Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a few questions about the care of my cornsnake that I could not find.

1)currently I am using a "forest bed" substrate that you soak and then break apart. Is that ok to use? As I was in petsmart yesterday getting food, I saw "aspen snake bedding", but was afraid it was like a pine or cedar...is that better/suitable. He LOVES TO BURROW. Thanks.
2)I read that UV bulbs can cause harm in the albino snakes because they lack the proper pigmentation to protect them. I am currently using a repti-sun 5.0 bulb, but would that hurt him/her. I am pretty certain that it is the Amelistic cornsnake. Would he not have sufficient pigmentation?
3)I currently have the heat lamp on for ~6 hours and the main strip light on from 9:00a.m. - 9:00p.m. Do I need more/less light and more/less heat. Thank You.

He/she is currently feeding on pinkies and is in my 40gln with the substrate mentioned above, light mentioned above and vines, large water bowl, cut out hiding place on opposite end of basking area, and he/she is almost a foot long.
Thank You!

1) I would not use that substrate - it's for amphibians. I think the best substrate is newspaper. If you MUST use some other type of substrate, aspen bedding and Care Fresh are good choices. Both contain dust, which will invariably settle to the bottom of the enclosure where your snake hides. Then it will probably breathe in the dust. That's why I like newspaper, although there are people who have kept snakes on other substrates successfully.

2) Corn snakes do not need UV light. They really don't need any light other than natural room light. Corn snakes are best heated with an undertank heating pad that covers about 1/3 of the bottom of their cage, or in the case of rack systems, heat tape.

3) Don't use a heat lamp. Get a heating pad and leave it on 24/7.

I wouldn't keep a baby snake in a 40 gallon. I have found that baby snakes do best in relatively small enclosures. You might want to read some books and care sheets on corn snakes. I have a care sheet on my website and most others who frequently post here have care sheets as well.

Tim

Third Eye

I use aspen bedding and have one corn snake who hides and one who prefers burrowing under the bedding - I just keep it thick - I used to use the jungle substrate but heard mite eggs can be in it. I do not use UV light - I read most snakes don't need it. One of my corn snakes is albino and the other is not. I use a red light during the day and a purple (black) light at night (I don't have a lot of natural sunlight in my room) and I always keep the light and the heating pad on the same side. I also keep a hide box on both the warm and cold sides, so they don't have to chose between temperature and hiding. I think that a 20-gallon would probably be a better size if the big cage overwhelms your snake - or you could block off half of it at first and then remove the blockade when he gets a little bigger.

Also, once mine got a little bigger, I took him outside and let him climb a little tree for exercise and he really likes it. It usually helps when he is ready to go potty for him to get that exercise.

I feed frozen/thawed small mice and fuzzies (my albino is twice the size of the regular corn).

You will learn what your snake likes and these are hearty guys. My albino was my first snake ever and he was already about 24 inches long. Don't be too scared of messing up - just watch him closely at first while he establishes a pattern and you establish a routine and you'll know if something is wrong!

I found a LOT of info online and ordered several books about corn snakes from Barnes & Noble online - and found one locally at a pet store. They were very helpful!

Thanks guys. I now moved him into one of my smaller aquariums and am using a "cage carpeting" until this weekend when I can go out to get the aspen. I checked to see if the "carpeting" had strings or something he would get tangled on but it was completely flat. It is one of those washable ones. I didn't use newspaper because if he were to defecate then the ink would moisten up. Right now he is under a silk bush. I bought an undertank heater last night. I now have a normal strip light on the smaller aquarium. When I figure out how to post pictures I will do so.
Last night when I was putting him in the newer small tank he drank water while he was still coiled in my hand. It was so funny. Are corn snakes supposed to be this addicting?

It sounds like you're on the right track!
And yes, they are addicting.

