Question:SO I was planning on buying a tarantula and I ended up with a baby cornsake at Petco. Obviously the guy that sold it was a moron that could barely tell it was a snake and not a hermit crab so I would appresiate some care tips. I have a tank, I think 20 gall where I used to have a Water Dragon, so I have a light and a heat pad, but I think I just need the heat pad, or should I also turn on the light? I also bought 2 froozen pinkies but I think they might be too big for him but that was the smallest they had. Should I capture an Anole in the backyard and find him that? I jsut got him On saturday and last night while chilling by the furniture while I was doing HW he shed, pretty easy and quick, any special care? Should I give him his firs tmeal already? I am planning on feeding him once a week, is that enough?
And last, how can I maintain an odorless room where Gunther will live ( the snake ). How often do I have to clean the house? Well, his house ( I'm assuming its a guy )
Answers:
Congrats on your new baby!
For cleaning the tank, try a 10% bleach solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water) and use paper towel or butcher's paper to line the floor of the tank. You're going to want to clean the tank every time Gunther makes a mess because it IS a mess. The disposable substrate will make it easier.
Don't worry about the 20 gal. being too big. You're better to start with the largest size you need and let the animal grow into it rather than wasting $$$ buying new tanks to "fit" him. That being said, you may want to purchase a seperate lidded plastic container to feed him in. Just put the pinkie (which is fine for him to eat . . . you'll be shocked at how much that tiny little jaw expands) in the feeding box before you put Gunther in. He'll be able to find his food more easily and it'll cut down on accidental bites when you reach into his tank to pick him up.
If you haven't got one already, invest in a thermometer. Mount it on the end of the tank where you've got the heating pad and lamp and maintain the temperature on that end at around 90 degrees F. Also, you want to make sure that he can't have direct contact with those heat sources so put a flat rock, like slate, on top of the pad to avoid burns.
Feeding once a week should be fine and yes, you can probably go ahead and feed him his first meal. Since he's just shed, he's probably ravenous.
Last but most important, pick up a couple of books on corns. I recommend "Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide " by Bill and Kathy Love. Also, check out the forums on www.kingsnake.com
okay no heating pad. ever. because it can lead to there death, use the light, the pinkies will be fine, he can get it, anoles are usually larger then frozen pinkies so i dont think thats a good idea, if need be cut open the head of the pinkie let a little brain matter ooze out. (not kidding) you can feed him when you are ready he may or may not eat it. if he doesnt dont get discouraged. you can also try feeding him in darkness. once a week is fine, clean his tank regularly and it will stay odorless once a week or every 2 weeks depends on how you maintain the tank, example, if you feed in the tank, and there is any brain matter or piece of food in there it might stink up the tank. but thats your choice.
anything else just IM me ...
yes you do need a heating pad under your tank not a heat rock. 20 gallon is way to big if its less than 7 inches you can gowith a 5 gallon or less best way to feed is live because if you star feeding frozen thoued its hard to go to live.
Your snake would have no problem, eating the pinkie. If you have anole you live somewhere warm, where you really won't need both light and a heating pad. Also you should not feed your snake anything from outside. You can bring in bacteria you don't need.
Since you have a 20 gallon take just make sure your snake has alot of hiding areas. Most people push the 5 gallon for babies, but you can house that little guy all of his life in the 20 gallon.
When you wash the tank , use vinegar.. Dont use any type of harsh chemical , never know what you will leave behind.
Corn snakes do not like it that warm. I live in the NE and did not use any type of heat other then what my house produced. Now that you have your baby corn you need to leave it alone for atleast a week before you start handling it. When you do feed your snake , make sure it's on a plate or paper towel, you don't want your snake to ingest any type of bedding.
A great book on taking care of corns snakes, is The Corn Snake book by Kathy Love.
I suggest you go out and buy it , it has great information.
tskstorm is completely off base. You DO need a heat pad--it will work fine for this snake. You can creat a nice basking spot with a light, but since you already have the pad, just use it. And you do NOT need to split the heads of the mice open. This might even turn the snake off since the prey is "broken" and snakes like their food whole. Offer one of the pinkies, thawed and warm (thaw it inside a ziploc bag in a bowl of hot water, NEVER in the microwave); he should be fine with prey the width of your pinky, it can be a little bigger around than him, but not too much. He should be hungry after using the energy it takes to shed, so try it soon.
Make sure he has a bowl of water big enough for him to soak in, but it doesn't have to be very big since he's still small. He'll also need a place to hide, something to hid in or under, like a half log or half coconut. Snakes really don't smell that bad unless you let the tank get really nasty. Depending on what substrate you're using, you can scoop out poop, or change the substrate when it gets soiled, it's not very difficult to keep the tank clean. I wouldn't suggest feeding wild-caught food since it can be carrying parasites, diseases, or pesticides that could hurt or kill your snake. Oh, and if he refuses the frozen pinkies, you might try getting him a live one and freezing it yourself (or giving it live, pinkies can't hurt a snake), since freezing can kill the "mousy" smell that triggers a prey response in the snake. However, belobraydickid is incorrect saying that it's best to feed live--adult mice can do great harm to a snake or even kill it, so get your snake used to eating prekilled.
