| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| MarkSue |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:10:06
Hi everyone.
New to snakes and found this forum.
My wife and i was on holiday last week and they had a snake show at the hotel. Cut a long one short i ended up having a 20ft python hung over me for a photo shoot, first time iv held a snake  so thought id get some. We are now the owners of 3 corn snakes "Kiyo" "Shakey" and "Nori".....
Going to have a look round the rest of the site now  .... |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 23/04/2010 : 17:15:56
Hi
Welcome to the forum. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 23/04/2010 : 14:06:19
heya and welcome  |
| n/a |
Posted - 23/04/2010 : 10:02:08
welcome what a great way to get into snakes, having a 20ft python slung around your neck 
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| Kellog |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 08:27:16
quote:
Originally posted by MarkSue
OMG.....iv just read a bit of the thread that Danny posted and im glad the pictures are gone, but i can imagine what has happened..
So i need another viv and get covers for the lights or get rid of lights. Is that right??
Still can`t load pic so a brief discription...
Kiyo and Nori are orange and yellow and Shakey is Black and grey.
Am so glad you read that link....I very nearly posted it in my comment but didnt want to scare you, so thought I would just bring the issue of co-habiting to your attention first, knowing that others would follow with the link.
It is scary and it is a relief you are taking it seriously....unfortunately many dont. You definitely need a new set-up for one of the snakes that is sharing at the moment and you need to decide what is best depending on its size. You say that they are about 8 months old and a foot long....how big are the vivs you have them in at the moment? Danny is right in what he says about smaller being better for corns - we use the rule that once the snake's length equals the length + depth of the viv/faun is the time to move them up. This may help give you some idea of what size you will need to move them into as you may also need to move the other snake into something smaller. Fauns and RUBs are just as good as vivs for small snakes as they are small and are cheaper....so you can save your money for getting the necessary viv when the snake gets big enough.
The light guard is a must, as I mentioned in my comment not only will the snakes burn themselves but they may constrict around the bulb and crush it. You can get rid of the lights as the snakes dont need them, they are really for our benefit and a lot of us use low wattage energy saving bulbs that are on timers to mimic the daylight hours.
Iansviv is a great site to look at to try and work out what morph your snakes are - but beware, you come away from looking at it with a list of all the morphs you have fallen in love with and want to get next  !
xxx
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 22/04/2010 : 00:08:30
Orange and yellow, most probably Amels, black and grey, either Aneries or Ghosts. Try www.iansvivarium.com you will be able to find out what you have by looking at these pics.
Yes you need a guard for the light and another viv, although a faunarium or RUB would be sufficient, not only are they cheaper than wooden vivs but they are smaller so are good for small corns.
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| MarkSue |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 23:13:52
OMG.....iv just read a bit of the thread that Danny posted and im glad the pictures are gone, but i can imagine what has happened..
So i need another viv and get covers for the lights or get rid of lights. Is that right??
Still can`t load pic so a brief discription...
Kiyo and Nori are orange and yellow and Shakey is Black and grey. |
| HannahB |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 15:48:58
hey and welcome
please read the thread that danny has posted - it would really help your snakes if they were separated,
the bulbs arent necessary to be honest, corns get their heat from the ground so all the bulb is doing is giving you some viewing light, but if you do keep the bulbs in the vivs for use please get a guard for them - even if its not hot to our touch it will still burn your snake,
but welcome to the forum |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 11:59:14
Welcome to the forum!
Pics of the new snakes are needed..! |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 11:34:24
quote:
Originally posted by MarkSue
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91
It is best to turn the light off of a night so they get into a day/night cycle, that said lights are not needed.
Is the light you have guarded?
Also how old/big are the corns?
How are you heating the tank and how are you checking the temps.
The lights are`nt guarded but they are not hot to the touch. Both are coloured lights so not bright. The corns are about a foot long and about 8 months old. The heat is by mats and regulated by a thermo with additional thermometer inside.
I was afraid you were going to say this, it is not a good idea to keep young snakes together for many different reasons. Ideally snakes should be kept on there own but if you were to choose to co-habbit you want the snakes to be over breeding age and a good size other wise you run the risk of injury, and if you dohave a male and female it is likely the female will become gravidwhen she is too young and small and this could cause health complications.
Edit - Please have a look through this thread and split them ASAP even if you beive that you know the sexes there have been many people on this forum who have thought they were safe because they were housing 2 males together and it turned out in actual fact it was a male and a female.
