| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| gregDT |
Posted - 16/06/2010 : 23:30:58
Thought I ought to say hello before I start bombarding you all with questions  Don't worry I've already found the search function.
I seem to be a cornsnake owner by mistake but cannot really say I'm upset at the prospect. Some weeks ago I was at a family BBQ with my god-son (aged 8) and god-daughter (aged 6). One of the older children there had a beautiful orange snake that the two little ones immediately fell in love with. The snake was, I have now come to learn, just a newborn and was barely a foot long. My god children decided there and then that they absolutely had to have one of their own. So after some long conversation with the parents and the father of the child who owned the baby cornsnake, we agreed I would buy them one plus all the paraphernalia for a combined birthday present.
However the snake I bought was a little larger than the one at the BBQ (I believe this one is about a year old) and as soon as my six year old god-daughter saw it out the vivarium she freaked and and ran screaming from the room. 
So we have decided to try again and take her to the shop to pick one she likes. It will in her words have to be 'teeny tiny' like the one at the BBQ. I guess as it grows she will be happy with it's increasing size.
Unfortunately we now are surplus one cornsnake. I didn't feel it was right to take it back to the shop. The folks there were very nice and sold it in good faith, plus I've had it at my home for nearly a week now. Caveat emptor I guess.
I've also grown quite fond of 'Glycon' as I've named him. So While not at all planned I'm rather pleased wit the way things have turned out 
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| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Sizzlesmum |
Posted - 21/06/2010 : 18:52:33
Hi and welcome
Very nice set up. |
| KITTYCAT |
Posted - 21/06/2010 : 16:47:53
Hi welcome to the forum |
| gregDT |
Posted - 18/06/2010 : 10:35:05
No rambling at all. I'm grateful for all the responses. My god children live many miles from me so I think they will be fine going to a store near them for which ever snake they decide to get. Sadly for them Glycon and I are now a team and are not going to be parted.
Still no sign of him during the day but that's hardly surprising as you say. Add an impending shed to the mix and I don't expect to see him for a week at least. I've been adjusting the mat heat and we seem to have settled down to a fairly consistent 29.5C at the hot end and although it's a dial thermometer at the cold end it's showing low 20's.
Thanks again for the welcome. I'm now off to ask some questions in the main forum |
| Kellog |
Posted - 18/06/2010 : 09:52:43
What a fantastic set-up Glycon has....that is one spoilt snake ! I love the wood feature you have in it.
You are so lucky with the pet shop you have, I am really impressed with how they have dealt with you and made sure you have everything you need and know what you need to know. Unfortunately shops like that are very few and far between  .
Sounds like you have got everything going well, your temps in the viv could do with being 28 - 29oC, although where they are is not bad. You just dont want them getting any higher than 30oC. It is just a case of tweaking the thermostat to get the temp you want. Habistat is a good stat to have and it is great that you have the digital thermometers to monitor it, as they do malfuntion....and, as you have discovered, what the stat is set at is not necessarily the temp in the viv.
You will find that his routine is the same as many of the forums corns as they are crepuscular, active at dawn and dusk. Often we dont get to see our corns except when we get them out to handle them.
I can understand what you say about your god-daughter freaking out and then there being no going back - once they have decided they dont like something that is it. She just needs to understand when you do get the baby snake (and I know that this is going to be hard for a six year old) that it is going to be a lot harder to handle than Glycon....it is going to be scared and may be feisty and can only be handled for a few minutes each time you handle it to begin with. In fact she probably wont be able to handle it for a while. But hopefully, with a shop like the one you have, you can take her in and she can have the experience of handling some of the babies and see how she copes. The shop owner was talking sense, I would certainly have given the same advice he did....and was so glad that when I was a new owner I went for an older snake that had been handled and I knew ate and shed without problem. Maybe you can give them some time before you buy the new snake - say that you need to get used to caring for Glycon before you can take on a hatchling. You never know, she may be able to overcome her fear by just witnessing you with Glycon....but it is something that she has to come to on her own, as you know.
Cant wait to see pics of the gorgeous Glycon when you can get them.
xxx
(sorry, I have rambled again  )
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| HannahB |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 17:54:16
hey and welcome..
nice set up - bet glycon loves it, look forwards to seeing pics of him and the other new arrival |
| gregDT |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 17:33:52
Because when a six year old girl freaks out at a two year old snake then that's that. It's NOT coming home with her
In hindsight I suppose it was my fault going for an older snake rather than a hatchling similar to the one the children fell for at the BBQ. I worked on the idea, and advice from the shop owner, that a two year old is already feeding and shedding properly, won't drop dead from some mystery birth defect and has a known temperament. The little boy was disappointed but was happy to agree to me keeping it if he and his sister could definitely go choose their own one from the shop. It's all ended well for them, me and Glycon. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 17:00:54
Wow nice viv!
How could they not want it? Bigger snakes are probably better for young children as smaller snakes tend to be more skittish and a child may not know what to do. |
| crazy JJ |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 14:53:54
heya n welcome to the forum :D |
| n/a |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 14:09:10
nice setup and very nice of u getting the kit and stuff together for the kids. im trying to pursuade my sister to leav her son get a camilion and i'll get the setup. shes almost some around to it :S |
| gregDT |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 13:52:38
Set up so far. I'll probable have a complete re-arrange when everything has settled down and I can move Glycon out into a box for an hour.
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| herriotfan |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 11:14:31
Hi
Welcome to the forum. I'm so glad you kept the little guy, you sound like you're going to fall for him big time!! They are such lovely creatures. My Sidney is slithering around inside my top as I type, what a lovely soothing massage. Enjoy your Glycons!! |
| gregDT |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 09:46:42
Many thanks for the warm welcome. And thanks for the advice. Fortunately I bought Glycon from a great shop where they couldn't be more helpful with advice and information. I spent over an hour being shown corn snakes of various colours and sizes. I was even invited out to the back of the shop where they kept a full grown corn of similar colour to the one I eventually bought, so I could see what he'd look like in a few years. They are stunning looking animals!
I was also given the full lecture on leaving my new house-mate alone for the obligatory week. He's also about to shed so this point was made quite clear.
As to 'kit' I think I'm fully set up. I've got the following and don't think I've missed anything.
- 36" x 18" x 18" wooden vivarium with glass sliding doors
- Heat mat covering 1/3 of the floor
- Habistat thermostat
- Digital thermometer with probe cable-tied to the thermostats probe
- two hides, one in the hot bit and one in the cold bit
- water bowl/swimming pool
- trailing silk vines and fake plants
- lump of 'm' shaped bamboo for possible climbing
- ten frozen mice in with the icecream
- 1cm of substrate with a bit less on the heat mat and a couple of inches piled up in the back cold corner
The temps are 31-32C set to 31-32C but the digital thermometer says 29-30C with the probes laying horizontally on the mat under the substrate and 20-24C in the cold end, with a bit of variation during the day depending on the weather and time of day/night
To buy:
feeding tongs so I don't smell like food
Some kind of background as the back wall of the vivarium is a boring white (obviously for my benefit rather than Glycons )
Heck he lives better than I do. I was a bit inaccurate with the 'I've had him a week' in fact it's been about four days. The routine seems to be hide in the warm cave during the day and then come out to explore in the small hours of the morning. On his first night I was up at 4am briefly and peeked in on him. He was sliding about checking everything out. By 8am he was back in one of his caves (the hot one I think)
I'll certainly upload some pics as soon as he's out and about during the week.
Again thanks for the welcome
(edit for update on temps) |
| n/a |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 07:55:05
welcome along :D pics? |
| Kellog |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 02:44:58
Hi Greg, that is quite a story about how you have come into the world of corn snake addiction - seeing one your god-kids fell in love with, buying one your god-daughter is scared of but you have come to love and now planning on buying another that will 'grow with her'! It is so hard with kids, predicting their reactions....I am sure you were surprised when she freaked out like that. But they certainly are blessed having a god-father who obviously cares for and is so involved with them. And Glycon has been blessed to find a home with you ....such a perfect name, that of a Snake God  !
It is really good that you have joined us, you will soon find that this is a great forum with lots of experienced owners happy to give their advice and support. You also get lots of fun and friendship . I am not sure how much information you already know about corn snake keeping, so sorry if I am repeating information you already know....but it is better heard twice than not at all.
Am sure you have already browsed the TCS site and forum, and found that it provides great information. The best place to look is http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/corn_snake_care_sheet.htm, it has lots of information for new snake owners. Also read this topic on 'Your 1st Snake' http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4133
You dont indicate how long you have had Glycon. We always suggest you follow the one-week rule (it is more of a guide than a rule but worth adhering too!)....no handling or feeding for the first week to allow your snake to get over the stress of the move and for it to get used to the new smells and its new surroundings. This means just putting your hand in to change the water daily and straighten the substrate, so it can get used to your smell and not be threatened by you. You mustnt worry about your corn not feeding for that week, corns are a lot hardier than we realise and going for a week without food will not do them any harm, no matter how small they are. You are rarely advised this in a lot of pet shops but it is an important way of getting your snake to de-stress and feel safe with you. It is a hard week, very frustrating, but worth it for the snake's sake. If you are well past that week then I am sure it wont have done any harm, if you are only just past it and havent done it then it may be worthwhile starting the week from now. It is certainly something to keep in mind when you get your new 'teeny tiny' snake, especially with it being so small and nervous.
You will find that there is a large amount of conflicting information out there about corn keeping – on the internet, in books, etc. Even on here you will find that people have different opinions.....but at least you have a place to ask what you need to know and get the answers from experienced owners. Then you can decide what to do with what you are told.
Unfortunately a lot of us have found that many pet shops cannot be trusted with what they are telling you . I know that I double check anything I am told on here. It is hard to judge what the pet shop you use is like....although you have already learnt 'buyer beware'  ! You do need to double check that the shop has sold you the correct set-up for Glycon....does he have a heatmat with stat to control it and digital thermometer to monitor it? All vital pieces of equipment, but the stat and thermometer are so often not mentioned to buyers or they are even told they dont need them. Another hint is that when you do decide to get your god-daughter's snake get the set-up the week before so you can have it up and running before the snake comes home....meaning you can iron out any problems without disturbing the snake. Hopefully the shop will let her handle the snakes, so you can judge by her reaction how she is going to cope and she can choose the perfect one.
On this forum no question is regarded as a silly question....it is much better asked and answered, you will probably find others who want the info too!
I am not sure if you have thought of doing this with Glycon, but I keep my own 'Snake Diaries'....noting things like weight, length, feeding dates and what you feed, shedding dates, health problems, when you do full viv cleans. I know it seems a bit over the top but it is actually really helpful keeping track of your snake's health - I even note when Kellog and Silvesta poo !!
Pics have already been asked for as we all want to see what Glycon is like ! This link will help - http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14
A warning - corn snakes are addictive.....and yes, the majority of us have stood up, said "hello my name is ****, I am addicted to corns........! And I am proud of it!" You have just started down that corn path with one snake, soon to be two, so be warned!!
xxx
(apologies for the long welcome, I am known to ramble on....and on....and on....)
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| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 01:28:55
Hiya and welcome.
Pics are not in the rules, but are a rule*.
*= may be lies |
| Figs |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 01:18:45
Hello and welcome
Great name haha!
i hope you are happy with him, and hopefully he's found a nice forever home with you |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 17/06/2010 : 00:18:37
Hello and welcome to the forum..!
The snake addiction is spreading! 
Snakes are amazing..!
Pics would be nice! |
| gmac |
Posted - 16/06/2010 : 23:39:55
welcome to the forum |
