| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fal |
Posted - 26/01/2010 : 20:43:15
Hi all,
Basically, I have two lizards and three praying mantis, and have always wanted a snake, especially a corn snake after seeing a friend's a few years ago.
I won't be getting one just yet, may be later this year, but have been reading care sheets gallore and accumilating as much info as I can (as I always do with regards to pets eg: Bearded Dragon etc...). I like to make sure I have as much info as possible before ever getting something like this, so I know I am doing things right and am well prepared, and it certainly has worked with regards to my lizards and mantids. All of which are very healthy and I like to think happy!  Therefore, I thought, the best place for more advice/info/oppinions (as, i'm sure you will all agree, and its the same for any herp, that there are so many differing care sheets out there written by people and posted, and as far as I am concerned, active forums are one of the best places to pick up accurate, up to date care for your animals).
Anywhoo... sorry for the essay and I will leave it at that for now.
Kind regards, and I look forward to speaking to you all about the wonderful corns!!
Jonathan |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Fal |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 19:43:17
Cheers, but he is already convinced, since I will be moving out in April, so my corn will be for my faince and me, and my bro is keeping our beardie and leo :( but he wants his own snake now too lol and has been on this forums sister king forum (if that makes sense lol). He's set his mind on a certain king we saw in the store at the weekend and has decided to get it, he's just worried it might have gone before thursday - would be just his luck - so fingers crossed for both, thanks! :)
I'm still needing some info on housing hatchlings, so will post in the appropriate area if you good folk wanna keep your eyes out! :) thanks all!!
Jonathan |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 14:48:24
i shall be keeping my fingers crossed for ya 
try to pursuade the brother before you go, that 2 snakes are better than one, might work 
enjoy snow boarding too! |
| Fal |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 14:35:26
Thanks for more warm welcomes!!
They're cool Taz! We had a *****ly leaf insect when I was younger called Legolas (it had 5 legs, bless), but yours looked cool!! I bet you are glad you got a snake though!?
I wouldn't be surprised if we mistuck Shadow for a leaf, she's so hard to see sometimes!
We're off snowboarding on Thurs and taking my brother, and have decided to go around the reptile stores near us after we get back, so can't wait! Not guaranteeing we'll get a corn (my bro now wants a king snake too, for himself), but if we see one (or both) that stand out, i'm going to put my foot down and get it :) Will just make sure our setup is ready to go, just incase :) fingers crossed for thursday!!
Jonathan |
| lee2308 |
Posted - 01/02/2010 : 12:45:59
hi and welcome to the forum |
| Taz Devil |
Posted - 01/02/2010 : 09:41:42
Love the pics. Looks like mojo is the inqusitive type.
I gave up keeping Phasmids after having an operation on my back. This emant that I wsn't able to get out and about for the food plants, it also meant I couldn't spend too long bent down to clean out their vivs.
Here are a few of the Phasmids I kept.
http://s436.photobucket.com/albums/qq83/Taz_Devil_Photos/My%20Stick%20Insects/
I've always wanted to keep a snake and never rally took it any further than the want one stage. But after being unable to keep phasmids I wanted something easier to fill the gap. And thats when I made the final step to get a snake.
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| n/a |
Posted - 31/01/2010 : 21:00:58
hi and welcome to the forum Fal
Draco and Mojo are so cute
Zen, Shadow and Spiny are just simply amazing looking! i would be afraid of mistaking shadow for a leaf though, it could get messy |
| Fal |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 23:07:59
Hi nails and cheers, nice pic of your lil corn there, and wow, what an ace collection of animals - doesn't take a genious to work out that you have a farm, or at least a bit of land :)
Eggs are on you then! ;) |
| nails |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 09:56:26
Hi Fal and welcome to the forum, new to all this myself still. |
| Fal |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 07:44:09
Thanks Kellog!
yeah Draco was like a 'rough newt' was how I described him then (he was about three weeks old). He was sooo fragile and fast! In the other photo he is only six months old believe it or not!!! They grow very very fast and have the same average life span as a corn (in captivity that is, much less in the wild unfortunately). They eat a LOT when young though, hence why they grow so fast.. lots of insects for protein.
As for Mojo, we loved his colours and thought it was a shame they would change as he grew, but I like them still now, with his black/yellow leopard print, and still a hint of violet here and there. In the second photo he is only about four months old, so grew quite quick too.
