Help. - Page 2

ColbyKun · 12-01-09, 11:01 AM

The shop just told us the LX24 is too big and it is likely it died of stress. They keep them in hatchling boxes.

Will0W783 · 12-01-09, 11:34 AM

That's total crap as far as I'm concerned. I sincerely doubt it died of stress. Of course the pet store isn't going to admit to anything that might be their fault, although you've had them for a while. I'd say it is more likely it was kept too cold. But I don't know for sure. Again, it's better to stick with adult corns until you've had more experience. Hatchlings are very delicate.

ColbyKun · 12-02-09, 02:25 AM

2 weeks. Don't you turn the heat mat off so they can hibernate, leaving them with no heat?

Will0W783 · 12-02-09, 06:51 AM

It's better not to cycle temps with any captive snake unless you are intending to breed them that season. Cooling is risky for any snake, especially young ones. In the wild they hibernate, but the weak snakes generally don't survive, and the strong ones have large territories and multiple means of escape from a temperature that isn't ideal for them at that time. Captive snakes are stuck with however you keep them. And 2 weeks is not that long. Again, I don't think it was stress from a too big cage that killed your snake. I've researched a lot on many different kinds of snakes, and I have never read that a cage that is too big will kill them of stress, or even particularly stress them out. I'm assuming you offered it hides- did you give it multiple hides in both ends and the middle of the cage so it could feel secure while thermoregulating? Also, don't buy snakes from a pet store. They are rarely as healthy as a breeder's and the pet stores really don't know that much about them for the most part, plus you are wasting your money because stores charge a big markup as they have to buy from breeders or wholesalers and still turn a profit. Better to cut out the middlemen and talk directly to the breeder and get care tips, history, etc.

citysnakes · 12-02-09, 09:45 AM

a faunarium is just a low quality, over ventilated and overpriced rubbermaid tub. you can keep a hatchling corn snake in there no problem as long as you cover up some ventilation and use a thermostat in combination with your heat mat. why would you purchase a faunarium though when you can find a rubbermaid or any plastic tub to better suit the animal's and your needs and at a lower cost?

it is generally accepted that excessively large enclosures may cause various types of stress to many species of snakes of various ages. with a hatchling corn snake i would assume this to be the case as well although i do not believe your cornsnake died from stress of excessive space alone. i mean you bought it from a pet store. it could of died for one or more of many factors determined by that type of environment and/or one or more factors determined by your husbandry and quality of care. for this reason it is impossible to determine a sole cause of death and the OP's description doesnt help much either.

anyways before you go out to purchase your next snake and listen to whatever the pet store guy tells you, first, stop taking advice from pet store employees but do go to that same pet store and only purchase a book that focuses solely on the care and husbandry of corn snakes. if you cant find one there then you can easily do an online search and order one off the net. read it. read it again and then decide what equipment youre going to need to keep this snake alive and healthy for its entire life. purchase that equipment, set it all up and then find a local breeder, ask questions and then purchase a guaranteed healthy animal from a good breeder.

hope this somehow helps...

Will0W783 · 12-02-09, 11:20 AM

I agree completely Julian!

Colby, you really do need to do more research on corn snakes before you purchase another one, and I believe if I remember correctly you had gotten two- so you still have one right? Do go and get a good book, such as
Amazon.com: Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide (Herpetocultural Library, The) (0748869707066): Kathy Love, Bill Love: Books
or Amazon.com: Corn Snakes (Bartlett, Richard D., Reptile Basics.) (9780764111204): Richard Bartlett, Patricia Bartlett: Books.

