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My first corn snake; check list time!

Kurogamii

Kurogamii

New member
I am looking around at petsmart online for some items for my first corn. Please feel free to correct me on something I've done wrong or anything like that, I take advice very easily.


I'm getting a baby corn sometime in the near near future. I already have a close breeder nearby.

Note how I have like nothing I need since I haven't been able to go to petsmart lately. (like in the past month) But I will soon.


What I have:
10 gallon tank in which I used to to hermit crabs.
Paper towls, for first bedding, will get decent bedding after I have the money.
Make-shift hides and waterbowls, once again, will buy pretty ones when money comes in.


What I need: (feel free to add to this list)
Digital Termometer.
UTH for 10 gallon tank, for "hot" side of tank.
{for these 2 I have no idea what to buy, I'm lost at what brand to get.}
Locking lid, should easy to get.
Enough money left over for pinkies. Am wanting to buy frozen since the closest pet store is an hour away.
 
well keep in mind that even if you get a hatchling, you will need a much bigger enclosure, quicker than you think. a 20gallon Long will do, but bigger is always better, in my opinion. so even if you're all set now, you might want to think about the money you're going to have to invest in the future. you'll need to buy a new tank, a new lid (if the tank doesn't come with one) a bigger UTH, bigger water bowls, etc etc.

also, you will need a thermostat, or rheostat to keep the UTH at a constant temperature of 83-88 degrees, UNDER the substrate. so directly on the bottom glass, the temperature should be between 83 and 88. a proportional thermostat is usually prefered over a rheostat, such as a helix thermostat, or a herpstat.

you'll need a spray bottle that has NEVER had any chemicals in it, in case you have to mist your viv while your snake is in blue. and you should definitely get a scale if you plan on using the Munson Feeding Plan.

other than that... i think that's it!
 
I will add that you should pick up a copy of the book "Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide" By Kathy Love. Great resource.
 
Make sure you really scrub that tank out well before you put your corn in there, you can't be too safe regarding bacteria or parasites. I don't know much about hermit crabs but I would not be surprised if they could harbor little nasties that would adversely effect your herp.
 
Get a digital hygrometer as well. Helps to know the relative humidity at times and if a wet hide will be absolutely necessary or not.
 
Kurogamii said:
I am looking around at petsmart online for some items for my first corn. Please feel free to correct me on something I've done wrong or anything like that, I take advice very easily.


I'm getting a baby corn sometime in the near near future. I already have a close breeder nearby.

Note how I have like nothing I need since I haven't been able to go to petsmart lately. (like in the past month) But I will soon.


What I have:
10 gallon tank in which I used to to hermit crabs.
Paper towls, for first bedding, will get decent bedding after I have the money.
Make-shift hides and waterbowls, once again, will buy pretty ones when money comes in.


What I need: (feel free to add to this list)
Digital Termometer.
UTH for 10 gallon tank, for "hot" side of tank.
{for these 2 I have no idea what to buy, I'm lost at what brand to get.}
Locking lid, should easy to get.
Enough money left over for pinkies. Am wanting to buy frozen since the closest pet store is an hour away.
Click to expand...

I have to say I give you credit for being only 15 and realizing how important it is to have proper care for your snake. Hats off to you for gathering all of your information BEFORE you get your snake! *applause*

I would say you are fine with the 10 gallon until he is about a year. So you're fine for now if you are getting a hatchling.

I would definately get a thermostat. A ZooMed 500R is what alot of people around here use. It can be purchased cheap (compared to other sites/stores) at www.bigalsonline.com Thats where I got mine for $27 inc shipping. It usually runs for $40-$50 everywhere else. And if you can afford it...you should get a piece of wood for him to shed against. They need to have something roughly textured to rub against and shed their skin. A piece of driftwood is great for this but they can be kind of pricey. Just dont go outside and pick up a piece of any old wood it could be filled with mites and parasites and God knows whatelse!

As far as a digital thermometer...I just picked up the cheapest one at PetSmart and that was $8. Just make sure it has a probe so you can get the most accurate reading.

The UTH I have a ZooMed. Im not sure how much they are at Petsmart but on Ebay you can find them pretty cheap. Probably on www.bigalsonline.com too. I didnt get mine there but they seem to have great pricing so I would look there too.

You probably need a hygrometer too. Nothing fancy. It will tell you what the humidity is in your tank. Ideal is 40-60% humidity.

