Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys, im really serious about getting a corn snake real soon cause i have been hearing that they are easy to keep and lots of other stuff, i just have quite a few questions and i hope u guys can answer them for me =)

Well here it goes:

1. I have a 27 Gallon 36"x12"x15" (15 is height and 12 is width), is dat suitable for a corn snake when it is fully grown?

2. I have a hammock that i used to use for my iguana, should i keep it in the tank? do u think my corn snake will go on it?

3. also about the heating part, i have a heating lamp, but it is 150 watts, should i change it to any specific kind of bulb for heat? i also have a heating pad

4. The Corn snake i will be getting will most probably be a baby and im just wondering what kind of substrate i should use( i have been thinking of using those quilted paper towels like Bounty) or maybe aspen shavings.....are those a good idea?

5. i have been reading about lighting and some people say that u need UV lightning and some say you don't...i really do not want to waste my money buying UVB lighting for my snake if he will not need it

6. Can i give my snake baths? for example...put it in a bath tub for him to swim in?

7. are branches necessary for corn snakes? do they actually climb?

8. i was thinking of getting those "blue bulbs" for nocturnal animals, do you think that those are useful for snakes? (should i keep it on all night?)

9. i should not handle my corn snake when i first buy it for about 4-5 days right? but should i feed it as soon as i buy it?

10. Do i ask the person at the pet shop to feed the corn snake before i buy it or what do i say to him......?

I know this is a lot and you mihgt go ask me to read up on them, i have read TONS of pages but it seems that these questions arent realy answered there since all webpages copy their stuff from each other you know? i hope someone with experience can help me, thank u very much!

Yes, I for sure think you should ask to see the snake eat, if you purchase it from a pet store. You don't want to get home and the snake want eat. I bought a hatchling from the pet store and I went and got a pinky and fed her in the pet store myself. I told them if she eats I will buy her. So they let me do......
She ate and now she has a wonderful home with me...
Good Luck!

1. 27gal is more than suitable for a single grown corn

2. can't hurt to put in and see, if not, take it out

3. heating favorites are under the tank heaters (UTH), never put anything inside the tank, 150W seems like a little much, I use 60W and thats definitely sufficient. Depends on ambient temperatures, if you have A/C etc. Regular summer temps and sunlight through the window should be sufficient in the summer if you live somewhere warm. UTH and some over the tank lighting can't hurt during those cold winters...

4. paper towel is great, aspen is good... buy fancy stuff when he/she gets older

5. corns are nocturnal = no UVB necessary.

6. I bathe mine every few months in some regular soapy water to keep away bacteria and germs. They don't seem to like it but it keeps them clean. Think of shedding as a method of self-cleaning too...

7. Don't be surprised if they don't. If you're looking for them to "hang out" in a really fancy tree you spent $$$ you're probably going to be sadly disappointed.

8. I use red because I was told they can't see that wavelength of light. Looks cool too

9. I'd get it eating first, wait a few days, make sure it eats, then slowly work him/her into being handled a few minutes at a time and increasing the time each time.

10. I usually make them feed right in front of me if I don't trust them.

in addition, that 27gal is probably too big for a hatchling, you'll probably have to keep him/her in something smaller until he/she grows a bit. Too big aparently stresses, although I've never had trouble with my hatchlings in my 20G longs... Again, I stress MIGHT (i.e. if you do use the 27gal and it stops eating, that might be one of the reasons though I bet 95% of the time it's improper temps...

ALSO, buy two thermometers and DO NOT stick them to the side of the tank. Lay them right on top of your substrate so you get accurate ventral temperatures (VERY IMPORTANT)

My substrate of choice (I use for my hatchlings and adults = reptibark

GOOD LUCK!

thank u very much, that really helped me! oh yeah, i think u might be right about the 27 gallon being too big for a baby corn becoz i notice that in pet stores, they keep their baby corn snakes in those "mini" plastic tanks that cost like $5, but i notice they use calci sand or somethin for their substrate.....should i keep them in a mini tank or should i juse put quite a few "hiding spots" in my 27 gallon tank so they can find a nice place to rest? thanks once again

stay away from calcisand!!!! Stay away from all sands!

reasons:

1.) It makes a gigantic mess to clean during annual or biannual full tank cleanings (bleechings).

2.) It gets stuck everywhere can supposidly gets impacted even in snakes

3.) It's expensive

4.) It makes a gigantic mess

stick to aspen or reptibark, I guarentee you won't be disappointed.

oh thanx, i trust you about not using sand then
just wondering something thouhg,i heard that "reptibark" has moisture in it and too much moisture might make the snake get blister disease or something like that..hehe just wanna know ur thouhgts on that =)

my ball python and both adult corns have never had a bad shed since I switched from aspen to reptibark. It holds the perfect amt of moisture, spray it down max once a month. If you have some bad sheds with normal eating then maybe spray down substrate once a week...

just as long as you don't spray it down every day there's no chance it will hold too much moisture. Looks great too