just learning and a little worried

[Miss. Araco]

Hang with me I've been changing Arien's Viv around very slowly to see what works, I'll explain alot to get the best answer


ok so I have a yearling snow corn snake that roughly messures 2ft 4in, she is in a medium to small cage, a little longer then half her body length, not glass with alot of air coming in and out, It has two five gallon uth's on one side that takes up one third of the tank, on one of them is a glad bowl that fits perfectly over then heater and stays at an average of 75F, with flux when it is filled more or less, then on the other heater I have a nice layer of shavings (safe for corn Snakes) with a little water soaked in, humitity reads high, over it all there is a heat lamp, this side reads an average of 80F, then I have a rock hide that I keep a in the middle with a little of the heat lamp on the top of it, the hides top can get up to 90F, but I try to keep track of that the most and keep it down, the other side stays cool and have a humitity of medium to low.

The thing that Im worried about is, the other side of the cage is reading a little under 70F including the underside of the hide, Arien (female snow yearling corn snake) is always in her hide or burried under the wood shavings on the cool side, she never comes out to sun bath on her rock or curl up on the shavings, over the uth. Do some snakes just perfer to be cold or is she hiding in her sed cause she likes it, but being to cold...

Also how can I keep track of her water intake if Im using her bowl also to give her a little humitity?

My ideas,

-Could the fact that I have an inferred lamp make it so she dosen't understand sunbathing with no sun, I mean I know they don't think like us, but even if I was an animal I would see it pointless to bath in light were I saw non...



One more thing, this set up is new so I could just be expecting to much too soon, but I wanted to try my idea out, to give the snake different places they could hang in there cages, cool with two different places and warm with two different spaces

If Im doing anything wrong yell at me now


Miss. Araco -> lost and confused :bang:

 

[Miss. Araco]

here is a picture of her Viv, once I can get my hands of a ten gallon im going to move her into that and use this for more like cleaning and to bring her out to sit with me and so forth....

one more thing...

Im pretty sure she is a snow.... dose anyone disagree

 

[diamondlil]

Personally I'd ditch the lamp, and have 1 regulated heatmat on one end. With the top of a hide reaching 90 she could get burned

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

I also use the herp havens for some of my small/med babies.... they are the perfect size imho but I use just a heating mat for mine and all seem to enjoy it. Maybe she is spending time away from the bowl because she doesnt like the feel of the wet aspen ? or maybe knows she doesnt need that humidity all the time??

 

[MegF.]

I'd use only one heat mat, no water in the aspen, no water on a heat pad. Warm water breeds bacteria, and the snake usually doesn't want to drink luke warm water. Fresh cool water should be available. It's a pretty big water bowl in there too. Corns don't need high humidity. You risk scale rot having things too moist. Take out the heat lamp. Temps at substrate level under the hide at the warm side should be around 84 or so. Cool side, in the low 70's. They seem to prefer the cool side most of the time. Whle our temperatures here in S. Carolina can get high during the summer, most evenings it sits around 80-82 degrees. Don't worry if she decides to sit on the cool side. She knows what she wants. How are you measuring the temperatures? Are you using a probe thermometer at the substrate, or one of those stick on thermometers on the glass. The stick ons measure the glass temperature which could be much lower than the actual temperature under the hide.

 

[Miss. Araco]

Im using a stick on, but not sticking it, I move it around and put it with in the substrarate, nright now, Im new and don't have the money to buy "myself" a thermometer and all I could aford after looking around were a round one that shows pretty acuret readings.

 

[diamondlil]

I'm not going to try to make you feel bad by saying you should have got the set-up right before you got the snake, but can you take one of the heatmats and the heat-lamp back and use that money to get a digital thermometer? The dial one isnt accurate. Are the mats regulated at all?

 

[Miss. Araco]

Im sorry too, she was a gift from a friend and I was supposted to get her in December, so I was bugeting with an amount in saving for all the things I needed, then she showed up and I didn't even have a cage, the set up you see now is what I was able to piece it together, Im new and stupid and will take your wisdom, I really excited about it but also very stressed, my mother is coming to my apt. today, maybe I can talk her into helping out a little more, she already bought the hide, and I need a shedding box... dose anyone have any idea on set up on a dime?

 

[diamondlil]

For now, you could raise the set-up off of the 1 heatmat, using wood or something so there is a gap of 1/2 inch. Use a smaller waterbowl (on the cool end), and only dry aspen. Toilet roll tubes and kitchen roll tubes make great hides.
(You're not new and stupid, you're new to a hobby and had the sense to ask questions on a really good site where there are a lot of helpful people. What I've learnt from here in a short space of time has been incredible, but I learnt it the same way you will, by coming here for help!)

 

[Miss. Araco]

Also I have all the heating, cause were I have her is a little cooler and my roomate keeps the apt. freezing, so the light is really to heat the area she's in, would it be better if I shoot it up and move it further away?

 

[Miss. Araco]

Thank you so much, I've been feeling really bad about not being able to spend the money and time on the cage set up that I would like, and you made me feel a world of better... thank you again Janine.

 

[Flagg]

Sounds like the first thing you need is an accurate digital thermometer with a probe. Pet stores should have an ESU model for about $9, or you can get an indoor/outdoor thermometer from WalMart that shows 2 temps and humidity for $12. Just make sure it has a wired probe and is not a wireless model.

Turn off the lamp and put the thermometer probe under the substrate, directly over the center of one of the heat mats. Odds are, the temp reading will be well over 100 degrees and will need to be regulated with a lamp dimmer or thermostat. Get a wired lamp dimmer at WalMart for $9.

