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about to get my first corn, what do I do!!!?

L

luckilylovinlyfe

New member
Hi everyone
I'm new here
And definitly new to snakes. I've always had my eye on cornsnakes because of they're colors and they great sizes, not to big not too small. Well my mom finally said I can have a snake after years ans years of begging her. What I need to kno is what to get for the tank?
The snake I'm getting is at petco for $40 and about 5 inches long I think. They were all curled up. (About how old would a snake that size be?) I wanted to kno if a 20 gallon glass tank for him is good enough? Also what to put at the bottom of the tank sand? Newspapers? (I would like something eye apeasing) and what else will I need before I bring my baby home. Like hiding spots, heater? What kind to get the lamps because I live in new york city and it get really cold in the winter or the under the tank heaters? Will I need a black light. Whats a therostat and how much do they range from. Should I get a 10 gallon tank and breed mice for it since its eating pinkys or just buy the frozen ones? I kno its a lot but I wanna be surre I have everything right b4 I bring it home. How do I tell a guy from a girl, which sex are more "tame"? Thank you and sorry for all the Qs:(
 
Well congrats on getting a corn they are wonderful pets. The 20gal tank would be plenty big you could get by with smaller for now. My baby did fine in a 20 gal. far as the beding material i would go with aspen. no sand it can get in those nose and cause problems. also a place for them to hide on the cool side and warm side. To get the warm side you will want to get an under tank heater. also be sure to get a reostat so you can adjust the temp of the heater. warm side should be around 85F cool side 70-75f. Also you will want to get a dual temp probe to measure tank temps place the probes in the aspen. And of course you will want to get a water bowl it should be placed on the cool side. Well this info is some basics to get you started hope all works out for you.
 
Welcome to the forums! The bedding most people use is Aspen, can also use Care Fresh, I've heard. A 20gal long tank will house almost any corn (except for a really big one) all it's life, so you can get that size for a baby, but it will need lots of hides, fake plants ect. to feel secure in that big a tank. Might also put two water dishes in as well. Most everyone on here who has their snakes in tanks use UTHs & either a rheostat or a thermostat. A rheostat is a dimmer switch that you have to adjust every now & then to keep the cage at the right temp. A thermostat will shut itself off if the heat mat gets too hot. They are a bit more pricey than the rheostat, but if you can afford it, it is worth it in the long run. If you are just going to have the one snake, the effort of raising your own mice is probably not worth it. Also if you are getting a snake from petco, then it is probably already eating F/T. The only way to tell a corns gender for sure is to "pop" it if it's a baby or "probe" it if it's an adult, but that should only be attempted by someone who knows what they are doing. A really good book to get is "Corn Snakes In Captivity" by Don Soderberg. You can order one at www.cornsnakes.net from Don himself & he will even sign it for you. It costs a little more than $12 the last I checked.
 
oh I almost for got far as the mice go i would buy frozen and thaw and feed as needed. Far as the lamp goes most undertank heaters keep temps up. If its not enough in the winter you could always get a lamp. Far as the black lights i have one they help with heat some but mostly allow you to see the action at night also look nice.
 
Baby snakes(as the one you are getting)Will need a smaller tank, 10gl., As it will easily get stressed, and hides. When he gets older(yearling) you will want to put him in a 20 gl. or bigger. Justmake sure you have hides and a water dish big enough for him to get his whole body into.

If you breed your own mice, And feed the babies live, you will most likley have to feed him live his whole life, taht means feeding him adult mice when he is older. When feeding live there is risk of the mouse fight back and hurting your snake. If you feed frozen/thawd , You just put the mouse/pinky in glass of hot water until thawd, take it out and give it to your snake!

As for bedding, Aspen or Fine Aspen is what a lot of ppl use. You can use newspaper (but it is not very eye apeasing, as you said).
Neither sex are more tame/not tame. The males, once they reach breeding age(2-3 yr.) -in breeding season (spring) some go on feeding strikes(not all do, very few).
To sex corn snakes you have to 1) probe them, (in a way ---sticking a wire up its but, on Kathy love's site it has a video) and 2) Popping it. (pushing its "parts" out, also a video on kathy love's site.)

Hope this helps and My name is Cassandra.
Welcom to cs.com and Welcome to snake ownership!!!!!
 
I would recommend a 10 gal tank. You can use aspen or cypress for bedding. i went to earl may and got tiny broken pieces of slate to make my snakes hide. It looks great and she loves it! here is a picture of the viv i speak of: (excuse the fact that the cypress is kinda dirty that pic is right before i cleaned the cage)
DSC00217.jpg


and here is one I did for my male:
DSC00377.jpg


Are you planning to use UTH? will you use a thermostat? these are many questions that need answered so we can get your cage set up perfectly :D

you should have 2 hiding spots in the cage. One on the warm side of the cage, one on the other side of the tank. We will address the warm side cold side thing when UTH's come up. But it doesn't matter AS MUCH about a hide on both sides when you have fairly thick aspen or cypress. and in my males cage, i have a fake fern but I got that after I took that pic sorry.. And if you want to know, i got the fake plant from big apple herps.
 
