Greetings from the UK!

Hi all!

Firstly I would like to say what a fantastic communtiy you have here! I have kept Hermit crabs for a couple of years and decided that I wanted a corn, so when I found this site for research I was thrilled with all the great information it has to offer.

I read up on a lot of the topics here and ventured down to my local reptile store to pick up my first corn. I spent about 2 hours in the store chatting to the owner and suprise suprise, I was told some conflicting info to whats on the site. However we went through a few snakes and eventually I found a little fella who seemed to be really friendly....No tail rattling or attempts to flee!! I was really excited to have a new pet to care for so I followed the guys advice and purchased everything I needed.

I just wanted to check up with you pro's and make sure that I am doing everything to give Mr flibbles the best start. He is about 3 months old and the common morph....I think its called the standard Hypo but im not sure on that one yet lol.

Anyway I have it set up like this.....

He is housed in a plastic tank around 18x9 inches. Inside I have got wood substrate, a water dish and some cork bark for him to hide under. Its not warm over this side of the pond so for heating I am using a heatmat which is placed under half the tank. I was told by the guy, he MUST stay in the smaller tank for 6-9 months and that a large vivarium was not an option for such a young hatchling.

The store owner instructed me that I should leave him in his tank for around 4 weeks before I even think about handling him. This sounds about right from what I have read here apart from the big difference is, he told me that Mr Flibbles was fine to eat his pinkies in his tank. From what I have seen here, you all think that is a bad idea. Please enlighten me to weather I should ignore the store owner and put my corn in a seperate feeding bowl.

He seemed happy when i put him in his tank, did the usual explore for a way out then hide tactic! I have had him for 6 days now and he does not seem to come out from hiding much but I'm guessing he is just de-stressing himself and keeping a low profile. Apart from that he seems to be a happy chappy, I can change his water without him being alarmed or even being frightened of me. He just kinda stares at me lol!

Any help, tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

Thanks a lot!

Do you have a matstat to regulate the heatmat? Also a digital thermometer to monitor the temps? Feeding in the viv means risking substrate sticking to the prey and getting ingested. Which could then cause a blockage.
So just pop him in the small tub you brought him home in with his defrosted pinky. If he reacts badly to being picked up (as many hatchlings do) just pop it in his tub afterwards and let him slither out to go and hide.

Hi and welcome to the site. Well everything you'v been told seems about right, apart from the feeding in the viv. As Janine has already explained, this can be very dangerous for your snake.

welcome...im pretty new to the corn snake world myself ive had mine for 2 weeks now...anyways from what ive learned about feeding outside of the viv. its also safe for you...cause if you feed in the viv. he'll asociate the viv opening to food and you might wont to hold him and he strikes at you cause it was expecting food but outside of viv in a diff. box will be his asociation to food...

Good news, My corn fed succesfully for the first time last night. He scoffed the pinky down with no hassle so we are both happy. I noticed his eyes are looking a smokey blue colour so I assume he is about to shed. Do i go on feeding him once a week? The humidity in the tank is 45% so I hope there will be no problems. :dancer:

If you get yourself a digital kitchen scale, Argos do them pretty cheaply, then you could follow The Munson Plan feeding schedule

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50106

Which was worked out by one of our Moderators and is a really good guide for feeding corn snakes.

I would back up what Diamondlil said about a mat stat and digital thermometer, as heatmats can very easily be too hot. But if controlled by a thermostat will be very safe.

Some snakes will happily eat while in blue, others refuse. It's just a case of working out which your snake prefers, so by all means try him with a feed at his next feeding, if he accepts it, all well and good, if not then feed him again once he's shed.

I can understand the shop keeper saying about your snake being kept in the faunarium, for a while at least, because some young snakes get a bit freaked out by big open spaces. It really depends on how quickly your baby grows, as to how long before you move him into a bigger tank, let your snake be your guide.

I think feeding in a seperate container is the wisest option, as it eliminates the chances of substrate ingestion.

I agree that handling should be kept to a bare minimum during the first few weeks of ownership, as it allows your snake to settle in at his own pace. Once he has had a few feeds,you can start off with very short handling sessions, always remembering not to handle for 48 to 72 hours after a feed to avoid the risk of regurgitation.

Hopefully that's enough advice for you to be getting on with...lol.

If there's anything else you really need to know, then don't be afraid to ask as that's what we're all here for.

Good luck and best wishes,

Thanks a lot Susielea, the info you provided is great. As for the heat mat, its not a very hot unit. Apparently they heat the surronding objects, rather than heat the air. If you still recommend a thermostat then I will follow your advice and purchase one asap.

I have the mat covering half the viv surface area and the hide halfway on the matt again. He seems very happy with this as he burrows his way down to the bottom of the viv to snuggle up closer to the heat.

I also have a spare moonlight heating lamp left over from my hermits but I don't use it as I think it could be a little too hot. If the entire viv heats up, he will not have a cool area to go to.

Congrats on the first successful feeding!

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=28841&doy=12m2

http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=66&products_id=767

The above sites show digital thermometers which are really good for measuring temps in your tank, this is the only way you will be able to tell if the temperature on the bottom of the tank is too high or not. You just place the probe from the thermometer on the bottom of your tank over the heatmat. If it is too high then I would definitely suggest a mat stat, which again can be purchased from the second site or from your reptile shop.

The second site has a multitude of reptile related supplies that can easily be ordered online, just take a look.

A lot of the members here, myself included, recommend covering a "third" of the underside of the tank with the heatmat. Also it sounds like you have just the one hide? If this is the case, then may I suggest putting some more in there, you should really try to have at least two, one on the warm side and one on the cool side so your snake can choose which is best for him to regulate his temperature.

Other than that, it sounds like you're doing a great job!

Best wishes,

WoW, thanks for all your help Susie, its really appreciated.

OK from your advice I have now set up another hide on the cool side of the tank. I have also purchased a digital thermometer so I can get accurate readings. If the temperature is out I will definately invest in a thermostat.

Oh just one more thing.....I have not seen him drink or even go near his water dish yet. Ive had him for a week. Is this a course for concern and is there anything I can do?

You probably won't see him drinking unless you 'catch him in the act'. Make sure the water bowl is against the edge of the viv, because hatchlings tend to explore the edges first.

well i have 3 different corns.. my oldest i see him drink alot. usually right after i put him back in the cage he goes straight for the water. then he is really comfortable with me. i just got 2 new ones about a month ago and haven't seen them drink either. i never really see them out of the hides to begin with. since they are nocturnal i would believe they probably drink at night when they come out. so that is probably what he/she is doing. they actually drink alot of water so make sure you give them fresh water almost every day.

Great news....My corn shed for the first time today. All seemed to go well. I noticed a small piece of skin stuck to his tail so i followed the advice here and put in some damp kitchen towel. I think he appreciated it as he was all over it within minutes! Did the job so thats another reason why these forums are so great.

He seems much more active now, he is up all night slithering about! Must be the most remarkable and rewarding pet I have ever owned! Anyone whos here, thinking about getting one....DO IT! You won't be dissapointed :bird: