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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
 Posted - 06/02/2010 : 13:07:10
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Speaking from experience and with the benefit of insight there are things I would have done BEFORE getting my first corn.
I have put this thread here so that some of the more experienced keepers can add things they would have done/did do before getting their first corns so that some of the members that have joined already before getting their snakes can benefit from the advice.
Top of my list would have been joining this forum and spending a few weeks in here reading the threads before I took on the responsibility and its nice to see that some new members are already doing that. |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 13:51:42
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i would have joined the forum properly i think, but to be honest i think i did everything i needed to do before getting my corn.
I didn't join this site but i did read the caresheet and numerous amounts of the threads, made sure that i knew everything that i needed to. Making sure that before i got my corn i had the tank set up ready with the temperatures correct.
One thing i would say, is before getting your corn it is best to have your viv or faun already set up with everything ready for your corns arrival. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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reptiledanny
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1809 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 15:06:37
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good idea element, well.
first i would have researched every kind of snake to make sure that a corn snake was the one for me. i only new about corns so thats what i got. glad i did but wish i would have searched a bit more on other snakes.
2. i would have got the setup the week before. i bought the setup the same day i got my corn at the same time.
3. made sure that i new everything about the equipment i needed. didn't know for a year that i needed a thermostat. lucky monty didn't get to hot or burn. thats one of my biggest mistakes.
4. jioned this forum. that would have made a great help to actually ask other people rather than the shop.
5. found a breeder. i love monty and his colours but wish i would have found a breeder so i had more of a choice of morphs.
these are the things that i would have done but i didn't and am hapy with my result, monty! |
1.1 royal pythons 0.1 hog island boa 1.0 corn snake
sig made by stapey |
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 15:34:12
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| I hear you there Danny. Especially the viv thing. I got mine two days before Colin arrived I wish it had been longer and I relied too much on the advice of shops which sometimes can be vague (and conflicting). I daresay I "got away with" a lot but if I could take the time back I would have changed "got away" with the "right way" hense giving the opportunity here for others to learn by our mistakes. |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 16:16:21
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my first snake came home from the pet shop with his glass tank, mat and bulb - no stat because one wasn't even mentioned by the shop. There was a choice of brownish ones and orange ones (not a clue what the fancy morph name was) so i chose the orange one. I didn't have any books and didn't even know reptile forums existed. All i knew was mat goes on at night, bulb goes on during the day, feed him a pinky once a week, and keep the water fresh.
So if i knew then what I know now, I'd do EVERYTHING differently :) (except I'd still have chosen the orange one!) |
Forum - Guide to Cornsnake Morphs - Punnett Square Calculator - Breeder Directory
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 16:20:28
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quote:
Originally posted by elament
I hear you there Danny. Especially the viv thing. I got mine two days before Colin arrived I wish it had been longer and I relied too much on the advice of shops which sometimes can be vague (and conflicting). I daresay I "got away with" a lot but if I could take the time back I would have changed "got away" with the "right way" hense giving the opportunity here for others to learn by our mistakes.
I have to say i am glad i found this forum before i got my corn because alot of the advice given in shops is bad if not completely wrong. For instance the shop io bought casper from told me that i could house multiple corns in the same tank and they would be absolutely fine as if there was no downside or argument against it. They also didnt include a thermostat in their starter kits as they didnt think it was a necesary piece of equipment, had i not seen this forum i may well have not gotten a thermostat, which obviously could have ended badly.
I believe i did everything right, but most of it is because i managed to find this site during my research into corns and other snakes. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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Sammysnake
Yearling
United Kingdom
606 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 19:35:41
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I'm a firm believer in lots of research before entering into anything important. I spent months looking at different care sheets to decide what type of snake I wanted, then I found and joined this forum reading everything I could and then chatted to the guys in the reptile shop and posted questions on the forum when their advice differed from what I'd read. I've been teaching my daughter the importance of checking out a variety of sources whenever you are looking for information to see where it is repeated and where it differs, then looking at which is the most trustworthy source.
I've found this forum to be invaluable - to get immediate responses to questions from multiple people with different experiences and to be able to view the debate that brings up is amazing - thanks so much everyone. Oh and thanks for all the sig photos too which meant I knew what morph I wanted before I found the breeder . |
08 male Carolina Corn ‘Saracen’
09 male Anery Corn ‘Twilight’
08 male Rankins Dragon ‘Keydo’ |
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 19:35:49
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| Dont suprise me the amount of times I have heard oh you dont need a thermostat you can "get away" without using one. |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 20:07:07
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quote:
Originally posted by elament
Dont suprise me the amount of times I have heard oh you dont need a thermostat you can "get away" without using one.
Yer completely agree, to many shops say they are not needed when in actual fact its an invaluable piece of kit, and for a basic one not even that expensive. I think i payed around £17 for my Mat stat 100's and with a bit of looking around could of probably got them cheaper. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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SexyBear77
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3796 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 20:37:45
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I would have done a lot more research- when I first got Casper he was in a glass tank, with no covered sides, 1 hide, no stat and calci-sand as substrate.
At the time my parents bought him I was only 14, and they didn't have a clue about snakes, so we didn't know any better.
If there were forums like this that I had known about, then Casper would probably have had a much nicer upbringing  |
9.11 Cornsnakes
1.1 Hogg island boas
1.0 Dwarf Burmese python
Location: Watford
Website- http://rassnakes.yolasite.com/ |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2010 : 05:42:59
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One thing not mentioned yet is the need for a digital thermometer as well as a thermostat...because you shouldnt just trust the thermostat.