Thank you everyone for all your help!!!
Cornsnake124 I plan on using an under the tank heater. And I also heard the thermostats are pricey so I guess ill be getting a hemostat. I'm going to get the snake soon and build up the tank as I go I think. I wanna make sure I have everthing I absolutly need first.
I went to the pet shop today and the worker suggested a glass top to put over my tank to keep it humid will I really need that or is it not a big worry yet?

And just to make things clear with an under the tank heater I won't need a light on top? And I think I will get the black light so what kind of lamp thing will I need?
Sorry for all the questions I just wanna be sure my snake is comfty.

Got any names btw?
I want something different. Exotic like maybe
 
Corns actually don't need an unusual amount of humidity I wouldn't bother room humidity should be enough and black lights aren't necessary either- they appreciate the dark at night. Light can burn the snake unintentionally, dry things out, use extra electricity,... Just get a UTH and rheostat, tank, 2 hides or even papertowel rolls when they are little, turdy water bowl, aspen, and some frozen thawed pinky mice:)
 
about the black light, I use a red light designed for reptiles. Its not for heat purposes, just in the night it looks REALLY cool with the red light on them with a pitch black room. There are no limitations on your theme. I just went with the swampy style because that is the natural habitat of the cornsnake. If you want I can snap a quick pic of my lamp for the light. I picked it up for 10 bucks at a snake show. snakes cant see red light btw so it wont get rid of the darkness for the snake. and my redlight doesn't emit very much heat. its a lower whatt. here is a design to make your own rheostat: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19168

I think I just answered at least some of your questions.

oh by the way i would recomend a screen lid. I love my sliding lid but you may just want a clip lid.
 
Everyone here has given really good advice. I would like to add one thing though. For a first snake, Petco might not be the best way to go. You might get a healthy feeding wonderful snake...or..you might end up with heartache. Your best bet is to look for for a good breeder. A snake from a good breeder will be feeding, healthy, mite-free, and properly sexed. Plus with a breeder you will have tremedous choices as to color morphs, you could even find a snake in your favorite color! Shipping will make you new pet a tad more expensive than a pet shop snake, but you will be off to a better start in this whole snake keeping venture.

I hope you know what you are in for before you embark on this new wonderful lifestyle. For many of us, snake keeping is as much of an addiction as a hobby. It may just consume you! Your life may never be the same, but it will be wonderful!
Welcome to the forums!
 
I must add the black moon light i have is for reptiles. low watt hardly any heat just for looks i dont think it will burn
 
Starsevol: I think your kinda right about the petco thing. Are there any snake breeders in nyc that you kno of?
And my favorite color is Orange so of course ill find one in that color. Lol. I really the like corns with stripes tho I never knew there were sooo many different colors they come in. But the prettier they are the more expensive they are:-\.
And I got a feeling I will get hooked to corns I'm the same way with american pit bull terriers. I had one and feel in love I'm on my second now and can't wait till he gets a little older so I can't get another:-D. NOT a puppy though....never again lol
 
luckilylovinlyfe said:
Starsevol: I think your kinda right about the petco thing. Are there any snake breeders in nyc that you kno of?
And my favorite color is Orange so of course ill find one in that color. Lol. I really the like corns with stripes tho I never knew there were sooo many different colors they come in. But the prettier they are the more expensive they are:-\.
And I got a feeling I will get hooked to corns I'm the same way with american pit bull terriers. I had one and feel in love I'm on my second now and can't wait till he gets a little older so I can't get another:-D. NOT a puppy though....never again lol
Click to expand...


I don't really know any breeders in NYC, but you don't have to limit yourself to local breeders. I live in Rhode Island, but got 5 gorgeous snakes today shipped in from Florida! There are ALOT of great breeders on this site. Just go to the for sale section and check out all the pictures of what's available, you will be surprised I think!

Oh, and I use newspaper for my older snakes and paper towels for my little ones...

One advantage snakes have over pitbulls....pitties eat and poop daily...with snakes it's once a week!
 
you can go to your local gardening shop and get a bag of aspen or cypress mulch at most places. But i dont really know about in nyc...
 
oh and many people ship on here. I can ship, starsevol can ship, and so can about any other person on here. you can find great breeders on here, and in other places. You also might want to check out the fauna classifieds. also the classifieds on here, and just search cornsnakes for sale on google and you will find a ton.
 
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