Tim

in the bottom of your tank. That is what I use now. I used to use cage carpet, but it was a pain spraying it off (especially in the winter). Then I tried aspen, but it went everywhere and I hate to vacuum that much. I tried the paper towels, and haven't changed since.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host

Yes they are addicting - mine is so sweet, I take him lots of places. He has even used me (my earrings) to shed - some snakes don't even let you see them when they shed. I'd get him something besides bushes to hide under, my rat loves his coconut shell and my corn snakes favorite thing is a rock looking thing with a small entrance - I put a branch in front of it, so it even hides the entrance for him to peak out. But he comes out a lot at night under the black light. Sometimes, he'll go through stages where I come home at a certain time and he is sitting with his head poking out of the hidey box like he's a dog waiting for me. Then he comes out and crawls around!

I feed mine in a 10-gallon with that green carpet and he likes to go potty in there instead of messing up his cage. It makes it a lot easier to clean up!

Hello again. I do have a hide cave but he does not use it. That is why I said he hides under the bush. Such a funny little snake. Today is feeding day. The last time he ate was Sunday so it has been 3 days. In the book I have it says feed young corns every 3-4 days so, when I get home, I hope he has an appetite. Thanks again.

i know this is gonna sound funny, but a majority of my snakes LOVE toilet paper tubes... even paper towel tubes for adults.... dont know why, but try it as a treat and see if they like it..

~kin
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SNAKIES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corns:
.1 Normal (Gertrude) [just a pet...she started it all]
1. Orange normal (Romeo)
1.2 Miami Phase (Hector, Emily, Charlotte) thanks jeff!
2. Miami Phase part zigzag (Starkey, Mcvitty)[Emilys F2]
1. Amel het Blizzard (Dunesbury) .1 Blizzard (Detta)
1. Classic het Hypo, poss het Amel, Anery (Cobra)
1.1 Classics (Henry VIII, Cassy) [Emilys F1 babies]
.1 Amel (Pepperoni) .1 Reverse Okeetee (Lonna)
1.1 Hypo zig zags poss HET Caramel (Bernard, Abegail)
.1 Hypo HET Stripe (Gracie Lou) 1. Hypo Stripe (Gideon)
1.1 Anery HET Motley (Lleroy, Persia)
.1 Candy Cane (Peaches HoneyBlossom) [Just a pet]
1. Abbotts Okeetee (Albert) [Charlottes son]
1.1 Snow (Crickle, Isis) .1 Green Snow (Maya)
1. Caramel poss het butter (Topher)
.1 Anery stripe (V) [husbands snake...he named it]

Others:
1.1 Black rats (Willard, Cecily)
1.1 Striped Cal Kings (Dweezil, Skunky)
1. High-white Reverse Spotted Cal King (Wishbone)
.1 Albino Stripe Cal King (Eve)
.1 Bananna spotted/stripe cal king (no name) Thanks Jeff!!!
1.1 Thayeri (Giuseppe[MSP], Cheyenne)
1.1 Creamsicle HET Motley(Orangejello, Genevieve)
1. Creamsicle motley (no name) Thanks Jimmy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~LEOPARD GECKOS~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Normal het Midnight Blizzard (Mr. Spot)
.1 Blizzard (Blitz)
.1? unknown High yellow and brown spots... (no name)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~TURTLES~~~~~~~~~~~~
.1 white cheeked mud (Opel)
.1 snapping turtle (no name, ideas welcome)
~~~~~~~~~~~~OTHER~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.0.1 American toad

I should have read your reply before I replied! Yes, the tube thing is popular - I've heard you can get PVC pipe too - it's cheap - I like the log that I bought at a pet store - it has holes in it for peeking and/or getting out of but is mostly solid. It's also pretty big around on one end and narrow, so he can turn around or curl up in the end.

My rat snake doesn't use the rock either - one of the corn snakes likes a hollow log also. Mine almost always hides on the cool side but now that we've had some really cold days, he will move to the log, which is on the warm side. Good luck!

Thank You! I just found him hiding in the cave this morning.