Im a NOOB

[Adam]

Hey guys Im new here and with snakes. I guess I will
give you a little background about myself. When I was
in 6th grade we had some people come to my school
with reptiles and amphibians as part of a science class.
Well I saw a snake and I thought it was beautiful and
I said, I am going to get me a snake like this one. Well,
I just did after so many years. I got it on Thursday, March
10, 2005. I don't know to much about snakes only from
what I have seen on National Geographic channel. My
corn snake looks a lot like Vickie's Amber. My snake is
five months old and looks a 100% healthy. I got him/her
for $60 which I thought was a good deal considering
another pet shop selling one for $120. I would appreciate
any help and suggestions as I am still new. I feel I have a
good home for my snake. I will try and post some pictures
of my snake and his/her housing. Thank you all

[John Pilling]

Hey Adam welcome to the forum.

Just a few pointers in the right direction.

1) heating should be on a gradiant, warm side around 82-84 degree f, cool side about 72-75.

2) Have at least 2 hides 1 on the warm side and 1 on the cool side, and if you can 1 in the middle (just as a bonus).

3) feed little and often 1 pinkie every 5 days to start then 2 pinkies every 5-6 days then a fuzzie every 6 days, then a small mouse every 7 days and so on.

4) when your snake is shedding (when it turns blue) use eather a humidity box or a spray bottle, i use a spray bottle but both work equally as well.

Anything else or for more details just ask, but that should be enough for starters.

Cant wait to see the pics, i love amel, but not as quite as much as snows ;D.

[Keith]

Congrats on becoming a snake owner. Welcome to the forum, you've come to the right place. I've had snakes for about 5 months, and everyone here has been and is very helpful. Any questions you have, just ask. Can't wait to see pics.

[mourne]

Hi Adam welcome to the forum.John the "boss" is a great guy u`ll find him very imformitive guy he will give you all the help he can and if he doesn`t know he will say so and point you in the right direction. Hope you will be happy here among us lot

corns rule

[MERCURY]

Hi Adam welcome to the forum .
youve made the right choice getting a corn , they rock.
Ill look forward to seeing your pics and hearing more about the little guy/gal as he/she grows.
If you ever have any questions no matter what it is , me and the other members will be more than happy to answer them Im sure.

[Adam]

I was just trying to remember all the things that pet
shop owner was telling me and I remembered him
saying that I am the new owner of a Creamsicle
corn snake. That should give you guys some idea
before I starte posting pictures....if I can figure it out.

[Muphesto]

welcome aboard a great group of guys and gals here

everyones pleased to help and feel free to ask anything u want and im sure ull have an answer fast

p.s well done on a corn mate and i hope it brings u years of joy like i hope it does for me and everyone else

[Adam]

Ok...heres a question. When I purchased my snake
I was given a free mouse as a gift for my purchase.
Well I had tossed this baby mouse in the cage with
my snake and my snake has not eaten it. I do remeber
the pet shop owner saying he had just eaten a few days
before I bought him/her. Lately they have been sleeping
side by side not bothering each other. When the time
comes for my creamsicle to feed, will he/she eat the
mouse? Also once it defecates does that mean he/she
will be ready to eat again? One more question. I have
been thinking about getting more reptiles and possibly
other types of snakes. Are there any other snakes or
lizzards that will not live peacefully with my corn snake?

[Muphesto]

firstly toss that mouse in the bin
it will be rotting and not fit for eating (if u value ur snakes health at all)

2nd dont put anything in with a corn at all ! except another corn...for more info ask more about this and all will be answered

please please please bin that mouse just now

[John Pilling]

The only thing that will sucsesfully live with a corn is another corn.

Throw the mouse and buy some more you can keep in the freezer (if your allowed), if not just buy 1 for when you intend feeding. Another tip is not to just throw it in, try a pair of tweezers or something similar to hold the tail of the mouse and wiggle it gentley about 6 inches from the snake to try and induce a strike responce.
If this doesn't work then place the snake and the mouse in a small plastic container with a lid with air holes in and leave them together for a while (i use clear tubs so i know as soon as the snake has finished), then gentley put the snake back in his viv.

