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Shopping List - Questions

Kyrtis

Kyrtis

New member
I plan on getting supplies a few months before getting the actual snake so i'm well prepared for it. I currently have a Zilla 20 gallon Long Critter Cage that the snake will go in. Below is a list of items i plan to get. Let me know if i am missing anything vital or require changing.

Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs (For feeding the pinky mice cause i don't want to touch it if i don't have to.)
Small Exo Terra Jungle Plant Amapallo (To hang on the side of the cage)
Medium Exo Terra Snake Cave (For hiding on the cool side)
Zoo Med Deluxe Collapsible Snake Hook (Just for extra reach)
Medium All Living Things Critter Totes (To feed the snake in since i am gonna use aspen bedding as the substrate in the main cage)
Exo Terra Water Dish - X-Large (For soaking and drinking water from)
20 gallon Zoo Med Repti-Therm Under Tank Heater (For heating)
Small ESU Reptile Bark Bends (To use as a hide on the warm side)
Silicone Aquarium Sealant (To secure the digital probes to the glass ground above the UTH)

I read that i shouldn't use the sticky part of the UTH to secure it to the bottom of the glass tank, instead i should use aluminum foil. Also to rise the tank off the stand by at least half an inch to give just enough air room to allow the UTH to warm properly.

I'm also gonna get a Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat to plug into the UTH to control the temperature properly. Is there anything i am missing or need changing? It's my first corn snake so i want to make sure i have the right things to keep it properly comfortable.
 
First of all, it's awesome you are doing research before buying your snake, which seems logical, but is often overlooked.

A few tips from a new snake owner:
You can always go the DIY route--make your own hides (paper towel tubes, shoe boxes, etc.), and I've read on this forum someone has a snake hook made out of a hanger. Get creative and save some $$!
Also, wal-mart or other places have water bowls which can double as a hide. The one I have was labeled as a cat bowl, and works great.
These are just suggestions, you seem to have covered everything, I'm just providing alternatives to give you some ideas.

I think you are well on your way and good luck.
-JD
 
SixString said:
First of all, it's awes..

I think you are well on your way and good luck.
-JD
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Thanks! I like to do detailed research on my pet at least a few months before actually getting it so i'm familiar with it. I was the same way with my rabbits when i first got them. :D

Any advice on the UTH? Should i stick it permanently on the bottom of the tank and raise it half an inch?
 
not that it's super important, but I bought one of those zoo med snake hooks (like 7 bucks) and it broke as soon as I opened it. It's up to you, clearly, but I don't think you really need a snake hook for a corn of any size. My baby corns are so quick that i would fear them getting away if I tried to hook em. Just an opinion to save you a few bucks, I would say that it is not needed.
 
you definitely need to raise the UTH (most of the ones come with little corner things to put on your tank). If there is not enough air flow, the UTH will overheat more than it probably will already. In addition, if the UTH is sitting right on your furniture, it could damage your furniture (i.e. crack your wooden desk/dresser).

I use capri sun boxes for my hides. They are awesome. 1) Capri suns are sweet 2) they are really sturdy cardboard. My adult corns lay on top of them and the boxes haven't even been dented yet.
 
The only reason not to stick the UTH to the bottom of the viv is if you intend to move or change it later.

If you try to handle a baby snake with a hook, you will end up hurting it. The snake can't hurt you, even if it bites. You would just frighten it.

And I think you're going to have to get used to touching dead mice, too.
 
Nanci said:
The only reason not to stick the UTH to the bottom of the viv is if you intend to move or change it later.

If you try to handle a baby snake with a hook, you will end up hurting it. The snake can't hurt you, even if it bites. You would just frighten it.

And I think you're going to have to get used to touching dead mice, too.
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Well, I don't see a reason why i would want to move the tank unless it outgrows the 20g long tank. What would be best to lift the tank up? Currently, it's on a wooden nightstand.

Hook out, gotcha. Don't want to offend any women by saying this but yuuuck. I'd scream like a little girl by having to touch the dead mice.
 
Not move the tank, move the UTH. The UTH comes with four little stick on feet. You put those in the four corners of the viv. ZooMed has smaller feet, Exoterra has bigger feet.

I think if you start with frozen pinkies, you can work your way up to adult mice! What are you going to do, get it out of the bag with tongs. Pick it up, put it in hot water, take it out, dry it off, put it in the feeding bin, all with tongs? Have fun! Just pretend it's a little pink Jelly Belly, or kidney bean, or whatever!!
 
Nanci said:
Not move the tank, move the UTH. The UTH comes with four little stick on feet. You put those in the four corners of the viv. ZooMed has smaller feet, Exoterra has bigger feet.

I think if you start with frozen pinkies, you can work your way up to adult mice! What are you going to do, get it out of the bag with tongs. Pick it up, put it in hot water, take it out, dry it off, put it in the feeding bin, all with tongs? Have fun! Just pretend it's a little pink Jelly Belly, or kidney bean, or whatever!!
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What are your experiences with UTH? Do you use the stick on feet or something else? It'll be the Zoo med UTH on my list.

What i was thinking was taking it out of the plastic baggie with tongs, drop it in a baby food jar to thaw out completely, then feed it with the tongs. I read up on several posts and articles that say after it's thawed out, i should squeeze the pinky with my fingers to see if it's soft or still frozen, but eeee. :awcrap: :eek:
 
You won't need tongs to feed. You just put the snake and the pinkie in the same tub. It'll be down the hatch in no time.
 
