General beginner questions about my first corn snake!

[LRRoberts0122]

Hi everyone! I used to be really afraid of snakes, but I've been watching a series about them and it's really gotten me to change my mind. So I went ahead and got my first corn snake the other day.

She isn't here yet, and will be arriving in the mail this Wednesday morning. I'm very excited!

Now, I have some questions on what her ideal temperature / humidity should be in her enclosure. I currently have a 20G for her set up. I'll be able to build a very amazing, custom enclosure for her in a year, but hopefully this will do for the time being.

A little about her, she will be a year old when I get her. I'm not sure what to expect, if she'll still be kind of small, or not. I think she'll be in the medium range as far as the size of corn snakes go. But onto my questions!

I live in Florida, so it's naturally very humid here. Without any water in her tank whatsoever, the humidity gauge has consistently been at about 75% and the temperature is at approximately 77 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit (on the cool side of the tank). Will this be okay for her? I have a little heat mat on the right side of her tank. It feels warm to the touch, but I'm not sure if it's enough. I have a heat lamp, and I'm using that to see if I can get the warmth to go up a little on the warmer side of the tank (approximately 85, hopefully), but I read that heat lamps can hurt your pet, and I certainly don't want that, but I'm not sure how else to raise the temperature. I also don't know if 77-80 degrees is warm enough for her. I assume it's a bit warmer with the heat mat, but I'm also worried that once I add the substrate, it won't be as effective. I'm scared she'll be cold. :sad:

Someone please help. She'll be really scared after going through transport, and I want her to feel right at home. Thank you in advance for your help!

~ Lindsay

[Kera]

Well first, what kind of thermometer do you have? If you have the analog stick on ones, they aren't very good, as it's getting the air temperature and the ground, where she will be sitting. :)

[LRRoberts0122]

Yeah, it's an analog stick on. What do you recommend?

Here's what I'm using if it will let me link:

https://www.critter-cages.com/images/es68029.gif

[nazanova]

I'm pretty new to snakes too and I also have a baby/juvenile Corn who's about 3 months old now. I usually keep my tank around 25-28c (77-79F) on the hot side (sometimes 30 which isn't a problem) and about 22-25c (72-77F) on the cool side, you do not need a heat lamp, a heat mat will do just fine and I strongly advise you get a thermostat to keep temperatures regulated and to keep your tank from getting too hot and the snake being burnt. Now with humidity colubrids such as Corns don't have to be worried about, give them an appropriate sized water dish and they will be fine. What Kera said is right the dial temperature gauges aren't too accurate but they're sufficient enough, if you want to be almost pin point accurate I'd advise maybe investing in a temp gun. Considering that my Corn is only about 3 months old and already a foot I'd imagine your snake will be roughly 3 feet long so I hope you have a large enough enclosure for her. I know your main question was about heat but I just thought I'd be thorough lol :) I hope you have lots of fun with your girl!

[LRRoberts0122]

Thanks nazanova, for the thorough response, and as a newbie, I really appreciate any help and guidance you can offer. I just worry about her, as I have problems with my maternal instinct kicking in. "Gotta' protect the babies." Hehe. When I think about it, though, I'm not worried at all. Corn snakes are everywhere in Florida, they're a native species, so I honestly don't need to do much but give her water (I don't think), clean the cage, and feed her. But I just worry to death about her, because I want her to have everything she needs. I'm not gonna' use the heat lamp, as I believe she'll do fine without it. Here's a picture for fun! When she gets here Wednesday morning, I'll upload plenty of new pictures! :)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/s851x315/10569037_780798308637789_8499197594505983367_n.jpg

[Kera]

If you want to go cheap, go with this one though mine is yellow with a white probe lol. I have one just like it for both of my snakes, both read accurately and are only 12$ I believe. Super easy to use, though the suction cups aren't very good. I just set it on the ground. Once you get that, the temps will most likely be higher then your 77-80 degree reading. :)

[Kera]

She's very pretty! Yeah, I don't think you'll need the lamp. :)

[sharthun]

