| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 11/09/2010 : 23:08:40
Hiya everyone
Is good to be here, have had a wee look about and this place is great!
Iv not made the move to get the snake yet as feel there is plenty of research and ground work to do first, not to mention my man isnt interested in getting a snake grrrr lol Im working on that though lol
Im a biker chick that loves houseplants, tropical aquariums and pretty much all creatures lol
I know I have lots of questions Im sorry!! I would just prefer to verify things iv read and you guys seem pretty darn clued up!! 
I had a 36"x12"x15" glass aquarium that started leaking so had to replace it, its beyond repair as wouldnt trust it to hold water, a friend used to have a snake(young boa) which I enjoyed spending time with.
I found myself pondering if I could convert the tank to a viv which seems more than possible!!
I have learned quite a bit since starting my research into keeping snakes as pets but I have a while to go before id pick it up!
I saw on a site that for a corn snake the viv should be about 20 gallons, mine is 23 uk gallons, will this be ok? I figured it should be big enough for a grown one but will a young snake feel vulnerable in a tank that size and could it be a problem to heat and light a tank that size? Im guessing the wee snake would be ok if its got places to hide?
Iv been a resourceful little monkey and found riversand and rock from local rivers to put in my aquariums, can I do similar with a snake with branches for hiding places etc been found outside in the woods? Im happy to treat anything I find(boil,bake,scrub,rinse,soak - what even it takes) to use if its safe to do so?
I understand that a heating matt is needed and it should cover up to half the tank, mine being 36x12x15" any suggestions as to size and recommended reliable brands, are they expensive on electricity? With it being a glass aquarium on all sides where would be best to put the heat matt? back, sides, inside under substrate or outside under the glass?? With heating in only one side of the tank where is best to put a thermometer or should I have one for each end of the tank? I have a thermostate on the aquarium heaters but does the thermostate for a viv need to be added to the heat matt or will it have one on it built in?
Same with lighting, for a corn does it need to be uv etc I use a standard arcadia tropical strip bulb in my aquarium which runs well and was reasonable in price, would this be ok or similar? Does it need to be in a certain position or just a single strip light over the whole tank like with me fish's?
I remember my friend saying that the snakes poo is really offensive stuff, is it really that bad? Do they poop constantly or is it just a once after feeding thing? This is something my other half didnt like the sound of!!
The old aquarium hood was goosed so had started to build one from pine that needs finished off, is pine ok, what about varnishs?
Im a smoker at the moment too, will this effect the snake?
I would like to have the tank in my livingroom but dont think that will be possible, will the snake be ok in my spare room or will it get lonely? In this case would I be best to get two and what would be your opinion on this? Am I biting off more than I can chew? Will 2 corns be too much for a tank that size once grown, are they territorial? 2 male or 2 females together etc as dont want to breed them but will they just fight each other?
The old aquarium will need some cleaning up and think il remove and replace most of the internal silicone seal since its pretty shabby, Is aquarium silicone ok?
The hood im building for the tank was originally planned for use with fish, so no air wholes, should the tank have perforations or something, any suggestions of amount of wholes and size, so it doesnt squeeze through the wholes lol
When   I get the snake Il be feeding it frozen mice, I found a place online that send them out in frozen blocks? Is that a bad idea or is that a good service? My mate used to put it one his shirt pocket till it warmed up, is this absolutely neccesary or will they eat it once its defrosted but still cold?
Again sorry for the 50 million questions!
Look forward to meeting you guys
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| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 16/09/2010 : 17:27:00
I annoyed thepoopout of my half for the last 2 days! He said if i REALLY want one then YES i can get a corn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Am soooo excited, i cant wait!
Have a lot off planning to do but hopefully that wont take too long!!!!
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| Tiffany-x |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 19:57:22
Sorry I shouldnt of posted what I did Ill ask someone on a more private level, sorry. :)
Tiffany-x |
| BurnedAtTheStake |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 19:49:03
quote:
Originally posted by meesh505
I did mension this in passing but all the posts about pine are a little concerning!!
I half built a tank lid for the aquarium that I can modify to suit the snake (wholes etc) but the lid is made from pine!!!!!
It will be coated completely in varnish and very little will be exposed to the snake since it will have a sheet of perspex the full length of the lid!
Is the lid being pine going to be a problem? Should I rebuild with different wood, it would take longer but until i get a YES from my man iv got all the time in the world!
Like i say it will be very well varnished!
OOOOOhhhh!
Men!!!!
Yeah pine and especially fresh resinous pine, is toxic to snakes. I have heard of people sealing softwood with yacht varnish - but takes time to clear fumes of that too ... maybe melamine's better.
As a pipe-smoker - yeah. you've got to be careful as nicotine can be absorbed through snake's skin, and is toxic. If I know I'm going to be handling, I delay smoking, touching baccy
Finally ... (and I confess I live alone now though still love the guy) BUGGER HIM- GET THE BLOODY SNAKE!
All the best! |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 17:47:12
I did mension this in passing but all the posts about pine are a little concerning!!
