| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| tidus |
Posted - 24/01/2010 : 22:17:36
So my corn snake is in his new home hes exploring! buttt he keeps trying to escape. lol is this normal?
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kellog |
Posted - 26/01/2010 : 04:19:22
quote:
Originally posted by tidus
Im heading to the store today to add more things. more bush so he can hide and move around undetected. i am getting a back round for his tank so hes not all clear and also a new lid. because its not a screen one so i think its gets a bit humid in there. also my gf said she was watching him and he was trying to escape from a pencil sized hole. well a bit smaller then that haha. but i am getting a new lid. so i dont have to be paranoid anymore. and just a question what are signs of snakes being happy?
You are doing great Tidus and it is so good to hear !! Cant wait to see his viv with the new additions. Sounds like a good idea to change with lid if you are worried about the humidity and about him escaping. But be warned....it wont necessarily stop the paranoia  !! A lot of us become paranoid and neurotic snake mum and dads, no matter how long we have had them!
A happy snake - feeding is the main sign and the most important one. You cant necessarily tell by whether your snake is out and about, as many corns stay hidden during the day and come out to play at night. I guess the other main sign is how they behave when you go to pick them up out of the viv...do they try to escape from you...and how they are when you handle them, are they relaxed or stressed and trying to escape all the time. It will take time to get to know your snake, for him to get used to you, so this will not necessarily be easy to tell to begin with....but you will learn. The biggest thing is his feeding, whether he feeds and if he regurgitates...those are the biggest signs of stress and that there is something wrong with the viv set-up or with him.
xxx |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 23:03:16
Him being out and about is a good sign.
As well as eating well.
Also when your handling him his tongue flicking regularly is a good thing,
however they also do this just before feeding so he also may want to eat you  |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 22:55:50
love looking at peoples vivs makes me happy and inspires me alot of the time:), lol bit random but who cares I love snakes! |
| tidus |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 21:26:51
Im heading to the store today to add more things. more bush so he can hide and move around undetected. i am getting a back round for his tank so hes not all clear and also a new lid. because its not a screen one so i think its gets a bit humid in there. also my gf said she was watching him and he was trying to escape from a pencil sized hole. well a bit smaller then that haha. but i am getting a new lid. so i dont have to be paranoid anymore. and just a question what are signs of snakes being happy? |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 16:12:36
Poor pancakes  |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 16:10:53
quote:
Originally posted by Oakey
Tbh, those who don't use all resources available to them (like a forum like this), aren't really ready to keep snakes, and should stick with a hamster .
Don't be so sure Oakey, I have a poorly hamster atm and I'm finding it alot more stressful than looking after my 4 snakes!!
I think if you cant be bothered to look after a snake, or any animal in fact, properly then you shouldn't have ANY animal, end of. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 16:03:51
Definately a great statement bengy.
Tbh, those who don't use all resources available to them (like a forum like this), aren't really ready to keep snakes, and should stick with a hamster .
Mainly because honest & true information isn't easy to come across, I mean many pet shop assistants bluff their way through questions, or are just aiming at making a sale.
The internet is a must-have tool these days, and we really are lucky to have all this information to use. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 15:28:22
Good comments here guys.
Hi Tidus. You do seem to be doing well and taking advice from the more experienced members/mods well too. Keep it up, maybe show us more photos when you sort the suggested improvements out?
We're quite lucky this day and age now with the net etc. When I first got my corn 11 years ago the internet was barely heard of (in homes anyway). So the fact that this whole site (and all theREPTILE.co.uk sites lol) is available at a click of a mouse is great.
It also means (although not applicable to anyone reading this!) that if people are not doing the necessary research and seeking out the best available advice should not be keeping a pet.
Again, keep it up Tidus.
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 14:55:57
Oakey just hit the nail on the head. The fact that you are here in the first place shows that you are a dedicated owner and want the best for your corn snake. Rather than just taking in what you read on 1 website or what you read in a silly corn snake book you are here getting advice from other owners, some of which are very experienced and are a great help and some of which like myself who are still new to keeping snakes.
I'm sorry if you took what i said as critiscism i didnt mean it that way, i was just trying to open your eyes to other possibilities.
Such as the burrowing, my casper loves to burrow as do many of the other members snakes and thats why things such as aspen, or even shredded paper as Hannah said are so good. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 14:28:40
I agree, you are doing well  .
The fact that you are even here shows that you are more dedicated than the many keepers who buy a generic snake book and will take no other advice because "it says this/that in the book". |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 11:33:46
quote:
Originally posted by Oakey
Doesn't coconut husk create too much of a humid environment?
I have just got a bag of komodo terrain coco husk bedding for my python, which comes already fluffed up in a bag. It is suitable for dry and wet environment and looks lovely. Avoid the stuff that comes in bricks, because you have to soak it to make it expand, and then you would have to bake it to prevent humidity.
