Howdy

[wesleypipesyo]

:sobstory:uke02: <---- funny



So I am going to get a snake. I have an almost 3 year old who loves snakes. She saw the snakes at the National Zoo about 6 months ago and she has been talking snake this and snake that ever since. So for the last 4 months I have read everything I can find online about snakes. We were tossed up between a ball python or a corn snake. We are going with a corn snake. They are a bit more active and you get a wider choice of colors it would seem. There is a local reptile show next week and I am going to see what they have. It is from MDReptile Farm. I spoke with the guy who runs it and he gave me a pretty good low down for what it is like.


With all of that said here is my reason for the introduction. I have my tank set up. I would like your destructive/constructive criticism. Let me know what I have done wrong and what is right. I have done fish tanks for years. I have had pretty good success with those. But it is time for a change. Here is what I have and how it is set up.

Zilla Critter Cage 20g long
Hydrofarm Digital thermostat
Zoo Med UTH 10/20 gallon size
Half log hide
A fake log
Some river rocks stacked into a hide
8qt aspen bedding

Currently I have the thermosat set to 87 degrees. It has the probe suction cupped to the center of the UTH. The wire came with only a single suction cup. I hot glued the rest of the wire to the glass.

Overtop of the UTH I stacked up several river rocks. I pulled them a river today in WV. I boiled the rocks a lot tonight. I scrubbed them clear of all loose and stuck on debris under running water. Then I put them in a large pot full of water and a couple cups of bleach. I let them sit in the mix at a rolling boil for 25 minutes or so. I rinsed them off for several minutes. I then let them sit in a rolling boil for 45 minutes in plain water. I took a towel and wiped them down again. They are stacked loosely now. We are looking at getting a pretty small snake. I do not think it will be able to knock them over yet. I have been to several pet stores and held several sized snakes. I think I have a good grasp on how strong a small snake is. <--- Not a proper way to end a sentence.

Right now I have maybe and inch of substrate in the tank. Not sure if I need more. I will see what the new guy likes or dislikes.



Blow me up, tell me where I went wrong or where I went right. I am looking at Saturday to hopefully find a snake. There is another show in two weeks if I do not find what I like. My first choice would be to find a blizzard morph. However the wife is not keen on that. Happy wife happy life some men say. She wants an orange snake. Me, not so much. The compromise is my second choice, black/grey/white mixture. The other dispute is a name. As a 34 year old Harry Potter geek I am leaning towards a Nagini. But after watching Aladdin today I like Iago. Named after Jaffar's parrot.


So I got to this point with my ipad. Then I tried adding pictures and lost everything that was typed. It is currently 2:36am. I am a bit tired and prone to making typos. But Jaws 2 was on when I started and Jaws 3 is now almost over. I hope to be finished before Bar Rescue is over.


Here go some pictures. Also, upon hitting preview, I realized I typed alot. Sorry bro

Jeff

 

[smigon]

It looks great! You may want to add some plastic aquarium plants or silk vines, babies LOVE ground cover and won't hide as much if they have things to hide in between. My smaller guys love a toilet paper tube squashed flat on one end and that end angled slightly into the substrate, sort of like a downward cave. This gives them more choices on the temp they want to be near.

I can't want to see what you pick out! Yearlings are a little easier than babies, they are established feeders and much calmer than the newborns, easier to hold and handle.

Good luck, pics are a must!

 

[wesleypipesyo]

Hey Smig, I can easily get some plastic plants. And who does not have tp rolls. Kind of standard equipment isn't? In my searching last night I found a breeder who is local. He is only about 30 minutes away. I am going to check him out. The show I am planning on going to next weekend is 90 minutes away.

 

[Tavia]

Hello and welcome! Everything looks good. I'd just second Smigon's suggestion on a slightly older snake if your 3 year old is going to be handling it much to start with, since it will be bigger, easier to hold onto and sturdier than a few months old baby corn.

 

[wesleypipesyo]

The three year old is strictly an observer. She is getting better with bigger animals. But she still tends to be overly enthusiastic at times. I would not trust her just yet with even a fully grown snake. A few people suggested getting a small snake so I can learn what is normal behavior. I almost adopted a 9 year old ball python. The youg lady however backed out I think.

 

[wesleypipesyo]

I spoke with a guy yesterday, I am picking up female 1 month old corn snake tonight. She is local.

 

[wesleypipesyo]

Here is the picture from his website,

 

[Tavia]

Good looking normal!

 

[wesleypipesyo]

He has one with the same coloring but the stripes run the length of the body instead of banding. It is almost 8x as much money. But this is close to what I was looking for.

 

[wesleypipesyo]

She is home. I will get some better pictures in a week or so. Her colors are much more defined than I thought. Big shout out to Chris at Enterprise Snakes. I believe this is one of his first hatchlings. Either way she is a bit under a month old. I held her for a couple minutes when she went from her travel box into her big tank. She sat in a coil in my palm for about 20 seconds then she was up and down my arm. I let go into the tank and she bolted to the river rock hide. She is still there. I am going to wait a few days and attempt my first feeding.:twohammer

 

[Tavia]

I really like her head marking!

 

[smigon]

Hey Smig, I can easily get some plastic plants. And who does not have tp rolls. Kind of standard equipment isn't?

^^^^^^So true!!!

And her name is...? She is really beautiful!

Wait a full week before feeding or handling, she won't starve, it will work up her appetite and that way she will start being curious in a few days and come out of the cave. Don't feel dissed that she hides a lot, most corns hide most of the time. I have one that NEVER comes out (that I see) and some are almost always out.

She is a beauty, and go down to the BOI section and give Chris a "Good Guy" shout out, that is where many people go to look up breeders and buyers, this will help his seller cred. And some of the "Bad Guy" threads make you feel so much better about how you treat people vs the way some buyers and sellers cheat and steal and lie.

Love "Bar Rescue". What the hell are some of these people thinking???

 

[wesleypipesyo]

Bar Rescue is a fav show. I wish they would do more new episodes. I am not overly worried about her hiding or waiting for her to eat. It seems like these guys are pretty laid back about food. Unlike cats and dogs. As far as names, I am thinking Nagini or Iago. The wife doesn't like either so I am still debating.

Her markings are great. I will get better pictures soon. I am a photographer by trade. So this will be a fun challenge.

 

[wesleypipesyo]

We settled on a name. We call her Belle. We had her out tonight for the first time. She calmed down and started exploring after a minute. She was great. She has been all over her tank too. Here she is.

Let me know if the pictures do not show up.

 

[albertagirl]

She looks like she has really good borders too. And I agree, great head marking! What a pretty girl, congratulations!

 

[wesleypipesyo]

Thanks. She is fun and wiggly.