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New Owner: Getting My Guy Setup/Feeding

M

mauler5858

New member
Hey All,

I am new to the snake owning scene, but really am looking forward to it. I have always loved snakes, and we just recently got a baby corn who is 7-8 weeks old.

We are trying to get him to eat, but we need some help. We brought him home on the 5th. He ate a frozen pinkie on Jan 31st, was offered one on the 5th and didnt eat it, and was offered one on the 10th and didnt eat it. On the 10th we put him in a small tupperware bowl with holes in it with the pinkie and put the bowl in his tank(protect him from the cats). We woke up and he still did not eat. Is it something to do with his tank?(look below for that). When should we try again? I have read trying a live pinkie is an option, but I cannot find live pinkies in my area(Greenville SC)

I am also looking to see if I can get his setup optimal.

Current:
10 Gal long tank
Aspen bedding
Log(arch shaped) hide on the warm side
Water dish on cool side
Artificial branch with suction cups along the back
Humidity gauge
Incandescent bulb cool side, switching between basking and black light on warm side

Looking to get:
Reptitherm UTH
Hydrofarm thermostat
Hide for cool side

Does anybody have any suggestions on helping this little guy with feeding or suggest anything from a tank setup?
 
Hello and welcome :wavey:

How was the pinkie thawed and did you warm it at all before it was offered?

An UTH with a thermoSTAT would definitely be better than the lights. Make sure to get a thermometer with a probe and put the probe right on the glass above the UTH. The hydrofarm will regulate the UTH but you still want to be able to see exactly what the temperature is.

You can put lots of different things on the cool side for a hide, an empty toilet paper/paper towel tube works great for hatchlings, butter tubs with a hole cut in them work well too & so do empty kleenex boxes. Your snake won't care what it is as long as he can hide in/under it ;)
 
I microwaved WATER ONLY to get it good and warm. I then put the bag with the pinkie in the hot water for about 5 minutes. I then cut the pinkie and brained it a little bit.
 
Sounds like you're trying to feed every 5 days, which is fine for a little one on pinkies.

However, we recommend that you leave them alone for at least a week after bringing them home as they can be quite stressed out from the move.

I don't know how much you're handling/disturbing him but I'd leave him strictly alone for about a week or so and then try feeding again.

Thaw the pinky out, then get it good and hot via hot water or even a hairdryer.

Also the basking lights and night lights might be bothering him. Corns aren't baskers and they do not like much light in thier environment. Get him a UTH and thermostat setup and he'll be much happier.

Once you've got his heat setup correctly, you really don't need to bother with any lighting (other than room lighting so you can see).
 
Soulwind said:
Sounds like you're trying to feed every 5 days, which is fine for a little one on pinkies.

However, we recommend that you leave them alone for at least a week after bringing them home as they can be quite stressed out from the move.

I don't know how much you're handling/disturbing him but I'd leave him strictly alone for about a week or so and then try feeding again.

Thaw the pinky out, then get it good and hot via hot water or even a hairdryer.

Also the basking lights and night lights might be bothering him. Corns aren't baskers and they do not like much light in thier environment. Get him a UTH and thermostat setup and he'll be much happier.

Once you've got his heat setup correctly, you really don't need to bother with any lighting (other than room lighting so you can see).
Click to expand...

Okay, I will definitely do this. I am getting the heater and the thermostat tomorrow. I will be getting him setup with the new stuff then. Since the last time he ate was on January 31st, what date should I become worried if he will not eat by?
 
Also, I just thought of something else. We have the 10gal Zilla glass tank with the fresh air lid. The kit came with a 2 pack of clips, and we picked up a separate pack. We now have 4 clips and have them hooked in each corner on the long side of the lid at each angle. Should this be secure enough for my 7-8 week old baby corn?
 
Soulwind said:
Also the basking lights and night lights might be bothering him. Corns aren't baskers and they do not like much light in thier environment. Get him a UTH and thermostat setup and he'll be much happier.

Once you've got his heat setup correctly, you really don't need to bother with any lighting (other than room lighting so you can see).
Click to expand...

Not to hijack, but I didn't know this! A lot of sites I read said a light OR UTH but it makes sense, my corn seems really sensitive to any light, especially my laptop, maybe thats why I never see her out!

Thanks for the indirect advice!! :)
 
Well thank you all for your advice here. I ordered the Hydrofarm and the UTH and they will be here tomorrow. I bought two LCD therms with probes last night and put one on the bottom glass on the warm side and one on the cool side. No wonder my poor guy would not eat! While the air temp in the middle read 80 during the day.....the ground temp was 82 on the cool side and 87 on the warm side. It really sounds like the "Reptile Expert" at Petsmart didn't know what she was talking about. I am just running the one light on the warm side temporarily to keep him warm until the other equipment gets here. I will get this equipment in place and wait a couple of days and then try to feed him again.

Thanks for the advice folks.
 
First rule of owning snakes. Never listen to pet store employees! Yes, some know what they are talking about, but you won't know which ones. :) come here for questions. Lots of great, friendly members with years of experience!

Once you get that light out of there, I bet the cool side temps will be better.

As for the lid, I have a similar set up. On the recommendation of our breeder, I lined the lid with weather stripping. It's double sided tape, but you just leave the paper on the one side of the tape. It makes for a nice snug seal when you put the clips on.
 
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