New Corn Snake!!

[willythesnake]

Hey guys,

First post here, and I have to say for information, I LOVE using this site to find out helpful tips and care guidelines.
The big news is (unfortunately in the wake of my leopard geckos death ) on Sunday, I'm getting my new baby corn snake!! Got him from a breeder in Toronto who my friend has known for a bit now (got her rat snake from the breeder).
As a first time snake owner, I just had a couple questions about viv setup:
I see vivs with either tons of stuff or very minimalistic (2 hides, 1 water bowl and 1 climbing thing). Which one is better to go with?
Additionally, my leopard gecko would get quite stressed if I changed his tank around too frequently, but is this the case with corn snakes?
And finally, do corn snakes respond positively to a consistent and familiar hand feeding them/holding them? It took my leo a while to finally get used to my hand, which he eventually accepted being hand fed and climbing right up my arm!

Thanks for all your help, and I have to say I can't WAIT to finally have my corn snake Willy :grin01:

 

[Lt. Dan]

Welcome to the group. Sorry about your leopard gecko.
Basically the viv is up to you. You can go basic or decked out. Most corns I think are happy as long as they have a warm side and cool side. Usually 2 hides (1 warm side, 1 cool side.) but I have one hide for my Chancellor Palpatine, he made his own cool hide by burrowing under his water bowl. They'll pretty much make their mind up as to which they prefer. All of my boys prefer their cool hides. It's good to have at least one or 2 obstacles for them to climb and explore.
Again all this depends on the size of your viv and how you decorate it. I don't think moving things will stress them much as long as its not constantly changing. I like to keep my water bowl in the same area so that's never a difficult search for them. They seem to enjoy exploring.
As for feeding I prefer to use a separate container to put the mice in and then place my snakes in and leave them to eat in peace. Hand feeding can get dangerous if your snakes mistakes the scent of mice on you and clamps down and tries to swallow a finger or two. Baby bites don't hurt by why risk getting bitten? Snakes I'm sure are very different from geckos and even though corns are one of the tamest of snakes they should still be given some respect and courtesy. They're solitary creatures and don't always want to cuddle up with us.

There's a husbandry thread somewhere here that can break down most of this for you. It mostly depends on keeper and snake as to how you use the info. I'm no expert I just tell you from my own experiences. There are top breeders here that may chime in and give you clear righteous advice.
Good on you for asking and good luck with Willy

 

[NH93]

Very good info from Lt. Dan over there!

The tank is totally up to you, but if you have an all-glass vive I will say they probably prefer more clutter - especially the hatchlings. If you only have the one snake, it probably won't be too much work to clean every month, so if you want to go all-out I'd say go for it I have two snakes and I do with both of them; it's pretty exciting to watch them explore.
I also worried about their changing environment. I change mine around every time I do a full cleaning (about once a month) and they don't seem to care. In fact, they explore quite a bit. When they're done exploring I find that they go back to their normal, lazy selves. I also use the same decor for each snake, so although clean it is familiar to them.

Your snake *may* prefer your hand over someone else's - I find this is especially true when introducing a new person, and they just won't go... but every snake is different and will respond differently to people, right?
But I advise NOT to hand feed! You will find a method that works for you and your snake, whether that's in a container, in-vive, with tongs, or not. But unlike lizards, snakes do not have the "sense of mind" to always distinguish you from food, especially if you SMELL like their food! They get into what's called Feeding Mode - you will see it. It's really cool, actually.

Anyways, I hope everything goes well for you and your new addition. As an added tip, try not to worry about everything most of us do when we get new snakes - me included.

 

[Tavia]

Hello and welcome! All good advice above!

 

[willythesnake]

Thanks for all your help everyone! Setup my little guy's tank last night and he's happy and exploring! I followed both the basic care/husbandry threads for tank setup and temperatures and he seems happy so far (and no escaped snake ).
I have hotside at 83.3F and cold at around 72F. 2 hides, 2 climbing object, some decorative vines, aspen bedding and a water bowl. I plan to leave him alone for the first couple days as recommended and then it's feeding time!
This site is fantastic for responses and help, and I look forward to life with my new snake!

 

[smigon]

It sounds perfect. They like to wind around all of the plants, hides and trees I have in my vivs, I say the more clutter the better. I also use aspen bedding and my smaller guy loves burrowing, my lady, not so much.

I want to add, I would give him about a week before feeding or handling. Let him really settle in, see you walking by and knowing that you aren't a threat. Then take him out and handle him a few minutes a day, babies are really skitty at first so let him get used to you. I would feed a couple of days after the first handling, but definitely NOT hand feeding. There are theads on feeding in the husbandry topic.

Good luck!