since it's a new member forum...

[Tall Gary]

i never really know how to start these silly "introduction" threads. do i start with a joke, my turn ons, shoe size? who can really say when it comes to these things? i guess i'll just start with why i'm here.

a few weeks ago i was talking with a friend of mine about possibly wanting to get another snake. i had had one years ago, but only for a short time. he let me know that he had an albino corn snake and that he was needing a new home for it because he just couldn't take care of it anymore. i thought about it, and a week later went over to check it out. i even brought another friend with me who already has 2 corn snakes, just to help me decide if i should take this one.

we get there only to find out that she was in really bad shape. just looking into the cage, i could see that her water dish was bone dry. red flag number 1. then, we take her out and my friends eyes opened really wide. when i asked what the reaction was for, he said that she was WAY too skinny, pointing out that the spine could be seen fairly easy. i asked him if it was a good idea to take this snake and he told me that if i didn't, he would... just to get it back to good health. so of course, i took her. her name, is Missy.

on the way home, we stopped and got two mice for her. when we got to my house, we placed her in her new feeding bin and gave her a mouse. BAM! she nailed it. awesome. then the next one. same fate. while she was feeding, i cleaned her cage out from what it had been before. i found 4 prior sheddings in the cage. after washing it out, i relined it with the bedding i got when i picked her up. (more on this later). put her water dish in, and filled it up. after about 30 min after she ate, i placed her back in her new/old home and she went straight to the water. she drank, i kid you not, for a solid 10 min! she almost drained the whole dish.

a week and a half and 6 mice later, she seems to be doing much better. her spine isn't nearly as noticeable and she's just a treat to have around. she loves being held and will chill on my lap for long periods of time before trying to find the change in the couch cushions.

now to the reason i'm here. i'm not entirely sure what bedding i should be using for her. i currently have her in a pine bedding in a 55-60gal glasstank. i keep it about 3-4 inches thick all the way thru, keeping the water dish on top. i've also got a long flat rock in there as well as a newly added wood "cave" that's open at each end that she seems to really like. there's a small heater that sits under the take in one corner as well.

am i doing it horribly wrong? someone told me that pine wasn't good for their breathing. is this true? if so, what do i need to do?


thanks in advance for any help i get here.

 

[Chip]

Skipping the intro stuff, I'd never use pine. Aspen is great, I use it on my hognose. As for a small corn, newspaper or paper towels are ideal. I put my big ones on "Yesterday's News," a recycled newpaper pellet product used for cat litter. Welcome to the forums.

 

[Tall Gary]

she's about 4 feet long so i'm guessing she's outgrown the "paper towels" stage.

Aspen you say. i'll have to check into that. sounds like it'd be about the same as pine tho. is it just the difference in the woods or is there something else that makes it better?

 

[Chip]

HUGE difference in the woods!

 

[Chip]

Oh, and I kept adult breeders on newspaper for 20 years. It's not anything that is "outgrown."

 

[measley]

welcome to the forum, I'm seconding elrojo, pine is not good for the snakies. I use aspen (fairly easy to find cheap at walmart).

kudos to you for rescuing this girl from what was obviously a bad situation!

 

[Caryl]

Welcome to the forum, and to the hobby. Check out the "stickies" in the Husbandry forum for some good basics. You may want to get a book or two, as well. Most of here recommend Kathy Love's corn snake owner's manual. It's available on her website, www.cornutopia.com.

It sounds like Missy is lucky to have you! I love your comment of "she's just a treat to have around." I can't imagine how long it would have taken one in less than great condition to shed four times. I also can't imagine how anyone can keep an animal in conditions such as you described. I'm glad you've rescued her!

The big tank sounds good, water, and hides are good. Deep bedding is good too, but you will want to pick up something besides pine. It's been shown to be a problem for snakes' nervous systems. Don't panic, a few days aren't likely to hurt. (Heck, the wild ones who live here crawl around in pine needles on a regular basis.) Aspen, cypress, repti-bark, and cocunut bark are some fairly common substrates. Most corns enjoy tunneling in aspen. You can even use newspaper, if you like.

Be sure your viv has a snug lid with some type of lock or catch. Corns are amazingly good at staging escapes. You've probably already got acceptable temperatures (80-85 at the warm end, 70-75 at the cool end) since she's eating and digesting mice.

Best of luck, and welcome!

 

[Tall Gary]

um, i said paper towels... not newspaper. i get your gist tho. thanks for the help. i'll be sure to change her out of the pine tomorrow.

 

[Chip]

um, i said paper towels... not newspaper. i get your gist tho. thanks for the help. i'll be sure to change her out of the pine tomorrow.

So sorry.

 

[LBoz]

I must be too old to get the above reference?

Anyway, WELCOME, GARY!!! We all come here for one reason or another. It's like the Hotel California....you can check out anytime you like...you know the rest....you'll be stuck here forever! But that's a GOOD thing, not a bad thing!

You'd be hard pressed to present a problem that this group hasn't experienced. So with that in mind, make yourself right at home. Post some pics of your new pick-up. Grab a glass and join right in. This is the best group of cyberfolks you're likely to encounter, so don't resist...it's futile. You'll be building a rack in no time. Muahahahahaaaaa!


p.s. Don't mind the goofy girl that just posted this. She's on steroids and half out of her gord. We don't bite....much.

 

[Chip]

I must be too old to get the above reference?

Just "puts on breaks!" I saw I'd responded with newspaper when he'd posted about paper towels.

