Want to be new owner, has some questions

[rocketshipwalker]

Hello, everyone!
My name is Kayla and I have a lot of questions. There's also a lot of text so I'm going to bold the questions and make it easier to see them. Haha

First off, I'd like to say that I've loved reptiles pretty much my whole life and it's always been a dream of mine to have a snake as they are my favorite animal. The main problem I have is my parents. My dad is actually pretty cool about snakes. He doesn't necessarily want one, but he doesn't really mind if I get one. He thinks it'd be cool to watch it eat. My mom is the main problem and her arguments don't even make sense. She's told me that they cost too much, I don't have enough room for one, and she doesn't want to have to take care of it.

I don't know why she's worried about the price. I have a job and she wouldn't have to pay a penny towards it. It would also be way cheaper than the resin dolls I buy and she doesn't really complain about them.

I do understand the not having room issue. We have a pretty small house and I have the smallest room in said house. I just reorganized my room, though, and I managed to create a pretty nicely sized area of floor space. There's definitely enough room for a twenty gallon like every has suggested.

And the fact that she doesn't want to take care of it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. She would definitely not have to take care of it and she wouldn't even have to look at it if she didn't want to. The only times I've ever asked for help when taking care of something if when I couldn't figure out the filter for my fish tank or if I've gone to a friend's house and asked her to feed my fish in the morning for me and make sure my cat had fresh water and food.

So, after hearing my mom's "problems" with me owning a snake, does anyone have any tips on how to sway her mind?


Now, on to the snake questions.

I've been reading around on this site for a couple days and I've seen a few times where people mentioned that they didn't have an uth because it's always really hot in the room the snake is in and room temperature was fine.
I live in Florida where it is grossly hot and my small room is disconnected from the house so I don't have any ac. That makes my room extremely hot.
Now, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a uth anyways, but I'd be worried that with the summer heat and the uth that it'd be too hot in the tank.
If it was, could I just turn the uth off?
And maybe only use it during the cooler and cold months?

I also have some questions about feeding.
From what I've been reading, it seems pretty 50/50 on whether to feed your snake in your tank or feed it in a separate container.
What do you recommend?
If you feed in a separate container, how long do you wait to move the snake back into its tank?
What kind of container to you recommend for feeding?

How do you know when to move your snake up to the next size mouse?

And (probably not) last of all, I have some questions about genders and the different morphs.
Have you noticed there being a difference in temperament between male and female?
Which gender gets larger?
Is there a difference in temperament amongst the different morphs?
Have you noticed any morphs being more calm than others?

Okay! Thanks for reading! I think those are all the questions I have at the moment. I'd really appreciate some help. Thanks!

 

[bitsy]

And the fact that she doesn't want to take care of it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. She would definitely not have to take care of it and she wouldn't even have to look at it if she didn't want to.

Firstly, how old are you? Corns live 15+ years and will see you through some major life changes whch are going to come your way. What will happen to it when you leave home? What happens if you go to live in a college dorm which doesn't allow pets? What if you take rented accommodation which doesn't allow pets? One day, you'll want to go on vacation. Who will look after it whilst you're away? If you can give good answers to these questions, then you should be able to sooth your Mom's concerns to some extent.

Now, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a uth anyways, but I'd be worried that with the summer heat and the uth that it'd be too hot in the tank.

You should always use a UTH with a thermostat or dimmer. That way, it will never get too hot as these bits of equipment are designed to turn it off when it gets to a set high temp.

From what I've been reading, it seems pretty 50/50 on whether to feed your snake in your tank or feed it in a separate container.
What do you recommend?

There are pros and cons to both - you just need to figure out what's best for you and your Corn.

I feed in a separate container. The main advantage is that I can have a really good spot clean, or a complete clean-out, with mimimum disturbance to the snake. It also does away with any risk of ingesting the substrate. However, many folks feed in the home tank without problems. Those with 20+ animals will rarely have the time or room for separate feeding tanks.

If you feed in a separate container, how long do you wait to move the snake back into its tank?

I wait until the snake has moved the food into its stomach about one-third of the way down its body. After that, they start getting active and looking for a way out of the feeding tank. That's my cue to move them home again. The whole process can take as little as ten minutes for an adult, although smaller snakes can take longer to swallow.

What kind of container to you recommend for feeding?

I use Critter Keeper type plastic tanks for feeding. These are much smaller than the home tanks and the Corns have to curl up to fit in them. The advantage is that they can't get away from the defrosted mouse and immediately notice it and start eating. No messing about with looking for escape routes in an escape-proof tank, as they're distracted by the food.

How do you know when to move your snake up to the next size mouse?

A good guideline is that the food needs to be about one and a half times the width of the body (not the head or neck) and leave a lump in the belly for 24-48 hours. Once the bump goes down within a day, it's probably time to try the next size up. This goes on until they reach adult mice, at which point I never feed anything larger for the rest of their lives.

Remember that as the food size increases, feeding frequency needs to decrease. This is to allow their digestion to work properly and prevent them from getting obese (it's surprisingly easy to overfeed a Corn, as they'll generally eat everything you offer them). My hatchlings get one pinkie every 5 days, and my adults get one adult mouse every 14-21 days.

Have you noticed there being a difference in temperament between male and female?

Nope.

Which gender gets larger?

In my experience, females which breed are smaller, as the process takes quite a toll on their bodies. The really large Corns I've had have been male, but there's no reason that nonbreeding females can't get big as well. Generally I don't think there are overall differences between the sexes.

Is there a difference in temperament amongst the different morphs?

Not the ones which I've kept. Temperament seems to be an individual trait for each Corn.

Have you noticed any morphs being more calm than others?

As above - not in my experience.


Hope that helps!

 

[Chip]

Bitsy pretty much nailed it. I feed inside the enclosure, but I suspect most of mine would eat fine in a separate container. I do not buy that it makes them less likely to bite, but some find it a good chance to weigh and examine the animal.

Outside of what has been mentioned, my biggest advice is buy an escape-proof cage. Invest in that and heating/thermostat, and you will avoid 90% of the major headaches new keepers face.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Bitsy, I'm 19 and I'll be twenty in 19 days.
I'm taking online classes to get certified to work in a preschool/daycare/elementary school.
I work at one now, but since I don't have my classes finished, I don't get paid enough or get enough hours to move out pretty soon.
I've been thinking about getting a second job so I can start saving for a place of my own and when I do it would absolutely have to be a place that allows pets.
I have a cat and a freshwater fish tank and I would feel lonely in a place that didn't allow pets.
I've never not had a pet of some kind.

And I'm not much of a vacation person. I'm the one that stays home and looks after the animals so we don't have to pay for a sitter. If it came down to it though, I have a friend who loves reptiles and would gladly take care of my snake if I went on a vacation.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Ohh, and Bitsy, I forgot to mention. I would definitely get a uth with a dimmer or thermostat. I was mainly worried about the 'cool' side of the tank being too hot and basically having two hot sides. Sorry for the confusion.