I half built a tank lid for the aquarium that I can modify to suit the snake (wholes etc) but the lid is made from pine!!!!!
It will be coated completely in varnish and very little will be exposed to the snake since it will have a sheet of perspex the full length of the lid!
Is the lid being pine going to be a problem? Should I rebuild with different wood, it would take longer but until i get a YES from my man iv got all the time in the world!
Like i say it will be very well varnished! |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 17:00:58
Thanks guys, hand is ok a bit tender but no stitches required and dont think itll leave a big mark! ;-) Iv done worse with my tools lol
When I wanted the fish he said no (a lot) but hey presto I have two tanks, but this time he seemed a bit more serious, im still gonna keep up my research just in case and hopefully he'll change his mind, he likes to see me happy so you never know, might have to accidently walk by a pet shop i never knew existed and pop in for a wee look lol
He even went as far a saying hed rather have a dog or a cat ( we had a huge dalmation who was a pain in the rear and had to rehomed eventually, so if hed get another dog before i get a snake, it looks a little bleek but since it fails in all logic Im not giving up lol
I just hope he does change his mind, its something i would really like to do!
Will start with subliminal messages see how it goes lol
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| lee2308 |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 14:31:50
hi and welcome to the forum |
| clintham |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 13:54:56
my wife said no at first - im picking my snake up in 3 weeks
dont give up! |
| FiestaSTLou |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 11:29:14
i like gregs idea haha and hope ur hands ok :( culd use that as another way to guilt trip him ha ha |
| gregDT |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 11:19:40
You could always use every woman's deadly weapon and offer the choice....
"Either my new Corn Snake sleeps in the spare room...... or you do."
Argument over. 
Oh and as far as I can tell there's no real difference between males and females, assuming you don't plan on breeding them, obviously. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 13/09/2010 : 10:28:06
heya and welcome hope your hand is ok!! |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 12/09/2010 : 21:02:59
Well I was bored this afternoon so I went to do some work stipping out the old silicon from the old tank, my other half was not impressed and said that even if I fix up the old tank he still wont let me get a snake, then I lost my concentration and sliced my hand open on the glass! Not been a good day!! ;-( |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 12/09/2010 : 01:17:47
Me any my other half are the only ones in our home most of the time, very occasionally my friend comes round with her kids but just as with my fish they are stricktly not alowed to mess with my pets!
Iv only built the wooden frame for the hood so far and it wasnt to my normal standards so have no objections to building it again out of another material, the original plan had a perspex sheet between the lighting system and the tank interior for condensation with the fish etc, can still do the same thing but will modify my design to make air wholes etc for but your mesh idea would be good to stop it escaping through the wholes!
I think it MAY be a bit dodgy to seperate the tank although it had crossed my mind, i had the thought that it might cause fluctuations in temp as the air in the seperated section would be cooler and the air would move between the two! Plus to get it totally sealed off i recon would be a nightmare since the snake might get over to the other side with little to no heat food or water etc, i think Drchino might be right to put it in a small tank till its bigger, im guessing those little plastic tanks are pretty cheap, the problem is id need a fairly small matt for a small tank (faunarium) i need to learn the lingo lol, then i would need to buy a bigger matt for the big tank when its big enough, any idea how long it will take to grow big enough to handle the big tank? Will it take years?
I think the mice are packed in a box with ice blocks to keep them frozen, but i have the same thought you did, this is the postal service after all!! Think i will find a local source instead, i might try it once just for the hell of it though lol
I was really nervous about putting stuff in my aquarium same as you with the bugs but i was sensible, i went to a very remote place in the hills in scotland to get what i needed and would do the same with everything for the snake if i was brave enough at all lol
Does anyone have any preference between males and females?
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| gmac |
Posted - 12/09/2010 : 00:22:26
hi and welcome,
mice is fine for corns they don't need supplements, also best to see reptile Vet when you need one the normal vet may not have enough experience with reptiles. |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 12/09/2010 : 00:20:23
Hello and welcome to the forum, there's nothing wrong with checking things you've read. It's how we all learn.
Have a looky at the stickies that are in the headers of each sub-forum, they'll give you plenty of info as well. |
| meesh505 |
Posted - 12/09/2010 : 00:20:04
Your snakes look lovely, which one is Izzy? How many do you have?
Thats Awesome! Thanks
Am glad to hear about the poop thing, thats one major issue my other half had!
When i wanted fish he said no, now i have a 130ltr and a 30ltr and want a bigger one so im not giving up i feel pretty strongly that i can keep a snake happy and enjoy owning one lol
My dad worked for the forestry all his life so im sure he can help me out with identifying trees etc, will have a look for that list ;-)
Im a bit OCD which is why I love pets like these i can research things for ever and never get bored, so I like to be prepaired and plan to set up and run the tank, tweeking and setting things up, iv a bit of work to do to the tank which will keep me busy then soarcing all the kit, food etc so any siliconing will have been done weeks before i picked up the snake!
