Thinking about 'rescuing' this snake. Advice?

[grandlinegirl]

I came across an ad for a 6 year old corn snake that needs a new home. I am seriously considering taking him in. He's a 6 year old 'normal' corn and looks relatively healthy but seems a little small.

I've had one corn in my life but she was sick when I got her as a hatchling and she only lasted a month. She was my first snake. Since then, I've gotten two ball pythons and a brazilian rainbow boa and they are all happy and healthy

This lady lives an hour away and is willing to deliver for $100, including cage, 'equipment', snake and according to her, enough frozen mice to feed him at least a year (that's probably worth the $100 alone). Considering it'll probably cost her $30-$40 in gas, I don't think this is unreasonable but I would have to purchase new supplies for him. She will not lower her price at all.

I've emailed back and forth with the lady and this is what I have found out:

- Snake lives in 10 gallon tank with a heat rock
- 'Hibernates' all winter long and is not fed during that time
- During the summer, he is fed one full grown mice per week
- Only handled when tank is cleaned, but he is friendly and calm

Now, I have a couple questions...

To save costs, I would probably move him into a tub setup. My two bp's and brb are housed in tubs and they work out wonderfully. What size tub would an adult male corn snake need?

If he's used to hibernating all winter long, is it safe to stop this? I would have the snake on a uth with thermostat, so his temps would be constant all year long. If he's been hibernating for 6 years, will it be okay if he suddenly stops?

If I decide to go with a tank setup, will this work out okay? As far as I know, corns don't have higher humidity requirements like a bp or brb. What size tank for an adult corn?

Is paper towel substrate okay? That's what I have all my other snakes on and I'm partial to it.

Obviously, quarantine is needed and I would pretreat the enclosure for mites. I've dealt with mites before when I got my yellowbelly bp and do not want to do that again!

I'm going to go look up the care sheets and refresh myself on care, but I'm curious if this is a good idea. Would you guys rescue a snake like this?

 

[hypnoctopus]

I don't think it's the best deal, but it's not horrible. He looks healthy and pretty to me. Hard to tell the size from the photo, but he might be small for his age. His black doesn't look very black to me, so he could even be a hypo, possibly. It might just be the picture, I'm not sure.

As you know, you would definitely need to get rid of the heat rock and replace it with a UTH (so that's 20-30 dollars right there that you will need to spend). He really shouldn't be living in a ten gallon tank anymore, so you would either need 20 (or larger) gallon tank (which I know those are more expensive in Canada, usually, so probably at least 80 dollars unless you get a used one or one on sale). You can definitely switch him to a large tub if you want to save a bit. I think the minimum size people use for adults is a 32 qt. So I think basically you'd be paying 100 dollars for the snake, the feeders, the hides, and delivery. Adult normals usually cost under 50, unless they're carrying a bunch of hets.

He will be fine if you switch to non-brumation.

And paper towels are an acceptable substrate (although I prefer aspen, so they can burrow a little better).

And yes to quarantine!

 

[grandlinegirl]

You know, I think I might take him. I actually have an extra heating pad. It's a zoomed so it's not the best, but it's much better than a heat rock! I would just need to grab a tstat for it. A bin is pretty cheap and I have paper towels and a half bag of aspen sitting around.

A simple setup like that will suffice for now and it'll give me time to watch the classifieds sites for a nice tank for him, depending on how active he is. If he's nice and active, I might make him a display tank.

I think he's really pretty. I just hope he's as friendly as she says!

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

A corn snake can typically grow from 15 inches to 30 inches their first year. (These are the extremes - an average snake would be about the middle of this or 22 inches.)

So you could measure the snake and if he's anywhere between 15 and 30 inches, it's highly likely he's about a year old. If he's over 30 inches I'd bet he's older, and if he's under 15 I'd say he's either younger or sick.

* I am a big fan of rescues, but I personally would not buy a snake (or any other animal for that matter) that I had not seen and interacted with up close and personal.

* Although the picture of the snake looks good, the picture of the tank looks horrible. It's dirty, lacks basic corn snake gear, and being 10 gallon is probably too small.

* He's been hibernating all winter and never fed. (Don't like that either). I know some folks do this with their snakes, but it has to be done right. I would not want to take on a snake that I can't be sure was treated and raised properly.

* Only handled when tank is cleaned. How cruel!

 

[grandlinegirl]

A corn snake can typically grow from 15 inches to 30 inches their first year. (These are the extremes - an average snake would be about the middle of this or 22 inches.)

So you could measure the snake and if he's anywhere between 15 and 30 inches, it's highly likely he's about a year old. If he's over 30 inches I'd bet he's older, and if he's under 15 I'd say he's either younger or sick.

* I am a big fan of rescues, but I personally would not buy a snake (or any other animal for that matter) that I had not seen and interacted with up close and personal.

* Although the picture of the snake looks good, the picture of the tank looks horrible. It's dirty, lacks basic corn snake gear, and being 10 gallon is probably too small.

* He's been hibernating all winter and never fed. (Don't like that either). I know some folks do this with their snakes, but it has to be done right. I would not want to take on a snake that I can't be sure was treated and raised properly.

* Only handled when tank is cleaned. How cruel!

The biggest thing holding me back is not being able to see/hold this snake. The lady would be driving 2 hours to bring me this snake and I'd feel way too bad making her come all this way just to say nevermind, I don't want it. I'm not like that and I would end up taking it anyway just because I felt bad.

She is adamant this snake is 6 years old. She got it 6 years ago from a local breeder but he still looks small.

I have 3 other snakes here and I don't want to being anything else in that might harm them. Quarantine is a must but if he has some sort of disease, I don't want to pass it on to my others.

