been living on my own though, that thermostat is set at 72!!! LOL

Back on topic, no UTH is needed in that situation, but are you sure the temps aren't getting hotter than that? Outdoor temp vs. indoor temp sometimes is a great deal off. :shrugs:

 

[ashleynicole]

:-offtopic 80 isn't really that hot.. i used to keep my indoors at 75 with the air conditioning but when my last electric bill was over $200 (and im used to about 100-150 for my townhouse) we took drastic measures and bumped up the thermostat to 80 and its not bad at all. We have ceiling fans in the bedrooms and downstairs in the living room, of course i am a natural floridian, so im used to the heat.. lol.

 

[ozzy512]

I'm gonna check the temp a little more carfully tomorrow. As you can imagine, I wasn't expecting to do this tonight!
How do I check for mites? Just look for them, or is there another method?
I'll post some snap shots i took as i moved him into the tank tonight when i get a chance to put the pics on the computer.
Thanks for all the help!

 

[ozzy512]

Oops...I goofed

Hey all, Turns out I was fooled by the colors of immature snakes. The lady that I obtained Lucky from the other day called me a second time telling me that now they had found a "Big Black" snake. I immediately informed her that it would be a Black Rat Snake. After I got off the phone, I started to think about what an immature Black Rat might look like...Turns out that Lucky is a Black Rat, NOT a Corn! Hopefully this is an amateur's mistake,heh!.
Anyway, here are some pics so you can see how similar they are, the major difference I noticed is the head pattern. Thanks for your help, I think I will keep until I can feed him once, making sure he is OK, then turn him loose, since he is native to my area. He is gorgeous though, isn't he?!