First time snake owner, looking for help!

Kylie · 01-27-12, 01:52 AM

Hello Everyone,

I have just gotten a 2 year old female corn snake. This is my first snake. The previous owner had given me their tank and supplies, along with general tips about corn snake ownership. I have looked up a few things since getting her yesterday and it appears most if not everything i have been told is wrong. This is why i have come here searching for your help.

The tank provided is roughly 2ft/1ft in size, at a glance the snake appears to be 3ft in length possibly longer. i was told that the snake is 2 years old and was told it will not get any bigger. in the tank is a small water pool, a hollow rock house, a weird curved small log, as well as 2 hanging bundles of fake leaves. i am using Aspin snake bedding shavings for the under lay, as recommended by the previous owner. Also the take is heated by a 150 watt heat lamp. The previous owner has kept the light on 24/7 and told us to do so.

After looking on Google, it appears that the tank is too small, the pool is to small, the kind of bedding is bad, and that heat lamps are bad.
As i am a new snake owner im not overly knowledgeable on this subject and would like to learn proper ways of corn snake care before i develop bad habits, i will provide a picture of the tank with snake in it.
Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!!

-Kylie

infernalis · 01-27-12, 05:27 AM

Welcome to the forum.

1. The tank in your picture will be OK for now, however Corn snakes do grow up to 4 feet long, My corn snake is 5 years old and pretty close to 4 feet long.

2. The snake would benefit from a larger tank, I was able to get a nice 4 foot long tank for $20 from a lady who had fish and the fish died. so keep an eye out and look through ads in newspapers and online for a deal.

3. We keep our corn snake on aspen bedding without any problems.

4. Since corn snakes are a north American colubrid species (not tropical) heating ant temperatures are not super critical, as long as you don't let your cage get too hot, or fall below freezing, your snake will be fine. A good comfortable temperature for the snake is anywhere from 70-85 degrees, so ordinary room temperatures are just fine, as long as you do not place the tank near a window that would allow direct sunlight to over heat it.

5. For a better water bowl, We simply use medium/large size dog water bowls found at most department/retail stores.

6. that hide is too small, there is not enough room inside for the snake to hide completely in it. the stick looks a little small to be of any real use to the snake as well.

I'm sure some of our resident Corn snake keepers will jump in with some more great tips.

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Swany · 01-27-12, 05:54 AM

Hi and welcome to the madhouse. the members here are really nice and helpful. Hope you get a lot of enjoyment from your new friend ;-)

Norm66 · 01-27-12, 06:07 AM

Welcome! I'm not a corn snake keeper so I'll let someone who actually knows what they're talking about (like Wayne did) help. I just wanted to say that while not perfect your setup isn't the worst one I've seen for a beginner. And your snake is really pretty too.

Enjoy your new pet.

KORBIN5895 · 01-27-12, 07:15 AM

Welcome. It's a jungle in here!

First off that is a gorgeous snake! I no longer have any corns but I would recommend two things.

First get a bigger tank when you can. It is not necessary right now but soon.

Secondly heat lamps are okay but 150 watts seems a little too much for that small of a tank.

Good luck.

Gungirl · 01-27-12, 07:37 AM

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am glad to see that you are looking to do the best for your snake and get all the proper information. You got a beautiful snake too!

First thing I would do is turn off the heat lamp and get an UTH ( under tank heater) and a thermostat. This will allow your snake proper temps to be happy. Do not use the UTH without a thermostat it will get far to hot. I keep my corn at 78 and it works great.
Second thing you want to do is get a 2 hides/caves that match , place one on the hot side and one on the cold side. This will allow for her to choose how warm/cool she wants/needs to be without having to choose feeling secure over warmth.
I use aspen and it works great just spot clean as needed and change out completely every 6 months.
Good luck with your new girl and feel free to ask any questions you need to.

shaunyboy · 01-27-12, 07:52 AM

hello and welcome

you've had some great advice in the above posts

cheers shaun

Lankyrob · 01-27-12, 08:37 AM

If you continue with the lamp make sure it has a thermostat attached (not sure if it has now!)

You need to giv ethe snake a hide at both ends of the tank so that it can hide and regulate temps at the same time, a bigger tank would be good but not too desperate for right now. Apart from that it looks ok - bigger water bowl would be good too tho none of my corns use theirs for bathing.

If you have any specific questions let us know and as long as you are willing to listen we are willing to help

reptile65 · 01-27-12, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am glad to see that you are looking to do the best for your snake and get all the proper information. You got a beautiful snake too!

