New member and future corn owner

Good evening. My name is Alishah and I live in Scottsdale, AZ. First of all, I always had kids of the furry variety---currently Sage my cat, and Buddy, Pinky, and Sophie my ferrets, and fish(not furry I hope). I had never thought of snakes as potential pets until I googled them for fun a couple weeks ago. Now I can't stop reading about them. Living in Arizona, I have discovered I'd have to have a snake shipped to me from out of state. All the starter tanks for corns are around 20 gallons; wouldn't it be better to find something bigger for the snake to grow into? Just add more water and hides? I've done my research, but I'm confused. Living in Arizona where ambient temperature is more like 80-90 in the house, would it really be necessary to have a heat source at all, nights inside my house don't go below 78. I much prefer the warmth. I can't decide which morph I like best, probably hypomelanistic okeetee. Personally I like www.jonigarcia.com. The site is so user friendly. I really like that you can see the breeding plans which show the parents and the actual hatchlings for sale, when they come available. It's not just clicking on a picture of a morph not knowing if that's the actual snake you'll get. It'll be a couple years before I actually have the space and money to get one...I currently rent a house with my boyfriend. That and I'm in the process of applying to nursing school. But corns are just so cute and pretty. Even if they're feeding. I would only feed thawed, although if I had to I could feed live. www.miceonice.com is a good source for feeders. Though I learned today you can feed Corn snakes baby chicks and quail...even eggs as a treat. I'll have to ask :santa: for some supplies so by the time I get the snake I'll have everything I need. I really like the custom wood cages that are available. But they're so expensive, I may get my carpenter/handy-man Uncle to help me build one. We shall see. Any advice is always appreciated.

welcome Alishah! hope you find everything you need on here!

Welcome Angel! I'd personally go nuts if I had to wait a couple years before I had to get mine, but I suppose you've got to work with what you've got.
I've read in many places that a 20gl tank is large enough for an adult corn, but I don't think having bigger will hurt anything! I'm in the progress of planning out building a custom myself for my next snake out of an old TV cabinet I was about to toss out. I think building a custom home is a great idea, because it's more personal. As far as your heating questions ago, I'm not sure but i think 90 degrees may be 5 degrees too hot for the snake. Don't quote me on that, but you may want to check into it further. Good luck with everything!

Hi Alishah! Welcome to the forum!! Looks like you've done a lot of research!! This is a great site for advice and information and i agree with Mr. Maya, I would totally take advantage of your uncle's skills for a cage!

The temps in the cage should be around mid 70's on the cool side and mid 80's on the warm side. They're cold blooded so need to be able to regulate their temperature between the two sides.

Good luck getting your baby and again, welcome to the site!!

Welcome to the site!. I'm glad that your looking so far ahead for choosing the proper snake and set-up. It shows your taking it very seriously. Anyway, here are a few pointers at keeping a corn snake. First off, if you prefer thawed mice than that is the way to go. You should have no problem feeding any corn snake you choose thawed mice. Me and my brother have a combined 9 corn snakes and all of them eat thawed mice, and have been excellent eaters from the get-go. If you are looking at good sites to purchase a baby from I would suggest cornutopia.com, because they also show the exact baby you would be purchasing and they have a great selection at great prices. Another good place to look is southmountainreptiles.com, because they have really great prices as well. I haven't purchased any snakes from either of those sites, but I'm sure their more than satisfactory. Also, I'm not sure if there is any reptile expos in, or around, the scottsdale area, but that would be a great place to find the perfect corn snake at a great price, and you could also get all of the snake supplies/food you would need for very cheap. My brother just went to an expo this past saturday, and he bought me a bloodred corn snake for 25$ that is beautiful and a great eater. I don't know if your familiar with what a bloodred is, but their beautiful, and typically cost between 70-100$ if you purchase them online, not to mention he got the pick of the litter.
As far as housing is concerned, a 20 gallon tank is perfect. You may need a bit bigger tank further down the line, but that should last you a few years, anyway. Also, even though it may be warm in Arizona I would still reccomend a heating source just in case, but it's not a neccessity for you seeing as how it's so warm already. For bedding I would suggest Aspen bedding, which you can find at your local petco or petsmart. They love to dig!. Then all you would need is a water dish, and maybe a hide cave or vines for them to enjoy, and that should be about it. If you have anymore questions I'd be happy to answer and good luck with everything!.

Welcome fellow Arizonan!!! I live in Mesa, so I'm not too far from you. You'll find all you need here... so don't be afraid to ask. There's also lots of "sticky" information available to go over... LOTS. But if you don't find it, I'm sure someone will either point it out or give you some good advice.

Hi I just found this thread. I live in Phoenix, AZ I also now work at Petsmart. Petsmart might have a corn you like and we feed them appropriately so don't be worried about them being sick.