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Choosing a Corn

I

idloveaguinness

New member
So after about two years of wondering whether or not my son was ready for a Corn Snake, he's finally getting one for his 7th birthday. He's wanted one since he was three, so we figure it's about time to go for it. There's a local reptile shop that's been around for many years, and we're going to go with them. He says that it's hatching season and he should be getting in some new snakes in the next couple of weeks to month (which is good, the big day is 6/24). Once we get the call that they're in, we're going to head over to pick one out and he'll keep it at the shop (in our pre-purchased setup) until we take it home. (I'm actually going to head over for the feedings to learn 1:1 from the pros) We haven't picked up Kathy Love's book yet, but aside from that, is there anything we should look for when picking one out? I think we want to know that it's eaten at least once or twice and shed before taking one home. Anything else? Age / Size?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
You'll find a lot of good info on this site as well as in Kathy's book. My only piece of possibly unsolicited advice is to get an older snake for your son. Hatchlings are harder to handle and more prone to bite than an older snake. The bite wouldn't hurt, but may be enough to scare your son from wanting to handle it. An older snake would also be more established in his eating habits. It would be heartbreaking for your sons first snake to be a new hatchling who doesn't thrive for whatever reason and dies. My son is 11 and has been exposed to snakes since he was four and is quite good at handling them yet he avoids the hatchlings and yearlings because of their quick movements. It's mho that you should try and find a snake that is about 2yrs old. It will be big enough to easily handle but still small enough that he'll be able to watch it grow. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's great to see a new generation of snake lovers developing.
 
^^^^
I agree with this completely.
Hatchlings tend to be flighty and bitey and not as established.
Older ones are more kid proof.
 
Dustilyn said:
You'll find a lot of good info on this site as well as in Kathy's book. My only piece of possibly unsolicited advice is to get an older snake for your son. Hatchlings are harder to handle and more prone to bite than an older snake. The bite wouldn't hurt, but may be enough to scare your son from wanting to handle it. An older snake would also be more established in his eating habits. It would be heartbreaking for your sons first snake to be a new hatchling who doesn't thrive for whatever reason and dies. My son is 11 and has been exposed to snakes since he was four and is quite good at handling them yet he avoids the hatchlings and yearlings because of their quick movements. It's mho that you should try and find a snake that is about 2yrs old. It will be big enough to easily handle but still small enough that he'll be able to watch it grow. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's great to see a new generation of snake lovers developing.
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Thanks for that.....that's exactly the kind of advice I was after. My wife and I were actually wondering if a young snake wouldn't be too 'fragile' for him. I'll check with the rep guy and will ask him to talk to his breeders about an older one. Great advice....Thanks. The only criteria my son has is that its a red one. There are certainly lots of corn variants with red (or pink) in them....
 
idloveaguinness said:
Thanks for that.....that's exactly the kind of advice I was after. My wife and I were actually wondering if a young snake wouldn't be too 'fragile' for him. I'll check with the rep guy and will ask him to talk to his breeders about an older one. Great advice....Thanks. The only criteria my son has is that its a red one. There are certainly lots of corn variants with red (or pink) in them....
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Just an idea, but if the rep guy does not have the PERFECT snake for you, and you don't mind paying shipping, there are people here who breed corns who can find you a fantastic animal. The price would most likely be cheaper than what you would find at a reptile shop, but shipping would add to the cost. The breeders here who sell snakes can tell you EXACTLY what to expect in an older animal as far as feeding quirks and handlebility.
I have bought MANY snakes sight unseen on here and have never been disappointed yet!! In fact most have been MUCH nicer than expected!
 
