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got my first baby corn yesterday just had a couple questions

J

justinshouse93

New member
ok well first i love my new corn shes bout a 3/4 months nd got him from petco now when i was looking she was the prettiest one there nd i had to get her but.... she is also the meanest lol so my first question is since shes so young will thw biting nd meaness stop with handling nd care nd i also have the cage temp at around 80-87 all day all night. uv daylight heat bulb in day nd blue night bulb at night is tht bout right cuz it might be just the cage transfer cuz its a new placeor whateveer ubut she has a habit of burrowing underneath her bedding she has 2 hides nd a big water dish i think imma put some fake plant in there to for hiding on the not so warm side but yeah hit me up wit some info if u took the time to read all this thanx,justin
 
Hey Justin! :wavey:

Read over the basics here:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28341

Snakes need belly heat for warmth and digestion. Your overhead lights are more suited for some types of lizards rather than snakes. Can you possibly return them to get your money back? I'll feel badly for you if your pet store employee advised you to buy those. You'll need to purchase an under heat mat with a temperature probe and a thermostat or rheostat.

You may also need to get more hides for him. One on the warm side and one on the cooler side.

Give your snake a week or so to settle in before attempting to handle or feed him.
 
Hi Justin.

Welcome to the forums. There's lots of great people and great information.

I would definitely try to take the heat lamps back and get a UTH (under tank heater) and a thermostat. You also need a digital thermometer with a probe to monitor your tank temps. You should have a temp gradient of around 85 on the warm side (measure with the probe on top of the uth) and the cool side at room temp around 70ish. The snake will then move around to where it feels comfortable. Heat lamps have a tendency to reduce humidity in your tank and cause shedding problems.

As to the behavior. Keep in mind this is a baby and you are HUGE in comparison. It's also been through a lot of stress in it's very short life. Give it lots of hides and leave it undisturbed to settle in for 7 days. Then feed it. You must leave it alone for 48 and preferably 72 hours after eating to prevent regurges.

After that, you can start gently picking it up from the side. Never grab your snake from above, because then it's convinced you're a predator and it's going to be eating so it feels it has to defend itself. Baby corns can be a little snappy at first until they get used to you, but most will grow out of it. It's not going to hurt you at all, just startle you. If it really makes you nervous and flinchy wear a pair of latex gloves. Keep your handling sessions short (5-10 minutes) for a while. It's important to hold the snake long enough for it to calm down and stop struggling to get away. Once it's calm then let it go back into it's viv. This will prevent it from learning that struggling or worse biting gets it what it wants.

Read through at least the FAQ's on the various forums. Lots of great information there as well.

Good luck with your new baby.
 
Corns can be antsy if they're too hot. When you say you keep the temp at 80-87, is that the whole tank? There needs to be a cooler zone, around the mid-70s as well as one around the mid-high 80s.

UV is unnecessary for a Corn, and might be what's making her burrow (to get away from the light). Must admit, I'd also lose the lights as the heat source, and replace them with an under-tank heater on a thermostat.

Fake plants are great for ground cover, so that would be a good idea. Try putting one hide on the warm side and one on the not-so-warm side and see if she moves out from under the substrate.

Don't worry, it can sometimes take a bit if tinkering before you get the habitat that suits your Corn, especially if the shop might have sold you a not-quite-ideal setup to start with (some Petcos have a slightly dodgy track record with that sort of thing). But Corns are pretty bombproof and most will settle down over the first couple of months as you're getting things right for them.
 
Welcome to the hobby! This forum has LOTS of helpful info to get you and your new pet going right. You might also want to order a couple of books. Kathy Love's Comprehensive Guide and Don Soderberg's "Corn Snakes in Captivity" are both nice to have on hand. I've read, re-read, and just looked at the photos over and over. You can find them at the author's websites. Kathy's is www.cornutopia.com, and Don's is www.cornsnakes.net.

You've gotten some good advice so far. Once your baby has had time to settle in, just handle gently and regularly. Corns are known for their great dispositions, and chances are good that your baby will calm down once s/he figures out that s/he's safe with you.

Best of luck, and enjoy!
 
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