Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Matjoss · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject: New Snake

Hi all

Ive taken the plunge and bought my first corn snake apparently about two weeks old. I bought a small plastic vivarium for the time being until I build a bigger better one.

I also bought a heat mat but it doesn't seem to be doing much to the temperature. Its only achieving 68 degrees. I have also bought a heat bulb kit with a thermostat but I cant use this on the plastic vivarium. Is it safe for the snake to live in 68 degrees ish for a week or two? Until I can build a nice one.

Also the pet shop couldn't tell me if the snake is a male or female. How old does a snake have to be before you can tell the sex?

Ill post some pics soon.

Matt.

Matjoss · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject: Another question

Hi

the pet shop guy said the pinkies had to be boiled in water for 3 mins then fed to the snake. Ive not read anything on line that mentions boiling the mice. I know it should be thoroughly defrosted but is it necessary to boil for 3 mins?

Thanks.

Matt.

lol93 · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:07 pm Post subject:

No, the pinkies should not be boiled! As long as they are thoroughly defrosted, then that's fine. If you want to warm them up a bit before giving them to your snake, then you could either put the pinkie in a small plastic bag and dunk it in warm water(not boiling!), or give it a quick blast with a hairdryer.

Hope you post some pics soon! Laughing

davo · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:54 am Post subject:

That'll start cooking the mice! Have heard pinkies can "explode" too. No just defrost it, or like said put it in some luke warm water or whatever to speed it up. I put mine on an aquarium hood that is just ommiting some warmth. 20 degreesC is quite cool, in which im sure your snake will survive for a period of time, they are hardy snakes, but i'm not sure if i'd feed it at that temp. How have you set up the viv, cause 20 degrees is about room temperature meaning the heat matt would be doing nothing, unless you have a cold house.

peaches · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:12 pm Post subject:

Have you attached the heat mat to the stat and adjusted the temperature controller? You really must get those temps higher before you try and feed as Davo has said.
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Matjoss · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:27 pm Post subject: Do snakes hide food

Sorry I seem to have got 2 posts running here is a copy of my post from my other thread.

Hi thanks for the replies.

I bought my corn on Saturday and the pet shop guy said they have had him for 3 days and not fed him yet. They didn't know when the last time it had bean fed ( I have to call it IT as I don't know if he/she is male or female lol). Anyway I know you are probably meant to let the snake settle in for a few days before feeding but I didn't know if it was more than a week before it was fed.

So this afternoon I defrosted a pinkie cut it in half as my snake is very small and placed it in a small plastic bottle. I left it near its hide half an hour later I could see the snake half in the bottle, then I went out for a few hours. When I came home the plastic bottle was empty. Now I have wood shavings for sub strait ( Provided by the pet shop ) is it likely that the snake has hidden the food or do you think it ate it?

What I mean is are snakes known for hiding food?

If it has eaten the food I don't want to disturb it by searching the Viv.

If it has eaten the food when would I be able to handle it again?

Thanks for your help and advice.

Matt.

Matjoss · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: Heat mat control

The mat doesn't seem to give of much heat if I add the thermostat will it get hotter? I just presumed it would be at its hottest if I just plug it in.

The Viv is a plastic box with 10mm plastic feet in each corner.

Sorry I fed the snake before I received your posts not to feed at that temp. Well I hope he ate anyway. The food might be hidden somewhere.

Thanks.
Matt.

Stuart · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:05 pm Post subject:

I'm sorry but are you serious or on a wind up?
Snakes aren't squirrels they do not hoard food..your lucky you still have a snake if you did feed it a "boiled pinkie"..no need to cut the pink in half a young corn will take one easily.I would get rid of the substrate also and use paper towel for now.Heat mats provide more of a hot spot they do not radiate heat very well so having it plugged in un connected to a stat is risky..no matter what you do with a heat mat you won't heat the air temps by much.
Sorry if I seem abrupt but surely you must have done some reading up on snakes before you got this one?..Can you post some pics of the set up you have him in please.
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reeve105a · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject:

davo · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject:

hehe i just got a funny image of my head of a baby corn inside its hide with a small pile of pinkies ready for winter lol.

All joking asside, as stu mentioned, you'd be suprised what a young corn can wolf down, and most of the time they have no problem with pinks.

Just to give you an idea of how i've set up vivs for young corns, is in a small plastic container, and attached (if raised) or rested on a heat matt that covers roughly half or slightly less of the container. You should have a thermostatt which is attached to the heatmatt, and has a cable that you can either tape it to the matt very securely (spare matt protruding) or place the end (with sensor) directly on the floor, in the warmest end over where the matt would be. Obviously youo should have a drinking bowl (over the cool side) and a hide. I found that if you cut a piece of roll tube or the inner of a toilet roll (depending on size) in half, then you can use this to be a hide over both ends of the viv, and can choose its thermal gradient that the snake needs. Stu wisely pointed out that you should measure the temperature over the warm end and on the cage floor, because of heat matts won't heat the air like ceramics and light heaters do. The thermostatt is there to regulate the heat, and really control the matt so it doesnt overheat. You understand the snake needs the heat to be able to digest his food.

Sorry if this all sounds very basic or condesending in any way, but as stu has stated (and i agree) it doesn't seem you have done too much research into the husbandry or even basic facts of your new corn. Please, please, do the research before buying anything, so you can take care of it, and just as importantly make sure its the right thing for you/you can look after it properly. This is constructive criticism, and hope you don't take it offensively. If you have other questions, i am sure the members here will be happy enough to answer them, as it is important for the snake at least.