I agree with Beth. There are many breeders here, who often have available adults & you can have a wider choice of snakes.
Have fun on your search & welcome! :)
 
Also good advice. I do trust that this guy can get the right snake for us....he's been around forever and knows the local breeders personally. I also like the idea of building a local relationship.....if there's a problem, he's a mile from both my house and workplace. That being said, i'll keep the shipping thing in mind. In fact, I nearly bought one from a 'famous' breeder/author mentioned frequently on this site. I only decided against it because I think my local guy will do just fine. We'll see......will let you all know how it turned out.
 
idloveaguinness said:
Also good advice. I do trust that this guy can get the right snake for us....he's been around forever and knows the local breeders personally. I also like the idea of building a local relationship.....if there's a problem, he's a mile from both my house and workplace. That being said, i'll keep the shipping thing in mind. In fact, I nearly bought one from a 'famous' breeder/author mentioned frequently on this site. I only decided against it because I think my local guy will do just fine. We'll see......will let you all know how it turned out.
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It sounds to me as though your local guy is just a flipper.
I would definatley go with a snake from the "famous" breeder. I met her personally and she is one of the wisest best people I know!

Good luck!!
 
starsevol said:
It sounds to me as though your local guy is just a flipper.
I would definatley go with a snake from the "famous" breeder. I met her personally and she is one of the wisest best people I know!

Good luck!!
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I didn't think of him this way, but that's what he is, at least for corns.....he does some breeding of other reptiles and amphibians and has also some rescued animals. He's got a big shop here on Long Island and does all kinds of educational reptile shows. That being said, I just discovered the breeder section on here and there are a couple of other local breeders that I'm reaching out to....in fact, I wonder if they are the suppliers for my 'flipper'! I really like the idea of going local.....this way I can just take a drive and pick it out and drive it home. Guess we'll see....
 
idloveaguinness said:
I didn't think of him this way, but that's what he is, at least for corns.....he does some breeding of other reptiles and amphibians and has also some rescued animals. He's got a big shop here on Long Island and does all kinds of educational reptile shows. That being said, I just discovered the breeder section on here and there are a couple of other local breeders that I'm reaching out to....in fact, I wonder if they are the suppliers for my 'flipper'! I really like the idea of going local.....this way I can just take a drive and pick it out and drive it home. Guess we'll see....
Click to expand...

I can understand that....there is no night longer than the night a snake is on a plane heading to you!!
 
Rich Hume is on Long Island; I'd take a guess he may be one of the suppliers for your pet store. If so his animals are top notch :)

Just to echo what has been said. A hatchling may be frustrating for a 7 year old whereas a two year old, even a yearling would be a better choice.

BTW Congrats on being cool parents who also did their homework :cheers:
 
While there are good reptile shops out there, like it's been mentioned, they are often simply 'flippers'. While most of their stock may have come from a reputable breeder, what the shop is sold might be lower quality than what you could purchase directly from the breeder. Breeders often wholesale leftovers, poor examples of a morph, slow starters / picky eaters, etc. It is also another stop on the way to the customer where the snake could potentially pick up various illness (mites, viruses, etc.). And, you'll likely be paying more for the snake.

Breeders frequently holdback potential breeding snakes that they later decide to sell, or have breeding snakes that they retire. These situations would provide a great opportunity to get an older, more established snake. And, depending on the breeder they could probably recommend one that they know is more tolerant of handling and has the 'personality' that would be perfect for your young son.

With all the care and research you seem to be putting into this I'm sure you'll find the right snake :)
 
What about Vinman? He's in New York somewhere. He might have an older snake. You know what, though, if the reptile shop guy sounds out his suppliers, it's possible he could locate a retired or down-sized or habitual slugger or something like that that is friendly and calm.

Rich Hume is SUPER nice, and reputable, and I'd buy a snake from him any day! However, he's really, really cut back on corns. Probably any adults that he would part with are already gone.
 
Thanks so much everyone for your input. I'm following up on the leads in this thread and already have a bite. I'm sold on the concept of an older, known to be calm snake....

Oh - so our initial plan, when I was thinking that we would be getting a hatchling, was to put it into a 15 gallon tank - it just fits perfectly on a bookcase shelf we already have in place, and wouldn't have to do much as far as shifting the room around. This plan accounted for the fact that a hatchling would be able to keep that tank for a couple of years, then need to to get into a 20 long, but we'd have a couple of years to figure out what we were going to do. Will a yearling or older snake totally change those plans? How big a snake would a 15G (24 X 12 X 12) be appropriate for? We can revisit our tank plans and figure out a 20 long, but the 15 is just more convenient for the moment. Thanks again all....

