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Too soon?

T

traxxas

New member
Hello everyone,

let me start off by saying that I am no means an expert. I used to have Gardner snakes and king snakes (snakes from petsmart fyi) when I was 8,9, and 10 years old. I’m now 33 and decided to get back into the hobby of keeping snakes and a lot has changed.

So here’s the situation. We rescued an adult corn snake (she’s about 4) very used to be handled and just a gentle girl. She was starting to get neglected by the 13 year old girl who owned her and her parents wanted her gone. She came in a 20 gallon enclosure with 1 hide and basically wood chips for a substrate. I knew this was wrong.

So for starters we went to a reptile expo and got her a 40 gallon enclosure (for now) and aspen bedding. We got her more hides a water bowl she can actually soak her whole body in and a sturdy climbing tree she can’t knock over and a heating mat.

(Everyone at the expo said she does not require a heating light) is this true? The room that she is kept in is always around 72-76 degrees. They all said with it being around 72-76 degrees, a humidity hide, and heating Mat that’s all she requires.

My second question is she was fed last Wednesday. Is now Tuesday. The previous owner said she feeds every Tuesday or Wednesday depending on their schedules. Well I went to feed her and she wanted no part of it. I didn’t try for very long because I didn’t want to stress her out so I just stopped trying. Do you guys think this is because of such an environmental change and being handled again. I was thinking about trying again next Tuesday for her or Sunday. I’m worried maybe it’s not hot enough in her enclosure for her to want to eat.

At the expo we actually picked up a baby corn snake albino who is 3 months old to put in her 20 gallon (again for now) and he took his pinkie immediately without hesitation.

Any thoughts or advice on this would be great everyone

Her is a pic of her in her new home :)
 

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Welcome! Corns do fine without UVB or overhead heat, and just an undertank heater. That being said, adding UVB (for morphs with melanin only) or an overhead heat source is fine. All heat sources should be on a thermostat as corns should never be able to access any space that is over ~89F. I keep all of mine at 75-85F and have never had any heat-related issues.

I wouldn't be worried about a single missed feeding. She may be a bit stressed by the new enclosure, even though it is clearly much better than her previous one. Most adult corns do fine with a good sized meal every 10-14 days. I'd suggest giving her a week to settle in and then try again :)
 
She's lovely! It sounds like your setup is good. A heat mat on a thermostat set to about 87 degrees is perfect for a warm spot for digestion. You can put a hide right over top of it, so she has a secure place to hang out if she wants to use the heat. Overhead heating is not required, although it can be used.

She looks in good shape, so I wouldn't be worried about a refusal. If she's not in blue, I would give her one more week before you try offering food again. For your next attempt, try offering something smaller, like a hopper, and heat it up really hot. In the meantime, try to just leave her be and let her get used to all the changes.
 
Thanks for the advice! I kind of thought it was more or less all the environmental changes she went through and being handled again. I will definitely look into getting her a smaller prey item that's a good idea. Thank you for answering my question on UVB as well! Thank you both SnakesmithS and hypnoctopus!!
 
Hello everyone Back again. So she still has not eaten yet. She actually seems afraid of food. It’s been about 2 weeks since she last has had a meal. I am going to assume that when she is ready to eat she will. I didn’t force her or try to stress her out. I tried feeding her in her cage first. Then just attempted to feed her in a container away from her home. She basically acted like nothing was even in front of her. I don’t want to do the ziplock method to her yet. She is still a great size and active in her cage she hides during the day for the most part. Even though shes a rescue and I don’t know her behavior that well, it seems like typical snake behavior. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Update- my little 3 month old corn has taken two meals like a champ. He even shed in a nice big long piece. Still pretty much hiding all the time, but when you’re a noodle with a head the world is a scary place ; ) lol. Since he’s 3 months and eats the way he does would you guys still recommend every 7 days? Or should I go down to 5?

Thanks everyone
 
Glad your new baby is doing better. IMO, feeding anywhere between every 4-10 days is fine at that age. Best of luck :)
 
I preferred to feed my babies every 5 days while they were on pinkies until they were big enough to move to fuzzies and then I would cut back to every 6 days.
 
sounds like the new enclosure is way better for your corn! good call on getting proper hides and heating setup. she might just need a bit more time to settle in after the big change. i'd give her another week or two before trying again with feeding.
 
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