Id rather start off with a young snake, so i can raise it as just mine, i thought of rehoming one but figured i dont know how its been looked after etc, i figured with a baby snake i can get to know it when its a baby and we would know each other well etc (did you guys say hatchling) but dont know if thats what I would get at local pet store? Is a hatchling pretty standard or is this a bad idea for a rookie or should I get one a bit older?
Id rather just stick to one snake(for now lol, this is how it started with the fish)as long as it wont be lonely il be happy with it in the spare room, who needs people staying over anyway right! lol
If they can sleep with it in the room they can stay the night otherwise feck off lmao
I know what your saying about the big tank small snake thing, but Iv allready got the big tank sitting there, do you thing if I give it lots of cover and places to hide it would be ok? How long do you think it would take to get big enough to be in the big tank? a year 2 years? It would be good to have it in the livingroom which I could do if it was in a smaller tank but would it get freeked being moved to a bigger tank after that long, if the snake only gets to 5ft max its never gonna fill the tank side to side curled up! lol I could get a fecking boa in that tank from those calculations lol, ok maybe not lol
Is mice, (rats and rabbits for big snakes)all they eat or do they need anything else to suppliment them?
Do you guys use a normal vet for any care or check ups or do you need to find a specialist for snakes? Do you guys ever bother with pet insurance, i had a dalmation who cost me thousands at the vet cos i was a dumb ass, is this recommended for a corn snake or a waste of money? |
| rachiepotatoe |
Posted - 11/09/2010 : 23:50:32
Hello and welcome!!
I think with team effort we can answer all of your questions! :D
An aquarium will be fine, make sure the top has ventilation holes though, mine has a mesh top. The silicone will be fine, my first tank was an aquarium too :)
That size would be too big for a hatchling, if you got a hatchling you could partition part of the tank off
For accessories found in the wild, personally I wouldn’t use things from the wild but I’m a germ freak :D i’ve heard of people baking logs and stuff to kill any parasites, but still I’m weary of that idea and don’t have the guts to do it myself
Your heat mat needs to cover at least a third of your tank, I use an Exo terra one and it’s fine, it sticks to the bottom of the tank outside of the tank. I think aquarium thermostats are different to heat mat ones, the heat mat won’t have one fitted in already, but habistat mat stats plug into your mains and into your heat mat then you stick the sensor in your tank . I doubt they use up that much electricity, it would probably use the same amount as your aquarium one maybe?
It’s best to have a thermometer at both ends, one in cool side one in warm side
Corn snakes don’t need UV light
They don’t poo often! Mine only poops once a week, 48 hours after feeding, and he poops when he sheds, it smells sometimes like egg.... but no ones poop smells like roses ;D ! It’s better than having a cat that poops 20 times a day! But they do sometimes tend to poo when you have them out, on your bed..arm...dinner table *if you’ve seen come dine with me!!* hahaha
The hood should be fine as long as it has ventilation , my tank has a mesh top, and sanded properly and all that jazz, and fitting tightly *I’m sure I read that pine shavings were poisonous to corns, its best to check that out*
I know plenty of people who smoke and have snakes, however I can’t imagine it actually being good for them...
Your snake will be fine in your guest room, if anything it is better, as a living room will be busy and nosiy I assume. He won’t get lonely, in there, they hide alot anyway or amuse them selves climbing about, just handle him frequently : ) and I think you’re best off keeping with just the one snake for now
So now it’s feeding time! Wouldn’t those frozen blocks melt?... hm. Well You can get frozen single pinkies and stuff from most local pet shops, you wont have to stick them in your top pocket though haha. They don’t have to be warm, but my snake will eat them better if they are. To defrost you can put them over hot water in a sort of ... way that you melt chocolate over a saucepan of hot water...
I think...that’s everything...
Good luck! |
| drchino |
Posted - 11/09/2010 : 23:28:07
Welcome!
I've only just started keeping a corn snake but I'll give you a few answers to things I know (and feel relatively confident that I'm right!!) before the real experts start replying!
The 36"x12"x15" glass aquarium sounds like it should be fine, although it depends how big the snake you're getting is. A baby corn will probably get freaked out with that much space so you'd be better off with a faunarium till it gets older. The length and width measurements of the enclosure should roughly equal the length of your snake.
As for finding your own wood/branches; some woods are poisonous to snakes so as long as you can identify the tree it belongs to first then it should be ok if you take it home and treat it. There's a thread about that somewhere on here.
Corns don't need any special lights so you'd only need something to light up the tank so you can see your snakey! I've got a large glass viv that lets in so much light that I don't need a light in there but you can always just get some LED lights or something.
Snakes will poo once a week after they eat, although sometimes I've seen my snake do a couple in a week. She's poo'd on my sofa and it doesn't smell at all so its no big deal.
Snakes don't get lonely, they're generally solitary animals and are better housed alone. Theres a debate about housing 2 together, but in general its best to stick to just one if you're starting out.
Aquarium silicone should be fine, just leave the tank to air out for at least 48 hours so the fumes dissipate.
Hope those answers keep you going for now! |
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