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Proud new owner of my first snake, a black corn snake

S

SnakesOfCorn

New member
Hey everyone, just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. My girlfriend just got me my first snake for my birthday, we were at the pet shop and we both fell in love with it. I must admit it's the first time I've EVER even held a snake...always was worried about getting bit and such but my snake is very docile and loves to come out and crawl around.

I'm still waiting to get him/her sexed but if it's a male his name will be Odinn, if female her name will be Elvira. He/she is about 6 months old and 13"-15" long. I fed him for the first time yesterday, a live pinkie which he swallowed without hesitation or problem.

I've been trying to decide wether or not to feed live or frozen/thawed. My major problem with buying frozen mice is keeping them in my freezer with my families food...I'm not really too crazy about doing that at all. Yet I know feeding live once the feeders get bigger they can attack back and hurt or even possibly kill my snake...any advice is much appreciated.

Just a little about my viv setup:

10 gallon tank

screen lid with 4 clamps and 2 tie down straps

UTH (under tank heater) and also a heat lamp, both controled by a retrostat I believe it's called, to control the amount of heat being output

a Eco-liner with Aspen snake bedding on top to prevent any possible thermal burns from the UTH

digital thermometer on the hot side with a hygrometer

digital thermometer on the cool side

a hide on both the hot and cold sides

bowl of water on the cool side

a piece of drift wood to climb on

i also use a basking bulb during the day and an infared at night


The one problem I am having is with humidity...I spray water in there and the hydrometer starts picking up the humidity, about 20min. later or so it stops reading the humidity again. Is it because I have a screen lid ? Is it ok to keep spraying water in there to get a humidity reading ?

I was thinking of getting a piece of plexieglass and covering the screen top and making air holes in it to try and keep the humidity in better...is this a good idea though ? Any help is appreciated.

I look forward to being an active member here.

Thanks, SC
 
SnakesOfCorn said:
The one problem I am having is with humidity...I spray water in there and the hydrometer starts picking up the humidity, about 20min. later or so it stops reading the humidity again. Is it because I have a screen lid ? Is it ok to keep spraying water in there to get a humidity reading ?

I was thinking of getting a piece of plexieglass and covering the screen top and making air holes in it to try and keep the humidity in better...is this a good idea though ? Any help is appreciated.

I look forward to being an active member here.

Thanks, SC
Click to expand...



No, if you have a problem with humidity, continued spraying isn't the best answer. Occasional spraying helps under certain circumstances, but isn't a cureall for your humidity needs. Covering the top isn't the best solution either. I wouldn't do that except in certain circumstances and then only partially. Why do you think you have a humidity problem?

First, we need more info. What's the ambient humidity in the room, in the tank, etc? Also, what's the temps in the room, warm side of the tank, cool side of the tank? Different solutions for different problems. Keep in mind humidity gauges aren't terribly accurate either.

Best....TC :santa:
 
I reread your post and think your humidity problems might be because the tank is too hot. First, turn off the overhead lamps. I think someone gave you bad advise. You need to know what the temps in your cage are.

Also, I would suggest you read the FAQ Section and some of the strands on regulating temps, heating pads, thermostats, etc. There's lot of helpful info already in print.

TC
 
I will give you a suggestion on your frozen mice problem. I put them in a box, and that box inside another box so they will not touch any food. Also what would your family rather have? Frozen mice behind 2 plastic "walls" or the potential of live mice escaping all over the house? Also frozen mice are cheaper and as you said also safer. But remember a snake that's used to feed live will not always easily convert to frozen. So if you feed live now (while the mice can't harm the snake) you probably have to feed live adult mice later and those could even kill your new pet.
Just my $0.02
 
During the day I keep the hot side at 88 degrees F. I keep the cool side at between 74-76 degrees F.

At night the hot side is at about 82-84 degrees F and the cool side is between 70-74 degrees F.

The reason I think I have a problem with the humidity is because the hydrometer does not constantly have the humidity reading, it only reads the humitity after I spray the water and for maybe 20-30min. after.

Maybe it's the hydrometer ??

I keep the snake cage in my room which is roughly 75-85 degrees F...though I'm not sure what the humidity is in my room.

For example about 2 hours ago I sprayed the tank and got a 65% humidity level reading, now the hydrometer does not have a reading anymore...I know there's humidity in there because there's humidity in my room...just not sure exactly what it is because there's no more reading...

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at that section now.

SC
 
I've been trying to decide wether or not to feed live or frozen/thawed. My major problem with buying frozen mice is keeping them in my freezer with my families food...I'm not really too crazy about doing that at all. Yet I know feeding live once the feeders get bigger they can attack back and hurt or even possibly kill my snake...any advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
I've stored frozen mice in my food freezer for years. For me, it's more about the "ick" factor than any contamination. You'll find that feeder mice from major suppliers are lab-raised and probably more hygenic than most cuts of meat we keep (supermarket chicken is notorious for carrying salmonella). Feeder mice aren't the dirty scavengers that wild mice are - they're raised in controlled conditions and fed a standard diet.

I keep mine in an opaque plastic tub with a lid, at the back of a freezer shelf. That way visitors aren't spooked if they go looking for ice cubes!

BTW, we'd love to see photos. Even darker Corns usually come in shades of grey, so anything looking black is going to be quite a find!
 
SnakesOfCorn said:
During the day I keep the hot side at 88 degrees F. I keep the cool side at between 74-76 degrees F.

