| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 17:01:00
I have 2 corn snakes that I have had for 6/7 years, they are called Venom and Char :3 They recently had hatchings so I naturally looked up information on the internet and asked at pet stores about what to do. After coming and reading the information on your site I must admit I feel very ashamed as a snake owner. When I first got my snakes, I didn't have the internet. I got advised from the man at the pest shop I bought the from and any snake books I read just gave very general information about snakes. Well, turns out the man at the pet shop doesn't know a whole lot about snakes... All I can say is that I shall be making many changes soon so I may ask a lot of questions that you have all probably been asked before so beware... After reading all the information on the site and on forums, I only wish that petshops knew the information on here and that people buying pets don't always take the petshop owner's word to be accurate. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 12/03/2010 : 18:51:16
heya and welcome  |
| n/a |
Posted - 11/03/2010 : 13:16:27
kellog has pretty much covered what i would recommend with regards to weight loss. soooo, all that is left is to welcome you to the forum, welcome  |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 17:17:14
Definitely round shaped XD and I can see the gaps in-between his scales and some of them are like a bit bent like he has love handles even though he comes out of his tank often. I have read about rats being more fatty and it did seem to start after I started to feed hi rats so I guess I'll take him back to mices which actually makes things easier. Thank Kellog for your help and all of you for welcoming me here. |
| n/a |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 14:12:20
Hello & welcome to the forum |
| Kellog |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 10:13:12
Rats are thought to be more nutritious and have more calcium due to more solid bone structure than mice, but they are high in fat. This means that as long as you feed them every 10 days it should not be a problem, but if you feed them more regularly than that then you are going to have a fat snake. I know a few members do feed their corns rats, but most of us tend to feed extra large/jumbo/ex-breeder mice (35g plus) every 10 days to 2 weeks. This is really just a maintenance diet as they are no longer growing and needing to put on weight.
My Kellog is on the jumbo mice (approx 40g) and I have just moved him from every 10 days to every fortnight. He is 4'6" long and has just topped 800g. I weigh him by using digital scales. I have a shoe box with air holes punched in it. I weigh it, then zero the scales. Take the lid off, add Kellog, replace lid and weigh him. I do it just before I feed him so I have a regular weight for him.
I know this sounds bizarre....but if you cut Venom in half what shape would he be? A forum member once used this as an example to tell if a snake was underweight/just right/over-weight. If the shape is triangular then the snake is underweight. If the shape is like an arch then the snake is the right weight. If the shape is round then it is overweight. You can also tell if he is overweight if you can see skin between his scales when he is lying out straight relaxed (not curled up).
A way to help him lose weight is with handling...you are doing great getting him to climb the stairs and you can also try building obstacle courses for him using boxes etc. Anything that gets him using his muscles and burning up fat.
This topic may be of interest to you - http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6761&SearchTerms=overweight
Hope this is of some help....would certainly be interesting to know his weight.
xxx
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| Sta~ple |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 08:11:06
Thanks :) I am writing down when they had shed and eaten (when they evetually eat hopfully) but I never thought about poops so thanks! They seem to be regularly though as they seem to like to do it on me when I change their bedding and water.
Well if I'm hontest I would say Venom is obese... I'm not sure about the exact size of the rat but I would say its a size up from an adult mouse and I got told to feed him once a week with rats. After a while a noticed him getting porky and asked again but he said it was fine and then I just kinda used common sense and knew he was too fat and gave him one of his rats every 2 weeks. He has lost a bit of weigh in his year span but still he is porky! I am now trying to get him to do exercises up the stairs when I can and I shall be switching him to medium mice once he has gone through this rats. I have no idea about his weight, I wouldn't even know how to weigh a snake XD But he is very heavy, especially his back-end. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 04:04:14
Welcome to the forum Faye! As you will have seen, 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 .
You have already found 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.
You have had a bad experience with pet shops and unfortunately it is not until you find a forum like this that you realise that what you have been told is wrong....so you must not feel at all ashamed. You were doing what you had been told was right and you had no reason to question it. Many pet shops cannot be trusted with what they are telling you  . I suggest you double check anything you have been told with us on here. As has already been said, 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! Danny has already mentioned the first place to look - the search button, it is in the top right hand corner of the screen....type in what you are worried about and see if you can find an answer. I know you can get swamped with different topics including what you are searching for, so it is a bit daunting but worth a look. If you cant find the answer you are looking for then dont hesitate to ask!