Congrats on getting your very first corn (and for being a resposible owner)! Cant wait to see pics of your new enclosure and your new snakey!
 
Eh I don't really think a hygrometer is necessary.
After the snake goes through its first shed with you, you'll either see that you have enough humidity or not.
 
Thank you all for your opinions ._. I'll be printing out this topic and bringing it to pets mart, lol. They have so much good stuff, but the workers there are SO clueless as to certain animal needs.
 
You may want to pick up a 'back-up' tank when you get a chance. You can usually use a sterilite container (like a shoebox or sweaterbox). You can drill or sodder some holes for ventilation along the top and sides (there are a few good posts referencing this procedure.

This is considered useful for a few purposes, including use as a quarantine tank and a feeding tank. Popular opinion suggests (for the most part, not necessarily unanimously) feeding your corn in a container seperate from his tank. One reason for this is the perception that your snake may become accustomed to prey being put straight into his/her tank which may potentially lead to your snake thinking that your hand or finger is 'lunch.'
 
Coty said:
You may want to pick up a 'back-up' tank when you get a chance. You can usually use a sterilite container (like a shoebox or sweaterbox). You can drill or sodder some holes for ventilation along the top and sides (there are a few good posts referencing this procedure.

This is considered useful for a few purposes, including use as a quarantine tank and a feeding tank. Popular opinion suggests (for the most part, not necessarily unanimously) feeding your corn in a container seperate from his tank. One reason for this is the perception that your snake may become accustomed to prey being put straight into his/her tank which may potentially lead to your snake thinking that your hand or finger is 'lunch.'
Click to expand...

(sorry if my spelling sucks, I try to use big words because that's what I do in real life, but my spelling might make me sound like an idiot.)
I've read about this and the last thing I want my first corn experience to be is a horrible biting delima. I'm planning on feeding him pre-killed and in another tank so my life will be easier and he won't be stressed out as much. Also I prob need to pick up tongs of some sort so I can feed him in his other tank.

How big of a tank would you suggest? I know it prob has to be big enough so he can't escape before I put in his dinner.
 
Sorry for double posting, but I just went outside to my dad's shed and found out my dad had literally thrown my old hermy tank in there, so the side is completely shattered, this means I'll need to buy a brand new tank. I'm not very happy at this moment.
 
Many people recommend 28 qt, alothough I can't visualize it at the moment so I am not positive about whether it would be too big for a baby snake (though from what I understand you can alleviate this by putting more 'stuff' inside, like hides, fake plants, etc. - I bought a long strip of fake vines from walmart for 5 bucks that I have cut into smaller sizes).

Personally, i think that you may be best off using sterilite (with the number of holes drilled depending on your humidity, i recommend doing a search on these forums because I know there are pictures of good examples of sterilite vivs with hnoles drilled) temporarily upgrading to a bigger one later. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing, and at first I would not even consider this, but in the interest of convenience and economy I think it makes a lot of sense. From what I can tell many breeders use sterilite (they mostly have racks set up from what I understand).

One thing to remember though - if you do use this method, grab some binder clips (I found large clips that are supposed to go on your fridge at CVS for 99 cents each at CVS) or make sure that you have something heavy to secure the top becaue they can be deceptively strong, even while still little (I have used 2' x 4' laid along the sides of the lid as well).
 
Have you thought about getting a slightly older snake.....It will be tried and tested, and IMO easier to look after as it will have fed and shed quite a bit....Just a thought....
 
Be aware that Petsmart will be much more expensive than buying from an online reptile supply dealer. Especially the UTH. A tank is about the only thing I would buy from Petsmart, everything else you can get cheaper online. (and NOT Petsmart Online )

Petsmart will not have a thermostat and will probably try to sell you an overpriced rheostat.

Reptilesupply.com, reptiledirect.com, herpsupplies.com are good places to start.
 
Kurogamii said:
Sorry for double posting, but I just went outside to my dad's shed and found out my dad had literally thrown my old hermy tank in there, so the side is completely shattered, this means I'll need to buy a brand new tank. I'm not very happy at this moment.
Click to expand...

Im really sorry to hear about your tank being shattered. Take a look on Craigslist. They always have people selling their reptile/snake tanks and some accessories for pretty cheap! Since you are pretty much starting from scratch this is a great way to start off with some of the basics for really cheap. Just make sure you sterlize them properly before putting your snake into one.
 
It's hard to buy online. I don't have a credit card or paypal so I can't buy from online stores. I have to stick to stores like pet's mart and such
 
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