 

[Miss. Araco]

Im living on a budget of $200 a month for food and $50 a week for each week for anything else I need... I have no money to spend thats the problem, $12 alot in my world, I can spend $5 a week maybe and thats if I poll out some stuff like eating at Mcdonalds

 

[Flagg]

Well, if you keep over-heating then you may have to deal with vet bills for an injured or burned snake.

A proper thermometer is an absolute necessity for keeping a snake. You can't scrimp on it.

I also just noticed there is a lid? on the water dish. I'd remove that as well or you might end up with a drowned snake. They go in the dish and then can't find the exit hole.

 

[Miss. Araco]

there is no lid on the water bowl and Im making sure that nothing reads above 85F which nothing dose and she has a cool side she can slither onto. Im just starting and either its the "acuret" temp meter or if I eat this week... What would you choose Flagg?

 

[Rich in KY]

Miss Araco everyone is concerned about your well being as well as Arien's well being. Just make sure as you can afford them you get these things to make sure Arien is safe.

One thing I noticed in your pics is that it looks like Arien's water has spilled and got the aspen wet. You should get the wet aspen out. Because with the heat and water, mold or mildew can grow.

 

[MegF.]

My only other concern is that if you are that strapped for cash, will you be able to provide food for her on a regular basis (small amount though that is and not as often as you think once they mature) but still an issue. The other would be, what would you do if you encountered any health problem that required a vet. I've usually spent $65 to make an appointment and $75 for emergency calls. That doesn't include treatment, only walking in the door. Part of owning them, is caring for them completely. They are an easy pet for the most part, but they are still an animal that can become ill. When the snake grows larger, can you afford a larger tub or tank for it? If the heat pad breaks can you replace it?
As far as heat, they need less than you think. My snake room gets pretty cool at night during the winter and they still spend quite a bit of time on the cool side. As long as they have one area of warm belly heat, they are fine.

 

[susang]

Im living on a budget of $200 a month for food and $50 a week for each week for anything else I need... I have no money to spend thats the problem, $12 alot in my world, I can spend $5 a week maybe and thats if I poll out some stuff like eating at Mcdonalds

It sounds like maybe you are a student and money is tight, but to put into perspective, my husband and I eat on $130.00 a month and $50.00 a month for extras. $50.00 a week in my world would be huge. I have no problem having pets on a budget, but they require the basics. I'm not the only one who takes care of their snakes and lives on a tight budget, from paycheck to paycheck. susang

 

[joblack83]

My friend has had babies before and extra stuff for me... she's going to buy me my first snake, female, of any color and were going to start out and see were it goes from there. Im just looking around till I find a good price, in a color I would like and that would work well with hers, I dabel in genetics and Im her expert, she knows little to none and thats why she's bringing me into it

I noticed that you were trying to talk Tom Thompson down on a female Opal Zigzag het Motley in mid October. You said that it wasn't worth the 125+shipping because of it's size. This suggests that you were trying to get one sooner than you suggested. I'm not trying to be rude , maybe stern, but maybe you should studied up on the cornsnake a little more than you did before getting one. It looks like you did homework on what you thought was pretty, not how to take care of it. An animal is like a child, if they're in your house you're responsible for it. You really MUST buy a digital thermometer. You MUST keep the temperature appropriate for your snake no matter what the apartment temperature is, the temperature where your snake is, is what's important. I understand being young and wanting to go to McDonald's to grab a quick bite but instead of asking Flaggs if it's more important for you to eat or if your snake has the right temp, maybe you should see you could just skip the McDonalds more often and pick up a 13 cent pack of ramen noodles. Better for your wallet. And I have a family of 3 plus 2 dogs, 2 cats, a rabbit, and 43 snakes (30 being cornsnakes). We live on a budget of 220 for food and personals per month, including the animals. It's possible for you to find a cut back some where for your baby. Grow up, be responsible and stop trying to make it sound as if you had waited until Dec you'd have the correct setup before the snake came home. I apologize if this sounds too mean I do have a temp of 102.7, strep throat and little tolerance for people who get an animal and put their luxuries (McDonalds) before it.

 

[tracy0416]

Im living on a budget of $200 a month for food and $50 a week for each week for anything else I need... I have no money to spend thats the problem, $12 alot in my world, I can spend $5 a week maybe and thats if I poll out some stuff like eating at Mcdonalds

Okay here's some low-no budget items to use in a snake set up.

- empty papertowel rolls make nice playground and hides.

- old phone books are great for areas where newspaper would do. When you take him out to feed, put him in a tub lined with discardable paper at the bottom.

- get a WOOL sweater from the "thrift shop" and shrink it on purpose by washing it in a machine on hot with detergent. cut up the sweater into a shape(s) than can be stitched into a box shape to make a nice dark hide. Make it smaller than you'd think would be appropriate. Felt makes great snake hides as it is washable in machine on hot.

- rocks and branches collected from outside, baked in the oven to sterilize make fun playground items for snakie to boogie around on and perhaps be stimulated by various surfaces and heights. (Maybe snakie doesn't do much cause there isn't much to do.? (although my snakes hide most of the day too! Variety in height allows the snake to choose from a range of temperature and humidity gradients.

- a box to one side on the hide gives the snake a shelf to explore, etc.

- a rock inside the water bowl adds weight and again, provides a texture stimuli. Your snake will need a surface to shed off of and a rock, (not too sharp though) will make it easier to start the shed.

try to cover the back and a side of that critter keeper with paper or an old tea towel. Covering a few sides will prevent the snake from being able to see out and make him feel more secure.

This is a big responsibility. Do what you can to get the needed items to ensure proper conditions but also, be creative with what you can.

Good luck.