I'm so conflicted. I really want to get into corns but I don't know if this is how I should jump in. He could be amazing, but he could also be a sick animal.

I'm wondering if maybe I should wait until next year... The breeder I got my brb from specializes in corns and produces probably the best ones in all of Canada. She's had many firsts in the country.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Corn snakes are relatively cheap. A "Normal Pattern" Corn snake can be bought at almost any pet shop or expo for 30 bucks or sometimes even less!

 

[grandlinegirl]

Corn snakes are relatively cheap. A "Normal Pattern" Corn snake can be bought at almost any pet shop or expo for 30 bucks or sometimes even less!

Not here in Canada. Petsmart in my town sells normals for $119! The 'special' ones are even more! I'm sure at expo's they're much less but they're 4 hours away from me and I can't get to them since I don't drive!

 

[hypnoctopus]

If you really want to get into corns, I would pass on this guy and wait for the perfect snake for you from a breeder. Take some time to look at the morphs, both on here and on iansvivarium.com and pick out some that you love. I know it's a lot harder to get some of the multi-gene corn snakes in Canada, but I'm sure you'll be able to find some neat stuff if you are patient. And while you're waiting, you could slowly piece together a setup without having to pay a lot all at once.

There's also a Canadian subforum here: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70. You could see if there are any breeders with babies you like. Many breeders can ship, as well. Late summer and early fall are when most people have babies hatching and some people will also have older snakes available as well, if you don't want a baby.

Good luck!

 

[Rigby & Marcy]

I would price out equipment here in Canada first, since none of the equipment is suitable. Last time I bought a hydrofarm thermostat it was exactly $50. A 50 gallon reptile tank from PetSmart is on sale right now for $110 plus taxes. If you like the snake and are prepared to spend that much then I don't see why not. We have a fair selection of corns around here but you're not the first member from your area who has commented that there are no corns around southern ONT.

 

[daddio207]

The biggest thing holding me back is not being able to see/hold this snake. The lady would be driving 2 hours to bring me this snake and I'd feel way too bad making her come all this way just to say nevermind, I don't want it. I'm not like that and I would end up taking it anyway just because I felt bad.

She is adamant this snake is 6 years old. She got it 6 years ago from a local breeder but he still looks small.

I have 3 other snakes here and I don't want to being anything else in that might harm them. Quarantine is a must but if he has some sort of disease, I don't want to pass it on to my others.

I'm so conflicted. I really want to get into corns but I don't know if this is how I should jump in. He could be amazing, but he could also be a sick animal.

I'm wondering if maybe I should wait until next year... The breeder I got my brb from specializes in corns and produces probably the best ones in all of Canada. She's had many firsts in the country.

I'd pass based your thoughts...........BUT

I'm also all for rescuing unwanted pets and providing a good home. Usually I will only pay a small fee or take it for free though.
Providing a better life for the animal is more important to me than whether it has a good personality.
It could be 6 years old especially if they've been brumating it. I rescued ($30) a caramel corn snake at 2 years old that was 30 grams and 15 inches. He's now 24+ inches and 100 grams at 3 years old. Size and weight is a good indicator of age but can be very inaccurate.
Always wise to quarantine. I would think that this snake should be healthy though based on that its lived 6 years and through brumations. If it had any parasites internally or externally I would think it would of overburdened it by now including mites. No other herps in the house right?
A 32 quart tub is what you want for that size snake.

Again at that price and your thoughts I'd pass

 

[grandlinegirl]

Yeah. I think if the price was less I'd go for it. With all the equipment I'd need to buy to upgrade its tank, it just wouldn't be worth it. Not to mention the possible health risks, even though it does look healthy.

I think I might have found my next snake anyway. I came across a gorgeous male Baird's rat snake and from everything I've researched, I've found out they're very similar to corns and very docile snakes. I can get this guy, totally healthy from a breeder for the same price as that corn and he's utterly gorgeous

 

[daddio207]

YES ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Great snakes !!!!!

PS even the best breeders will have health issues with their snakes. Go's with the territory with large collections and breeding facilities.

 

[grandlinegirl]

Ah yes, sorry. I didn't mean to come off like breeders are perfect. I just think they're usually a better bet than a pet store or Kijiji (classifieds site) seller. I bought a ball python from Petsmart before I knew better and I got infected with mites and I bought my first ever snake, a corn snake, from Kijiji and she was sick when I got her and she died a month after. Every snake I've gotten from breeders has been pretty healthy, so maybe I trust them a little more.

 

[daddio207]

Ah yes, sorry. I didn't mean to come off like breeders are perfect. I just think they're usually a better bet than a pet store or Kijiji (classifieds site) seller. I bought a ball python from Petsmart before I knew better and I got infected with mites and I bought my first ever snake, a corn snake, from Kijiji and she was sick when I got her and she died a month after. Every snake I've gotten from breeders has been pretty healthy, so maybe I trust them a little more.

Apology is unnecessary
Yes of course a reputable breeder is the best person to buy from.
The last time I got a snake with mites was from a highly reputable and well known breeder. I was just saying it does happen.

 

[DollysMom]

My two cents about mites is that anyone can get them anytime, anywhere.

They go with the territory. They can come in on supplies, clothes, or about anything you can think of. I haven't had them and don't use it prophylactially, but I keep a can of Provent-a-mite on my supply shelf. I hope just having it there will ward them off.

The only shame or bad husbandry involved with mites is not being aware your animal has them, and/or not doing anything about them once they are evident.

 

[hypnoctopus]

That's an awesome looking snake!