Zen is the scariest (biggest) of our mantids, and has had my brothers finger once! He said the strength was incredible - luckily he got his finger out before she started chomping on it lol. She has also laid about 5 ooths (egg sacks), but luckily they won't hatch as she hasn't been mated.
Shadow is weird, and so hard to find in her faunarium sometimes.
As for Spiny, I like to think of him as my little mantis spitfire with those markings on his wings lol
I'll post more photos sometime, in the correct place next time ;) cheers for the heads up.
Speak soon folks, work is calling :( lol
Jonathan |
| Kellog |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 03:56:10
quote:
Originally posted by Fal
Dunno if this is the right place to post any pics.....
If you checkout the 'off corn' topics, there is an 'other reptiles' photo topic. Put up as many as you want....they are amazing to see!!
Draco as a baby:
He is so small and so perfectly made! A true mini dragon!!
Mojo as a baby:
His marking are lovely at that age, looks like he has a collar on!!
Draco a bit older and on the sofa (they grow fast! Almost adult within 12months!):
I am in shock....from the 1st pic to that within a year???? He is a real stunner!
Mojo a bit older having a good look at camera:
Such big eyes staring straight into the camera!
Our African Lined Mantis, Zen (adult):
Zen truly looks prehistoric.
Our Dead Leaf/Ghost Mantis, Shadow (adult):
Are you sure you are not just balancing a leaf??!! Can you believe what amazing creatures are created?? Shadow just looks bizarre as a mantis, but amazing as a leaf!
Finally, our Spiny Flower Mantis, Spiny (adult):
Spiny is beautiful, the markings on his back are perfect.
xxx |
| Fal |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 01:31:15
Dunno if this is the right place to post any pics, but though I would post a couple of my beardy - Draco, and Leo - Mojo, although the photos are a little dated, I need to update to more recent photos since they have grown - a lot!
Draco as a baby:
Mojo as a baby:
Draco a bit older and on the sofa (they grow fast! Almost adult within 12months!):
Mojo a bit older having a good look at camera:
Our African Lined Mantis, Zen (adult):
Our Dead Leaf/Ghost Mantis, Shadow (adult):
Finally, our Spiny Flower Mantis, Spiny (adult):
 |
| Fal |
Posted - 30/01/2010 : 01:03:05
Ahh.. Phasmids, a few people on my mantid forum have them! I like all sorts of interesting pets, make for fantastic and fascinating viewing!
Thanks again all! Wow, your sister is lucky to have beardies in her back garden! We tried a harness on Draco recently, so we could take him out back for walks in the summer sun, but he puffed up big time and wasn't too happy at all, so the harness went straight in the bin!
As for the Leopard Gecko being similar keeping to a corn, I only wish a snake was as toilet trained! Our Leo, Mojo, without a word of a lie, has a toilet!! They choose a spot to defecate in, and he happened to choose a half coconut shell as a toilet! He goes in, does is thing and then leaves, so we know exactly where to clean up (we have a cork piece under the coconut shell we take out, empty and clean. It's private for him too lol
I don't mind (and see the theory) the smaller enclosure to start with, regarding younger corns - I have a decent sized faunarium anyway from attempting to breed locust for our beardy, so that would be a perfect start! I certainly don't want to be hunting a corn around a three foot viv every day (after the week settling in period) lol, and especially don't want a lil babby corn to be stressed!!
I will also certainly shower you all with photos once we have our corn. I should be moving in with my fiance in two months if all goes according to plan, so I'll then be in a position to get one hopefully!
As for morphs, Cass (my fiance) has already said whilst in a store, 'i like the look of that one more than that other one, because its cute, where as that other one is looking at me funny.' LOL!
So I imagine we will go off the individual snake, rather than heading out for a specific morph.
there are some great photos on the forum btw.. I so can't wait to set up the faunarium and take some snaps of my very own corn! *Name to be decided on purchase* hehe..
Oh and Rocky's viv looks awesome by your sig photo Imfastcars!! |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 23:02:39
heya and welcome  |
| Taz Devil |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 14:26:44
Hello and welcome to the forums. I've never had mantids but I did have a few species of Phasmids for a year or so. |
| lmfastcars |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 13:33:14
Welcome to the forum :) |
| n/a |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 11:38:51
Welcome to the forum!
I like that you do lots of research on pets before taking them on...
