Meet me and Xerxes!

[Warthog32332]

Hey everyone so I made a post a while ago asking some basic questions which went from a basic noob question about heating to an all out snake care encyclopedia discussion. Quite insightful that, well Xerxes, my Charcoal Corn has arrived today and is happy in his 10 gallon habitat. According to the information given to me he was born 9/30/15 And his last feed was on New Years Eve Eve. (12/30/15 which would be his 3 month birthday) Here's some pictures:

I only have twoish concerns. 1. I plan on waiting a week for him to get settled in which will take me to the 12th then feeding him the 13th. I'm not sure how I plan to feed him yet. I suppose I'll try feeding out of tank first and see how that goes then if it doesn't work out I'll see how an in-enclosure feeding goes. However. I know snakes can eat things largely un-proportional to their size but I mean, this snake is REALLY tiny, and seeing how a pinky is about the size of my thumb, what should I do? Attempt to feed him the pinky? Cut it in half? (Please don't tell me that would be a solution unless it's the only option. Feeding him mice is bad as it is.) or go back to the pet store and ask for an aborted mouse? :rofl: 1.5. If I am to feed him out of the enclosure how long should I plop him in the feeding box before actually feeding? And in what conditions should he be in? And 2. How often should I clean the Viv? Besides spot cleaning would it be possible to scrape by with once every 2 weeks? Or should I really do it every week? 2.5. When cleaning the tank how should I clean the hides and such, also one of my hides is a half log, made of real wood, how could I clean that? Thank you all for your time and I'm super proud to be a snake owner!

 

[DollysMom]

How much does he weigh? It helps to have a scale. At 12 grams a two gram pinky is usually no problem at all. You will be amazed the first time you see him eat!

He's so beautiful! Congrats.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

a snake can usually handle a meal about 1 1/2 times the diameter of the snake at her widest spot. So if your snake is let's say a half inch wide at her widest point, then she could swallow something 1.5 times that or 3/4 inch wide.

But the best thing is what DollysMom just said. Most of us use scales to weigh our snakes and their meals. We follow the "Munson Feeding Plan" which is a feeding guide for snakes.

According to the munson plan - 1 pinkie for snakes that weigh up to 15 grams. 2 pinkies for snakes up to 25 grams. then you'll start feeding small fuzzies for snakes up to 30 grams.

It's hard to tell by your picture, but I'm going to bet your snake will have no problem with a pinkie especially since she's 3 months old. But by all means get a scale, it's the only way to know for sure.

 

[nicolefowler2005]

Oh super pretty I love that kind of slate gray almost purplish color


Nicole

 

[Warthog32332]

Thank you all kindly. However one more question that's just sprung up, I'm slightly concerned about his water. It's clean and all but I'm worried it may be getting too cold? The natural room temperature is 74F but the water feels cold to the touch and I don't know if that's just my body or what. Also I have set up a temperature gradient and everything but my snakes only kinda brushed up on the warm side, I have a hide there but its only a half log and it's not really... THAT enclosed. So I pushed one end against the wall and put some black construction paper on that end of the viv hoping he'll be like "oh it really only has this one opening." But I don't know. Should I be thinking about a new warm hide?

 

[DollysMom]

First, it is normal to keep the water on the cool side of the viv. It should be room temp. It will feel cool to your touch. Totally normal.

One way you can make the hide feel more secure is to mound up substrate in it though you need to carefully monitor the temp in the warm hide when you to it. Substrate insulates and traps heat under it so you may need to adjust your thermostat.

My snakes-- Cleo has a little rock cave for her main warm hide but Clyde has a flatish piece of cork for his main warm hide. So I use different things for warm hides depending on what I have and what works for me and my snakes.

Don't hesitate to add tp tubes or fake greenery for extra hides. The more hides the better.

 

[Myca]

Lovely snake. Welcome. Keep us updated.

 

[DollysMom]

I wanted to take some time to answer your cleaning questions.