First thing I would do is turn off the heat lamp and get an UTH ( under tank heater) and a thermostat. This will allow your snake proper temps to be happy. Do not use the UTH without a thermostat it will get far to hot. I keep my corn at 78 and it works great.
Second thing you want to do is get a 2 hides/caves that match , place one on the hot side and one on the cold side. This will allow for her to choose how warm/cool she wants/needs to be without having to choose feeling secure over warmth.
I use aspen and it works great just spot clean as needed and change out completely every 6 months.
Good luck with your new girl and feel free to ask any questions you need to.

I agree with the above advice about switching to a UTH. The nice thing about using a UTH is that you can leave it on 24/7 so the snake always has heat, but since it doesn't give off any light, it won't disrupt the snake's day/night cycle. Place the UTH off to one side of the tank so that she can properly thermoregulate. As mentioned, make sure you get a thermostat or the UTH will reach temperatures of 100+. I would recommend setting it somewhere between 80-85 degrees.

Your corn will most likely keep growing. Corn snakes are relatively slow growers, so it may take them 4-5 years or more to reach adult size. Generally, a 20 gallon long tank is the recommended minimum for an adult. Of course, you can always go bigger than that as long as you provide adequate hiding spots. Let us know if you have any other questions and welcome to the forum!

alessia55 · 01-27-12, 10:06 AM

Welcome! Congrats on your first snake! It's a wonderful experience. You've definitely come to the right place for advice on how to properly take care of your new friend.

I agree with all of what's been said above.

-Get two bigger hides/caves, one for each side of the tank.
-Eventually, she'll need a bigger tank, but you're OK for now.
-She'll want something bigger to climb up on.
-Get a temperature gun to measure the temperatures inside your tank. What are the temperatures at the hot end and the cool end? (right now your hot end would be the one with the light over it)
-Get a bigger water dish. Big enough so that the whole snake can fit in it. This is so that when she needs to shed, she'll be able to get in there and soak in it if she needs to.
-The aspen bedding you have her on is fine

You're taking the rights steps in making sure you correct her enclosure to fit her needs. Kudos to you

Feel free to ask any more questions!

theapexgerman · 01-27-12, 10:13 AM

you can find good temp gun's on ebay for like 10 buck's i got my on amazon for 16 and when you get a bigger cage look at yard sale's on craiglist there most likely have a tank for cheap and get 2 hide's something that fit's the snake lose but tight i use the half log's you can use like cardboard box just cut a hole into to it and there ya go and for a water dish use a dog/cat water bowl or a house hold bowl if it's big enough

Kylie · 01-27-12, 12:36 PM

Thanks for all the advise everyone! you all helped me out so much! i want to be the best snake owner i can be! if i have any more questions ill be sure to come to you guys!

Just a couple more things tho,
Its ok to change all this even tho she has been in this habitat for most her life (1.5yrs or so)? it wont shock her? i have a heat strip and i dont really know how to read it, it has 3 different colors so i take it, that's the 3 different areas in the tank? right now there at, 84F, 28C, and 80F.

-kylie

alessia55 · 01-27-12, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kylie

Thanks for all the advise everyone! you all helped me out so much! i want to be the best snake owner i can be! if i have any more questions ill be sure to come to you guys!

Just a couple more things tho,
Its ok to change all this even tho she has been in this habitat for most her life (1.5yrs or so)? it wont shock her? i have a heat strip and i dont really know how to read it, it has 3 different colors so i take it, that's the 3 different areas in the tank? right now there at, 84F, 28C, and 80F.

-kylie

I don't think it'll "shock" her. I think she'll actually be happy... much like, "phew! finally somebody is giving me what I need!" She might take a while to get used to her new little environment, but she'll be happy you did the change.

Get rid of that heat strip thing. They're useless really. I'd get a temp gun or a temperature probe asap. You can buy a temperature probe at most pet stores that sell reptile stuff, or you can order one off Amazon for as little as $10.

Lankyrob · 01-27-12, 02:07 PM

With regard to teh light/uth question - i use non light emitting Ceramic Heat bulbs - they stay on 24/7

Kylie · 01-27-12, 04:15 PM

Thanks everyone!!!!

My friend who has had boas is giving me a longer tank, a bigger rock house and water dish and a different "stick". So all i have left to get is a heat source? Im getting some mixed feed back, what is the best and preferably cheapest way to go? And what temp should it be in the tank at all times? Also when giving her baths in my tub what temp should the water be? can i bath her whenever? I have so many questions! but i just want the best for bella!