At night the hot side is at about 82-84 degrees F and the cool side is between 70-74 degrees F.

The reason I think I have a problem with the humidity is because the hydrometer does not constantly have the humidity reading, it only reads the humitity after I spray the water and for maybe 20-30min. after.

Maybe it's the hydrometer ??

I keep the snake cage in my room which is roughly 75-85 degrees F...though I'm not sure what the humidity is in my room.

For example about 2 hours ago I sprayed the tank and got a 65% humidity level reading, now the hydrometer does not have a reading anymore...I know there's humidity in there because there's humidity in my room...just not sure exactly what it is because there's no more reading...

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at that section now.

SC
Click to expand...



I think 88* is too warm. Also, I'm not sure your measuring temp close to the bottom of the tank, or how much of the tank the pad covers. It might be even warmer than you think, if you don't take the reading in the right spot.

The cool side is a little warm for my preference, but I think many folks would think it's appropriate. Your room is very warm. How could the tank be cooler than your room temp?

It sounds like your hydrometer isn't functioning properly. They can be pretty crappy sometimes. I have three in my Herp Room and just average their readings, which can be quite different. But I'm used to it. There are other ways to help with humidity besides spraying. After checking temps I'd think about adding a humid hide to the cage for one way.

TC
 
atmox said:
I will give you a suggestion on your frozen mice problem. I put them in a box, and that box inside another box so they will not touch any food. Also what would your family rather have? Frozen mice behind 2 plastic "walls" or the potential of live mice escaping all over the house? Also frozen mice are cheaper and as you said also safer. But remember a snake that's used to feed live will not always easily convert to frozen. So if you feed live now (while the mice can't harm the snake) you probably have to feed live adult mice later and those could even kill your new pet.
Just my $0.02
Click to expand...

I agree. This is exactly what I did.. I feed frozen.
 
bitsy said:
You'll find that feeder mice from major suppliers are lab-raised and probably more hygenic than most cuts of meat we keep (supermarket chicken is notorious for carrying salmonella).
Click to expand...

I've always wondered just how hygenic these places really are. There is a lot of contamination at (people) food processing plants, often due to not following rigorous FDA regulations. We hear about it all the time - mountains of feces at hen houses, etc. Plus, I'm not aware of any regulations covering the preparation of reptile food - I know there are some covering dog & cat food, though. So it really makes me wonder how safe this really is, whether the rodents are sold as F/T or live. Bitsy, do you or anyone else here have any information about what really goes on at these suppliers? Or are we just assuming that they are ethical and responsible? Again, I'm talking about both live and F/T suppliers, so it's not an anti-F/T post.
 


 
I think your hydrometer is reading just fine. The heat lamp is drying out the air so much that humidity is so low it cant get a reading. Once you mist, the humidity is increasing and so is the reading. After about 30 minutes, the humidity has dropped again, so has the reading. I would remove the heat lamp all together. You dont need them for corns. Your night temps sound perfect for your snakes 24 hours a day. 88 is a little warm for a corn. I mean, they will tolerate it and be fine, but they are perfectly fine in the low 80's.
 
I keep my frozen pinkies in a zip lock freezer bag inside a small butter bowl with lid. I have FM written on the lid. My family knows what it means but visitors do not. We have no problem having the frozen pinkies in the freezer, I would rather have that then live mice as feeders.
 
In out house we were lucky enough to end up with an extra stand-alone freezer in the basement, so we buy slightly larger orders and keep them in a separate area altogether, this way, anyone who comes to our won't open the freezer and see a bunch of frozen mice. I realize we lucked out with this setup and it won't work for everyone, but the other ideas mentioned seem great (a container in a container) that way no one will see what it is. I wouldn't worry about too much contamination either, even if the mice aren't kept in the most fantastic conditions (I'm not sure, I've never done research into it, but I'm curious too Kronos) being frozen should keep MOST illnesses, etc. from spreading. I prefer to feed F/T because it's safer for the snake in the long run (there isn't a problem until there's a problem) but if your snake refuses F/T, I see nothing wrong with feeding live.

Anywho, I've rambled enough, that's my opinions!
 
Bitsy, do you or anyone else here have any information about what really goes on at these suppliers? Or are we just assuming that they are ethical and responsible? Again, I'm talking about both live and F/T suppliers, so it's not an anti-F/T post.
Click to expand...
I go by the product.

The frozen mice I buy at the moment are neatly vacuum packed in tens so they definitely arrive at the shop pre-killed and pre-packed at source. If the source takes that much care to pack them neatly then I don't see them neglecting the mice during production.

The mice have no visible injuries or blood stains (which I've seen in from other suppliers in the past) which would indicate overcrowding in cages or other conditions that would induce stress and fighting.

They're very clean - difficult to achieve if white mice are being kept in filthy conditions.

They're properly sized and proportioned - not skinny/malnourished and not obese - so they're being fed an appropriate diet.
 
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Bitsy, which rodent supplier are you using now? I'm sure you've posted this before, but I can't seem to remember.
 
Oh, OK - maybe that's why I couldn't remember. Thanks. Was just wondering what the best mail order rodent companies were. I'll do a search, and then maybe start a new thread.
 
Big Cheese Rodent Factory, The Mouse Factory, Rodentpro are the big ones. I love Big Cheese. Cheaper than TMF but more expensive than Rodentpro. But they are nice and fat, clean, and come vacuum sealed. Rodentpro is the cheapest but they have the crappiest mice and just throw them into the box, not vacuum sealed.
 
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