First, from my reading and study, I think there are probably as many cleaning routines and intervals are there are snake keepers. So I expect and hope you get different responses to choose from.

I'm going to give you mine for my corn snake. I keep my African house snake on paper towels so it's a slightly different thing.

The first thing I do without fail is to wash the water bowl and change the water every 2 days. I do it more often if needed, like if there is poop in it or if anything doesn't look right. I wash it with Dawn, rinse well, pat dry with paper towels and fill it with water from my Brita pitcher, dump it and fill again. I dump the first water to clear any paper bits or dust. I sterilize it with diluted household bleach every couple of weeks or if it has been pooped in. After bleaching it, it needs to be washed and rinsed extra well.

The second thing I do is check for poop every day. I scoop it out and the substrate around it and throw it all out in the kitchen garbage. If needed, I wipe down the glass in that area, just with clean warm water and a paper towel if the snake is in the viv. If needed I add some fresh aspen to replace what was discarded. If the poop is on decor, I take it out, wash it with Dawn and hot water, rinse well, dry, and return it to the viv. If it is porous, I let it air dry for as long as it takes.

As far as breaking down the whole viv and changing the aspen substrate completely, I'm with the SMR care sheet Daddio referred you to. It is a "when needed" proposition. However I do a more thorough substrate search, spot clean and general maintenance check monthly with the snake in a temporary, secure and safe container.

I do a thorough cleaning every four months whether it looks or smells dirty or not. (My vivs never look dirty and only smells of aspen unless there is poop which I spot clean) When I do a thorough cleaning, unless there is a reason, I believe in cleaning and washing rather than sterilizing (unless I'm moving a different snake in-- then I do use diluted household bleach, thoroughly rinsed off, to sanitize) White vinegar is my disinfectant of choice to normally wash the surfaces of the viv. This does need to be washed off with plain water. Thorough cleaning involves replacing all of the substrate, cleaning all of the surfaces, washing and drying all of the decor with Dawn (it's just the dish liquid I use) and warm water. This is done with the snake held in a safe, secure container.

Like I said, there are are as many ways to clean as there are snakekeepers. I believe in using simple things and washing with warm sudsy water first and foremost. I believe that science backs me up in this. This is all assuming a healthy snake. If my snake were sick or injured I would follow my vet's recommendation for that situation.

This works for my young snake. I may make adjustments as my snake gets older or circumstances change.

One last thought. One of the most important things you can do to keep you and your snake healthy is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling your snake or working in the viv.

 

[Dragonling]

I feel I should warn you about that hide. We use them in the snake and gecko cages and the cal king in particular likes to wedge himself up in the top when we try to get him out. :laugh:

 

[nick.raines.378]

Are you talking about the tree? I have the same problem. My snake was holed up in the top for 5 days straight during a recent shed cycle

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Warthog32332]

Quick update. After reading the care sheet I learned why my snake had been avoiding the half-log hide. I suspected this result when I actually first got it. It is too bright and open. And as such I have constructed my own hide! It's made from a washed out sour cream cup, I put black construction paper on it to A: Obscure the light from entering through the white plastic. and B: To cover up the fact it's a sour cream cup. I cut 2 triangle notches one big enough for Xerxes to pass through easily. Now while I had sandpaper around here somewhere and a dremel tool in the basement which I'd rather not fiddle with at the moment. I just used tape to round the sharp plastic. I cut another notch much smaller on the opposite side from the hide, which serves the purpose of wiring, I have a thermometer probe attached to the inside sort of halfway up to monitor temperatures within the hide, hopefully the heat will spread up high enough for the thermometer to detect it, otherwise I don't know what I'm gonna do. On a bit of a different note, upon moving the mesh atop my viv I noticed this odd anomaly in the wire, this could be from manufacturing but I wonder if it could be possible for the snake to have bent the wires like this, I doubt it but. I don't know, I don't remember seeing these when I first observed the viv. And if they are what can I do to keep him from attempting to escape and potentially harming himself? Here's the pictures: