| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 12:00:43
Hi all :) i have a baby corn and im not sure when i should invest in a proper 4ft viv. Well i say baby im guessing shes moving into the adolescent stage lol
Dont really know her age exactly, i got her last November and if my memory serves me correctly the shop owner said she was 8 weeks old? so that would be... about 10-11months old maybe. At her last shed 2 days ago she was roughly 60cm long.
At the moment she is in one of those exo terra large terrarium thingys. But is hiding more and more as the weeks go on which is making me think she doesnt feel safe even with 2 hides.
any help is appreciated :) |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Hissyfit |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 17:54:20
quote:
Originally posted by scott1102
i cant seem to find any exo terra terrariums bigger than mine :(
Have a look on the Exo Terra website, it shows all the sizes  Seapets also supply them, and I think they deliver depending on where you are. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 17:18:14
Really Useful Boxes (RUBs) are great either long-term or as an intermediary fix and come in a variety of sizes to suit
http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/uk/html/onlineshop/fullrange_rub.php
we use a variety of 9L, 18L, 24.5L and 50L RUBs |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:11:37
i cant seem to find any exo terra terrariums bigger than mine :( |
| Vixyg |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 11:13:45
It really winds me up how shops selling reptiles and "starter kits" seem to always miss out just how important a thermostat is. |
| Hissyfit |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 10:22:41
Exo terra do terrariums up to 36x18x18 inches, big enough to do your snake until she's 4 1/2 ft long. I'm also thinking of upgrading, our snake is in the small exo terra, so will either go for the 24" or 36" (sectioned off).I like the look of the vivexotic, but at 1 yr old our snake could easily squeeze through the overlap on the glass doors, and I wouldn't want to risk it until he's a bit bigger and I'm sure he can't get out |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 09:24:53
The first thermometer I bought was the Exo-Terra and the only way it works is if you take the back off,screen goes blank if just slightly moved. 
Since then I've bought the Lucky Reptile Deluxe Thermometers and I've had no issues at all with them. They only show degrees celcius though,but I'm happy with that. |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 01:47:10
omg how much of a numbskull am i!!!! i honestly never thought about it like that! after you said that i checked this forum and saw a step by step on how to set them up. The shop i bought her from with the starter kit didnt even mention anything like this. So i assumed because corn snakes are from north america (i think?) there temps are similar to ours only slightly warmer so she'd be fine.... i guess not!
Iv just been on that surreypetsupplies website and think i found the correct mat stat thermostat. Not entirely sure which thermometer to get though? i want a digital one and iv heard exo terra are a good trusted brand |
| thistle |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 01:28:26
You need to get a thermostat straight away as well as a digital thermometer. An unstatted heat mat can overheat very easily and cause serious burns to your snake. I would turn off the mat until you get a mat stat, your snake will be fine as long as you don't feed it until you get the mat and stat set up.
Surrey Pet Supplies (http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/) sells Habistat mat stats cheaper than anywhere else, they have quick delivery as well. They also sell Exo terra digital thermometers, though you can get cheaper aquarium digital thermometers on eBay.
Once the mat stat and digital thermometer arrive tie the stat and thermometer probes together with an elastic band and either put them directly on top of the mat, under the tank or inside the tank, under the substrate, directly over the mat. You then set the thermostat to the required temperature and, going by the reading on the digital thermometer, adjust the stat to get to approximately 28 degrees. The temperature will fluctuate a degree or so, but as long as it doesn't go below 27 or above 30 it is ok. |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 23:37:50
dont have a thermostat :( didnt come with one in my starter kit. I did have a temp gauge though which was always around the 75-80 mark which i read was good. but then i washed out her tank with hot water and broke it lol now it constantly says 100 even if the heat mat is turned off. But her exact behaviour is... she buries under her aspen bedding on the cold side alot and then when she does reappear she stays in the smack bang middle under her habba hut log which i placed perfectly between hot and cold sides |
| thistle |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 23:26:29
It's fine. It's quite normal for them to stay on the cool side of their tanks, especially as the room temperature will be fairly high at this time of the year.
As long as you have the heat mat attached to a thermostat, she will move over to the warm end if she gets cold. That's why you need a cool and a warm end, it allows them to thermoregulate. If you don't have a thermostat then the mat may be too hot for her so she's staying well away from it. |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 22:50:46
ahh ok, thanks for the advice i was a little wary of the waterfall idea just liked the look of them lol oh and is it normal for her to hide in the corner of the cold side alot? i only have a standard heat mat that came with the starter set up and its only covering the one section. |
| thistle |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 16:45:46
There is no reason to switch from aspen, she can stay on that for life.
As for climbing, it seems to be down to the individual, some love to climb others don't. My amel spends most of his time at the top of his vines, I love watching him climb around his tank.
You said that you'd like to put one of the Exo terra waterfalls into the viv, unfortunately that is not a good idea. A waterfall will make the humidity far too high in the viv which can lead to her getting a respiratory infection.
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| scott1102 |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 14:05:21
thankyou for all your advice folks :) its very very appreciated. i was just wondering if there was a bigger version of the exoterra terrariums? at the moment i think i have the biggest one (not sure) its the large one that looks flat, i think its dimensions are 460 x 300 x 170 mm, 18” x 12” x 6 1/2”. thats according to the exo terra website. otherwise im gonna have to get a RUB and so some nice DIY :) just want to give her a little extra room for some more features.
Oh sorry about bugging you all, but on a seperate note i do have a quick couple of questions.
1. when should i change her substrate? (at the moment its aspen bedding but iv read im supposed to move onto wood chip?)
2. Do corns like to climb around branches? i was thinking of buying an official exo terra branch in a small size but not sure if it would be wasted. |
| Fluff |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 21:59:22
quote:
Originally posted by scott1102
oh how come??
My little snake escaped, we think it was between the gap in the glass, we did have a piece of cardboard blocking it up but we found that on the viv floor and no snake in sight. It wasn't like it was a new viv he had been in it for nearly 5 months, he just managed to get his way out one night. I don't think I would put a snake less than 2 years old and 2ft in a wooden viv now. Ya better off safer than sorry I recon. |
| mkmattyk |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 13:50:43
two of my snakes are in that same position and i bought some large 32ltr plastic boxes from wilko's near me they was around a fiver, now you WILL have to mod abit but for the time being they are a cheap stop gap for a larger, more long term viv like your 4ft your wanting |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 13:10:33
oh how come?? |
| Fluff |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 13:01:19
After my latest experiance...wish I had kept my baby (6 month old) snake in a RUB rather than a nice wooden viv!!!.
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| scott1102 |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 12:52:37
ahh :) i just want to give her a home she deserves. some better substrate that looks more natural, some plants,maybe a twisty branch, a waterfall from exoterra, 3+ hides, a background that slots in the back. make it more natural rather than "your my pet, i own u, now live in this tiny box" lol |
| Mamma |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 12:39:52
go for the 4 foot then and partition it off as she gets bigger you can make the partitioned bit bigger too. Another thing would be that if you dont wanna upgarde vivs as shes growing you could just get rubs... supermarkets do their own brands alot cheaper than the actual brand "RUBS" much cheaper than buying in vivs with each upgrade |
| scott1102 |
Posted - 14/08/2011 : 12:34:15
oh ok cool. im just trying to figure out when she would be ready. im a first time owner so learning as i go on :) i read full size adults require the 4ft vivs and i just didnt want to mess around buying additional vivs as she grows, id rather go strait from this to that if you know what i mean? i also feel very sorry for her :( living in that thing as its not really big enough to "jazz" it up to look more like her natural habitat. just a cave, a habba hut log, aspen bedding and water bowl, no room left to put anything else in :( and shes constantly hiding under the aspen bedding at the cold side |