Grab a cheap infrared temp gun. Very accurate and super easy to spot check. A thermostat is a necessity for heat regulation and safety. For a good inexpensive thermostat I recommend hydrofarm.:

Digital Heat Mat Temperature Controller by Hydrofarm - Essential Hardware (http://www.essentialhardware.com/product_detail.php?pid=147951&gdftrk=gdfV28536_a_7c3119_a_7c11872_a_7c147951&gclid=CLmx9vC0z70CFYY7MgodkSkAtA)

[nazanova]

Thanks nazanova, for the thorough response, and as a newbie, I really appreciate any help and guidance you can offer. I just worry about her, as I have problems with my maternal instinct kicking in. "Gotta' protect the babies." Hehe. When I think about it, though, I'm not worried at all. Corn snakes are everywhere in Florida, they're a native species, so I honestly don't need to do much but give her water (I don't think), clean the cage, and feed her. But I just worry to death about her, because I want her to have everything she needs. I'm not gonna' use the heat lamp, as I believe she'll do fine without it. Here's a picture for fun! When she gets here Wednesday morning, I'll upload plenty of new pictures! :)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/s851x315/10569037_780798308637789_8499197594505983367_n.jpg

Oh she is gorgeous! Yeah Corns are arguably the best beginner snake and like you said, all you need to do is feed her, change her water and clean out her tank once a month! I totally get what you mean about being protective. I was like that too when I first got mine but after a while I realised they survive in much worse conditions in the wild and are a lot hardier then we think they are, just because they're much smaller then us doesn't mean anything haha.

[franks]

Beautiful little guy you got. Congrats and welcome to our forum! Nazanova is keeping his hot side too cool in my opinion. I really think you should achieve a hot spot of at least 85. I offer an option of 90 to my colubrids. Under tank heaters are fine, but I would suggest using only a heat lamp to lower your humidity. If that reading is accurate I think that it is a little too high for a constant 24/7 humidity. The heat lamp will burn some of that up.

[nazanova]

Grab a cheap infrared temp gun. Very accurate and super easy to spot check. A thermostat is a necessity for heat regulation and safety. For a good inexpensive thermostat I recommend hydrofarm.:

Digital Heat Mat Temperature Controller by Hydrofarm - Essential Hardware (http://www.essentialhardware.com/product_detail.php?pid=147951&gdftrk=gdfV28536_a_7c3119_a_7c11872_a_7c147951&gclid=CLmx9vC0z70CFYY7MgodkSkAtA)

I second this. Thermostats are probably the most important tools of the whole set up apart from the actual heat source itself. I use a Habistat on/off thermostat but a pulse one is better.

[nazanova]

Beautiful little guy you got. Congrats and welcome to our forum! Nazanova is keeping his hot side too cool in my opinion. I really think you should achieve a hot spot of at least 85. I offer an option of 90 to my colubrids. Under tank heaters are fine, but I would suggest using only a heat lamp to lower your humidity. If that reading is accurate I think that it is a little too high for a constant 24/7 humidity. The heat lamp will burn some of that up.

Yeah going higher is fine, mine are a little low compared to others but it's whatever temps you feel your snake will be comfortable in. As long as you don't go too low or high everything will be fine, colubrids are very easy to maintain and don't require a lot of fuss.

[LRRoberts0122]

Alright, I'll look into investing in some of this, because I want to make sure she's happy and healthy. Are the humidity levels okay? Or will they be too high? I personally think she'll be okay.

And thank you for the compliments! She's really pretty, and I was window shopping for several months. I never really saw anything I liked, but I fell in love with her patterns. I love the way the color fades inbetween her saddles. But that cute little nose, is just too much. I want to get her tame enough to kiss her, because otherwise, I'm going to get bit on the nose, a LOT. lol

But again, thank you very much for your help! If anyone has any other advice for a newbie, I'd be happy to hear it!

[nazanova]

[QUOTE=LRRoberts0122;931295]Alright, I'll look into investing in some of this, because I want to make sure she's happy and healthy. Are the humidity levels okay? Or will they be too high? I personally think she'll be okay.