Otherwise everything else seems to have been covered...especially the importance of joining a forum such as this and asking questions - and the very dodgy advice given by many pet shops  (hence the warning I give most newbies to check any advice they are given with the forum!!)
I must admit that it is refreshing to hear how someone like the Morph Master started out, and that he had to learn just like we all did and that he made mistakes just as we all have done - wow, he is actually human...not half snake like I always suspected  !!
xxx |
  
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2010 : 13:17:02
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Thing I notice about this thread is any mistakes that are being mentioned probably would not have happened had we been members of this forum beforehand lol Kinda tells you something that dont it.
edit: wording |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
Edited by - elament on 07/02/2010 13:18:05 |
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reptiledanny
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1809 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2010 : 14:14:26
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quote:
Originally posted by eeji
my first snake came home from the pet shop with his glass tank, mat and bulb - no stat because one wasn't even mentioned by the shop. There was a choice of brownish ones and orange ones (not a clue what the fancy morph name was) so i chose the orange one. I didn't have any books and didn't even know reptile forums existed. All i knew was mat goes on at night, bulb goes on during the day, feed him a pinky once a week, and keep the water fresh.
So if i knew then what I know now, I'd do EVERYTHING differently :) (except I'd still have chosen the orange one!)
i now what you mean. i new a bit about morphs when i got monty but only the basic ones that the shop had. ghost, amel, snow and blizard were the only ones there. didn't like any with red eyes, so ghost was the option. love him but i don't know if i had had more chioce if i would had picked a ghost. still love him so much and love his morph, wouldn't change monty for anything. but ... |
1.1 royal pythons 0.1 hog island boa 1.0 corn snake
sig made by stapey |
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2010 : 14:49:08
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| LOL I can sense another corn coming on danny |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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newsnakekeeper
Hatchling
United Kingdom
222 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2010 : 22:42:13
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| I must admit i have got to agree with a lot of what was said on here. Rep shops just tell you what they think you need to hear to part with your hard earned cash. I wish i had found this forum before i did to find out more information about corn snakes. I am pleased that i did find it and the advice i have read and been given here is a lot better than what rep shops say to you. Especially when u have members who have been keeping corns for a few years. Keep up the good work |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 03:55:45
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quote:
Originally posted by reptiledanny
quote:
Originally posted by eeji
my first snake came home from the pet shop with his glass tank, mat and bulb - no stat because one wasn't even mentioned by the shop. There was a choice of brownish ones and orange ones (not a clue what the fancy morph name was) so i chose the orange one. I didn't have any books and didn't even know reptile forums existed. All i knew was mat goes on at night, bulb goes on during the day, feed him a pinky once a week, and keep the water fresh.
So if i knew then what I know now, I'd do EVERYTHING differently :) (except I'd still have chosen the orange one!)
i now what you mean. i new a bit about morphs when i got monty but only the basic ones that the shop had. ghost, amel, snow and blizard were the only ones there. didn't like any with red eyes, so ghost was the option. love him but i don't know if i had had more chioce if i would had picked a ghost. still love him so much and love his morph, wouldn't change monty for anything. but ...
I am not sure I agree with the whole researching a morph thing before you get your snake....unless you are planning on breeding of course. Problem is if you go onto somewhere like iansviv (fantastic site that it is, of course Eeji  ), you can then get your heart set on a certain morph and that gives you tunnel vision. You also can become blind to the beauty of a simple snake like an anery (just look at Silvesta) and a ghost. I do love the different morphs and there are certain ones I would definitely like to own one day, but if I had felt like that before I got my first corn I wouldnt have got Kellog or Silvesta....And, of course, the morphs I like would be hard to get. I guess all I am saying is not to close your mind to what some may see as the 'common' morphs....
And Eeji, again, it is nice hearing how you started out and knowing where you have got to now....gives us all hope !
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 08:32:55
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I agree totally with that. Since I have had colin I did the Ians viv thing to find out what morph he was and there was a lot of "oo look at that one" and "oh my gosh isnt that one beautiful" and I may have overlooked a simple amel such as Colin and I am glad I didnt because he is one in a million. Knowing what I know now though, like eeji, i still wouid have chosen the orangy one. Wouldnt be without colin now. He is sooo laid back. Nothing fazes him.
Xena was a different ballgame as she kinda found me as she is a rescue snake. Personally I love them all and would have loads if i let myself run away but I am sticking with two. Thats enough breath holding at shed times for me lol
But if you are new to all this and are trying to decide what morph you want be warned Ians viv will leave you wanting about 20 snakes lmao |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 09:29:11
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| oh yeah and I would def have laid out a few more pennies and got pulse stats. The habistat on off ones I have are rubbish. I have had three go wrong on me in two months. |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 11:08:53
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I have Microclimate ministats, they were pretty cheap so i didnt expect much but there ok. Bit of a pain to set up initially but once you have the temperatures set there ok.
I did have one break on me but the shop replaced it.
Deffinitely think when i move mine up to vivs i may just invest in pulse stats. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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elament
Yearling
United Kingdom
942 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 12:37:39
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Well I gotta say I been happily surprised by eureps response to my latest broken stat. They have replaced it no questions asked so I cant knock them for that but I would still have pulse stats and will when I can afford an upgrade.
Oh and echoing Kellog with the digital thermometer. I wish i had got them right from the off too. Still you live and learn. |
1.1.0 Amel Corns Colin and Xena
1.0.0 Dog Talan
1.1.0 Cats Wotsit and Willow
1.0.0 Ferret Chaos
Location: Lowestoft Suffolk |
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Before getting your first corn...
