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Mhyles
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
 Posted - 18/02/2013 : 19:47:51
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Alright, so I've done my research, but have been told come here by a few people, just for a second opinion. I live in Cavan, for future convenience. I have a budget of €300, that should be enough to get me supplies, a Vivarium and a baby CornSnake right? I've done quite a bit of research, so I know how to keep and look after the Corn, so there's just a few questions I have left to ask. I'm going to be buying my supplies from SurreysPetSupplies, due to its cheapness and cheap shipping. The Corn will be bought from ReptileHaven in Dublin, as I've been told it's a very, very good pet shop and the people working there are very helpful. The Vivarium I have chosen is the VivExotic LX48, it's €115 with shipping and the Corns are €60 for 4 - 6 month, and over 8 months are a little more. I'll most likely go with a 4 - 6 month. So that leaves €125 for Supplies.
Where can I get frozen pinkies from? I'm not going to buy more than this at the moment, as it's not needed, my budget is quite low, and these should last the snake 4 - 5 months, if I'm correct and by then he will have moved on to fuzzys.
What disenfectant can I get from Surreys for cleaning out my cage? I've chosen the Beaphar Insect Spray 50ml for getting rid of, if need be, mites and such.
Should I go HeatMat or Ceramic? I've looked up on this, the HeatMat is cheaper, and the Corns seem to like the heat from beneath more than heat from above. If I go with the HeatMat, is anything else needed, like if I went with Ceramic a gaurd, a holder and a dimmer would be needed, what else is needed with the HeatMat? The HeatMat will be 11nchs x 11inchs, so it will fit into my cage snug, and cover around 1/3 which is perfect for a basking spot, right?
Can you also check my shopping list and make sure everything looks good? Thanks.
VivExotic LX48 €115
Corn Snake €60 - 80
Komodo Aspen Bed Terrain 12 Litre (x2) £11,64
Exo Terra Forest Moss 2x7L £4,26
Zoo Med Sand Scooper TA-30 £3,67
Exo Terra Analogue Thermometer (x2) £5,12 Not sure wether to get this, or a electronic Thermometer.
Exo Terra Reptile Cave Small £3,01
Exo Terra Reptile Cave Medium £3,92
Exo Terra Forest Branch Small (x2) £5,32
Exo Terra Forest Branch Medium (x2) £7,84
Habistat Heat Mat 12w (11in x 11in) £9,82
Exo Terra Water Dish Large £5,51
Beaphar Insect Spray 50ml £6,78
The total of the Pound comes to £66,89 and £11 for shipping which is €90, so I may use the rest to spend on Frozen food, and a few decorative things, and maybe pay for dads, or help to, pay for his petrol up to Dublin. The total, including shipping for the whole thing comes to: €265
Thanks everyone for looking over this, I may have more questions, so I may edit this, or just post them below.
Again thanks. |
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Figs
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3319 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 19:55:51
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You'll need a thermostat to attach to the heat mat 
I wouldnt bother with an analogue thermometer - digi ones are much better. Personally, I'd skip the scooper too, but thats jut me haha |
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herriotfan
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5853 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 20:14:12
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Hi and welcome,
Added to previous post from Figs......
You don't have to have moss. You can use an old damp cloth on top of the warm hide and move the water to the warm side to aid shedding so that's saved you some money straight away!
A hatchling will find that size viv way too big. An adult could happily live in a 36" viv.
So save more money and go for the 36".
You could manage with lots of hides made from cardboard or plastic boxes which saves money on fancy hides. In fact a hatchling will need lots of hides if you're going to put it in a viv. They love the tubes inside toilet and kitchen rolls.
I get my frozen mice from essexreptile and you'll get a discount if you use the code EBAY12 at the checkout.
You could also try bluelizard for F10 disinfectant.
Hope that helps a bit.
I'm sure others will give you more advice.... |
Husband....Very Understanding!!! (Phil)
Son & Daughter (Kevin & Carol)
Granddaughter (Eva)
3.4.0 Cornsnakes Amel (Sidney) Caramel Stripe (Sultan) Amber (Cleo) Carolina (Phoebe) Anery Motley Stripe (Penny) Snow (Lily) Caramel (Holmes)
1.2.0 Royal Pythons(Peeps, Pandora & Pepsi)
1.0.0 Hognose (Hudson)
2.1.0 Dogs (Dillon, Alfie, Ellie)
0.1.0 Senegal Parrot (Peanut)
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons (Bonnie & Clyde)
1.0.0 Crested Geckos (Echo)
0.2.1 Hermanns Tortoises (Ebbie, Rosie & Twiglet)
0.1.0 Guinea Pig (Dolly-Pipsqueak)
0.1.9 Tarantulas (Poppy, Gypsy, Bumble, Insey Winsey, Sonic, Cookie, Raven, Fudge, Titch & Sox)
??? Foster animals
Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex
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Edited by - herriotfan on 18/02/2013 20:14:45 |
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
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Mhyles
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 20:46:26
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Thanks a bunch guys!
The moss, I'm just getting this for the future, just in case. Is it really not worth getting? If it's not, I'll dump it.
The Vivarium, I love the size of the VX48, it seems like a great size for me. I was planning on putting a large piece of cardboard in it, to stop the snake from getting stressed at how large it is, but seeing as that RUB is only a few quid, I may as well just get it, and wait until a later date to get the VX48. Or should I just get the VX48 now, and put it in the attic or something for the future? They're quite hard to get, so I'm just afraid I won't be able to get them in the future. How long will I leave them in that RUB before moving them to the LX48?
I don't have a cat pooper scooper, so I just thought I'd get that one seeing as it's quite cheap. Why not? :P
Any other suggestions? Also, thank you Smart Bunny for the links, and thanks everyone else for the suggestions. Just a question, is that thermostat good quality? I only want good quality things.
