Hello, I got a corn snake yesterday, and I have a few questions for caring for him. First how do i get the humidity down in his cage its at 60% i have his bowl on the cold side and no living plants in this habitat. Second how long should i wait to handle him besides to clean his cage, and how often should i clean his cage, and how how much is to much when handling him.
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New Corn Snake Owner Questions
- Thread starter bauch1234
- Start date
Dragonling
Doesn't do "casual"
:welcome:
1. We don't have enough information to answer your humidity question. What type of caging are you using and how large is it? Method of heating? Bedding? How big is the water bowl in relation to the cage?
2. Some will say to let him settle in for at least a week. Others will say hold him whenever you like. Generally it's good to let them acclimate to their new environment a bit, but corns are not particularly known for being all that sensitive when it comes to handling.
3. I spot clean and sanitize water bowls once a week, do full bedding changes monthly, and typically deep clean (scrub + sanitize) every other bedding change. Some of my snakes are messier than others and need to be deep cleaned more often. Your mileage may vary.
4. We can't tell you how much too much is. Your snake will. Or he might not. This is kinda just something you have to figure out together. When mine get extra fidgety, I put them back. For some of mine, that might take a half hour or more. For others, it's maybe 3 minutes before they want nothing to do with me.
sorry about not having enough info but I'm using this full kit with an extra thermometer and hydrometer and a fake stick to he can climb close to the light if he wants http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/hab...abitatandtrade-snake-terrarium-kit-15026.html
DollysMom
It never gets old!
Congratulations and welcome! That's awesome.
40 to 60% is ideal corn snake humidity. In the summer my snake's humidity goes up to 70% and I've had no problems.
That's a nice kit with a good sliding lid cage. You should buy a thermostat to regulate the undertank heat pad.
This is the one I use as do many here:
https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contr...6448842&sr=8-1&keywords=jump+start+thermostat
The light is unnecessary and may make it too warm. If you do use a light to see your snake better in a dark room, I suggest a daylight 40 watt equivalent LED bulb on a timer to go on in the day and off at night.
Best wishes.
40 to 60% is ideal corn snake humidity. In the summer my snake's humidity goes up to 70% and I've had no problems.
That's a nice kit with a good sliding lid cage. You should buy a thermostat to regulate the undertank heat pad.
This is the one I use as do many here:
https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contr...6448842&sr=8-1&keywords=jump+start+thermostat
The light is unnecessary and may make it too warm. If you do use a light to see your snake better in a dark room, I suggest a daylight 40 watt equivalent LED bulb on a timer to go on in the day and off at night.
Best wishes.
DollysMom
It never gets old!
First of all, there is risk involved with all heating. It can be minimized.
When using a thermostat that keeps the heat pad at around 85 F or just a little more there is little danger to wooden table/dresser tops. My heat pads are about 92 F on the outside to give a temp of 87 on the glass inside and 82 to 85 inside the warm hide. Make sure there is airspace between the heat pad and table top -- that's what the little feet that come with the heat pad are for. Always monitor the temperature of the heat pad with a thermometer with a probe.
There are things that can go wrong with any heating system, but properly used and monitored the risk is minimal. Most of us use undertank heating and find a pad on the side does not provide the needed heat gradient in the right place.
Proper heat and a proper temperature gradient are essential. How you achieve it is ultimately up to you. The choice of what is safe and acceptable to you is always yours.
When using a thermostat that keeps the heat pad at around 85 F or just a little more there is little danger to wooden table/dresser tops. My heat pads are about 92 F on the outside to give a temp of 87 on the glass inside and 82 to 85 inside the warm hide. Make sure there is airspace between the heat pad and table top -- that's what the little feet that come with the heat pad are for. Always monitor the temperature of the heat pad with a thermometer with a probe.
There are things that can go wrong with any heating system, but properly used and monitored the risk is minimal. Most of us use undertank heating and find a pad on the side does not provide the needed heat gradient in the right place.
Proper heat and a proper temperature gradient are essential. How you achieve it is ultimately up to you. The choice of what is safe and acceptable to you is always yours.
DollysMom
It never gets old!
Yw.
