New member, baby corn shedding

[Electra]

Hi, just introducing myself. Proud new owner of 5month old baby corn snake.
Had her 3 weeks, think from what I've read our baby girl is in the "blue stage" before her first shed with us. Any advice to help me ensure all goes well for her?

[Rattlehead]

Welcome! If you don't have problems keeping the recommended humidity for the species, you'll be fine. During cold months is harder to have a good humidity to me, so I usually put a sandwich box with a small hole, with moist moss inside the enclosure, and spraying a little water the cage once or twice a day.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes Electra. Aaron is spot on. If your temps and humidity are dialed in your snake will do the rest. If your humidity is a little low then misting the enclosure or adding a moist hide are great ideas too.

[Albert Clark]

Welcome Electra! We are glad you're here. Corn snake huh? Nice choice.

[Piggybuns]

Definitely love corn snakes! ♥

My best recommendation is to just make sure her enclosure's humid for her. I got my month-old corn baby and she shed within two days of having her. It was split in two pieces, but she didn't have any skins sticking to her, and she did just fine in my new enclosure! (And while being toted around in a box for 24 hours in the mail in winter!) Don't worry too much. >w<

[Electra]

Thanks for the advice guys! Do glad we got our baby corn, and that I joined this forum. My baby corn is 5months now, we've had her 3 weeks. Her eyes went cloudy for a couple of days, but brightened again today, I believe this is called the "blue phase"? I gave her a little bath today which she seemed to really enjoy. I will update you as we go through her first shed with her! Also, I've been advised that at 6months she can be moved into a VUB, and then at 1year old a proper sized vivarium? Is that correct? I just want her to be as happy and healthy as poss, so any advise is greatly appreciated.

[Andy_G]

The blue phase is when the eyes cloud up, you're right. They then clear up and the shed occurs 1-3 days after.

The reason people suggest that you change the enclosure as the snake grows is because snakes are agoraphobic in nature, meaning that they fear open spaces. They feel insecure and exposed to predators and have evolved to be this way for their survival, so anything you will do to minimize this, especially when the snake is young, will reduce stress levels and allow your snake to thrive in your care. This includes restricting cage size, or using a larger cage than necessary with lots of hiding spots. IMO you should move up the size after 8 months to 1 year and your snake should be ready to be moved into it's adult sized enclosure at 18-24 months. As far as size requirements go...ask away when the time comes!

[macandchz]

welcome electra, hope you like the forum. aren't corn snakes a type of snake that can get very large?

[Andy_G]

Ball pythons get larger than corns.

[prairiepanda]

Thanks for the advice guys! Do glad we got our baby corn, and that I joined this forum. My baby corn is 5months now, we've had her 3 weeks. Her eyes went cloudy for a couple of days, but brightened again today, I believe this is called the "blue phase"? I gave her a little bath today which she seemed to really enjoy. I will update you as we go through her first shed with her! Also, I've been advised that at 6months she can be moved into a VUB, and then at 1year old a proper sized vivarium? Is that correct? I just want her to be as happy and healthy as poss, so any advise is greatly appreciated.
The growth rates of individuals can vary quite a lot, depending on how much/how often they're eating, temperatures, and other factors. Some 1 year old corns would be happy in a full-sized viv, but others might still be too small and feel insecure in the large space. It's best to go by the actual size of the snake rather than the age. That said, even if the snake is still too small for the big viv you can usually make it work by providing extra hides to make it feel more secure. That doesn't work for every individual, though.


welcome electra, hope you like the forum. aren't corn snakes a type of snake that can get very large?

Corn snakes are pretty small, generally. Large females can grow to 6 feet, but that's pretty rare. Most corns are in the 3-4.5ft range. But even the longer ones are still really lean, so they are still small and easy to handle. They don't have the girth that would be a concern with, say, a 6ft boa constrictor.