The Corn Snake Forum
The Corn Snake Forum
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Members | Search | FAQ
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

 All Forums
 Corn Snake Posts
 Corn Snake - General Keeping information
 need advice-worried!
 New Topic  Topic Locked
 Printer Friendly
Next Page
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic
Page: of 2

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  16:47:02  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
Hello everybody!

I got my new snake yesterday, and he was fine with being handled.
Today, i tried to put in a moisture box (i heard they like it even when they arent shedding) and lifted his hide up to see him and his tail started vibrating, and he bit me!
I was wondering if i had done anything wrong, or if he was just abit annoyed with me waking him up.
Also, i cant get his hot side up to the right temperature. The thermostat has been set on around 88F all night but the temperature in the tank still says it is only around 82. can anybody help me!


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!

Spedz
Hatchling

United Kingdom
242 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  17:00:53  Show Profile  Click to see Spedz's MSN Messenger address
If you've only had him since yesterday - He'll most likely be stressed with the new move ^^
Just leave him alone for a week :)

What are you using for housing? Faun or viv?
And where have you placed the thermometer probe? Place it right on the ground by the heatmat..
My wooden viv will usually have a gradient of low 28 and high 33..



1.1.0 Corn Snake - 'Jasper' & 'Storm'
0.0.1 Curly Hair Tarantula - 'Fluffy'
1.0.0 Border Collie - 'Chance'
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon - 'Alfie'
0.1.0 Tortoise - 'Lightning'
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa - 'Charlie'

RIP Eddie :'(
Go to Top of Page

Remmy
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1188 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  17:48:56  Show Profile
As Spedz said leave him a week to settle in before you handle him. More info needed as well, What substrate are you using and is the thermomter a dial or digital?
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  18:06:54  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
it is like in a plastic box thingy inside a wooden viv. The probe is around 1cm from the bottom of the viv.
the heat mat is attatched to an on-off thermostat thingy.
ok thanks for the advice. I hope it works:)

Btw, here is a pic of him on the night i got him, when he let himself be handled!


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!

Edited by - muppet9976 on 23/05/2009 20:12:10
Go to Top of Page

Remmy
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1188 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  19:01:39  Show Profile
The probe needs to be on the floor not above the substrate
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  19:12:21  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
what about feeding?
if i leave him alone for a week, will he be ok missing his first feed (by me) tomorrow?
or should i just feed him and leave him alone after


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!

Edited by - muppet9976 on 22/05/2009 19:47:40
Go to Top of Page

Remmy
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1188 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  20:30:36  Show Profile
I would leave the feed. Snakes can go months without food so it wont hurt him to miss one feed. What substrate have you got?
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  20:32:07  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
well in this small house, it just has plain tissue paper, because the man at the show said it would be fine. when he moves into the large viv, ill put down aspen substrate.


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  22:06:57  Show Profile  Click to see gingerpony's MSN Messenger address
muppet have you read the caresheet on this site?

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  22:11:19  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
yes i have.

But i have also read alot of other care sheets and several layers of plain kitchen roll (or whatever you call it-sort of like extra thick toilet roll) is fine for a small tank like my small snake is in now. I will use aspen substrate when he gets big enough to go in the viv


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  22:24:59  Show Profile  Click to see gingerpony's MSN Messenger address
ok, in a nutshell, here goes:
* don't handle him for a week, let him settle in, just change his water
* after a week try a feed, if he takes it leave for a further 48 hours before handling (as you should after any successful feed)
* don't bother with a damp hide unless you're expecting problems with shedding, and then only when you know your snake will shed imminently. too high humidity can cause health problems.
* set the temperature by the thermometer, not the dial on the stat
* the thermometer/thermometer probe and the stat probe should be resting on top of the substrate above the heatmat. in the case of a faun you might want to put the stat probe directly on the mat outside the faun but put the thermometer on top of the substrate still.
* i imagine tissue paper would get quite messy if your snake wees or poos, kitchen roll, newspaper or anything else on here http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1876 is fine.

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 22/05/2009 :  23:19:55  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
ok well that is mostly what i was doing/planning to do.
the only thing i dont completely understand is set the temperature by thermometer, not stat.

apart from that, thankyou for the advice.


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

Remmy
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1188 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  10:33:28  Show Profile
The temperature in the warm end needs to be between 80 and 85%. The thermometer is more acurate than the stat so you have to go by the thermometer. My thermometer reads 86% but my stat is set too 88%.
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  11:33:01  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
ok
thankyou very much.
and sorry for everybody who is probarbly getting annoyed with me asking questions and stuff, but im just worried about my snake.
He hasnt come out of the cold end hide since around 4pm yesterday... (he is in there, i saw the edge of him this morning!)


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  12:36:38  Show Profile  Click to see gingerpony's MSN Messenger address
quote:
Originally posted by Remmy

The temperature in the warm end needs to be between 80 and 85%


ok now i'm confused! the temperature in the viv on top of the substrate should read around 28-30*C

ignore the dial on the thermostat muppet, take the reading on the thermometer instead and adjust the stat accordingly.
eg. if the stat is set to 30*C and the temperature on top of the substrate is 27*C then keep turning the stat dial up until the thermometer reads 28-30*C (by which time the stat could be set on 32 or whatever - just ignore the dial on the stat)
when you're adjusting the temperature make sure you give plenty of time for the heat to actually increase/decrease with the changes you've made

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  12:57:26  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
ok. Would the temperature be affected much if the thermometer was about 3-4 inches above the substrate?
it reads about 84*F


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

n/a
deleted

58 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  15:32:25  Show Profile
I guess everybody's set-up is different but with mine i have 27.5*C at aspen level and have another thermometer at no more than 2" above that reads 20*C granted its one of those stick on dial types but still, anyway what i did was drilled a hole in the hide at the warm end and cable tied the probe to it stops it wandering

1.0.0 Tom a 10 month old Flourescent orange Corn 29 inches and growing fast

Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  17:42:56  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
oh... so actually, it might be alot hotter on the substrate. I will get another thermometer and check in a few minutes and see


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  19:02:28  Show Profile  Click to see gingerpony's MSN Messenger address
quote:
Originally posted by muppet9976

ok. Would the temperature be affected much if the thermometer was about 3-4 inches above the substrate?

definitely!

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area
Go to Top of Page

muppet9976
Hatchling

United Kingdom
254 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  19:37:39  Show Profile  Click to see muppet9976's MSN Messenger address
yea, ive just opened the circular thermometer that will go in the viv when it is fully grown (as opposed to the strip thermometer in the plastic viv, and it turns out that the substrate temp is around 30*C. So i should be ok to leave it at that?


1.0.0 Amel Corn - Fluffy!
Go to Top of Page

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 23/05/2009 :  20:11:28  Show Profile  Click to see gingerpony's MSN Messenger address
28-30*C is spot on, congrats

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area
Go to Top of Page
Page: of 2 Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
Next Page
 New Topic  Topic Locked
 Printer Friendly
Jump To:
The Corn Snake Forum © 2000-11 thecornsnake.co.uk Go To Top Of Page
Snitz Forums 2000