Kevin
 
Most people put hatchlings in 10 gallon tanks or smaller. A 15 gal would be okay for a smaller adult, but a 20 gallon long tank is best. Just remember that the bigger the better.


idloveaguinness said:
Thanks for that.....that's exactly the kind of advice I was after. My wife and I were actually wondering if a young snake wouldn't be too 'fragile' for him. I'll check with the rep guy and will ask him to talk to his breeders about an older one. Great advice....Thanks. The only criteria my son has is that its a red one. There are certainly lots of corn variants with red (or pink) in them....
Click to expand...

Look into the bloodred morph. It may be more expensive than something like an amelistic corn, but they are RED, and the belly is a nice white.
http://iansvivarium.com/morphguide/bloodred/

They are amazing...
 
I bought my big corn Draco from a "flipper" and I love him to pieces! BUT I have absolutely no idea on his history. I don't know how old he is, if he's ever been bred before, who bred him ect. Luckily I haven't been burned by it. But it sounds like you would rather have a pet so the breeding info probably wouldn't interest you.

You live in an area that SHOULD have a lot of good breeders. ( I don't know Rich Hume but I've only heard great things about him. ) You might also try attending a local reptile show. They're great places to buy snakes at great prices and a good place to find a lot of breeders in on area. AND they're addictive!

Here's my guy Draco. He's an amel and they're famous for having great dispositions and its a color morph that's easy to come by. See if your son likes this color.

Devon
 

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Yup, the bloodreds and Amels are what we have been looking at....by 'we', I mean my wife and I. Nate (the 7yo, who also has two brothers, a 5yo and a 9yo, by the way) doesn't know anything about this - it's a surprise for him. We've showed him pictures and looked at books together and we know that anything with a red / pink variations is what he likes - but after that, the main goal is disposition. We're not breeding and so we don't really care if it's a particularly good 'example' of a variation, or what sex it is - except if there is something in herent in gender with regards to temperment. As far as cost is concerned, again we're focused on temperment.....so if a more expensive snake comes up that is more money due to it's coloring we would get it if it was a known gentle snake. I've looked at prices all over the web, and as an outsider, I have to laugh. I can't figure out why one snake is $30 and another $130 due to the coloring when it's absolutely CLEAR to me that the $30 one is nicer looking! lol. That's a debate that I'll leave to you serious hobbyists.

As far as the tank snake size goes, what's a small considered for an adult snake? About 3-4 feet? The 15 gallon would really be a 'drag and drop' for us, and we plan to re-do this room (their playroom / hangout) in about 2 years to take the decor and furniture from young-ish boy to adolescent boy, but if we found the right snake and it would need a 20 gallon either now or soon, we'd figure someting out to make it happen.

Thanks to everyone for chiming in!! This has been very helpful. Pal - Draco is great looking. Nate would love something like that.

Kevin
 
Temperament has no real correlation with sex, it's more of a handling and age factor with snakes. There are potential health concerns/issues that may arise that are sex related, such as males will sometimes refuse food during mating season while others will eat year-round, and some females might ovulate, in which case they usually reabsorb and sometimes they will pass the infertile 'eggs' and others will go a lifetime without this occurring or you even noticing. So really the choice of sex is quite irrelevant.

A 20 long Critter Cage is what's considered the minimum acceptable size for an adult and there's no harm going bigger. The dimensions of a 20L are 30"x12"x12" so it's only marginally bigger than the tank you have, so if you do get a yearling it'll probably due until you upgrade, however if you end up with a full-grown or large Corn, you'll probably want to look at picking up a bigger enclosure in the nearer future. I've often read that your enclosure width plus depth should equate to the length of the snake, so until you find your snake it's kind of hard to say.
 
Thanks for that.

Marica said:
A 20 long Critter Cage is what's considered the minimum acceptable size for an adult and there's no harm going bigger. The dimensions of a 20L are 30"x12"x12" so it's only marginally bigger than the tank you have,
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Yup. The shelf is 28", though. Looks like I just need to track down a good snake and go from there. That's OK, we're flexible.
 
Oh, I now! Those darn bookshelf people must be anti-reptile 'cause they're all just a tad too short or not quite deep enough for the 20L. That's why I've gotten myself into too many DIY projects ;)
 
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