Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, I posted this at RepticZone, but I haven't got any advice...

Hey all,

I need some input on quite a few subjects. I just purchased three baby cornsnakes around a month or two old today. They’re all about 12" long. I have a male butter, and a female caramel and amel. Should I keep them all separate? I have them all in a 10 gallon right now, figured I would give them plenty of space until I knew for sure. Do I have to keep the male separate at this size or not? Can the two females be together? And about heating/lighting. Our house is pretty cold, around 65°, my temperatures right now are about 84° hot side, -5 to 10 cold side. Is this okay? Can I keep these temperatures all the time, or should I go get a heat pad for the night time? I have a 75-watt IR bulb right now, so I don’t really see a reason why it can’t be on all the time, unless its detrimental to the health of the snake if they don’t have cool night temps. Then I’d obviously change it lol. Well, let me know what you think, I’ll post pictures of them soon!

-Trav

An update real quick. My temperatures were upped about 2 or 3 degrees, I put them in a warmer spot after some research.

-Trav

Corn snakes are solitary by nature and should be housed seperately, except when breeding. They are many, many posts on this topic and you can read them by scrolling down and checking out the thread topics.

Baby snakes do best in small enclosures - in my experience a shoeboxed-sized enclosure is better than a 10-gallon tank. Snakes, especially babies, crave security. They feel more secure in a small cage and will therefore eat better in one.

As long as there's a hotspot in the mid to upper 80s, it doesn't much matter if the room temperature is in the 60s. The snake will find the heat (especially if it's in a small cage) and know where to go.

I highly recommend that you get a Corn Snake book. I think Don Soderberg's "Corn Snakes In Captivity" is the best on the market for first time Corn Snake owners.

Tim

Third Eye

Always do research before getting a new snake, Impulse buys are not good for you or the snakes. tspuckler hit the nail on the head. It is not a good idea to keep them together. It is not recommended but is and can be done, I keep 2 females together right now but you must always have your wits about you to make sure there are no problems.
Foot Hill Reptiles

WOW...they usually cut your head off and burn you at the stake over there for even suggesting it!!!LOL