ColbyKun · 12-03-09, 11:53 AM

First one died, when I bought two, I actually lost one in a stupid gap that I never noticed, and the second of the pair died. I haven't taken any advice from pet store since it was online and none where I live. I only take advice here. One hide on each side, climbing branch looped around a fake rainforest plant for the snake and aspen bedding. Thats all. And a UTH underneath the wood 1/3 of tank. Fed really well. No problem. Had a huge crap though. Maybe constipated? The only person off;line I listened to is a breeder that has breeded them for 20 years. I ordered faunariums which are nearly here because I buy things online, its easier for me. I can't talk to the breeder cos they are sold through wholesale to the shop and they breed it and care for it. Just so you know, there are NO shops around here that sell any reptile stuff, Except mice. I've actually read over 10 times, snakes get stressed in big spaces. :S I was going to order a book this weekend with some hides that wont mould. I have a better idea now of the whole lot.

Chu'Wuti · 12-04-09, 01:25 PM

Quote:

theres something green inside it which has got bigger. i noticed that when i got her but i thought it was her lung. i havent buried her but i see it has grown.

I'm curious about this statement, Colby-Kun--something green inside the snake? How could you notice it when you got her? And it's grown? This sounds really strange . . . could you provide some details?

One thing that comes to my mind as another possible factor in her death is that with the low temps you had, digestion wasn't working as well as it should have, and her meal could have decomposed and become toxic before she could digest it. However, I'd really like to know more about the "green" thing.

Will0W783 · 12-04-09, 02:27 PM

Quote:

theres something green inside it which has got bigger. i noticed that when i got her but i thought it was her lung. i havent buried her but i see it has grown.

Lol. I think that it was probably her liver you were noticing. I have a leucistic Texas ratsnake and if you hold her and look carefully, especially in a well-lit or backlit room, you can see all of her internal organs. The liver will look greenish through a white or cream-colored snake. And it would make sense that internal organs would grow along with the snake. That would be my guess as to what it was, but pictures would help us to determine if it was just an organ or if it was a pathological tumour or the like.

Will0W783 · 12-04-09, 02:30 PM

Chu, the low temps preventing proper digestion would be what would kill a cool snake. They get chronically malnourished from not being able to get the proper nutrients from their meals. Usually when a meal begins to turn toxic the snake regurges it, but meals that can't be digested properly over time could cause a buildup of toxins and a deficit in necessary vitamins and minerals. Also the cool temps cause some body enzymes to shut down and the animal cannot produce all the proteins it needs to develop new skin, digest food, grow, neurologically function, etc. I still think the low temps combined with possible mold infection are what killed Colby's snake.

ColbyKun · 12-05-09, 04:18 AM

Even though it was never warm enough, I never saw he on the warm side, Just on a climbing plant or burrowed in the cold side.

Chu'Wuti · 12-05-09, 02:39 PM

To a snake, being on a warm spot out in the open could be dangerous, whereas being covered up even though cold could feel safer. As far as the snake is concerned--esp. a new snake unfamiliar with you--you are a giant Godzilla who might be planning to eat it. So it hides. Even being on the climbing plant could feel like hiding in the open while watching for tasty furry critters to come along.

ColbyKun · 12-06-09, 05:28 AM

But he could of burrowed there or in its hide? :S

ColbyKun · 12-06-09, 08:31 PM

on the hot side

Chu'Wuti · 12-07-09, 12:57 AM

Quote:

with the low temps you had, digestion wasn't working as well as it should have, and her meal could have decomposed and become toxic before she could digest it.

Quote:

Chu, the low temps preventing proper digestion would be what would kill a cool snake.

Sounds like we're in agreement on this. Colby-Kun, if you had a hide on the hot side and if the hot side was at 30 deg in the hide, then he would probably have gone there. The problem is that what feels "nice & warm" to us is not necessarily what feels "nice & warm" to the snake--it can be too cool for some snakes and it can be too hot for others. The temps--all of the temps--have to be set and maintained according to each species' needs. If your UTH doesn't have a thermostat regulating it, then it's highly likely it wasn't putting out the appropriate heat level.

Before getting another snake, follow the suggestions given here about studying up on the needs of the species you want to get & find the appropriate equipment for meeting those needs. Better luck in the future!

Sandy