Howdy... ^_^

[Phyrefly717]

Hi! I just got my first snake... Ghost morph corn (probably male). I fell in love with him at a pet store, even after handling and meeting literally dozens of different snakes from various breeds and sources. I'd love any and all info/knowledge/experiences/opinions/ etc... ^_^

I've been saving up and piecing together everything for him and I finally had everything finished and set up as of this past week. My husband and my best friend decided to surprise me after I'd had a particularly cruddy day by getting this lil guy for me! Heh... They said that they had thought about getting me flowers, but they figured that he might cheer me up even more. ^_^

He's right around a year as far as we were able to figure, no idea on his length, though I would say 24" would be a safe guess, and he did a solid shed about a week before I got him. I'm going to give him at least 4 more days to settle in before I try feeding, especially since I ended up rearranging his set up AFTER he got home.

I currently have him housed in a standard 10gallon that has locking clip lid that's pretty snug. I'm using the fine ground coconut husk substrate that comes in a brick and he seems to love burrowing in it. I have a java wood branch tor him, some small fake plants, a wading/drinking dish on the cool (76) end and a large rock hide on the warm (80-82) end. I also have a full spectrum lamp that I am turning off and on in 12hr cycles and a constant small UTH. Future housing plans include a Zilla 40L, more hides, improved lamps and heat sources.

Once I figure out how to post pics, I'll be sure to post some!

And any thoughts on a name? :)

[infernalis]

sSnakeSs.com - Rules (http://www.ssnakess.com/index.php?page=rules)

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

[Trent]

Hi and welcome!

[youngster]

Welcome, doesn't sound like you need any help at all! Sounds like you're a great owner.

How about Casper for a name :)

[alessia55]

Welcome to the forum. Congrats on your new little corn :)

[Kayla90]

Welcome to the forum :D

[marvelfreak]

Hello and welcome to our zoo.

[Phyrefly717]

Aww... Thanks! ^_^ I have been trying to do as much research as possible. I feel like there is always something to learn, especially when there are opportunities such as this where I can ask questions and chat with experienced snake owners. :D

Heh... Casper is a cute name... I've also been thinking of Ninja Snake, Patrick (Tricki for short), Wraith, Ouroboros, Earl (like Earl Grey tea...), Pliskin (my husbands contribution)... And Cuddles.

Oh! I also have thermometers on the cool and warm ends and a hygrometer in the middle. I know corns are pretty easy going as far as humidity is concerned, but what would be considered an "ideal" humidity? Where I live I have trouble keeping humidity up at times, namely with my hermit crabs and they are on the same substrate. I do have a mister, well 2 actually if you count the one for the hermies, but I'm holding of using it as it looks like the hygrometer is hanging out around the low 50s.

So for some basic questions...
How often should I do full cage cleanings? What should I use?

I tend to like to rearrange tank set ups on a regular basis, will that "upset" my snake?

I have a 2nd 10gallon for a feeding tank, aka "The Diner". ;) I am planning to put a large piece of white cotton in the bottom of the tank so that once he's done eatting I can pretty much sack him gently to transport him back over to his home tank. Is this a good/bad/meh idea?

How often can I/should I handle him? I am using every ounce of will power I have not to bring him out and have snake cuddles until he's had a chance to properly settle in... ^_^

Thaaaaat's about all I can think of for now... :)

[Lankyrob]

Couple of small things, hot end could do with bumping up to 86f and snakes dont need the full spectrum light (tho i dont believe it will do any harm).

THere is no real need for a separate tank for feeding, i just put a plastic plate in their home and feed them on there. After feeding the snake needs 48 hours to digest, by having to move it back into its home it is possible to stress it enough to regurgitate the prey.

[Phyrefly717]

Thanks for the info...

I shifted my FS lamp to my warm end since it adds ambient heat and it brought me up to around 85 and my cool end is still in the low-mid 70s.

As far as the feeding tank, I still have few days to research and decide... Feeding in the home tank really isn't feasible due to hides, branches, and the wading dish... Once I upgrade to the 40 L, then I may be able insert a feeding platform that I can remove after he's done.

And I think his name is going to be Casper O'Cuddles... Because he IS a friendly ghost. ;)

[UwabamiReptiles]

Welcome to the forum!

[theapexgerman]

Welc ome to best forum on the earth

[Phyrefly717]

Hmm.. Okay... I *think* he's a Ghost morph... What are the differences between Anery, Ghost, and Charcoal corn morphs? >_>

And thanks for all the welcomes and info! :D

And how do I post pics? I have some shots from when I first met him that might help in answering this quandary...

[red ink]

G'day and welcome

[Swany]

Hi and welcome to the madhouse ;-)

[alessia55]

Oh! I also have thermometers on the cool and warm ends and a hygrometer in the middle. I know corns are pretty easy going as far as humidity is concerned, but what would be considered an "ideal" humidity? Where I live I have trouble keeping humidity up at times, namely with my hermit crabs and they are on the same substrate. I do have a mister, well 2 actually if you count the one for the hermies, but I'm holding of using it as it looks like the hygrometer is hanging out around the low 50s.
That is fine for a corn snake. They do not need any special attention when it comes to humidity ;)

So for some basic questions...
How often should I do full cage cleanings? What should I use?
Something non-toxic. I got a special reptile-cleaning product that looks like this (http://www.petworldshop.com/pictures/wipe-out-zoomed.jpg). Don't use anything with perfumes, etc. in it. You want to find something as mild as possible that will simply kill bacteria and sanitize the cage. How often you clean the cage varies... I spot clean on a regular basis. Spot cleaning is checking for feces/urates/shed skin, making sure there's nothing dirty in the water, etc. How often you do a full change of substrate varies on how much substrate is in there, how often you spot clean, etc. Everyone has different schedules for this.
I tend to like to rearrange tank set ups on a regular basis, will that "upset" my snake?
It might be stressful. If you can help it, just leave the set up as it is the day you set it up. Your snake will appreciate the consistency in his environment ;)

I have a 2nd 10gallon for a feeding tank, aka "The Diner". ;) I am planning to put a large piece of white cotton in the bottom of the tank so that once he's done eatting I can pretty much sack him gently to transport him back over to his home tank. Is this a good/bad/meh idea?
Feeding in a separate tank is unnecessary and can be stressful for the snake. It would be unnatural for them to be lifted out of their environment into a new place and then have food given to them. So just offer the food inside the enclosure on a plate. If you need to, just de-clutter the cage a bit- you don't need tons of decor in there. Feeding inside the cage will give you a better chance that he'll eat for you more consistently too.
How often can I/should I handle him? I am using every ounce of will power I have not to bring him out and have snake cuddles until he's had a chance to properly settle in... ^_^
Leave him alone for 7 days when he's arrived. Then offer food. If he doesn't eat, wait another 7-10 days without handling and then offer food again. Once he's eating for you regularly (I'd get at least 2 meals in), which is what's most important, you can start handling sessions. Start out short with 5mins sessions, and slowly increase the duration of the sessions over a series of weeks. You want him to learn to trust you and tolerate the handling. So long as he's eating for you, the only time not to handle is during the 48hrs after eating. Besides that, feel free to handle every day.

And how do I post pics? I have some shots from when I first met him that might help in answering this quandary...
There are two ways to do this: through attachments, or through a web-based photo site (like imgur and photo bucket). Here is a thread that explains how to post photos as attachments:
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/83140-how-use-pictures-posts.html
To post photos through photobucket, flikr, or imgur, simply copy-paste the [IMG] code directly into the post. You can only upload 8 photos per post. I hope that helps!