No one here thinks anything of the double post. It happens to the best of us from time to time.
rosalyndiaz
New member
Hi, I am a new owner of a corn snake. I adopted "her" 05-30-17. Her first feeding went well. I am now concerned about handling her. I left her alone for 48 hours and realized she had been under the same hide and had barely moved. Would it be a good idea to move her hide or should I just wait until she comes out on her own?
Snakelover69
New member
how do you guys feel about snakes????
i think snakes are pretty cool. they're not that great though. i like green ones.
i think snakes are pretty cool. they're not that great though. i like green ones.
Karl_Mcknight
Common Sense Holder
Snakes find a warm spot to hide after eating, and will usually remain there until they digest their meal or somebody disturbs them. It's not unusual for a snake to hide after eating, it's perfectly normal.
How long she remains hidden depends on how long it takes her to digest her meal. And that can depend on her size and age, the size of the meal, and the temperature inside her warm spot. Typically, a baby snake will digest its meal in about 2 days, and an adult might be longer. (My snake is a little over 2 years old and he poops like clockwork 3 days after eating.) He also stays hidden the whole time. After 3 days I usually disturb him, take him out and play with him a bit, put him back in his cage and he will usually poop right away. LOL. So far he has not pooped on me, but if you handle your snake after it has eaten, that can happen and there are plenty of folks around here to tell you so.
Over time, you will learn your snakes behavior patterns, poop cycle, and preferences, and all of this will become 2nd nature to you.
One more thing, snakes also hide a lot before and during shed times. Of course, this is another thing that you have to learn about your snake. Every snake is different and every snake owner is different.
Make sure the temperature levels and humidity levels are correct in your cage. Keep the water bowl cleaned and filled with fresh water. Keep the cage itself cleaned and disinfected, and feed the snake appropriately. If you do these things, you should not have any problems. Usually people that have problems with a pet snake can be traced to unsanitary conditions or incorrect temps.
Dragonling
Doesn't do "casual"
I will never understand why those companies tell people to put the heat pad on the side. Heat rises! It becomes absolutely useless. Lights are not ideal heat sources for colubrids, but are fine to use if properly regulated. If you decide to use the heat pad underneath instead, you can always get a regular day bulb (esp low wattage, long lasting LED like you would use in your own home) to light the cage during the day. I frequently steer customers away from the full kits, but they aren't horrible, and the cages themselves are usually fairly good. I second DollysMom's recommendation of the Jump Start thermostat (I currently use them on my two smaller racks), and would also add a temp gun to your cart for more efficient temperature checks: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LZBVM8S?psc=1
We also LOVE photos and would love to see pictures of your new noodle.
To the other two new people...after nearly 20 years of forum use (I started young
), I still see people not making their own threads. Absolutely astounding.
We also LOVE photos and would love to see pictures of your new noodle.
To the other two new people...after nearly 20 years of forum use (I started young
), I still see people not making their own threads. Absolutely astounding.
DollysMom
It never gets old!
Such a cutie. Congratulations!
You aren't supposed to pull heat pads off and reuse them. If you are very, careful you might be able to. You can't just pull it off but you need to gently work it off using some kind of flat tool that is not so sharp as to puncture it. It is easy to break the wires inside and if you do that may not work at all or even worse heat unevenly. I personally wouldn't risk it.
Many of us stick them to aluminum foil and then use duct tape or foil tape to attach them to the bottom of the tank. Then they can be moved and reused.
This is probably the one that came in your kit. Not cheap but not bad and your little snake is worth it.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0...TF8&qid=1496522756&sr=8-1&keywords=zoomed+uth
You aren't supposed to pull heat pads off and reuse them. If you are very, careful you might be able to. You can't just pull it off but you need to gently work it off using some kind of flat tool that is not so sharp as to puncture it. It is easy to break the wires inside and if you do that may not work at all or even worse heat unevenly. I personally wouldn't risk it.
Many of us stick them to aluminum foil and then use duct tape or foil tape to attach them to the bottom of the tank. Then they can be moved and reused.
This is probably the one that came in your kit. Not cheap but not bad and your little snake is worth it.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0...TF8&qid=1496522756&sr=8-1&keywords=zoomed+uth