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1070
What type of thermometer are you using? |
| gmac |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 09:12:32
Welcome to the Forum, have fun |
| Mouse |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 08:23:03
Welcome!! 3 snakes! oooh :D. I know you can't get pics up, so how about descriptions to be going on with?!! :D |
| Kellog |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 03:52:11
Welcome Mark and Sue, it is really good that you have joined us! To go from holding a 20ft python on holiday to owning 3 corns is a big jump ....you must have really fallen hard for snakes! I am so glad you were able to help your friend out by taking them off his hands. 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. Danny already mentioned the best place to look - 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
It sounds as though your corns have come with a good set-up, having heatmats, stats and thermometers (are they the digital ones?). As already said, the light only needs to be on during the day - mine are on timers that turn on at 7am and off at 10pm. They may not feel hot to touch to you but could still burn the snake and it also could crush the bulb if it was to curl around it....so a guard is a must.
The reason Danny asked about the age of your corns is that there is a lot of concern about housing corns together (co-habiting), especially young ones. In the wild they are solitary creatures and would only come together to mate, so forcing them to share their viv with another snake causes stress that you may not be aware of and can also lead to damage to one or both snakes and even death. A very important question is whether you know for sure the sexes of the 2 snakes housed together? If there is any chance that they may be different sexes then they need to be separated as soon as possible as they can mate from a very young age and that can prove lethal for a female that young. I am NOT wanting to scare you, but being new to snake keeping it is something you should research before deciding whether you want to continue with their present housing situation.
I am not sure how long you have had Kiyo, Shakey and Nori, but 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 snakes to get over the stress of the move and for them to get used to the new smells and their new surroundings. This means just putting your hand in to change the water daily and straighten the substrate, so they can get used to your smell and not be threatened by you. You mustnt worry about them 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. You are rarely advised this in a lot of pet shops  but it is an important way of getting your snakes 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 already past that week but havent given them that chance, then it may be worthwhile starting again now....
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, as Danny said, many pet shops cannot be trusted with what they are telling you  . I know that I double check anything I am told on here. Remember that 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! The first place to look has already been mentioned, 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!
When you got your snakes from your friend I hope you were able to get as much info about them as possible....shedding history, feeding history etc. 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  !!
I wont mention pics, as it is a sore subject....but I better tell you about the unwritten forum rule - pics as soon as possible! When the time comes this link will help - http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14
I look forward to getting to know you better.
xxx
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| crazy JJ |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 00:22:13
morph is basically what colour the snake is and kinda what sort if that make sense lol whether it be carolina, amel, anery etc there's loads of them but im useless at explaining but anyway try http://iansvivarium.com/cornsnakemorphs.php that should help you with all the diffo morphs and hopefully to help with whats yours are :D |
| MarkSue |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 00:01:20
What do you meen by "morphs"???
dont mention pictures, sore topic at the moment as i cant get any to load on to the pc |
| MarkSue |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:57:18
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91
It is best to turn the light off of a night so they get into a day/night cycle, that said lights are not needed.
Is the light you have guarded?
Also how old/big are the corns?
How are you heating the tank and how are you checking the temps.
The lights are`nt guarded but they are not hot to the touch. Both are coloured lights so not bright. The corns are about a foot long and about 8 months old. The heat is by mats and regulated by a thermo with additional thermometer inside. |
| Figs |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:57:00
hello and welcome
nice names for the snakes - dont forget to post some pictures!
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| kdlang |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:48:46
Welcome to the forum. Have a good browse around and ask about anything your not sure about.
Wow from 0-3 in one go. Now thats an addiction already lol. Can't wait to see pics. Do you know what morphs they are and how old? |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:36:38
It is best to turn the light off of a night so they get into a day/night cycle, that said lights are not needed.
Is the light you have guarded?
Also how old/big are the corns?
How are you heating the tank and how are you checking the temps. |
| MarkSue |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:33:09
Thanks all. We got them from a friend who had to let them go, he only had them for a few months. Got 2 vivs, 1 with 2 in the other 1 has his/her own viv. There is 1 question i have. Are you ment to keep the night light on all night?? |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 23:27:48
Hey and welcome to the site, did you do a lot o research before you bought your snakes? Many pet shops don't know what they are talking about so if not it may be best to have a look at the care sheet on this site. |
