Some Clarification on Set Up and care

[jessthebionerd]

Hello, I'm new to this forum, I'm planning to get my first snake (pretty sure I'll be getting a corn) in a few months or so. I'm familiar with keeping reptiles, I currently have a crested gecko, but snakes are a first. I've done a few months of research and keep finding myself hitting a wall. Some care sheets say one thing, others say something completely different so I'm looking for some clarification!

First off, when actually purchasing the snake, do you recommend going to a show, purchasing from a reptarium (I purchased my gecko here) or ordering online? I'm pretty sure I either want a Miami phase, okeetee, or charcoal. I want to ensure the best health for the animal, best price for product, and that I get a pretty snake of course. If you recommend going the online route, can you point me towards some good sites, and conversely if you recommend buying it in person can you give me some thighs to look for in a healthy animal? Would you recommend a hatchling, juvenile, or adult snake?

Secondly, regarding caging. My current plan was either a 30x12x12 Zilla tank, or a 36x18x18 Exo Terra tank. On this, I'm not sure if there is an advantage to the front facing doors. With my gecko I prefer it for full access to her enclosure. However with a snake I was unsure if it's better to approach from the front or if that would pose a threat of escape and a simpler terrarium would be better. Furthermore, is it better to use UTH or heat bulbs? I believe it's probably better to use UTH. Are there any safety risks with these, for example if I keep the tank on a wooden counter, will it set on fire? Are rhetostats suitable or should I get a thermostat and which brand do you recommend?

I am planning to use aspen bedding, include multiple hides. Is it better to use pieces of wood, or do they prefer hollow basins or would foliage be more appropriate? Also should I limit my vertical habitat space to prevent risk of escapes or is it okay to include climbing branches? Apologies for these questions, I am more knowledgable in arboreal species so I'm a bit stumped when it comes to non tropical terrestrial species. Do corns need misting? My gecko is misted thoroughly twice daily to maintain a humidity gradient of 90% down to 50% at mid day. Is this similar in corns or do they need less frequent misting? Should water bowls be roughly the diameter of the snake coiled or should they have some slither room(yes that was a pun)?

I am planning to include an exo terra dual hygrometer and thermometer, should the probe be placed within a hide or closer to the ground?

Lastly, what time of day is generally best for feeding and is it preferred to feed in an external environment such as a large shoe box?


Thank you for any insight you may provide, apologies for my abundance of questions!



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[Karl_Mcknight]

every one of those questions can be found throughout this forum. If you'll take a moment to browse through the area concerning basic care you should be able to find everything you need to know.

 

[Glenaerie]

Hi, Jess - and welcome! It's great that you have been doing lots of research before plunging in to snakekeeping, and yep, it's true that there is a lot of contradictory advice, even right here on this forum. I think it's a combination of "there is more than one way to do things and still have a good outcome", and just plain, "things change over time".

Where to purchase: probably the most important question is whether you can feel confident that the animal has had a good start and is healthy, and you can gain that confidence in whatever way works best for you. I personally had my best experience buying from a breeder who posts frequently on here, so I felt I knew and trusted the breeder ahead of time.

A UTH is considered the best heat source for cornsnakes, located at one end of the habitat, on the outside, under the glass. The temperature probe should go inside the habitat, on top of the glass, over the center of the UTH.

Next to the temperature probe should be the probe for your thermostat, which is necessary to keep the UTH from getting too hot. The UTH should range in the mid to low 80s F. You can secure both probes to the glass with hot glue.

You should raise the tank a little bit for circulation under the UTH. The UTH often comes with little corner buttons or pads to do this, or you can get them elsewhere.

The rest of your plans look fine - they like lots of hides and enjoy fake foliage and things to climb on. Cornsnakes are not considered an arboreal species, and they use more horizontal than vertical space.

They have strong noses and are constantly roaming about, looking for a place to escape their habitat for further hunting explorations, so make sure you buy a tank or viv that you can secure well in all areas.

A "coiled-size" water bowl should be fine!

I'll let others advise on the humidity - they are fine without supplemental humidity where I live, in Florida, but if you live in a very dry climate, you might have to add moisture.

Again, welcome! We look forward to answering your questions as best we can, and can't wait to see photos of your new snake.

 

[jessthebionerd]

Thank you very much for the help!


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[kdickens]

My temp. probe is on the OUTSIDE of the viv, hotglued to the headpad. (No, the UTH does not 'un-glue' the probe) This is all connected to the thermostat http://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Ce...453308243&sr=8-1&keywords=Jump+Start+reptiles
so you can control the inside temp.
I don't like a bunch of wires inside the viv.
Good luck with your snake search! A corn snake is really a good choice.

 

[Glenaerie]

Also, I can vouch for the Zilla Critter Cage (with sliding top) as a good, escape-proof habitat. Just be sure that you always slide the top /completely/ shut in the locked position (ask me how I know - luckily I caught the little escapee before she got too far). If you get one of those little padlocks, or use a wire or paper clip to put through the holes (for a lock) at the front, they can only be inserted if the lid is completely closed, so that's a good check, and makes the lid especially secure as well.

 

[sian.kelly]

I have some space and vines for my corn to climb on and he loves them! Every snake will be different but definitely give them the option to climb. You can also give them the option to burrow by putting down a think layer of substrate which mine really likes as well.

You shouldn't need to do anything with humidity, it should stay about 50% all the time. However, if it's really dry (like where I live) you can put a second water bowl on the hot side and this works really well.

I feed my corn in the evenings as this is when he's most active. I also feed inside his enclosure, there's not a reason to feed outside the enclosure.

Hope that helps! [emoji4]


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[jagodzinski]

I definitely second kdickens recommendation for thermostat. Even though they were not built intended for reptiles, lots of people (including me) use them and they work really well with UTHs (and as another plus - they are not too expensive compared to reptile-specific brands).

Just to offer my opinion about humidity - you shouldn't need to do anything special, except for maybe at shedding time you could offer a humid hide box. I do because my snake has had some bad sheds and it was recommended by my vet. If you ever need to make a humid hide box, you can take a tupperware, fill it with damp (not wet) paper towels or moss, close up the tupperware and cut a little entrance hole for snakey (make sure to sand the edges down).

Good luck with everything!