Keep up the good work  |
| Kellog |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 03:03:51
quote:
Originally posted by Fal
Thanks all for such a warm welcome!!
The only welcome you will get from us is a warm one !!! I do hope you didnt mind me treating you like a 'Newbie' when, with all your research, you arent really one? 
.........As for the lizards kellog, from what I have read (a fair lot), my leopard gecko is fairly similar in keeping than a corn snake. It doesn't need a huge enclosure/viv/tank, but there's nothing wrong with larger if you wish. They don't house well together unless opposite sex and you want to breed (at appropriate ages), they don't need a ubv or white light source, unless you want white light to simulate day/night etc... but need a warm/cool end so need a heat mat (which I use) or a heat bulb/ceramic heat emitter. Also they (once adult) only eat every other or 2-4 times a week and are very clean and tidy - all of which is great since i'm used to it and it seems similar to keeping a corn snake.
As for the bearded dragon :/ well... lol he's messy (poops and then decides to run through it and drag it everywhere - and poops at least once a day). He eats... a lot! Live food and veg (more veg than live when adult) and requires heat (hot and cool end, as well as a 100+F basking point) and UVB and bright white lite! Also a fair bit of space as he is very active. However, he is such a character and as well as our Leopard Gecko, we love him to bits!
Thank you so much for filling me in on your geckos and beardie (my sister had a beardie appear in her garden so has adopted it - she does live in South Africa, so it wasnt as shocking as it sounds!!) I am surprised at how similar the gecko care is to the corn snake, especially their set up. All I can say about the beardie is  - pooing and running through it...yuck! My sister has had to get used to the live food part (she is squemish), but is doing great with the veg and herbs, has even started growing her own.
All of which really enforces my wanting of a corn snake. I know I can look after one from what I have read, I know I can put in the time and effort (I already do with the lizards and its totally worth it) and... well.. they're so cool and amazing to handle!! Our local store (we kinda know one of the guys through frequenting the place) had let my fiance and I handle both corn and hog nose snakes and I just can't wait to have my own! I just want to wait until I have the money (house is sucking it up at the moment) to have it all set up correctly - as much as I want to, I don't like rushing such matters as these.
It definitely sounds as though you are totally committed and informed on your beardie and gecko care and obviously have the time for them....and it also definitely seems that you have already committed time to the research of corns and can commit the time and effort to their care....which is so good to hear. You are lucky to have such a good local store that you already have a relationship with, many of us struggle to find a shop we can trust  .
SO... thank you all again for the warm welcome and i do really appreciate the fact that I will have somewhere to come to ask before and once I have a corn, and to bleat all the stuff you've heard a million times when I see it happen for the first time with my own corn hehe...
Come, ask before you get your corn and after you have got it and bleat as much as you want about how wonderful it is , especially if it is accompanied by as many pics as possible!!!!
Oh, btw, I think (although there are SO many morphs out there), that i'd just love a normal carolina corn...... although there are some other morphs (not sure on names as there's so many) that I have seen and liked......
Not sure I should guide you to this site (or you may have found it already) because is can be a very dangerous site...once you go on it you come away with a HUGE list of the different morphs you want - . Personally I think it is best to go into a shop you trust and buy the snake you like the look of best rather than settle on any particular morph....and I agree with you, the carolinas are absolutely stunning (and I am not a fan of red-eyes!).
....... varying oppinions on hatchlings (i'd like a young snake ideally, I feel you get the whole experience and they get to know you better, as we did with our lizards), as to how you should house a young snake!? I've heard people recommending a small faunarium or rub to start with for quite some time (I have a faunarium), although i've heard contradicting things from keepers saying thats not necessary and they can go straight into a larger viv as they wouldn't be in a small enclosure in the wild??
You will find different opinions on this between forum members with the same justification for a larger viv as you have given - the unenclosed space of their wild habitat. Personally (and this is only my opinion) I believe that in the wild corns generally stay hidden and only come out into the open to hunt when necessary. Yes, you could have a large viv with lots of covering and hides etc, but I feel happier believing that a snake is less stressed being in a smaller viv with cover, rather than in a big viv. When you have the ability to start small and enlarge with the snake, and avoid any chance of stress, then I would take it....but I would stress that it is only my personal opinion.
