| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 22/02/2011 : 18:34:03
I have 2 general questions, 1 regarding the behaviour of my corn snake and the second about possibly introducing a second corn snake into the vavarium (I have just noticed numerous replies to housing multiple corns).
1) I have recently noticed (over the last three weeks or so) that Monty has only been sleeping in his cool hide even after feeding. I will give some additional to help of course. The vavarium is approximatley 20 inchs by a foot. It heated by a heat matt under the left hand side that stops half way under the vavarium. The substaight is aspen bedding and is a little over an inch thick. There is two hides in there, one at the warm end and one at the cold, with a water bowl in the cold end too, plus a climbing log that stretches from end to end.
2) I would like to introduce a second corn snake into the vavarium. The second snake is a little bit of a larger and longer snake but is the same age, do you think this is wise? The second snake is the same morph too, amelanistic.
Any advice that you could offer would be very kind and much appreciated. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 01/03/2011 : 21:51:29
Good evening everybody, thank you for the kind comments but also for your help and advice that has gotten me to this stage, thank you. At the mo I am in rented accomodation so dont have the space for a larger viv, however I finish in a couple of months time, hopefully enough for Monty to grow a bit more and then I will buy a new 3/4 foot viv and all new suitable equipment and hides and things. Like you say though kdlang, the problem then become an empty faun, but what I would like to do is home a Milk or King snake in there, so that I can have a second snake but also make best use of redundant equipment. I will deffinatley try the technique suggested by lotabob and drop the temp by a degree until Monty is happier to sleep in the warm hide, hopefully. |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 28/02/2011 : 13:34:39
quote:
Originally posted by CentricMalteser
Just looking at this picture, and also going by peoples comments on viv sizes
just curious to everyone, wouldnt Chris need to get a bigger viv soon as looking at this picture it can be seen quite easily that his body length is 1 length and pretty much 1 width of his current viv
quote:
Originally posted by OutlandishChris
I would say he will be fine for a good while yet.
My first corn was 2ft long when I got him and 6 months later he is still in a large faunarium having gained weight but only grown a couple of inches. Most of the time when he is coiled up in a hide he still looks lost in it!
I do have a larger rub ready and waiting for him but right now he seems fine so I am sure Chris's snake will be ok for a while yet. |
| kdlang |
Posted - 28/02/2011 : 13:08:12
That is looking great Chris. Monty is gorgeous and looks like he is enjoying himself. I wouldn't worry about him being in the cool end. Follow what lotabob says and he will be fine.
On tank size I would agree with lotabob again. Dependant on growth you should have a few months before he needs one. That should give you chance to save up or keep an eye out for bargin on ebay lol
The problem then is that you will have an empty faun and we don't like empty fauns ;D |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 23:42:30
It will be fine for a little while but will eventually need to upgrade into a larger enclosure but as each snake grows at different rates then I could be 2 months, it could be 6 or more. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 23:24:10
I have a corn snake and a royal, thats it at the moment. I have a Hogg island Boa coming end of March and unconfirmed but a Brazilian Rainbow Boa may be on the cards too.
They know what they are doing, they find a nice spot to settle down and basically shut down while they digest their meal. You can watch your snake over the next week and if he never goes into the hot end its probably too hot so drop down a degree and watch again and once you get him moving back and forth then you have it perfect. |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 23:15:51
I like your setup, two vivs on top of each other plus the sealable boxs too, it looks really cool, neet and tidy but really interesting at the same time. What species of snake do you have at the moment?
I do have a couple of questions though, as I said, I have fed him today but he has burrowed at the cool end rather than going in the warm hide, is that OK or should I be concerned? Is there anything else I could do to improve the viv do you think? |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:53:42
Oh yeah they ball up when scared, Duke doesn't do it as much now but when i first got him I had no idea he was 3 foot long because he was about the size of a softball. They tuck their head right into the middle. Its really cute when they start to uncoil they poke their nose out to check the coast is clear.
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| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:46:12
Ah excellent, it must be so cool to be able to own larger snakes like that, I am a student at the mo so cannot really own anything bigger than a young corn because I could not keep a larger viv and of course would not want to limit a larger snake because of a small viv. Wow a Royal too, I have heard that they are known as Ball pythons too, because when they become nervous or scared they roll into a ball, is that true? I am not suggesting that your Royal would have any reason to be nervous or scared but I was just wondering if you have ever seen it happen?
OK, thats a cool point, fake it is, so it can be washed with out any trouble, but I see what you mean about managing that on top of a snake in a viv too.
If you could post a couple of pictures that would be kind of you, it would be cool to see your setup too. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:42:30
Snake corner
Casa de Boa
 |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:37:21
I haven't picked the Boa up yet, I am going away for a few days and will pick it up the day I get back. My Royal is interesting alright, I've never known such a fussy and delicate animal in my life. I wouldn't change him but he is a very shy little fella.
