| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| crashtestdummy |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 12:55:28
Hi
I have acquired a snake (0.1.0 corn) for my 12 year old son (and I) 3 days ago  despite him being besotted with Chameleons, I thought this a safer option for both us and the animal!
I have read various care sheets and posts here and on other sites (sorry) before purchasing, but still would like to seek some specific advice from the more experienced here.
We bought her from an advert in the local pet shop. The snake appeared in good health and could be handled and was active and tongue flicking furiously, so we brought her home.
I have a few questions about the set up as acquired and as I have adjusted.
It was feed day when we got her, and she ate the one medium mouse after a few minutes of it being put on cardboard so she wouldn't swallow any substrate. Left her for two days after that to digest!
She surprised us and shed yesterday while we were out in the afternoon and I can see no signs of any residual skin on her.
We have subsequently deep cleaned the tank (especially after her post feed dump and shed) using reptile disinfectant from the local pet shop.
I replaced the "Hamster" bedding with Aspen.
I have moved the heat mat (1ft sq) from the rear vertical wall of the tank to inside on the floor under her hide (located in l/h 1/3). This is controlled via a "Cobrastat" and currently goes off at 78.5; the temp has dropped to 75 over the past couple of hours, but has not come back on yet. I have measured the temperature inside the bedding at the door of her hide using an accurate mercury thermometer. The other end of the tank appears to be 72F at the cold end 1/2 above the substrate.
Her vital statistics are 4ft 10in (measured recently shed skin as approximation); she weighs 610 grams; we have been told she is approx 4.5 year old.
The viv is 36Lx12Wx15H with mesh on the top (as yet unsecured with clamps) and two glass sliding doors.
She has an synthetic "rock type " hide which appears to be the right size for her, a small bowl about to be replaced with a large one she can get in it and a semi-circular tree bark hide I bought as the tank appeared a little barren and boring (within which she shed her skin completely). Still looking for a suitable branch for her to climb.
Any advice on diet (previous owner said one medium mouse once a week) is this right for her size or should she have two every other week?
Should I feed her any supplements - if so what?
Would she like her food warmed up a little for her? If so how? I did have the first mouse in my pocket for an hour before feeding; as I prefer my meat at blood temp too!
Crash!
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| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Simmy_82 |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 14:36:24
Thats it! I should know that being a materials buyer... |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 14:32:16
quote:
Originally posted by Simmy_82
Waterproofing (urine protection) isnt needed on the mats. They are already in that plastic sheeting so should be fine.
yup...........i think the word you're looking for is 'laminated' lol |
| Simmy_82 |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 12:21:46
Waterproofing (urine protection) isnt needed on the mats. They are already in that plastic sheeting so should be fine. |
| stuart619 |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 12:12:30
There should be a thin layer of substrate and the thermometer probe on top. Make sure that the layer of substrate is really thin though so the reading is as close to the mat temperature as possible
Chances are that the snake will displace some of the substrate and expose the mat. Just make sure that the probe is not moved from the mat when the snake does this. |
| crashtestdummy |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 12:04:36
Thanks to all for your welcome and feedback so far; appreciate it.
Is it advisable to cover the heat mat with something (thin sheet of perspex from DIY store) to protest it from urine?
I have covered the heat mat with substrate, should this be as little as possible to ensure that the heat detected by any digital thermometer probe is close as possible to that the snake feels?
Or should the snake be allowed to come in almost direct contact with the mat, so the temperature detected is actually what the snake is getting?
Crash! |
| kdlang |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 17:56:14
quote:
Originally posted by crashtestdummy
Hi
I have acquired a snake (0.1.0 corn) for my 12 year old son (and I) 3 days ago despite him being besotted with Chameleons, I thought this a safer option for both us and the animal!
I have read various care sheets and posts here and on other sites (sorry) before purchasing, but still would like to seek some specific advice from the more experienced here.
Don't worry about researching from other sites. The fact that you have researched prior to picking up your corn is fantastic as many people don't.
It was feed day when we got her, and she ate the one medium mouse after a few minutes of it being put on cardboard so she wouldn't swallow any substrate. Left her for two days after that to digest!
She surprised us and shed yesterday while we were out in the afternoon and I can see no signs of any residual skin on her.
As said, just pay particular attention to her tail tip as sometimes it can be really hard to tell if their is any retained shed there, especially if it is only a couple of mm. It's great that she has given you a complete shed with no problems.
We have subsequently deep cleaned the tank (especially after her post feed dump and shed) using reptile disinfectant from the local pet shop.
I replaced the "Hamster" bedding with Aspen.
I have moved the heat mat (1ft sq) from the rear vertical wall of the tank to inside on the floor under her hide (located in l/h 1/3). This is controlled via a "Cobrastat" and currently goes off at 78.5; the temp has dropped to 75 over the past couple of hours, but has not come back on yet. I have measured the temperature inside the bedding at the door of her hide using an accurate mercury thermometer. The other end of the tank appears to be 72F at the cold end 1/2 above the substrate.
Ideally you need the temperatures on the warm end to be higher than that. I'm not good with fahrenheit but I think you need to be aiming for 80-84F (27-29C).