I am not sure if you are doing this already, but I keep my own 'Snake Diaries', noting things like weight, length, feeding dates and what you feed, shedding dates, health problems. 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  !! This would definitely be helpful with your hatchlings for whoever then takes them on.
I am so sorry to hear that you have lost one of your babies already. I know nothing about breeding, but there are a lot of experienced breeders on here who will be able to help you with what you need to do now, especially if you have non-feeders.
Your snakes look gorgeous, I love Char and the hatchling....but then I am biased towards ghosts and anerys! You say that Venom is a bit 'chubby'....but he is also very long!! How much does he weigh and what is he feeding on? Definitely take pics of the hatchlings and post them in either the photo section or the morph section. We have a number of members who know a lot about morphs...but you will soon meet Eeji - our Morph Master!
I am so glad you have found us and hope that you will get the help you need - and the friendship that we all so enjoy .
xxx
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 00:32:41
Some lovely snakes you have there. I believe your male is a carolina and female either an anery or a ghost, but the picture dosn't really give too many hints so im not sure which one.
From that you are likely too have all normals/ Carolina hatchlings. The hatchling in the bottom pic looks to be a carolina. |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 23:08:04
It's been ages since I rolled out my snazzy 'Hiya'.
Welcome to the forum as well. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 22:00:13
I think the mum is an anerythristic I think as well. Most of the babies have that colouring except for one which seem to be a combination of them both.
I had 7, one died last night, it was very sad and happened without any warning. It was fine in the morning but then when I went to check on them later on and change the water he seemed very week. I the noticed like a yellow fluid on the kitchen paper so I change it and put him back just thinking he might be a bit tired. After I put him back through he went into a little hiding place and bent back in a really funny way and died... it was so shocking how fast it all as though. The rest of the babies seem fine at the moment. I am expecting more to die though after all the horror tales of hatchings not eating and after trying to get the ones that have shed to at and them refusing doesn't help :(
I'm in the east middlands. |
| Kare |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 21:40:38
I love that Hatchling very pretty. Looks like a big guy for one week old. It looks to be an anerythristic but dont take my word for it, Im new to this.
How many hatchlings did you have?
Where in the UK are you? |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 21:33:01
I don't think they are morphs, I don't mind I think they are still very beautiful I think even if Venom is very um... well let's just say he's chubby...
This is Venom, I just measured him now and he is 5.8...I never knew he was that long, I always thought he was 5"4. Anywhere he is and he loves My Pj's and pooing on my bed XD Would I be right in thinking he is an okeetee?
This is Char, it's an old picture of her though.
This is one of the hatchings :3 very hard to take pictures of them since they are very wiggly, they are now just over a week old. Would it be ok if I took pictures of them all and maybe got you guys to see what type they were? |
| kdlang |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 20:56:20
Hi and welcome. This site has been a godsend to me since I got my corn in December. The people on here are great so ask away. I am sooo looking forward to seeing pics especially of your hatchlings. I love babies of any animal lol. What morphs are your adults? |
| n/a |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 20:30:02
Welcome to the forum mate. As for Reptile shops it is not easy to find one that you like.
Main problems I found was lack of knowledge,bad conditions,over priced,
Snakes with the incorrect Name. Hence I stoped going!
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| n/a |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 18:49:42
welcome to the forum |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 18:18:08
Welcome to the site! :)
We are all here to help..! |
| n/a |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 18:16:53
Hi welcome to the forum |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 18:08:46
Hey welcome to the forum mate.
Remember no question is regarded as being silly, afterall it is better to be asked and answered than for you to just carry on wondering or asking a pet shop
There is also a Search funtion top right, many of the more commonly asked questions will be answered just by using that.
I know what you mean about pet shops, they come across so knowledgable but the advice they give is often inaccurate.
Oh and unwritten forum rule, pictures are a must |
| n/a |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 17:32:20
hello welcome to the site!!! |
| HannahB |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 17:24:16
hey and welcome
any questions you have feel free to ask - nothing is deemed silly or unimportant
look forwards to the pics |