I would go for fake foliage, but I'm lazy and think it would be a nightmare to keep alive while monitoring humidity etc. Plus when your snake decides to take a dump on your real plants you cant just tie it up in a pillow case and throw it in the washing machine. I'll take a pic of my setup for you and post it when I get a second. |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:31:55
Ah yeah, none of the sticky side is touchable. The log I was able to get from my local pet shop, where I got Monty in fact. In Chatham, Kent, its called Pet Aqua Spectacular. Its designed for vivariums, so its been propperally, steralised and treated to be harmless, not taken from outside and just put in the viv. What type of foilage do you think would be best, I mean real or fake? Wow, you have a Boa, thats really cool. It would be great to own one, or a Royal Python perhaps, incredible and very interesting snakes. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 22:11:18
Thats OK as long as its blocked and non of the sticky side can contact snake skin, they don't mix well. Where did you get that bit of wood, I've been looking but cant find anything that stands so well, I'm setting up something similar at the moment for a Boa and its great to see what people are doing with the space. |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 21:59:23
Thank you lotabob for the comments. Ah you are right, just so that you know, there is sellertape over both that hole and the opposing holes at the other end of the viv, however I will replace it with paper balls. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 21:54:04
Nice pics, its looking good fella. One thing I would just point out, the hole on the right side where the thermometer wire comes in is a perfect little snake escape hatch. |
| OutlandishChris |
Posted - 27/02/2011 : 21:46:19
Good evening everyone, here are a couple of new pictures of the viv now with the equipment installed. Also with the aspen thinned at the warm end and a thermometre installed too. I still have to get some foilage because it was suggested but also the viv looks a bit bare without it, however I know that there should be a snesible amount of space left uncluttered. I was also able to replace the under-viv tiles with new, crisp, thicker ones.
In the photos, Monty has just been fed, he ate 2 fuzzies and it is quite difficult to see where they are in his stomach. He is currently burried under the cool hide, at the cool end of course, but I would have thought that he would be in the warm hide having eaten of course? In regards to the thermostat and thermometre probes, the cool end thermometre can be seen pointing down under the aspec at the back right of the viv. The warm end thermometre and thermostat probe have been tied together and attached to the centre floor of the viv, directly above the heat mat. I have read that this is the correct way to do it, in conjunction with the air gap between the top of the heat mat and the bottom of the viv. |
| kdlang |
Posted - 26/02/2011 : 23:00:12
CM - I don't think the experiment was done to prove a point to you. As you said, you had already heeded advice and changed how you had the probes situated which was great. The experiment was most likely done because ilovemypets was curious to the possible temperature differences himself and was posted as a matter of interest to anyone. Much the same way kehhlyr posted the pic of the temperature of the unstatted mat. |
| CentricMalteser |
Posted - 26/02/2011 : 20:40:39
I didnt argue anything, it was just an opinion and advice passed onto me
and if you read a couple of posts up, i have stated i have put mine both on top of the heat mat, so you doing your "experiment" was pointless!
quote:
Originally posted by ilovemypets1988
beforwe anyone ses anything - it was just an experiment i done during cleaning and after reading this thread,after reading what cm had argued and while i was cleaning ambers faun, i put the thermometer probe directly on an inch of aspen and another on the heatmat, the reading were as follows:
on top of aspen: 25.5c
on top of the mat: 28.2c
so yh cm there completely different readings at exactly the same time so as we all already know louise was right, your probes should be either on the bottom of the faun or on top of the mat.
sorry forgot to mention, after doing this i did thin out the aspen to about a mm of covering over the mat :)
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| lotabob |
Posted - 26/02/2011 : 17:55:27
quote:
Originally posted by ilovemypets1988
beforwe anyone ses anything - it was just an experiment i done during cleaning and after reading this thread,after reading what cm had argued and while i was cleaning ambers faun, i put the thermometer probe directly on an inch of aspen and another on the heatmat, the reading were as follows:
on top of aspen: 25.5c
on top of the mat: 28.2c
so yh cm there completely different readings at exactly the same time so as we all already know louise was right, your probes should be either on the bottom of the faun or on top of the mat.
sorry forgot to mention, after doing this i did thin out the aspen to about a mm of covering over the mat :)
I hope you put on a lab coat and wore goggles, you can't do experiments without!
The heat mat size is fine, it covers no more than half the faun. |
| n/a |
Posted - 26/02/2011 : 17:54:33
The heatmat looks a little too big for the faun to be honest.
With such a small space you'd do well to consider moving the mat so it is heating around one third of the faun.
I know from experience that even with a thermostatic control regulating the heatmat it will crack plate glass over time, so melting a plastic faun is almost certain if the temperature control is not set up correctly.
There is a very good sticky which suggests creating a small air gap between the faun and the mat with the sensor of the thermostatic control inside the faun in direct contact with the bottom rather than lying on top of the substrate.
I would also suggest that an inch of substrate in the warm end is a little too deep, a thin scattering is best, I have a large snake cave in the warm end of my wooden Viv and my big girl has moved all of the aspen substrate out of it. I actually use the cave to hold the heat sensor for my mat stat directly on top of the heat mat itself.
Hope this makes sense, but suggest you look at the sticky posted by LittleMick in the Corn Snake - General Keeping Information section of the site, it's a really good explanation of the sett up you need |
| ilovemypets1988 |
Posted - 26/02/2011 : 15:27:39
beforwe anyone ses anything - it was just an experiment i done during cleaning and after reading this thread,after reading what cm had argued and while i was cleaning ambers faun, i put the thermometer probe directly on an inch of aspen and another on the heatmat, the reading were as follows:
on top of aspen: 25.5c
on top of the mat: 28.2c
so yh cm there completely different readings at exactly the same time so as we all already know louise was right, your probes should be either on the bottom of the faun or on top of the mat.
sorry forgot to mention, after doing this i did thin out the aspen to about a mm of covering over the mat :) |
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