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What have I got here? Newbie wants to know

R

rolex_26_99

New member
I have to say this is a great Forum I have only begun to explore it and I can't wait to see more.

I'm a new owner of a 3 year old male Corn for about 4 days now and I enjoy him more and more every day.

To be honest I really don't know the first thing about snakes and I am a little scared of being striked at but I know very well it will happen one day or the other. That's probably why I have a little fear in me.

I will post a picture and if someone could tell me on what it is I have exactly I would appreciate it very much. All I was told from the previous owner is that it is a male and he is 3 years old.

Thanks for the info.

DSC01997.jpg
 
He looks like a "normal" cornsnake to me. There's no reason to think he would ever strike at you! I'd say it is more likely that he wouldn't than he would! You can stop living in fear. And even if he _does_ bite you, you'll just get very startled and have a couple pinpricks that don't hurt and barely bleed.
 
Nanci is right. She and I both of many corn snakes and I rarely get bitten by a corn. Very rarely. And when I do it is not a big deal, even from a fairly large corn.

I also think it is an attractive normal corn.
 
Your corn snake is a classic/normal. He also looks to quite underweight. How often was he being fed, and what prey size?
 
I also was going to say he looks awfully underweight for a 3 yr old, you can definetly see backbone there.
 
Hi there and welcome :D Glad you found this site. It is extremely informational and there are plenty of kind people to help you with questions. He is indeed a normal corn snake (a color we find in the wild) He does look a bit skinny. I'm guessing you adopted him from another home? He should be eating adult mice every week. Let us know what you have for food for him and any other questions you may have. I also highly recommend this book by Kathy and Billy Love "Corn Snakes A Comprehensive Owners Guide" I learned a ton from reading it. Lots of pics and info, it's awesome!

http://www.amazon.com/Corn-Snakes-C...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270828001&sr=8-1

Here is another great site to check out. Pics of nearly every color (morph) of corn snake
http://iansvivarium.com/cornsnakemorphs.php
 
Personally I'd say he looks only slightly on the slimmer side of healthy, like he's been grown on nicely without getting too fat.
 
He has only had the snake for four days, give the guy a chance to start. J9 is correct, I think he is only slightly underweight.
 
i cant count the ribs yet, he looks fine to me in the weight dept
congrats on your new snake
you will do just fine
in my experience the tiny babies are the ones that lash out and the adults tend to just put up with me, you should be fine, just dont grab him by the head when u pull him out, or douse your hands with mouse perfume
 
Nice looking snake like others said a tad thin. My concern although not great is the small dirty water dish. A regular dog water dish with the hand opening on the side work great the snake has water and a great place to hide. The bark looks pretty but a few inches of aspen give them another whole world to check out. You also didn't say anything about heat source.
 
susang said:
Nice looking snake like others said a tad thin. My concern although not great is the small dirty water dish. A regular dog water dish with the hand opening on the side work great the snake has water and a great place to hide. The bark looks pretty but a few inches of aspen give them another whole world to check out. You also didn't say anything about heat source.
Click to expand...

The water dish is kinda small, but I must say it's certainly possible that it's not dirty. I have a few like that, bought second hand. They were dirty, and had a layer of calcium from the water. I cleaned them, removed the calcium layer and desinfected them, but the color change doesn't completely dissapear.
Maybe it's dirty, but not nessecarily, the OP can give more info on that.
I use the same kind of bark. It does indeed look pretty, and is heavier than aspen, but I can assure you if the snake wants to burrow in it, it can. I like it more than aspen, but I guess that's personal taste.
 
Kali said:
The water dish is kinda small, but I must say it's certainly possible that it's not dirty. I have a few like that, bought second hand. They were dirty, and had a layer of calcium from the water. I cleaned them, removed the calcium layer and desinfected them, but the color change doesn't completely dissapear.
Maybe it's dirty, but not nessecarily, the OP can give more info on that.
I use the same kind of bark. It does indeed look pretty, and is heavier than aspen, but I can assure you if the snake wants to burrow in it, it can. I like it more than aspen, but I guess that's personal taste.
Click to expand...