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:03:43
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If you get the small exo terra snake cave for the cold side (rather than the reptile cave - yeah, I know lol) then you actually get a little bag of dried moss in there, so that way you would actually have a small amount which you could then use if necessary. You can buy sphagnum moss in garden centres so no need to get any in in advance. I do have moss because I need it for my husband's rainbow boa (they need high humidity and a damp hide at all times) but so far 1 bag has lasted me for several months and I'm not even 1/2 way through it yet!
If you really want a VX or LX 48 and you can get one then I would get it now - the reason they are hard to come by is because vivexotic have discontinued them and have now switched to the viva range, so if you wait until you actually need it there probably won't be any left!
Habistat is the brand which most people swear by ;) You can get microclimate stats, but several people on here have found them to be far less reliable than habistat (in that the temperature fluctuates a lot more). Also habistat are said by some to be the best heat mat brand as well, and I use their mats. |
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Mhyles
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:08:05
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Hmm..
As a matter of interest, how long can the snake stay in the rub before I need to move it into a larger Viv/rub?
Yup, I'm getting a Medium Cave, and a small one, just to mix things up. I'll only use the small one for the time being, as I've read that of you use too big of a cave, they may feel insecure and become stressed.
What is the new Viva range like? What is the difference?
Should I get two Digital Thermometers, or will one for the warm side, and a Exo thermometer (non-digital) for the cold side be alright? |
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Moppet
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3315 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:11:13
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The habistat thermostats are in my opinion the best brand of stats They have the most reliable range of temperature (the smallest range, nice and stable).
I use moss only very rarely, if one of my corn snakes has previously had trouble shedding then I will give them a moist hide which I make out of a tub (margarine or icecream, empty obviously and depending on size of snake). You don't absolutely have to use moss, many people successfully use other things such as damp paper towels, flannels etc etc. I just find moss easier to work with.
A VX48 would be quite a palace, even for an adult corn. I think they are part of the old range that vivexotic do and are no longer in production. They have been replaced by the 'viva' range and so they will be harder to get as time goes by. I house my larger corns in LX36 which are considerably smaller than vx48 and they are quite adequate for space but if you have the room for a larger viv, then I don't see why not.
If you were to house your young corn in a vx48 or something that sort of size from the start you would need to put *LOADS* of places to hide in it otherwise they might feel overwhelmed and vulnerable which could cause problems with feeding etc. Also, you would need to be very very very careful to block up all the gaps as corn snakes are escape artists! If you were to keep it in a RUB first, then to give you an idea of size to move up to something bigger, the general rule is that a corn snake should be no longer than the length plus width of the viv added together.
Good for you doing all this research before getting a corn snake. It sounds like any corn would be lucky to have you as their owner
EDIT: Whoops, I was beaten to it. Serves me right for typing out such a long answer...
The viva range has a slightly different design and is of different dimensions. It is also more expensive and doesn't stack well with the old style vivs (much to everybody's annoyance).
Personally I do not have a thermometer in the cold side as the cold side is just room temperature for me and I wouldn't really change it anyway. As long as the snake has a temperature gradient then it can regulate its own body temperature quite satisfactorily |
2.4.0 Corn snakes
1.0.0 horse
0.1.0 Golden retriever
1.4.0 Guinea pigs |
Edited by - Moppet on 18/02/2013 21:14:48 |
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:27:35
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I mentioned the snake cave as it is different to the reptile cave - the reptile cave is a hide which doesn't have a bottom, if that makes sense, so perfect for the warm side to sit over the mat, the snake cave is an enclosed hide with a lid on it, so no good for a warm side as the heat wouldn't get through the bottom very well, but great if you want to fill it up with bedding for the cold side, or if you should happen to need a damp hide at any point. See the difference here: reptile cave http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/exo-terra-reptile-cave-small.html vs snake cave http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/exo-terra-snake-cave-small.html
I hope I've made sense!
I don't bother with a thermometer in the cold side as that's just room temp - others do though. |
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Mhyles
Snake Mite
4 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:39:56
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I see. Don't really see any point in getting the Snake Cave though tbh.
I think I'll just buy one of those cheap Thermometers for the cold side, just for some sort of reading.
Anyway, thanks guys, I got all the info I need! If I need anymore help, I'll be sure to get back to you all! Thanks a bunch! :) |
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Moppet
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3315 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:46:26
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| You're very welcome. Most of us have all been there too and it is nice that you are researching care and requirements so thoroughly before buying the snake Sadly that isn't always the case. |
2.4.0 Corn snakes
1.0.0 horse
0.1.0 Golden retriever
1.4.0 Guinea pigs |
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
Posted - 18/02/2013 : 21:57:47
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| You are welcome, glad we could help! And as Moppet says, good to see someone doing research before buying, rather than after lol :) |
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coxymk2
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1245 Posts |
Posted - 19/02/2013 : 12:04:46
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| Hello and welcome as others have said it's good to see somebody researching before buying |
0.0.1 ANERY (Liquorice)
0.0.1 CAROLINA (Bangle)
0.0.1 AMEL (Boozer)
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Jayclk
Hatchling
United Kingdom
222 Posts |
Posted - 19/02/2013 : 12:23:02
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some really good advise there i have no need to add to it :)
welcome and have fun this is a good place to be when buying your new corn |
0.0.1 Corn (Pebble)
0.0.1 Corn (Pecan)
0.0.1 Corn (Peaches)
1.0.0 Corn/Rat (Paco)
0.1.0 BCI (Penny)
0.0.1 Normal royal (Reagan)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Gizmo)
0.1.0 Westie - (scooby)
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Thinking About a Corn..