I'd say your humidity temps are too high just based on the fact you only need a water dish in their enclosures which wouldn't offer 70-80% humidity, I'm not too educated on humidity factors but 70-80% is almost going into levels needed for boas and such. I'm sure someone who knows a lot more about humidity will answer but what I do know is if you do not have right humidity levels for too long (same with temperatures in the enclosure) your snake will be at risk of contracting respiratory infection/failure

[LRRoberts0122]

Alright, I'll look into investing in some of this, because I want to make sure she's happy and healthy. Are the humidity levels okay? Or will they be too high? I personally think she'll be okay.

I'd say your humidity temps are too high just based on the fact you only need a water dish in their enclosures which wouldn't offer 70-80% humidity, I'm not too educated on humidity factors but 70-80% is almost going into levels needed for boas and such. I'm sure someone who knows a lot more about humidity will answer but what I do know is if you do not have right humidity levels for too long (same with temperatures in the enclosure) your snake will be at risk of contracting respiratory infection/failure

How could I control this? As I said, I live in Florida. That's just the way the atmosphere is over here. What do I do? :(

[NewSAHSnakeMom]

An over the tank heat source will burn off the humidity. As much as some swear by under tank heaters I had to eventually switch to full over tank heat because unless I didn't want any water at all for my snake to drink I couldn't use an under tank heater without my humidity being raised horribly high. Here in the SW I've learned to do things a bit different (sorry guys) but my temperature stays great and its the only way tokeep my humidity below 70% . The spare humidity gage that sits in my living room stays at 73% with you being in Florida I'm guessing yours is worse!

[franks]

Heat lamp.

[nazanova]

How could I control this? As I said, I live in Florida. That's just the way the atmosphere is over here. What do I do? :(

I'm from such a cooler region then Florida (London) so I wouldn't know the difference and what could be done but like the others have said maybe a heat lamp will keep the humidity low? I'm sure someone who knows more will help

[franks]

The higher wattage heat bulb the more humidity you will burn off. You can put your heat lamp on a thermostat to control your temps. You really need to be offering more heat than the suggested 78-80. Heat is very important for reptiles and need to he an option the snake can exercise. We often refer to a term "thermoregulation." It is the practice of allowing your snake to control his own body temps. Heat is the battery for a snake. It also helps them control harmful parasites and fight infection.
nazanova- I would recommend implementing a heat source. If your snake starts getting sick he is not going to be able to fight the infection. The heat will also make digesting easier and healthier. There is a reason corn snakes are found out basking around here.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new corn LR. I live in GA and it's pretty humid here as well. The ambient humidity stays around 40-50% in my place. I use a UTH for all of my colubrids and keep their warm side between 86-90 but I have to set the thermostat at 92-98 to get the desired surface temps. I also use a low wattage infrared bulb for night viewing and to raise my ambient temps during the winter. I have my bulb on a dimmer so it doesn't get too hot. Best wishes and please share pictures when he arrives :)

[nazanova]

The higher wattage heat bulb the more humidity you will burn off. You can put your heat lamp on a thermostat to control your temps. You really need to be offering more heat than the suggested 78-80. Heat is very important for reptiles and need to he an option the snake can exercise. We often refer to a term "thermoregulation." It is the practice of allowing your snake to control his own body temps. Heat is the battery for a snake. It also helps them control harmful parasites and fight infection.
nazanova- I would recommend implementing a heat source. If your snake starts getting sick he is not going to be able to fight the infection. The heat will also make digesting easier and healthier. There is a reason corn snakes are found out basking around here.

Yeah see I told you someone who knew more would come along lol :D. I just realised your comment towards me Frank and I'm abit lost as to why you were talking to me about a heat source? Explain? Lol :)

[LRRoberts0122]

Alright. I don't have a thermostat for the heat lamp but I'll monitor it very carefully. Yikes, humidity is up to 80%! I hope she'll be okay with just the heat lamp. I'll leave it on while I'm at class today to see if it affects the humidity much. :(

And of course, here comes the obvious question about "biting" ~ She's a year old, and was with a breeder, so I doubt she's very accustomed to being handled. I'm not sure how this is going to go. I was going to let her be for the first 3 - 4 days, as I want to feed her on Sunday, since I know I'll always be available on Sundays. Get her on a guaranteed regimen. Now, if I try to handle her a bit, and she gives me the "S" pose and starts rattling, my best guess is that she's scared, and isn't very trusting of me yet.