UTH- mine are all stuck, with their own adhesive, to the bottoms of the vivs. I have a bunch of them, both brands. I use the stick-on feet unless I lose them, then I found these little clear square things at Home Depot, I think in the furniture slider area, that will work. One viv, on a wooden cupboard thing in the kitchen, is on paint stirrers.

Good point, you really do need to feel the mouse to make sure it is completely thawed and hot. You can do it!!! It's not gross at all! Way better than picking up poop!!
 
What is the best place recommended to buy frozen pinkies? I have a petsmart that might sell them a few miles away but most people say to get them delivered from an online source so i know they are properly taken care of.
 
Hey, Kyrtis. I use feeding thongs. If mice ick you out, here's what I do. I get a sandwich baggie. I put my hand in the baggie with the baggie inside out. I grab the mousicle. I then squish all the air out of the baggie and seal it. Then I weigh it down in a mug with the forceps and thaw the mouse out with hot tap water. I do squish the mouse body slightly to make sure it's ready, but it's through the baggie. That way my hands never smell like mice.

The only other thing I would say is that my research indicated that the UTH should be at least 1/3 of the floor of the tank. Even though the UTH's say they are for a 20 gallon, they aren't big enough to cover 1/3. So I ended up with a bigger UTH (30-40 gallon size, I think).

Also, I attach my UTH to the bottom of the tank and then raise the tank up a bit on coasters to make sure there's airflow so the UTH doesn't overheat.

Sounds like your snake-to-be is in good hands!
 
Heya Kyrtis, I fed my 2 corns for the first time today and to be honest there is nothing to it. Like already mentioned I take the pinky from the freezer put them in a plastic bag then in a small bucket of hot water from the tap and when they are soft and nicely warm
take them out of the bag and in the feeding tub with the snake. I didnt have to put it infront of the nose or anything they found it pretty fast and gone it was. After I let them in the tub for a wile till the mouse was about halfway down then I put them back in the vivs.

These are my or I should say ours as one is from my wife are our fist snakes and I know the feeling of waiting, the exitement getting the viv up and running testing with temps etc.. And when that all is done (it wont take you months) you cant wait to get the corn =D
 
Kyrtis said:
What is the best place recommended to buy frozen pinkies? I have a petsmart that might sell them a few miles away but most people say to get them delivered from an online source so i know they are properly taken care of.
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I was talking to a guy who said he paid $15 for 6 adult mice at PetsMart!
Ouch!
I pay $0.88 for an adult mouse from a local mouse breeder that I found through our local classifieds.

Buying them online in bulk is also a good choice- it is still cheaper than PetsMart if you buy enough. You have to have the freezer space, of course.

The two most popular online stores:

http://www.rodentpro.com/
You can only buy in bags of 100.
Pinkies are $0.16 each. Bag of 100 for $16.00.
Shipping is $46.00.
100 pinks and 100 fuzzies: $114.00
That is $0.57 per mouse.

http://www.themousefactory.com/
The Mouse Factory has a "quick and easy" package guide:
http://www.themousefactory.com/orders/qe_orders_mice.html
For example, you can get 100 pinks and 100 fuzzies for $108.75.
That is $0.54 per mouse.

PetsMart charges $11.00 for 6 pinkies, making them about $0.50 each for pinkies (after tax). I don't know how much they charge for fuzzies.

I would buy online just because it is easier and cheaper than PetsMart (again, if you buy enough).
Also, you know that the mice are treated well from both the above stores.
 
Naagas said:
I was talking to a ..
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I hope i don't sound like a bad guy by saying this but the shipping rates seem to be rather.. pricey no matter how little amount i would buy. According to the petsmart website, I can get a 50 pack of pinkie mice for about $39.99 each pack of fifty. And seeing as petsmart isn't too far away, i could just do a local pickup and save the shipping charges.

Fuzzy is only $49.99 per 50 pack. Doesn't seem so steep considering you would only feed one mice per 5-6 days. Anyone have any bad experiences with petsmart frozen mice? :D
 
The shipping rates for online mice are rather pricey, but in bulk it is always a whole lot cheaper. However, if you just have 1 snake then it probably isn't even worth buying online anyway. Snake will probably outgrow the mice size before they are used up.

I have purchased frozen mice from both petco and petsmart when needed, no problems. I like to make sure of the sizes so at petco I will feel the bag to make sure it is about the size I want. At petsmart I will open the box to see if it is the size I want. Their sizes can vary (a pinky can be very small, or very big, for example)

The 'gross'-ness of handling the mice will probably go away after you've done it for a while.

For fake vine-like decorations you might also want to check out the crafts section at wal mart. You can get more for cheaper than a reptile-cage-specific pet store plant.

Also if you will be putting it in a 20 long right away, make sure ther are tons of hiding spaces. All my snakes like fake vines as ground cover. And throw in some empty toilet paper tubes, lots of snakes like to curl up in those.

I think for my 20 longs I might use the 30 gallon size UTH, because the 20 long has more floor space than a 20. I can't remember for sure if this is what I use, but I think it is. I know it is bigger than the ones I put on the 10 gallon tanks.
 
Hey,

You probably want to add a scale to your list. Any scale that measure in grams up to 300+ will be good. I'm ordering one for $50...pricy but comes with a bowl mounted on the panel for the snake. With the scale it will help you follow a "Feeding Plan"...I read it on here which tells you the size mice for weight of snake..(Healthy weight of snake/not fat)...it's the Munson plan I think....it's a sticky on here.

I reccomended the scale because probably after 10 feedings of pinky you may need to increase to 2 pinky's...Then again it all comes down to when the corn is actually purchased.

Gtg today is feeding day for my baby corn :)
 
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