Enzo Marlo
New member
Hello my fellow corn snake enthusiasts. Thank you for having me. This is more than an introduction, however idk how to work the forums yet and rather leave it all out there.
Before we begin, I realize I’ve been neglectful but I’m here now bc I want to do right by Vinny (my corn snake). I got him 4 years ago from PetSmart as a gift from my college gf, no preparation I just came home and there he was…”Surprise!”. At the time he was a baby but now he is a solid 2.5 ft long. I understood the basics but didn’t thoroughly do my own homework and she seemed to understand the does/donts…strike one.
1)Most sinful and idk where I read this but was under the impression that due to them being opportunist hunters they can go a month without being fed - it’s now my understanding that at this stage Vinny should eat every 2 weeks…can someone confirm. When he was younger he’d actively show signs of hunting for food but as of the last two years he just hangs out in his hides for a month and only goes into hunting mode after being fed.
2)He originally had a heating mat however who knows when it broke, when it came time to move out of freshman housing is when I noticed it didn’t heat anymore. I put it off bc the dorms had central heating and the apartment was always roughly 60-70 degrees - when he was younger he’d lay under his water bowl to cool. Past two years haven’t seen that behavior. I’m concerned with heating bc my last college dorm’s heat didn’t work properly and I know it was too cold during winter - now that I’ve moved back home, it’s better but still not reaching 70 degrees. My question here is I’d prefer heating mat what brand is recommended?
3) Shedding. He used to be consistent, outside of health I’m under the impression that they grow based on size of environment. I’m not sure the exact dimensions of his enclosure but he has enough substrate to burrow, floor space w/ a length greater than him, and the ability to climb/ hanging baskets. He hasn’t shed since August 2025. Also I’ve noticed while handling him that he might have old shed on his head (he did have a dead scale on his body and by getting my fingers wet and having him run through my fingers he came off w some slight pressure). I’m concerned about removing it from his head. How can I go about that and should I be concerned about the time between sheds?
Once again, I’m sorry about the trauma dump. Overall Vinny seem to be good: he’s fairly active in the morning, sleeps within his various spots, gets handled often and either explores, basks in the sun, or goes inside my shirt/hoodie. Honestly, am I a bad snake dad?
Before we begin, I realize I’ve been neglectful but I’m here now bc I want to do right by Vinny (my corn snake). I got him 4 years ago from PetSmart as a gift from my college gf, no preparation I just came home and there he was…”Surprise!”. At the time he was a baby but now he is a solid 2.5 ft long. I understood the basics but didn’t thoroughly do my own homework and she seemed to understand the does/donts…strike one.
1)Most sinful and idk where I read this but was under the impression that due to them being opportunist hunters they can go a month without being fed - it’s now my understanding that at this stage Vinny should eat every 2 weeks…can someone confirm. When he was younger he’d actively show signs of hunting for food but as of the last two years he just hangs out in his hides for a month and only goes into hunting mode after being fed.
2)He originally had a heating mat however who knows when it broke, when it came time to move out of freshman housing is when I noticed it didn’t heat anymore. I put it off bc the dorms had central heating and the apartment was always roughly 60-70 degrees - when he was younger he’d lay under his water bowl to cool. Past two years haven’t seen that behavior. I’m concerned with heating bc my last college dorm’s heat didn’t work properly and I know it was too cold during winter - now that I’ve moved back home, it’s better but still not reaching 70 degrees. My question here is I’d prefer heating mat what brand is recommended?
3) Shedding. He used to be consistent, outside of health I’m under the impression that they grow based on size of environment. I’m not sure the exact dimensions of his enclosure but he has enough substrate to burrow, floor space w/ a length greater than him, and the ability to climb/ hanging baskets. He hasn’t shed since August 2025. Also I’ve noticed while handling him that he might have old shed on his head (he did have a dead scale on his body and by getting my fingers wet and having him run through my fingers he came off w some slight pressure). I’m concerned about removing it from his head. How can I go about that and should I be concerned about the time between sheds?
Once again, I’m sorry about the trauma dump. Overall Vinny seem to be good: he’s fairly active in the morning, sleeps within his various spots, gets handled often and either explores, basks in the sun, or goes inside my shirt/hoodie. Honestly, am I a bad snake dad?
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