Tidus, you have a very lovely snake and it is evident you are trying your best to be a fantastic owner. Stick with the advice given on the forum and you can't go far wrong. |
| HannahB |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 08:47:56
quote:
Originally posted by tidus
when he did escape i was watching him.
iv gotta ask..how did he manage to get out? you are probably one of the few owners who has seen their snake escape!!
sorry if i came across as harsh about putting another substrate in - wasnt my intention, i just think your snake may feel a bit safer with something he can burrow under - mine love paper shreddings and its so cheap to make/get hold of |
| Kellog |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 05:06:58
quote:
Originally posted by tidus
alright fair enough haha. when he did escape i was watching him. and jsut held him for a bit. i will put more things on the ground so he can feel more safe and smaller hides to. also a new bowl. i will learn more about him but im jsut making myself believe what i want to. Kinda denial if anything. but we will see how he is for a week and if he eats. thanks for the advice lol and sorry for taking it as criticism.
No need for the apology Tidus, you havent reacted badly to any of the advice given and so havent seemed to take it as critisism...we are just aware of having a few members recently who have not reacted well when offered advice and I wanted to make sure you realised that we were doing it out of love !!
I know what you mean about making yourself believe what you want to believe...I still put human emotions to some of Kellog's behaviour, despite knowing better !
What is most important is that you are taking on-board the advice given and will act on it if you feel it is necessary. It is great having a member who is so willing to learn and who so obviously puts the happiness of his corn first.
xxx |
| tidus |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 04:06:55
alright fair enough haha. when he did escape i was watching him. and jsut held him for a bit. i will put more things on the ground so he can feel more safe and smaller hides to. also a new bowl. i will learn more about him but im jsut making myself believe what i want to. Kinda denial if anything. but we will see how he is for a week and if he eats. thanks for the advice lol and sorry for taking it as criticism. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 03:39:19
I know you are getting a lot of advice on here that may come across as criticism to you...but it isnt, it is just based on experience of having corns and learning from their behaviour, which you havent had the chance to learn yet.
Each point made it valid. Although corns live in the wild they only come out into the open when they hunt, otherwise they stay hidden away where they feel safe. If you are wanting to use a larger viv then it is vital that you pack it out enough with plants, hides, logs, branches...and you need to make sure that it is mainly at ground level, whereas the plants you have dont allow any ground coverage. From your 2nd pic it looks well covered, but try and look at it from his perspective and see what you think.
What size are the 3 hides you have for him? Again corns want the smallest hides possible, where they can feel the sides of them against their skin when they curl up inside them...especially if they are not on a substrate that they can wiggle into.
The water bowl definitely needs changing, it needs to have a wide base and lower. The last thing you want is all that water being spilt over your lovely viv! Also the point about the depth is well made. Some corns do like to soak in their bowls, but it is a case of soak....not swim, in which case they need to be able to rest on the bottom of the bowl. I use the cat/dog ceramic water bowls and find them perfect as they are heavy enough and come in enough different sizes to be able to find the right height and width.
The comment about the substrate is also one you need to take into account. In the wild corns would have undergrowth to burrow through and we replicate this in captivity by using a substrate they can burrow in...and I think that all of us who use that sort of substrate find our corns love to 'disappear' for a while, making their own tunnels and also using it as a way to thermoregulate if they feel it is necessary. I dont really feel that the fact that it is messier is a good enough reason to stop your corn from having the best viv you can give him. You have only just got him so you have no way of knowing what he likes, especially as you havent had the chance to see his behaviour in a viv filled with aspen or beech chippings.
You say he has been trying to get out and 'dying for attention'...that is just your interpretation of his behaviour. Corns do try to escape and it may well be that he is trying to escape because he is scared. I am not saying this is what the explanation is but it is definitely something to think about.
You say that when he escaped he was clingy and didnt seem to want to go back in viv....again this may not be a sign of him wanting to be handled but more a sign of fear. Have you worked out how he escaped yet? I am so glad you found him!!! We have had too many forum members who have lost snakes and not found them, that is so distressing.
I do repeat though...please dont take any of this as criticism....it is what the forum is for. We are here to give you advice from the experience of many different owners and it is up to you to decide whether you take that advice or not, but we wouldnt be doing this if we werent concerned for your corn and for you as his new owner.
xxx |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 02:05:10
Its not sad, Corn Snakes like smaller spaces.
He may get stressed and not eat, or even regurgitate just because he's not happy.
And like DannyBrown91 says, he may indeed love to burrow (like most corn snakes).
Give aspen a try, its really not expensive and my bet is that he'll disappear underneath in no time. |
| tidus |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 00:28:48
i like a big tank. putting a snake in a tiny box its sad. at least he has somewhere to go other then no where lol. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 25/01/2010 : 00:19:07
How do you know he dosn't like to burrow if you have only just got him and havn't given him anything to burrow in? Might be better with something that he can burrow in because the hole set up is so large and open and for a small snake this can be very intimidating.
The perfect size setup for your snake is if the length and width of his set up is around the same length as the snake itself.
You might also want to just take a little bit of the water out of the bowl. Try to get the water level around about the same depth as your snakes gurth as sometimes they like to curl up in it, especially if they are about to shed. |
| tidus |
Posted - 24/01/2010 : 23:51:26
I dont think he likes to burrow, he's been trying to get out and dying for attention. But everyone says not to hold them for a week so I'm trying to avoid it. I just got him today and yes I'm using a heatmat. Using a different substrate would be too messy, I think he's more of a climber then a burrower lol. But a couple weeks I will get to know more about him and how he acts to me and everything. :) |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 24/01/2010 : 23:15:17
not if it's then baked to dry it out............. |
