A few pics of my gold dust.

CosmicOwl · 01-19-14, 12:44 AM

I've talked about him a lot, so I figured I might as well post some pics of him. I took these earlier because I actually managed to catch him while he was mostly sitting still. They're not the best, but I think they give you a good idea about what he looks like.

Poking the old head out.

Coming out to investigate.

I hope you guys enjoyed them. I waned to get a few pictures of the enclosure, but the conditions aren't good enough. When I back up enough to get it in frame, the light makes it look really two dimensional. Maybe soon...

poison123 · 01-19-14, 12:53 AM

Very nice corn!!!!!

What kind of substrate are you using? Looks like you're using mainly sand? I would add more soil to the mix.

CosmicOwl · 01-19-14, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poison123

Very nice corn!!!!!

What kind of substrate are you using? Looks like you're using mainly sand? I would add more soil to the mix.

Thanks. He's is a handsome boy. If I was better at shooting with one hand I take some pictures of his muscles. I was holding him earlier and he was giving me the gun show lol.

The substrate I'm using is actually a mix of half sand half eco earth. This sounds really strange but when I dug the sand up it was a light sandy beige color. After mixing in the eco earth, it become more of a grey brown color, so it looks like it's mostly sand even if it isn't.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna collect some humus and add it to surface of the soil so it doesn't become so sandy when it dries out. Hopefully the spring tails and isopods will start to break down the leaves and everything with come together. I haven't seen any dead critters, and occasionally I catch them munching a leaf, so I think things are working out.

Starbuck · 01-19-14, 06:18 AM

i was going to comment on how beautiful i thought your enclosure looked (from the little i could see of it). Id love it if you could post some pics of the whole enclosure!

we forget sometimes that we find snakes all over, in all different kinds of habitats (even the same species), and while we may have a few tried and true products, i think a little variation is ok as long as the snake is healthy and you can maintain proper parameters for heat and humidity. I love seeing new/unique enclosures!

Sublimeballs · 01-19-14, 10:11 AM

The sand Eco earth mix and those leaves reminds me of Florida, man I miss living there. I also want to see the whole enclosure. I know how it is though everytime I take pics they don't look so great.

sharthun · 01-19-14, 10:34 AM

Stunning Corn!

CosmicOwl · 01-19-14, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll try to take the pics of the enclosure as soon as I can figure out a solution for the lighting. I tried taking a few and they just ended up looking really 2 dimensional. They didn't give much of an idea of what the cage actually looks like.

Sharlynn93 · 01-19-14, 07:49 PM

He is really beautiful!

CosmicOwl · 01-21-14, 11:20 PM

I did my best to get a shot of the whole tank for you guys. I also added a top layer of humus to the substrate, which is why is looks darker than it did before.

"You better back off."

"Wait, where are you going?"

lisas · 01-22-14, 06:50 PM

He is very nice-looking. I use sand/soil mix too and it stays nice and clean. I use moss in one area of Ambers' tank and spray it once in awhile.

DragonsEye · 01-25-14, 02:36 PM

Very nice. Will his yellow coloration likely fade or intensify as he ages?

CosmicOwl · 01-25-14, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Very nice. Will his yellow coloration likely fade or intensify as he ages?

I could be wrong, but I think corns tend to peak at about 3-5 years and then plateau for a while. He has an interesting coloration for a gold dust though, as they tend to be more yellow overall, and has less contrast between the saddles and ground color. His saddles are much more orange, and his ground color is a sandy beige color for about the last half of his body. On the other hand, he's only about 4 years old, so he may develop more of yellow wash as he ages.

Teal · 01-28-14, 05:20 AM

Gorgeous corn! And that enclosure is really neat! I need to try having a "natural" viv again... I failed the first time and all the plants died, because I can't keep plants alive regardless of how hard I try ): lol

Hurrok · 01-28-14, 02:50 PM

Nice corn indeed! They have such great personalities too. I really like your enclosure as well, he seems to really enjoy it. And those leaves make his colours just POP!

CosmicOwl · 01-28-14, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teal

Gorgeous corn! And that enclosure is really neat! I need to try having a "natural" viv again... I failed the first time and all the plants died, because I can't keep plants alive regardless of how hard I try ): lol

My bromeliad is actually starting to grow a bit and the snake plants don't seem to be having any problems either. To keep them watered, I take a spray bottle and just squirt some water into the center of the leaves. Eery few days I also mist the surface of the soil a bit to maintain moisture. Time will tell if this tactic works. The air temperature is only in the 70's though, so a warmer enclosure would probably require more humidity.