Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey i am the proud owner of 2 beauityful Ball Pythons. Well since i got them my little sister 10 years old has become very interested in herps. Expesially snakes. I am thinking about buying her a corn or two but i need some ground info on them. I have a few questions so if anyone can instant message be at bsleeper2003 and answer a few quetions for me i would appreciae it greatly. Thank you bobby sleeper

Ok first and formost
1. What size encloser will i need for 1 corn? How about 2?
2. What temps are needed to sucsessfully keep corns?
3. What should the humidity be?
4. Do corns bite often and if so does it hurt rather would it hurt a 10 year old tuffy?
5. And last but not least how much do you think it will cost to buy 1 or 2 corns and all the things i need for its encloser.

Ohh yah one more
6. What should be included in a corns encloser as far as hides substrates water bowls ect. ect.

1. encolsure size...

a hatchling can be house in a shoe box sized container with a secure lid. A 20 gallon long tank (or 29 high) would be big enough for one corn throughout its entire life. the general rule is that the length plus width of the container is greater than or equal to the length of the snake. It is not recommended to house two hatchling or other younger corns together because of a risk of cannibalism and stress. Housing adults together is less risky but should only be done with two females as 2 males will fight and a pair will breed which can be dangerous if the female is not big enough. I only house one pair of corns together but both are breeding size/age. they are housed in a container that is 38"x~20". and it is 7 inches high. height is not required but with short tanks have a very secure lid

2.temps

my corns enjoy a room temperature cool side(70-74) and a heated(with a UTH) warm side with the temps(76-80)temps can vary just not drastically and the gradient is important so a snake can thermo regulate.

3.Humidity

I don't do anything special except have a water dish in their enclosure that is large enough for them to soak in. this should be enough but some corns have trouble shedding so you may have to raise the humidity.

4.biting

Corns don't bite very often because they tend to be more docile animals. Younger conrs may bite because they are scared but with regular handling they should calm down. i got bitten once by one of my hatchlings when i first picked him up after bringing him home, it doesn't hurt. But every now and then i get bitten by my yeralings because they are starting to get bold and i have mouse smell on my hands. it still does not hurt to me but my largest yearling drew blood the last time she bit me(she is 35 inches long) My older corns have never bitten and have the sweetest temperments. so i have no idea what it would feel like if one of my big ones bit me

5. price

price depends on many things. where would you buy them? what colors do you want? what age?

as for the stuff... i paid 9.99 for a bad(5cubic feet) of substrate(i use aspen) i make my hides out of boxes or pvc piping so they are free to cheap. if you want to buy expect to pay $7 for a nice hide(up to $15 even) you will also need a water dish which can be simple or otherwise($2-15)As for the cage it depends on what size you are getting and if you are going to get two corns you will need 2 enclosures, so it depends...

6.cage requirements

minimum requirements are a hide on the warm side and a hide on the cool side and a water dish on the cool side. Substrate can be many things like aspen, papaer towels, carefresh, etc... but NO pine, cedar, or sand. you will also need more hides if you have a young snake and you may want to decorate a little more but this is just minimum. also you need an under tank heater(UTH) to make the warm side warmer than room temp.

** also i suggest you do some more research and ask more q's on this forum. I also recommend The Corn Snake Manual by Bill and Kathy Love, it is a must for any corn owner and should be read cover to cover twice before you get a corn.
also check out the caresheet on this site as well as at the link below. the link is to South Mountain Reptiles, there they have a really good care sheet and you can see their pricelist and pics of a lot of the morphs out there. Good Luck!

South Mountain Reptiles

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~~~Amy~~~

a 20 gallon long is pretty much the minimum size for one corn.

Good temps are around 84 on warm side, cool side about room temp. Since my house is generally around 72-78 (even 80 sometimes in the summer), I use a 25w bulb when using heat lamps.

Humidity doesn't need to be very high. I just keep the cages at room humidity, around 45-50%.

Biting - I've been bitten a few times by hatchlings, and it feels like nothing more than a small light pinch. I've never been bitten by older ones - they seem to grow out of it very fast with handling.

Cost - depends what kind, and where you get it.

