Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive had iguanas (still do) so reptiles arent all together a new deal for me

but snakes however are a new realm in the world of reptiles

any tips? anything i need to know? i come here instead of books i want true and tried methods not something some scientist or vet wrote somewhere because he has a degree

thanks guys

chuck

don't let them play in your car

one of the greatest cornsnake breeders in the world wrote a book that is (in my opinion) the best book on cornsnakes in the world. It is "The Corn Snake Manual" by Kathy Love and is available in Petsmart, among a whole lot of other places.

Some things to remember about cornsnakes:

1. Cornsnakes are incredible escape artists! Make sure that the cage is extremely secure. The smallest hole in it can become their escape route.

2. They do need hide boxes, one on each side of the temperature gradient. Make them small hide boxes, they should be able to squeeze their bodies in there and will feel more secure.

3. Use a good thermometer, not a stick on. Put it directly on the substrate, which should never be cedar and some people say never use pine, either.

4. I only feed frozen/thawed mice. A dead mouse NEVER bit a snake! Also, if you are using a loose substrate, such as aspen, feed outside of the cage to eliminate them ingesting any substrate.

5. Baby snakes are very scared that you are going to eat them, so they will make a very impressive display to get you to leave them alone. If they should strike, musk, or bite you, never put them back in the cage. They will learn that it works!

Other people will post more suggestions. Enjoy your snake, they are great! Oh, one last piece of advice: they are addicting, so start looking around for another cage and more supplies now.
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sue

i disagree! books can be a very helpful way to educate yourself. The one thing you have to keep in mind is that reptiles have not been kept as a mainstream hobby for very long so information is not as precise as you would find in a "pitbull" book. along with books you should subscribe to magazines that provide the most current scientific and experience related info. but your not completely off by coming to a kingsnake.com message board eigther. the more you know the better off your herp is.
but i can tell you a little bit about what i know about corns.
@ corn snakes, like all other cold blooded creatures, thermoregulate. so you must keep 1/3 of the ground surface heated with heat tape or a heat pad.
@two hiding spots should be supplied, one on the warmer side and one on the cooler side.
@your best bet for a water bowl would be large enough for the snake to submerge itself, non-tippable, and kept on the coolerside of the tank.
@to increase the humidity spray the hot side with water so the evaporation will raise the humidity
@don't handle your snake after it has eaten b/c it may regurgitate, avoid handleing during and after he shedding periods because the snake skin is fragile.
@feed you corn thawed frozen mice or freshly killed mice because live food could bite your snake.
@i've found the best substrate to be newspaper becauce it is easy to clean, but what ever you use make sure that it can dry quickly, it doesn't creat dust, and it is digestable.
@and the list goes on and one.
@if you have any specific questions about corns, e;mail me and i will do my best to find you a CORRECT answer

-candice-
coldbloodedcreations@yahoo.com

will be reccomended in this forum over and over. It's only 10-12$ and available at petstores, online book sellers, and on the authors website. The author's, Bill and Kathy Love breed corns and you can see Kathy's website listed as a sposor of this forum.

I think many folks here would appreciate it if new corn owners would check out books like this BEFORE buying their snake. This place is great for information, but there's nothing like having the info in your hand.
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
0.1 Snow (Ruby)
1.0 Anery A (Breaden)
0.1 Amel (Edana)
0.0.7 Normal het-snow (no names yet)
1.1 Bloodred (Vlad the Impailer and Natasha)
0.1 Anery Stripe (Morticia)
1.0 Candy Cane (Kane)

1.3 Cats (Alexys{f}, Mikki{f}, Timothy{m}, Seven{f})
0.1 Child
1.0 Boyfriend
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

Corn snakes are wonderful!! They are without a doubt the best snake for beginners. I'm a beginner with snakes too. I bought my first corn back in Feb 2003 at a pet store and had to have another. I also have a honduran milk.
I just keep mine (I have 2, a amel, and a ghost) in 20 gal long tanks. They each have an under the tank heater on one side and a light on the same side for their warm side. I have the lights on timer for a natural day/night cycle. Their tanks get into the 78-80 degree range in the day. I just use a stick thermometer. Both of mine are doing great..eating and shedding..the life of a snake. :0) They have a couple hiding places and I feed every 7-10 days..frozen/thawed. My female amel is eating 3 pinks and my male ghost is eating a fuzzie, and a pink. I just keep them as pets, no intention of breeding.
The Corn Snake Manuel by Bill and Kathy Love is an excellent book for the corn snake lover..ENJOY!