Well, I have wanted a Gecko for a while, but I recently did some reading on Cornsnakes and I like what I see / read. Are they good for people just starting? One main concern I have is with the feeding; I understand they eat Pinkies, but what I don't quite get (Yes, I am a nub) is whether or not the pinkies are live when fed. I won't mind either way, but if I have a pinkie thats too big for my snake I'll be a little squemish about the 'remove pinkies head' part (If they eat live Pinkies). Do I have to worry about Impaction with cornsnakes, or can I just use washed playsand with a hatchling? Are they very hardy (Will I stress them by picking them up) ? Lastly; how well do drippers work in a Cornsnake terrarium? I'd rather have one or two big days where I replenish the water and feed (2 times a week, yes?). Oh, and also, I'd really apreciate if people could not only post info, but maybe pics of theirs too . Thanks.
Just thought I should add; we have a frequent marijuana user in our house (Medicinal; my grandmother has Glaucoma [sp?]) and I will admit, every now and then I like to take a break from reality; will the scent irritate a cornsnake? I know, I know, very strange / obscure question, but I wanted to make sure before I buy. Thanks
While I have no REAL proof. But I do know reptiles are supposed to have a much greater effect to second hand smoke be it from cigarettes or other forms. I have also heard some perverse stories from a person I truely believe did it( he was a nut) Would blow Weed smoke into the face of his Iggy, attempting to get his iggy high. The iggy supposedly has huge mood swings, incredibly nice to almost fearson in the blink of an eye. These behaviors reportedly did not exist before the weed smoke. How true is it? I dunno. I dont even smoke cigs.
Will Grandma be smoking in the snake's room? If not, I don't think (but I'm not sure) it would be a problem as long as the door to the snake's room stays closed while she smokes. Crack the window, too. Keep in mind this is just my intuition; I'm no authority on the issue.
Erm, I often smoke in my / snakes room, although the window is always open when I do. I'd never think of endangering a pets life, or mental stability by doing something like that. I was at a friends house one day and some jackasses who we didnt even know showed up and blew smoke in my friends cats face. That thing was so insane up until the time it died (Fallen off a tree). I know whats right, dont worry. Back on topic...
starter snake corn snake's are in my mind the best snake for a starter as they are pretty hardy and relatively low maintenance, and if handled correctly and fairly often have an even temprement. I have all my corns on beech chippings or 6mm pea gravel as a substrata, ive never heard of anyone that i know using play sand. when i feed mine (7 of them) i usually put the pinky on top of the hide where there is no substrata to minimise the risk of impaction, although most people in the usa tend to feed theirs in a seperate feeding tub/bucket which does not have any substrata in it so no chance of impaction, the other 1 i feed in a seperate tub as it is housed with another female so that they dont decide to go for the same food item. a dripper is not necessary in a cornsnake viv, just provide a bowl of water (change/check daily) which is big enough for the snake to have a swim in if it wants to, all my corns and my 2 california king snakes like to have the occasional swim. as to the weed smoke, i myself smoke weed and so do most of my friends when they come round, i have not noticed any difference in their behaviour or temprement so i guess mine are ok. It is illegal here in the UK to feed live prey, except in exeptional circumstances so we feed frozen thawed food items and i aint come across a hatchling that cant manage a small pinky yet. hope this helps
Re: starter snake Actually, this post helped ALOT (Not to say the others didn't ). Would a 20 gallon (long) sized tank house a corn snake well? As for the 'swimming' area, what dimensions do you reccomend? Thanks.
A corn snake only needs a water bowl big enough for them to fit into to soak when they are ready to shed and need the increase in humidity. Like susy said, you can buy frozen feeders and just thaw them in hot water or under the heat lamp. A 20 gallon long is perfect for one corn snake. They need a couple of hides and a few rough (not sharp) rocks to help them shed (they'll rub against them) and the the warm side of the cage should be between 78 and 85 degrees and the cool side between 78-80 degrees during the day. Then at night the temps on both sides can drop about 5 degrees or so. You'll read about a variety of different opinions about temps, those are just rough estimates. The humidity should be around 40 to 50% unless they are shedding then you want to increase it to about 80% by spraying the cage a couple times a day or use an ultrasonic humidifier. Make sure whatever type of cageyou get, it's secure. Young snakes are notorious for escaping and they're next to impossible to find once loose.