I'm a bit nervous about being bit, as I've never been bitten by a snake before, but I'm not worried. I know it won't hurt, and I've got a cat and a dog that have done some damage before. For example, bath time with the cat after it messed itself during a moving trip... Got it's claw so far up my skin, it was scratching against muscle or nerve, and was causing my arm to spasm, lol. The worst part was, it tried pulling its paw back, and the claw was stuck under my skin, and ended up ripping through everything, because it just pulled and pulled until my skin ripped, instead of holding still so I could slide it back out through the puncture. Ouch! So I've been through worse. My question I guess, is more or less if I should continue to pick her up. I know I'm going to get bit at that point, which is fine. But I want her to know that I'm not going to hurt her, and that I'm okay. So, if she gets defensive, should I follow through, allow her to bite me, and give her some time to relax and realize I'm okay?

On the other side of this, I'm wondering if it's better for her to back away at that point. I also don't want her to think the "S" pose is effective, because then she'll just do it more often. In other words, I don't want her to think that it scares me.

Thanks again for all the advice!

~ Liz

[franks]

Hey man, I know absolutely nothing that has not been taught to me by an experienced keeper, or through trial and error by my snakes.

My comment to you was encouraging you to raise your temps. I said the words "implement a heat source" because the temps that you listed are pretty close to ambient temps. What you listed as a hot side I keep as my ambient (and cool side) temps more or less. In the most basic of enclosures only two temperatures matter- your ambient (which is going to be your cool side as well) and your hot spot. The point is to allow your snake to warm himself up past the ambient temps whenever he wants. This is why it is important to either have it constantly available, or to have it available at the very least for a light cycle. (12 hrs). There are reasons other than digestion that your snake will seek heat. In more complex setups you can offer multiple temperature gradients. I believe this increases the activity of most snakes. Any set up where I incorporated different t heat gradients my snakes used most of them throughout the day. Even "lazy" ball pythons would come out mid day to change hides.

Sorry- that was a very long winded way of simply saying that your temps are too low and you should offer more heat.

[nazanova]

Hey man, I know absolutely nothing that has not been taught to me by an experienced keeper, or through trial and error by my snakes.

My comment to you was encouraging you to raise your temps. I said the words "implement a heat source" because the temps that you listed are pretty close to ambient temps. What you listed as a hot side I keep as my ambient (and cool side) temps more or less. In the most basic of enclosures only two temperatures matter- your ambient (which is going to be your cool side as well) and your hot spot. The point is to allow your snake to warm himself up past the ambient temps whenever he wants. This is why it is important to either have it constantly available, or to have it available at the very least for a light cycle. (12 hrs). There are reasons other than digestion that your snake will seek heat. In more complex setups you can offer multiple temperature gradients. I believe this increases the activity of most snakes. Any set up where I incorporated different t heat gradients my snakes used most of them throughout the day. Even "lazy" ball pythons would come out mid day to change hides.

Sorry- that was a very long winded way of simply saying that your temps are too low and you should offer more heat.

Ohhhhhhhhh ok I get you now lol. Sorry if I came off defensive I was genuinely confused haha but ok I'll make my temps higher on the thermostat.

[LRRoberts0122]

Alright. I don't have a thermostat for the heat lamp but I'll monitor it very carefully. Yikes, humidity is up to 80%! I hope she'll be okay with just the heat lamp. I'll leave it on while I'm at class today to see if it affects the humidity much. :(

And of course, here comes the obvious question about "biting" ~ She's a year old, and was with a breeder, so I doubt she's very accustomed to being handled. I'm not sure how this is going to go. I was going to let her be for the first 3 - 4 days, as I want to feed her on Sunday, since I know I'll always be available on Sundays. Get her on a guaranteed regimen. Now, if I try to handle her a bit, and she gives me the "S" pose and starts rattling, my best guess is that she's scared, and isn't very trusting of me yet.