Her vital statistics are 4ft 10in (measured recently shed skin as approximation); she weighs 610 grams; we have been told she is approx 4.5 year old.
The viv is 36Lx12Wx15H with mesh on the top (as yet unsecured with clamps) and two glass sliding doors.
She has an synthetic "rock type " hide which appears to be the right size for her, a small bowl about to be replaced with a large one she can get in it and a semi-circular tree bark hide I bought as the tank appeared a little barren and boring (within which she shed her skin completely). Still looking for a suitable branch for her to climb.
Any advice on diet (previous owner said one medium mouse once a week) is this right for her size or should she have two every other week?
She sounds like she is pretty much at adult size and weight now so you don't need to worry about the 'mouse being 1 1/2 times width of snake' rule or the size of the bump in the snake. You are aiming to keep her on a maintenance diet to ensure that she doesn't become overweight. I would keep her on the 1 medium once a week or 2 medium every other week for a few weeks and see how she gets on. If you weigh her once her settling in period is over and then every couple of weeks or so you will be able to see if she is losing weight, staying stable or putting on weight.
Should I feed her any supplements - if so what?
No suppliments needed
Would she like her food warmed up a little for her? If so how? I did have the first mouse in my pocket for an hour before feeding; as I prefer my meat at blood temp too!
I put my mice in a plastic bag and warm them in some warm water for a few minutes. Some people heat them with a hairdryer.
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| gingerpony |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 17:29:31
i don't bother measuring humidity either, not many people do, so a hygrometer is an unneccessary expense really
and basically as above really - secure the lid, give her some decor (can be toilet roll tubes, icecream tubs, or the like), measure the temp on top of the substrate (in the warm end measure it above the heat source) and that's where you want the stat probe too, and give her a week to settle in ideally, all the changes you've made so far sound great 
just re-read your post - at 610g for a female she's a good size, it's very easy to overfeed corns so maybe 1 large mouse fortnightly and monitor her weight? |
| Mamma |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:36:22
Hi and welcome |
| Aegis |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:32:57
Simmy is right, but when mine was shedding i had moss in the viv, basically because she had probs shedding before and its usefull for them to rub on. x |
| Simmy_82 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:28:48
YOu dont need to worry about humidity. They dont require specific levels of humidity. Only too much humidity can cause respirtory porblems. |
| crashtestdummy |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:27:30
Thanks for the reply...
Yes the other hide is at the cool end.
A dual probe digital thermometer, pref with a third for humidity is on the shopping list, again any advice on which gratefully received.
Crash! |
| Aegis |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:22:57
Just for info, i asked the other day about measuring their shed, apparently take 10% off what you measured to get a better length because they stretch the shed.
Cant wait to see pics of ur new addition :) Congrats |
| stuart619 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:19:46
Hi and Welcome
Well done on the new snake. You are definately in the right place to ask questions.
First thing is to give the snake a week to settle in. All the new smells and change can be stressful and by not handling for a week will give snakey time to settle in. During this week, only change the water and remove any poop in the viv.
The temperature seems okay at 78.5 at the warm end of the viv. I always try and get it around 80. Just make sure that you are going off the readings of a digital thermometer rather than the thermostat probe.
It is good that the snake seems active and it's tongue is flicking.
You are right to make sure that no substrate is ingested, it can be dangerous for a snake. I personally remove mine from their vivs and place them in a seperate feeding container which eliminated ingestion of substrate completely.
It's good that she has shed too. The important thing with the shed is to check that the very tip of the tail is off and also the eye caps. But by the sounds of it you have ensured this is the case She sound like she is at a good weight too.
I would suggest that the lid is firmly secured. Corn snakes are the great escape artists and will be off as soon as the opportunity arises
With the feeding, just ensure that the food leaves a visible buldge in the snake so make it about 1.5 times the width of the fattest part of the snakes body. I don't think warming the food is that important but if you wanted to then you could use a hair dryer or float a mouse in a sandwich bag in some warm water.
Again welcome to the forum and remember to get some pics uploaded soon 
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| Simmy_82 |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 13:16:50
Set Up - All sounds good. Do you have the hides at each end? One at the cool end and one at the warm? It might be worth buying a digital thermometer. These are generally more accurate and you can rubber band it to the stat probe for accurate readings.
Feeding - You should have waited 7 days to feed the snake when you got it. They are quite hardy and can go for long periods without food. But it sounds like you havent had a problem. The general rule is their food can be 1.5x the thickness of the thickest part of the snakes body. You'll know roughly when to change its mouse size when you cant see a lump left by the mouse once its been swallowed. A medium mouse (if its the correct size) can be fed to it every 7-10 days i believe. I feed mine every saturday night. Tho i will probs work this to a Sunday night so that we can handle it on a sunday daytime when we are actually home. No need for supplements at her age/size. If you want to warm the food up a good way to do it is to warm it up in warm water (no boiling). Dry it off a little. I feed mine at the temp it defrosts at with no problems.
Shedding - Great news on that front. I'm still waiting for my new arrival to shed.
EDIT: Its probably best to leave it a week before handling so that they can get used to their new surroundings (scents, viv layout etc) |