If he doesn't take it within, say an hour then put the snake back in the vav and the mouse on top of a hide or peice of bark and leave overnight, if it's still teir in the morning toss the mouse, if not he was hungrey.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Adam]

The mouse is still alive should I toss him anyway?

[Vicki]

I would take the mouse out now if your snake is not eating it. Feeding live is a greater risk that feeding frozen/thawed mice as it is possible the mouse could bit or harm the snake. Also as the snake is only a hatchling he/she may not be quick enough to restrict the mouse and that may also end up in the snake getting hurt.

Im the UK it is illegal for us to feed live mice but in the US it is much more common.

From the day you first bring your new snake home you should leave it about 3 days. During this time all you should do is change the water and disturd the snake as little as possible. On the fourth day you can take the snake out and handle it for about 10-15mins. Then offer a mouse.

After feeding the snake should be left alone for 48hours to allow the mouse to digest. If you handle the snake before it has digested there is a good chance of a regurg (it will bring the mouse back up).

Feed your snake weekly, prefrebly on the same day each week (it is easier to keep track this way). I would advise you buy frozen mice and keep them in the freezer. When you are ready to feed put one mouse in warm water for about 15mins to defrost. Then offer it to your snake. You can leave the mouse with the snake for 24hours but then it must be removed as it will start to be a breeding ground for bacteria.

If you feed the snake in the vivarium then place the mouse on some kitchen towel or the lid from a food container or something. This will prevent the snake from digesting some of the substrate which can be dangerous.

I hope this has helped a bit.

Oh and welcome to the forum Adam ;D

[Vicki]

Also I suggest you by a book called 'The Corn Snake Manual' by Kathy Love. This is available from amazon.com and may other places. It will have in it all the info you need to keep a corn. But anything you need to know we will all be more than happy to help you out ;D

[mourne]

Adam Vickis advice is all good.What i also do is put a small slit in the head of the mouse so that the snakes stomach acids get to the insides of the mouse quicker as the skin is said to be hard for some hatchlings to get digested.I got this tip from i think Hurley in cornsnakes.com she has been doing it and i agree mine seem to have done better ie. digesting quicker and slightly quicker growth by doing this. What does everyone else think of this have any of you done this?

[Vicki]

I normally put a small hole by its head to increase the scent. I have also started putting about 3 slits along the spine of the mouse with a stanley blade (be careful) for Amber now she has started eating as once she gets back on track i will be feeding her more often and so it will be beneficial for her to digest quicker.

But yes it is a good idea, but beware if you snake usually restictis its mouse you may end up with blood and guts all over the place, yuk

[John Pilling]

Sorry mate i didn't realise it was a live mouse, same advice as Vicki gave in this case.

[Dave]

dont feed the corn live if you have only just started with snakes, i have seen awfull live feeding accidents that involved both a ball python and a red tailed boa amongst many that had been ripped to shreads by mice and rats it cost the new owner of the rtb a year of vet runs and over £1000 to repair the damage! buy dead frozen mice, keep them in the freezer take one out every say 4-5 days and leave it out for 2 hours then warm it up by putting warm water in a container and submerging the mouse for say half a minute then put a small inciscion in the side of its head like john said and with tweezers teeze the snake a little just enough to get it to strike, also do not put the mouse against the snakes snout otherwise you will scare it! this is just my way of doing it an i havnt had a corn that hasn't ate in a year of owning them, i also own a ball python(commonly stubborn to feed and often starve themselves) and have not had a problem, sorry if this contridicts anybody else but its just my way!

[John Pilling]

Here are a couple of pic's just to demonstrate the damage that live feeding can do. This is, i think, a BP.





Imagine if this was a corn, it wouldn't survive as they are not as strong as python's or boa's.

[Dave]

cheers john, it is actually a red tail boa, the previous owner left live food with it! just want to show what damage the mice can do

[Dave]

also just a quick thankyou to louise for letting me use her photos!