I'm a bit nervous about being bit, as I've never been bitten by a snake before, but I'm not worried. I know it won't hurt, and I've got a cat and a dog that have done some damage before. For example, bath time with the cat after it messed itself during a moving trip... Got it's claw so far up my skin, it was scratching against muscle or nerve, and was causing my arm to spasm, lol. The worst part was, it tried pulling its paw back, and the claw was stuck under my skin, and ended up ripping through everything, because it just pulled and pulled until my skin ripped, instead of holding still so I could slide it back out through the puncture. Ouch! So I've been through worse. My question I guess, is more or less if I should continue to pick her up. I know I'm going to get bit at that point, which is fine. But I want her to know that I'm not going to hurt her, and that I'm okay. So, if she gets defensive, should I follow through, allow her to bite me, and give her some time to relax and realize I'm okay?

On the other side of this, I'm wondering if it's better for her to back away at that point. I also don't want her to think the "S" pose is effective, because then she'll just do it more often. In other words, I don't want her to think that it scares me.

Thanks again for all the advice!

~ Liz

Just wanted to bump this and bring it up so it doesn't get overlooked. ^^ Thank you! Also, as an added update, I went home during lunch after leaving my heat lamp over the cage. The humidity with the heat lamp has dropped to 70%, but that still is really high. I'm not sure what else to do. It's a 75 watt bulb, and the wire on top of the cage is pretty warm to the touch. I think she'd be fine, as it's not overly hot. But I'm really worried about getting a higher wattage bulb as I know those can seriously injure your animals. Does anyone else having any other ideas on what I can do? She'll be here tomorrow. 12 hours to go! I'm SO EXCITED! :D

[nazanova]

With the whole handling issue, when it comes to Corns I wouldn't worry. They may have a threat posture and rattle their tail but trust me they are so harmless it's unreal, 9.5/10 they will never bite and if they do you'll be thinking "is that it" :D. I used to make a big fuss about handling my Corn like id leave my hand in the tank so he knows I'm not food yada yada but now I just dive straight in and pick him up carefully, at first he makes a bit of a fuss but when he's in my hands he's like putty. Also I thought I'd throw in the idea of maybe feeding your Corn in a feeding box? I know a lot of people say there's no difference between feeding in it's enclosure and in a feeding box, it's all a myth etc but in MY opinion it does make a difference and it's something I will always practice, but it's whatever you feel comfortable with doing.

[LRRoberts0122]

With the whole handling issue, when it comes to Corns I wouldn't worry. They may have a threat posture and rattle their tail but trust me they are so harmless it's unreal, 9.5/10 they will never bite and if they do you'll be thinking "is that it" :D. I used to make a big fuss about handling my Corn like id leave my hand in the tank so he knows I'm not food yada yada but now I just dive straight in and pick him up carefully, at first he makes a bit of a fuss but when he's in my hands he's like putty. Also I thought I'd throw in the idea of maybe feeding your Corn in a feeding box? I know a lot of people say there's no difference between feeding in it's enclosure and in a feeding box, it's all a myth etc but in MY opinion it does make a difference and it's something I will always practice, but it's whatever you feel comfortable with doing.

I agree with the feeding in a box, and I plan on going to wally world and getting a good sized plastic bin for her to feed in. I'm going to start on some frozen mice, but if she's big enough, I'll put her on some live stuff for her second feeding. I've read that it makes them happy when they can "hunt" for their food.

That being said, I'm not worried about being bit at all. It's not going to hurt plain and simple, and I get that. I just don't want to stress her out. I expect to get bit, and it doesn't bother me. My dog bites me all the time playing tug with his toy, and man he draws blood.