Setup - I use either aspen or cypress mulch for substrate. The water bowl is the kind with little notches on the side for picking it up - turns out those make great hide spots too. I have the water bowl on the cool end, and another hide on the warm end. You can decorate it up, but that's the basics.

Oh yeah - I remember you saying you were in Orlando? If you could make it out to Tampa next month for the reptile show (8-9), that'd be the best place to pick up all this stuff.
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

I like my animals to have an eclosure that looks like a natural habitat. I use a 55 gallon aquarium for my 51" corn. He seems to use it all, especially when he is hungry. I have temps from 85- room temp. I also just switched to aspen. It is "fluffy" and he will burrow in it as well as use his hides.

One piece of advice I have for you... make sure the lid is secure! When we bought our corn (from a pet store) the girl told us he was an escaped/recovered snake. They have no idea how long he had been out. They usually get hatchlings in and he was 19" long!

As far as biting goes...mine has never bit me. They have plenty of warnings before they bite. I would invest in a book and learn to read your animal.

Break down of costs:
$39.... snake -- reptile shows have them from ~$15
$200.00 for the 55 gal aquarium-- you dont have to use this size
$6.00 aspen -- I recommend this
$15.00 hide -- I have used a cardboard box
$15.00 water bowl -- My king snake likes his tupperware bowl
just like kids, live and learn
$15.00 screen top/locks A MUST!!!!
$10.00 background
$7.00 all the plants -- he uses the purple plant to poop by so
we call it the "poop-tree"

As you can see, there a lot of variables involved and lots of advice.

I love my corn, he is like a scaly dog!

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Hangin with the Herps
ZZ

I like my animals to have an eclosure that looks like a natural habitat. I use a 55 gallon aquarium for my 51" corn. He seems to use it all, especially when he is hungry. I have temps from 85- room temp. I also just switched to aspen. It is "fluffy" and he will burrow in it as well as use his hides.

One piece of advice I have for you... make sure the lid is secure! When we bought our corn (from a pet store) the girl told us he was an escaped/recovered snake. They have no idea how long he had been out. They usually get hatchlings in and he was 19" long!

As far as biting goes...mine has never bit me. They have plenty of warnings before they bite. I would invest in a book and learn to read your animal.

Break down of costs:
$39.... snake -- reptile shows have them from ~$15
$200.00 for the 55 gal aquarium-- you dont have to use this size
$6.00 aspen -- I recommend this
$15.00 hide -- I have used a cardboard box
$15.00 water bowl -- My king snake likes his tupperware bowl
just like kids, live and learn
$15.00 screen top/locks A MUST!!!!
$10.00 background
$7.00 all the plants -- he uses the purple plant to poop by so
we call it the "poop-tree"

As you can see, there a lot of variables involved and lots of advice.

I love my corn, he is like a scaly dog!

-----
Hangin with the Herps
ZZ

I like my animals to have an eclosure that looks like a natural habitat. I use a 55 gallon aquarium for my 51" corn. He seems to use it all, especially when he is hungry. I have temps from 85- room temp. I also just switched to aspen. It is "fluffy" and he will burrow in it as well as use his hides.

One piece of advice I have for you... make sure the lid is secure! When we bought our corn (from a pet store) the girl told us he was an escaped/recovered snake. They have no idea how long he had been out. They usually get hatchlings in and he was 19" long!

As far as biting goes...mine has never bit me. They have plenty of warnings before they bite. I would invest in a book and learn to read your animal.

Break down of costs:
$39.... snake -- reptile shows have them from ~$15
$200.00 for the 55 gal aquarium-- you dont have to use this size
$6.00 aspen -- I recommend this
$15.00 hide -- I have used a cardboard box
$15.00 water bowl -- My king snake likes his tupperware bowl
just like kids, live and learn
$15.00 screen top/locks A MUST!!!!
$10.00 background
$7.00 all the plants -- he uses the purple plant to poop by so
we call it the "poop-tree"

As you can see, there a lot of variables involved and lots of advice.

I love my corn, he is like a scaly dog!

-----
Hangin with the Herps
ZZ