Everyone here has already provided you with most of the info you need. I just want to add my opinion on a few things.
A 5 gallon is too small for any snake. The smallest I would ever use would be a 10 gallon. The 20 will be fine, just make sure there are plenty of hide spots and the lid is secure.
The bleach solution is the correct way to clean the tank, just make sure you rinse well and let air dry. I have never heard of using vinegar, but I know the smell makes me sick so imagine what it will do to your snake.
You do not need the light, just the heat pad. Look into getting the rheostat though. It is a very handy little piece of equipment.
He will take a pinky. If you think it is way too big, then call around and see if anyone has newborn or day old pinkies. Never offer an anole. Catching your own prey could lead to parasites, but it will also get the little guy hooked on anoles and it will be all he will ever eat. You can go ahead and offer him a meal. If he has ate before, he will take it. If he doesn't try a live pinky in a couple days. I usually feed babies every 5-7 days.
The one thing I am worried about is that he may be a newly hatched snake and may have just had his first shed. If he looks too small for a pinky, that is probably the case. They are usually pretty easy to get started on feeding, but there are always exceptions.
I recommend cleaning the cage completely once a week. During the week, if he makes a mess, just spot clean. Make sure you are disenfecting the water dish every week while you are cleaning. And, always rinse everything until you are positive it is rinsed very well, and then rinse it twice more.
...Dude, you should ALWAYS research an animal before you get it. ALWAYS. And try not to go to Petco again; you're right, they're idiots and don't know anything. Heat pads are fine, as long as they're on the outside and I would turn on the light as well (but just during the day). If it's a readily-eating corn, the pinkies shouldn't be a problem. DO NOT catch an anole. Reptile prey from outside usually has parasites, and the snake will most likely contract something from the lizard. Also, once a baby is used to lizards it rarely returns to mice.
First meal? You mean you didn't ask the pet store people to feed it so you would know it was eating? Bad sign. Well, if your snake starves, that's not my problem. Once a week is not enough for a baby. It should eat about every four days for optimal growth.
I don't know why you would want an oderless room; seems kind of dull... You should clean its enclosure once a week or more frequently if you see that the snake has defecated. However, don't clean it right after it eats; it may regurgitate (and that's not a pleasant smell at all!).
Don't assume it's a guy, that's mighty sexist.
Just one more thing: you kept a water dragon in a 20-gallon tank? I'm surprised it even had room to turn around!
first, keep the under heater on at all times. keep the light on to, during the day at about 75-85 degrees f. keep the heating pad under the tank on one side and the light on the same side. there should be one cool side and one hot side.leave the water bowl on the cool side and the house on the warm side.use aspen bedding so he can tunnel through. dont feed him wild food. keep the pinkies, theyre not too big although they might look it. once a week take a pinki and soak it in hot water for 15 minutes, then while radiating heat, wiggle it in front of him using long tweezers and he will take it. when he is shedding just mist his tank like 2 times a day with de-chlorinated (filtered) water out of a mister. every 2 weeks or month, just scoop out the bedding and wipe his tank with a cleaner. after using the cleaner use water. then put down new fresh bedding and put all the stuff back in his tank. change the water daily, using filtered (de-chlorinated) water.
here are a couple of caresheets:
http://www.petco.com/caresheets/snakes/s...
http://members.aol.com/kathandcam/hawkhe...
http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/r...
http://www.reptilehabitat.com/corn_snake...
http://www.cornsnakes.net/care.php3...
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/43ratsnake...
http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snake...
Congratulations on the new baby!
You've gotten a lot of varying information here.some good, some not so good. I think you've gotten a basic idea...but I do want to stress one point brought up by another poster. An under tank heater is definitely the safest and most effective method of heating for a corn, but you really do need to have it on a thermostat or rheostat of some sort. An unregulated UTH will usually run at 100-110 degrees, which is way too warm. And if you were to combine that with the overhead light, it's WAY hot. I keep the "hot spot" temps for my corns right around 85 degrees, with the cooler side of the enclosure being near room temp, in the low to mid 70's.
Also make sure he has a nice hide on both the warm and cool sides of the tank, so he can feel safe and still thermoregulate properly.
Weekly feedings will be fine.and yes, if they are small pinkies, he should be able to eat them. Just remember not to handle him for at least 24 hours after feeding to avoid causing him to regurgitate his meal.
More Questions & Answers...