OK on dish I did use those for awhile, but it looks slimey. It seems I learned on here snakes like to get into water bowl on occasion and soak, I know all of mine did.
I don't remember who on here posted about aspen and three to four inches doubles the surface space for the snake. The bark also looks a little dirty fried urates.... I know OP just got the snake but asked for suggestions.
 
Thanks for the input guys really appreciated. Let me address a few of the concerns that were brought up by my fellow snake lovers.

I haven't fed him since I got him and the previous owner said he was last fed on the first of April. I will feed him on Saturday because I just haven't had the time to run out and buy mice bedding and what ever I need to clean up the viv and make set everything up to my taste.

His weight right now is 658g or 1.5lbs how many mice should I feed him per week and what size. I also plan on feeding him in a separate holding tank to avoid him thinking food is coming everything I take the top off the viv. Is that a wise Idea?

For the water bowl it does look dirty but its more of a stain look than anything else the water is fresh daily. Does the size of the water dish really matter I read if its big enough they could sleep in there and poop in the water.

For a heat source I have a heat pad under the hide on the right side of the viv. The viv is set up in my basement for now temporarily until I get him a good spot on my work desk so we will be seeing each other every day. The temperature is a little cool around 71 on one side and must be higher under the hide since the heat pad is there but I only have the temp on one side. Its a pretty small tank so I'm guessing you really can't control the temperature on both sides very accurately.

I did get a basking lamp with him but I read it was not necessary to have one for corn snakes. Maybe someone could clear that one up for me.

I have no Idea what I will be using for bedding until I get to the store tomorrow. I do like what I have now just because it looks nice. There may not be enough in there tho. Like I said I have no idea what is available out there for me to use so I will see and post back once my clean set up is done.

FYI my tank size is 24X12

I was planing on putting him a branch in there for him to climb on will he most likely use it or am I putting that in there just for good looks?

Thanks Guy's

Sorry dsknorr I'm not a gunsmith I just have alot of toys :).........
 
I forgot to mention that the actual bedding is very dirty and smells like urates as well there is even some old shedding stuck on the walls of the tank so tomorrow is his lucky day he will get a first class meal and a good house cleaning.
 
Good your getting all cleaned out, if they poo in their water OK clean the bowl and water no problem. Sleeping in water OK too some think constant soaking in water is mites, I never had mites and had three of my corns that loved to stay in the water bowl for longer periods. Really an adult snake can drink a bit of water especially after feeding. Those little bowls require more cleaning and filling. You might consider a twenty long viv for your snake which would be plenty big for him as he grows.
F/T adult mouse, but really you should ask previous owner what the snake ate F/T, fresh killed... rat pups.
How do they know it is a male?
I appreciate you reading advice and asking questions. Good luck with your new snake.
 
Just another note in the pic it appears as if the eyes are turning blue which may mean he is getting ready to shed. He may not eat if he is blue and more leary of a hand coming it at him as they can't see well when blue.
FYI Since it is breeding season some males don't eat as much, if he is a male.
 
Rolex, you have been given some good advise from some smart people. I like your willingness to ask questions as Susan said. Aspen shavings are probably the bedding of choice for most people. You can just use news paper if you want but it doesn't look as nice. One adult size mouse every 7 to 10 would be appropriate for your snake.

He has probably maxed out the cage he is in. You will need something bigger before long. Corn snakes are more interested in floor space than height.

The heat pad under one end is good. You want to shoot for 85* on that end and let the other end be cooler. Then the snake can move back and forth to maintain the temperature he likes.

It would be good to get a water bowl big enough he can soak in. Only fill it half way full so when he does get in the water it doesn't flood over. And I agree with Susan, I think he is getting ready to shed. Snakes will often soak in the water at this time to help soften and loosen the skin. Don't be surprised or concerned if he doesn't eat.
 
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