Any thoughts/oppinions/experience on this would be grateful? Thanks!!! :) Also, any recommended ages to buy? 1week, 1month, 2, 3, 6... etc? Thanks all!!! :)
Unfortunately I cant help you here (*Jon breathes a sigh of relief*) I started with an adult and have gone on to a slightly younger adult. To be honest I am glad I started that way, because it has allowed me to gain experience and confidence before I finally get a younger snake. You, obviously, have experience in rep keeping already and so probably have the confidence to deal with a hatchling. I shall leave those 'in the know' to help guide you with this one!!
xxx |
| Fal |
Posted - 26/01/2010 : 23:35:03
Thanks all for such a warm welcome!!
First of all, godzchild9, the mantids - We got an African Lined first, which is the larger of the three we got, and quite easy to look after, especially for anyone who can afford the time and care needed for reptiles! African Lined can live at room temp in a fairly humid condition, so not much to worry about, where as other, like snakes, need heat sources! We keep all of ours (we have a ghost mantis and a apiny flower mantis too) on our bearded dragon tank so they benefit from the heat rising from that. Believe it or not, there are plenty of care sheets on the net for mantids, so take a look on google etc... or feel free to pm me and i'll let you know of a cool forum I use for mantids! :) (They also breed and sell them for VERY reasonable prices on there - much better than stores)!
As for the lizards kellog, from what I have read (a fair lot), my leopard gecko is fairly similar in keeping than a corn snake. It doesn't need a huge enclosure/viv/tank, but there's nothing wrong with larger if you wish. They don't house well together unless opposite sex and you want to breed (at appropriate ages), they don't need a ubv or white light source, unless you want white light to simulate day/night etc... but need a warm/cool end so need a heat mat (which I use) or a heat bulb/ceramic heat emitter. Also they (once adult) only eat every other or 2-4 times a week and are very clean and tidy - all of which is great since i'm used to it and it seems similar to keeping a corn snake.
As for the bearded dragon :/ well... lol he's messy (poops and then decides to run through it and drag it everywhere - and poops at least once a day). He eats... a lot! Live food and veg (more veg than live when adult) and requires heat (hot and cool end, as well as a 100+F basking point) and UVB and bright white lite! Also a fair bit of space as he is very active. However, he is such a character and as well as our Leopard Gecko, we love him to bits!
All of which really enforces my wanting of a corn snake. I know I can look after one from what I have read, I know I can put in the time and effort (I already do with the lizards and its totally worth it) and... well.. they're so cool and amazing to handle!! Our local store (we kinda know one of the guys through frequenting the place) had let my fiance and I handle both corn and hog nose snakes and I just can't wait to have my own! I just want to wait until I have the money (house is sucking it up at the moment) to have it all set up correctly - as much as I want to, I don't like rushing such matters as these.
SO... thank you all again for the warm welcome and i do really appreciate the fact that I will have somewhere to come to ask before and once I have a corn, and to bleat all the stuff you've heard a million times when I see it happen for the first time with my own corn hehe...
Oh, btw, I think (although there are SO many morphs out there), that i'd just love a normal carolina corn... of course the fact that they aren't axpensive ones helps, but I just love their colours, like the black eyes (no offense but the red eyed morphs don't do it for me hehe) and love the contrasting colours... although there are some other morphs (not sure on names as there's so many) that I have seen and liked, but i'd be overly happy with a carolina that stands out to my fiance and I once we are ready to buy :)
Thanks again all, and sorry for rambling on lol
Jonathan
ps: I've heard/spoke to long standing keepers of corns and read on care sheets and the net in general, varying oppinions on hatchlings (i'd like a young snake ideally, I feel you get the whole experience and they get to know you better, as we did with our lizards), as to how you should house a young snake!? I've heard people recommending a small faunarium or rub to start with for quite some time (I have a faunarium), although i've heard contradicting things from keepers saying thats not necessary and they can go straight into a larger viv as they wouldn't be in a small enclosure in the wild?? Any thoughts/oppinions/experience on this would be grateful? Thanks!!! :) Also, any recommended ages to buy? 1week, 1month, 2, 3, 6... etc? Thanks all!!! :) |
| HannahB |
Posted - 26/01/2010 : 22:57:49
hey and welcome
ask as many questions as you want nothing is deemed silly or unimportant here! |
| n/a |
Posted - 26/01/2010 : 21:17:35
Hello and Welcome
x |
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