But while I was in class, I read and article that said just go for it if she's being defensive, because we don't want to enforce that behavior and I agree. I have a little sister, and I'd like to show her they're harmless, but at the same time, I can't have it being defensive. I got her tank all setup. Getting her in the morning! :yes:

[franks]

Frozen thawed is easier and much safer for the snake- I would stick with F/T and not feed live.

[SnoopySnake]

Frozen thawed is easier and much safer for the snake- I would stick with F/T and not feed live.

I would agree with Franks.^

[LRRoberts0122]

Alright, well thank you very much for the feedback.

[nazanova]

I agree with the feeding in a box, and I plan on going to wally world and getting a good sized plastic bin for her to feed in. I'm going to start on some frozen mice, but if she's big enough, I'll put her on some live stuff for her second feeding. I've read that it makes them happy when they can "hunt" for their food.

That being said, I'm not worried about being bit at all. It's not going to hurt plain and simple, and I get that. I just don't want to stress her out. I expect to get bit, and it doesn't bother me. My dog bites me all the time playing tug with his toy, and man he draws blood.

But while I was in class, I read and article that said just go for it if she's being defensive, because we don't want to enforce that behavior and I agree. I have a little sister, and I'd like to show her they're harmless, but at the same time, I can't have it being defensive. I got her tank all setup. Getting her in the morning! :yes:

Corns are so harmless even if it went on the defensive I can almost guarantee it won't bite. Just tail rattling and postures that's it, expect it a lot with babies but as they get older they won't even care if you stroke them :) like the others have said please don't feed live, Corns don't need live food and will never not eat a f/t.

[Mikoh4792]

low to mid 70's as ambient temps and a hotspot of around 85f should be given. All snakes should be given the option to heat up should they choose to boost their immune system, digest food...etc.

I haven't read all the comments but what kind of enclosure are you using? High humidity shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep things clean. Increase ventilation and that should help keep humidity down.

Remember, high humidity itself does not cause respiratory infections. It's just water in the air.

[LRRoberts0122]

It's a glass enclosure, and the top is a wire mesh. I'm worried, I live in Florida, so the humidity is just unreasonable to work with. Changing climate isn't a feasible task. I'm really worried now that I've put the water bowl in that the humidity is almost 80%. The cool side of the tank is 80 degrees. The hot side is between 85 ~ 90 degrees.

How can I increase ventilation? I already have a fan running. And can you specify a bit more on what you mean by "high humidity itself does not cause respiratory infections. It's just water in the air?" How am I supposed to tell the difference?

[Mikoh4792]

It's a glass enclosure, and the top is a wire mesh. I'm worried, I live in Florida, so the humidity is just unreasonable to work with. Changing climate isn't a feasible task. I'm really worried now that I've put the water bowl in that the humidity is almost 80%. The cool side of the tank is 80 degrees. The hot side is between 85 ~ 90 degrees.

How can I increase ventilation? I already have a fan running. And can you specify a bit more on what you mean by "high humidity itself does not cause respiratory infections. It's just water in the air?" How am I supposed to tell the difference?

Humidity just means the amount of water in the air. That alone does not cause RI's. RI's happen in moist, dirty environments where bacteria/fungi can grow. Since you are using a screen top that is fine. Plenty of ventilation so the air does not become stagnant. Just make sure to keep the enclosure clean by changing the water dish and cleaning up poop/urine regularly.

Do not worry about humidity. There are corns living in Florida no? They do not get RI's while living outside in the high humidity

edit: I forgot to ask. What exactly are you using to measure humidity?environment.

[kwhitlock]

Humidity just means the amount of water in the air. That alone does not cause RI's. RI's happen in moist, dirty environments where bacteria/fungi can grow. Since you are using a screen top that is fine. Plenty of ventilation so the air does not become stagnant. Just make sure to keep the enclosure clean by changing the water dish and cleaning up poop/urine regularly.

Do not worry about humidity. There are corns living in Florida no? They do not get RI's while living outside in the high humidity

edit: I forgot to ask. What exactly are you using to measure humidity?environment.

I was just about to state that mikoh. I wouldn't worry so much about the humidity considering that corns are native to Florida.