Greetings from the South!

[ilivenanigloo]

Hello, I am a first time snake owner and I just got a baby corn snake a week ago. I named him Caduceus, but I found out he's really a Caducia. She has a voracious appetite and seems to be adjusting rather well. I'm here to fill in the gaps of my pre-snake research, which turned out to be less than what it should have been, which I suppose was to be expected. I got her from PetCo, not knowing that this was probably a bad idea for the same reasons getting a kitten or puppy from a pet store is a bad idea. She had the largest reaction to being picked up, so that's why I chose her over the others. Of course, this could mean she's more timid rather than healthier, but I didn't really consider this at the time (oops). I got her home set up and my boyfriend got her out of her box, at which point she tried to eat his finger. Going against all advice, I thawed a pinkie and fed her immediately. She ate it immediately; the poor thing must have been starving! I left her alone for a few days to let her adjust, but she just kinda sits in her hiding spot and for the past 2 or 3 nights, she's been trying to escape, which makes me feel better about her activity level.

My main concerns right now are when to start feeding her fuzzies and how to control her temperature and humidity while living in the south. I'm concerned she's too cold; refusing to seek the basking light in favor of hiding. I showed her the warm side and she still hides. The cool side is 75-80 degrees F and the warm side is 85-90. My apartment is a cool 74. I removed the light for a day thinking it might be too warm, but got no reaction. I also got no reaction when I moved the light over her preferred hide spot. I am thinking I might change the warm hide spot to something more enclosed like the one on the cool side and see if she will go from one to the other.

I am concerned her environment might be too humid (50-60%- I don't do anything to her cage for humidity). Any advice on how to dry her cage? Does it need drying?

Here's Caducia!

 

[Theo's Keeper]

First, what kind of thermometer are you using? if it's the stick-on kind it isn't very helpful. If you're worried about her seeking her hide rather than the heat, get another hide for her warm side. I'd also switch to aspen shavings for substrate and get a UTH (under-tank heater) for heat rather than the light. of course if you do this you will need to buy a lamp dimmer (they're about $10 at home depot) because an unregulated UTH will get too hot for your snake. as far as feeding, Nanci told me that you should feed her two pinkies when she is 16 grams and switch to fuzzies when she is 24 grams, I think this is sound advice. I think your humidity should be fine. When Caducia is about to shed you can mist her and her vivarium to increase the humidity, that should help the shedding process. You have a beautiful snake! I think you'll find that the people on this site are very helpful, I became a first-time snake owner in May and I already know so much more just from reading here. I also made the mistake of buying from petco but my snake is happy and healthy so far.

p.s. I love Charleston, CofC grad class of '06.

 

[ilivenanigloo]

She has aspen bedding and I do, unfortunately, have the stick-ons. (Why do they sell those for snakes anyway, since I've never heard anything good about them?) I already had that on the to-do list, but I forgot to mention it in my post!Any recommendations about thermometers? Could I just lower the ones I have? Should I just get a cheap stick thermometer and tape to the cage or just set it in the bottom?

Thanks so much!

 

[Nanci]

Probably the most important thing is going to be buying an under tank heater and a rheostat or thermostat. You can look on eBay and find a UTH for the cheapest price. ZooMed or ExoTerra Desert are both okay. The cheapest thermostat I'd use is available at The Bean Farm, called Alife. I wouldn't use a rheostat- too much fooling around and watching and adjusting required. I wouldn't worry about the humidity. Cornsnakes are native to your state; they can handle the humidity there.

Cornsnakes are not active during the day. They do not bask in the sun. They hide under something that is warmed, that retains heat from the earth and the object that has soaked up heat from the sun. They don't want to be out, really, ever. Unless they are looking for something.

So not only does your snake not need a basking area, it really doesn't want any light at all- no UVB is required.

Well, at least she's eating for you- that's very important!

Lowes or Home Depot or Walmart all sell cheap probed thermometers.

 

[ilivenanigloo]

I got an All Living Things snake start-up kit from the pet store that included a UTH. I just didn't use it since it was so warm with just the lamp and I thought she needed light. Good to know she doesn't! I figured she'd be OK with the humidity, considering this is in her natural range, but I want to make any assumptions. I didn't realize they aren't diurnal until my snake "told" me (via only being active at night).

How would you recommend setting up probe thermometers? Just lay them on the substrate? Tape them to the sides?

Also, about the UTH....
I don't have a fancy just for snakes set up; her tank is on my dresser, the only free space I have at the moment. Will a UTH ruin any furniture? Is there any sort of insulation that you might recommend putting under the UTH?

Thank you so much!

 

[Caryl]

Welcome to the hobby! You'll often hear it called "the addiction," and it is that as well - in the best possible sense of the word, of course!

You've gotten good advice so far. I live on the Mississippi Gulf coast, and I can tell you that, from my experience, you won't really have to worry about humidity except perhaps in the depths of what passes for winter. Unless you're running heaters or AC 24/7 the ambient humidity is fine. Wild corns live and thrive in your area. They're adapted to high humidity. Feel free to give your baby a moist hide when she goes cloudy, but you'll probably be fine without it.

You can expect her to "just sit" after feeding for the rest of her life. Immediately after a meal many corns are active for a while, cruising in search of more prey. In nature they sometimes come across nests of prey, so this behaviour makes sense. After deciding to settle in and digest they remain in the same spot a long time. The rule of thumb is no handling for 48 hours after a meal. You don't want to provoke a regurge which can be serious for snakes, especially small ones.

All corn keepers should have Kathy Love's book on hand. Don Soderberg's is good as well, though Kathy's is more thorough. Her website is www.cornutopia.com. Don's is www.cornsnakes.net.

Again, welcome and good luck with Caducia.

 

[Caryl]

I didn't realize they aren't diurnal until my snake "told" me (via only being active at night)....

Also, about the UTH....
I don't have a fancy just for snakes set up; her tank is on my dresser, the only free space I have at the moment. Will a UTH ruin any furniture? Is there any sort of insulation that you might recommend putting under the UTH?

You're on your way to being an excellent keeper - you listen to the animal! :dancer:

Most UTHs carry a warning about scorching furniture. You have a couple of options to avoid this. You can elevate the viv with something short and stable, leaving an air space beneath it. Something like baby food jars on each corner, or books under the edges of the ends words well. You can then put the UTH beneath the viv on something like a piece of styrofoam with aluminum foil or mylar on top. The styrofoam keeps the furniture protected. The air space also helps keep things from getting too hot and damaging the furniture.

Is your viv glass or plastic? If it's glass you can attach the UTH directly to the bottom. The heaters come with adhesive, but it's best to attach them with something detachable in case you want to move them.

 

[ilivenanigloo]

Is your viv glass or plastic? If it's glass you can attach the UTH directly to the bottom. The heaters come with adhesive, but it's best to attach them with something detachable in case you want to move them.

My vivarium is glass, but the Fluker's UTH I have doesn't have adhesive and it's 6x8 inches and 7 watts and double insulated. Will this suffice? My tank is a 13x12x12. I think I will take your Styrofoam and Al3+ advice due to the lack of adhesive and I am one of those people who love having options, even if I don't intend to use them.

Thanks so much!

 

[Stormy]

Duct tape! Works well for almost anything Also you can find a copy of the munson plan on this thread here over at FaunaClassifieds.com http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79519 and it is a pretty good plan to follow for feeding.
And the reason they sell those items for snakes even if they are not needed or the best is because they know they will make money on it. It sucks but that is how it is I guess.