 

[Tall Gary]

So sorry.

the internet has a horrible way of showing sarcasm. i meant no harm with my "i said..." comment. just pointing it out to poke some fun.

 

[Tall Gary]

Welcome to the forum, and to the hobby. Check out the "stickies" in the Husbandry forum for some good basics. You may want to get a book or two, as well. Most of here recommend Kathy Love's corn snake owner's manual. It's available on her website, www.cornutopia.com.

It sounds like Missy is lucky to have you! I love your comment of "she's just a treat to have around." I can't imagine how long it would have taken one in less than great condition to shed four times. I also can't imagine how anyone can keep an animal in conditions such as you described. I'm glad you've rescued her!

The big tank sounds good, water, and hides are good. Deep bedding is good too, but you will want to pick up something besides pine. It's been shown to be a problem for snakes' nervous systems. Don't panic, a few days aren't likely to hurt. (Heck, the wild ones who live here crawl around in pine needles on a regular basis.) Aspen, cypress, repti-bark, and cocunut bark are some fairly common substrates. Most corns enjoy tunneling in aspen. You can even use newspaper, if you like.

Be sure your viv has a snug lid with some type of lock or catch. Corns are amazingly good at staging escapes. You've probably already got acceptable temperatures (80-85 at the warm end, 70-75 at the cool end) since she's eating and digesting mice.

Best of luck, and welcome!

thank you for the book and website recommendations. i'll be sure to check those out.

as for the pine and the nervous system problems... what if she's been in it all her life? should i be worried? i'm thinking i want to use aspen as newspaper doesn't seem to strike me as the most amazing looking thing to have in a tank.

as for a new photo, here's one i took a few days ago.

 

[Caryl]

I don't have any hard data, but I'd assume that any serious problems would be showing up by now. You're right, newspaper isn't the most attractive substrate. It has advantages if you're trying to be very aware of issues like, well, literal issues (excreta, sheds, etc.). Aspen is nice because it holds its shape when they tunnel in it.

By the way, I like your cowboy graphic. I'm horseless for the first time in 16 years and I hate it.

 

[KDRGM]

hello ther gary, i'm new to this forum and keepin snakes i hav 3 now i just bought a Amelanistic ( female) she about 16-18 months old and beautifulshe about 3 n half foot long my other 2 are Classic "H" Amber's both male but i've had the biggets 1 0fthe 2 (2 foot) 4 7 months and the other 1 bout 5 months i keep them in i think it's "savannah" something or other but i DO know that Pine or Cedar doesnt do your snake any good Cedar is toxic to your snake and prolonged exposure will cause nerve damage that can result in death lets hope this never happens


kd

 

[KDRGM]

WOW SHE IS GORGEOUS

 

[KDRGM]

hello ther gary, i'm new to this forum and keepin snakes i hav 3 now i just bought a Amelanistic ( female) she about 16-18 months old and beautifulshe about 3 n half foot long my other 2 are Classic "H" Amber's both male but i've had the biggets 1 0fthe 2 (2 foot) 4 7 months and the other 1 bout 5 months i keep them in i think it's "savannah" something or other but i DO know that Pine or Cedar doesnt do your snake any good Cedar is toxic to your snake and prolonged exposure will cause nerve damage that can result in death lets hope this never happens


kd

 

[mike17l]

It is a very common misconception that pine causes problems. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using pine, if you follow simple cautionary advice. The problem with pine is not when it is breathed in, it is from the toxins/oils/ect that leach out when in water. The problem that people encounter is when they leave pine shavings in water bowls for too long. It is a simple husbandry problem. Keep the water bowl clean of pine shavings and you will not experience problems with pine, simple as that.

 

[Susan]

It is a very common misconception that pine causes problems. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using pine, if you follow simple cautionary advice. The problem with pine is not when it is breathed in, it is from the toxins/oils/ect that leach out when in water. The problem that people encounter is when they leave pine shavings in water bowls for too long. It is a simple husbandry problem. Keep the water bowl clean of pine shavings and you will not experience problems with pine, simple as that.

Oh sure! You want the water bowl to be checked...what...every day!? :sidestep:

Sorry...I couldn't resist the poor reference to another thread where the OP's snake's water bowl often became bone dry.

It sounds like you're getting excellent advice from everyone, but I am a little concerned by the volume of food you're giving your new snake. 6 mice in a week and a half seems too much too soon. Your snake is not in optimal condition and even a corn of that size in prime condition would probably have trouble digesting that much in a short time. I'll assume you're feeding 2 adult mice every 3-4 days. You may be heading for a major regurge or blockage. I would rather see you feed either small frequent meals (small adult every 4-5 days) or a large meal once a week.

 

[mike17l]

Oh sure! You want the water bowl to be checked...what...every day!? :sidestep:

Sorry...I couldn't resist the poor reference to another thread where the OP's snake's water bowl often became bone dry.

LOL, well as we both know, most "newbs" do check/change water nearly everyday, so it shouldnt be an issue. Personally, my water bowls get nearly dry, so I use aspen.

It sounds like you're getting excellent advice from everyone, but I am a little concerned by the volume of food you're giving your new snake. 6 mice in a week and a half seems too much too soon. Your snake is not in optimal condition and even a corn of that size in prime condition would probably have trouble digesting that much in a short time. I'll assume you're feeding 2 adult mice every 3-4 days. You may be heading for a major regurge or blockage. I would rather see you feed either small frequent meals (small adult every 4-5 days) or a large meal once a week.

Ditto, I had noticed this, but didn't think to say something. Feeding less (smaller meals) would probably be a good idea for a malnourished snake.