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Hello, from WV

Jupiter

Jupiter

New member
Hello, I'm Jacob, I've been lurking cs.com for about a week now (I know im awful :uhoh: ) and finally decided to become a member and support the site. I've never owned any sort of reptile, though when I was a kid we did have a pet squirrel, and a few hamsters, I realize a reptile is an entirely different experience. I thought the urge to own a snake would go away, that it was just a faze, but I've been researching and number crunching for nearly 6 months now, and now that winter is FINALLY over I think its time to get a one. I looked at several different reps but nothing ever caught my eye quite like snakes, all my life I've held, and loved being around the locale green/garter snakes, just last year I found a beautiful Green snake out in the yard and thought, I could keep this as a pet, if I had the proper supplies, but after a minuscule amount of research I found out that finding (and keeping) full grown wild snakes, was a very bad idea. Who knew :shrugs: ? So I started doing some looking around and it seems a general agreement, that corns are one of the best (if not the best) first time snakes to own. So I think I have all the basic supplies ready to be bought, unfortunately I live in the middle of no where, so everything (including my snake) will have to be shipped to me. Hopefully by the middle of next month everything will be here, so I can start shopping for the food, and snake itself, but before then I have 2 questions that I can't quite seem to find an answer to (but then again I haven't looked incredibly hard), they are:

1.) Who (or where) should I buy my corn snake from? It will have to be shipped to me, I've been looking at BHB reptiles, but im not sure about their reputation.

2) Is it Ok to have my viv in a high traffic area of my house? I understand that for the first several weeks of owning my snake it should be in a quiet place where it can settle into its viv, but what about after it warms up to everything, would it be ok to then move it to a, say hallway that has someone walking by it ever hour of the day?

Sorry if my questions are confusing, and for any bad grammar, but any answers/directions around this wonderful site, are MUCH appreciated.

I will definitely be using this site often, and posting pictures of my corn (which im thinking will be either creamsickle, or some sort of 'gold-dust' (i think its called that not sure)) and Viv.

Thanks for everything in advance, it might take me a bit, but I will reply to any questions/posts as soon as I can, and I look forward to being a member of this awesome snake community!
 
Welcome, and good for you doing your homework BEFORE you get your snake!

You can research breeders on the BOI http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=13 which will help you find a reputable one who can answer your questions about a specific snake and who breed the morphs you are most interested in.

On every topic on this site are "stickies" at the top of each page; they are extremely helpful hints and knowledge from the moderators or breeders who are on or run this site. Read them all.

Have you done any book reading about corns? If you haven't, take the time to get at least a couple of books on corns. Two of the best were written by members of this forum, and will get you in the know on everything corns.

http://www.amazon.com/Corn-Snakes-C...id=1398639559&sr=1-1&keywords=kathy+love+corn

http://www.amazon.com/Corn-Snakes-C...1398639878&sr=8-2&keywords=corn+don+soderberg

Here is a good guide for feeding corns, when to move up in size of prey. Most of us here use it, some think it is a little aggressive for younger corns so there is room to wait until your baby gains even 5g more than the chart says. It is known as the Munson Plan.

http://www.medusa-corns.webs.com/feedingchart.htm

I suggest getting a digital scale if you don't already have one, you need to weigh your corn and the prey. Almost all corn info is taken in grams, this is one I recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJFJDGS/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I keep a journal on all my corns, I weigh each before feeding, look them over for any injuries or anything out of the ordinary, then feed. I record the date, the weight, what they ate (or didn't), when they are blue, when they shed and any other things to note.

In some books on the topic of heating your tank (which is a must since you don't live in the tropics!), they might mention heat lamps. This is a debated subject here, but I would not waste time or money on a heat lamp, go with a UTH (under tank heater). This will cover 1/3 of the bottom of your tank, and you MUST have a thermostat to regulate it, otherwise the UTH can reach temps that can burn your snake. Along with the UTH and thermostat you need a probe thermometer or infrared thermometer.

Corns use belly heat to help digestion, so a UTH with a thermostat is recommended over the lamp. It also costs less in the long run and is easier to maintain temps. It will help keep your humidity levels up too, since the lights tend to dry the viv out. You want to set the thermostat to about 87° so the top of the substrate on the warm side is 85° and the cool side (where you would keep the waterbowl) is around 75°.

You mention the viv will be in a high traffic area, as long as you have several hides for your snake this shouldn't be a problem as long as it is adult traffic walking by casually, not little kids running back and forth.

I also recommend you might want to start with a yearling corn, they are established eaters and not as flighty and delicate as a baby is. Your chosen breeder will ensure you get the right snake!

The hardest part about getting your new baby will be not touching it for a week once you get him/her. Let them settle in, only going into the viv to change the water. The feeding chart is good, but it is okay if corns miss a meal or two here or there.

I truly hope that this helps, and DO NOT be afraid to ask any questions. No stupid questions, only stupid owners who don't care enough to as the question. Also, the "search" button is awesome, it will lead you to links of questions already asked and you might find more information there as well.

Welcome, and good luck! And I expect pictures after typing all this out!
 
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Hello and welcome! Agreed on the BOI suggestion. There are a lot of great breeders on this site who can ship, it will probably more come down to finding who was one that you want. Also I'd suggest Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles, he is one of the bigger breeders who will likely have a very good selection to chose from. He is also awesome to talk to and his snakes are very good quality.
 
Thank you! I will definitely get those books, and I'll be sure to check out the BOI.

Good to know about the heating lamp, and the viv placement, there are no little kids here regularly, so I think it should be fine.

It may take a while but hopefully by the middle of May I'll have the Viv pics up, and soon after (hopefully) pics of the snake!

Great to be a part of the community ;D
 
Tavia said:
Also I'd suggest Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles, he is one of the bigger breeders who will likely have a very good selection to chose from. He is also awesome to talk to and his snakes are very good quality.
Click to expand...

Don is also one of the authors of the books I recommended. I have them downloaded to my Kindle and still use them as references once in a while.
 
MakersMarked said:
None of these links worked for me. Is my computer just being stupid?
Click to expand...

Oh wait. None of the Amazon links worked for me. The Munson Plan one did work (and it's actually the page I was looking for when I signed on just now, so thanks, Smigon! :cheers:).
 
MakersMarked said:
Oh wait. None of the Amazon links worked for me. The Munson Plan one did work (and it's actually the page I was looking for when I signed on just now, so thanks, Smigon! :cheers:).
Click to expand...

I am at your disposal. :wavey:

Thanks for the heads-up! I just fixed the links and the Amazon ones are now updated.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice and tips again, I've found South Mountain Reptiles website, and I've got to say I'm liking what I'm seeing, although the adults/juves seem a bit pricey for me at the moment, the 2013 hatchlings should do fine. Like I said towards the middle of the month I'll post some pics of my viv and what-not.

Can't wait to become a snake owner!
 
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