# To-be cornsnake owner



## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

So I joined this site a little while ago after stalking through the topics. I started doing work experience at a Pets at Home store which got me to have some proper experience in caring for reptiles and almost immediately I fell in love with the corn snakes and was determined to get one at some point.
After much convincing of my family, whom all are a little scared of the idea of a snake, my parents have agreed to give me money for my 18th birthday(Tomorrow~) and will let me use that to buy a corn snake and all the needed kit. So I have been researching all the care and equipment for them for a while now, and even have experienced handling and feeding snakes too, so I can't wait until I can get my own! It's gonna be tough choosing a morph though. (Oh I so do love the Tesseras, but I don't want to spend too much on the snake it's self, plus I'm not entirely sure of how much money I will have.)
Still, once I have the money and a guaranteed 'go ahead and go get the stuff' from my parents, I'll surely be stalking the classified's section for anyone nearby(South-west part of Manchester?) who is selling any~


Just a few little questions:
I've seen people make lists of medication and whatnot for owning snakes. I'm very sure this will be my only reptilian pet for a while, so would you still recommend I get certain health supplies? (And is going to a vet absolutely necessary when I won't have other reptiles, if it is could you recommend any around Manchester?)

Secondly, recommendations for what type of vivarium/terrarium/etc and where to put it. I have three possible places where I could put it in my room.
One would be on a bedside table which is very steady and about 50x40cm, but I think would be unsafe with how close it is to my bed.
The second would be on one of this set of shelves I have, which is about 44x25x20cm so a small flat plastic faunarium could fit in there.
Thirdly would be on my desk(Which is 120x65cm but needs to hold my printer and laptop too) under the shelves, where I think one of the 30x30x30 or 45x45x30 exo terra glass terrariums would fit well.
The problem with the second two are that they are against an outside wall which doesn't face the sun, the wall is insulated but I'm just paranoid that it could cause a temperature problem, plus it is relatively close to my window which my mum has a habit of randomly opening. (Also my dad thinks a glass vivarium might be a bad choice because it could smash, opinions?)

And are there any other tips you could give me, since this will be my first reptile(My family has owned dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and fish). I have been doing as much research as I can but any bit of advice helps.

Thanks in advance, and I hope it'll be fun to be a part of this community! And I hope getting a snake can help me get my family over their fear of snakes too.


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## Dragonoak (Jan 12, 2013)

First of all Welcome!!

Secondly, happy 18th for tomorrow :2thumb:

I'm also one for the corn snake fan club, just over a year ago myself and the husband got our first hatchling (a lovely Carolina female) and now have 9!

Things that I have in my 'emergency kit'
Spare RuBs, mat and stat!
cotton buds 
manuka honey
eucalyptus oil
eye drops
and the phone number for a 24 hour vets with a resident reptile specialist

As for vivariums, _*I*_ would go for a small plastic faunarium and then into it's 'forever' home with plenty of cover. I have corns in both RuBs and wooden vivs and have no issues with either. I don't have an opinion on glass vivs I'm afraid as I don't use them personally.

If you're worried about temperature problems, then it might be for the best to set up the enclosure prior to fetching your snake home. Monitor the temperatures for a few days till you get them where you need them, saves any extra stress for the little one.

As for tips, don't get worried if it doesn't eat for a few weeks after you get them home, moving house is stressful for reptiles too! Other than that, enjoy your new snake he/she will be around for a while
: victory:


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## TooManyBallPythonsAround (Nov 4, 2013)

Welcome and happy birthday for tomorrow! Corns are a GREAT first time snake, They're also really good for people that aren't keen on snakes to develop an interest in them. I pressume you are looking to get a hatchling? If so then housing is easy, You can use a simple RuB/faunarium whilst they're hatclings with a small (7w) heat pad and a stat. Place the heat pad over half-ish of the RuB so that you'll create a warm end and a cool end. Keep in mind that Adult corns will need a 3ftx2ftx2ft minimum viv as it's future home. My Adult male carolina is just short of 6ft and is in a 4ftx2ftx2ft. The more space they have the more active they are in my opinion. Personally I prefer wooden vivs as they do retain heat better. Especially if you are concerned about temp. Any questions feel free to ask


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## WhenIWake (Apr 16, 2012)

Good luck with your first venture! Hopefully I can answer some of the questions.

The glass viv- I would not be too worried, I had her in a medium sized glass viv when she was growing , wouldnt repeat going through multiple sizes, now I just use RUBs for smaller snakes and go into a viv when they are at adult size or capable of going into a viv that will suit for adult and not stress them out.
I didnt smash the viv, she never would have been able to, also found the heating easy to manage as glass transfers heat well.

My tanks have always been against a wall out of direct sunlight with no issues.

As for the close to the window, if it will cause issues with draughts it may make maintaining a steady temperature an issue, best bet is to speak to your mother and getting her to understand the requirements of your snake and that the cold temperature drops could be detrimental to his/her health. 

Any snake I have had, the various passers through for re homing , always get a vet checkup and it also lets my rep vet meet the animal. 
I know I should, but I dont have a first aid kit at standby, I feel I could quickly gather anything I needed as and when. I have RUBS for when im cleaning and also I have a spare mat/stat .

Advice,
Dont stress. Snakes will sometimes drive you up the wall. From refusing to eat and just being moody some days. You will probably worry when your snake goes into shed and starts getting moody/fasting. Dont.


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## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

Thanks for the replies!
I think I will stick with one of the low Faunariums for now, and once it gets larger I'll see what I have the money/space for!
My mum seems to think corn snakes are super strong and doesn't think a plastic enclosure is safe for keeping it in, I'll have to try and explain it to her.


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## TooManyBallPythonsAround (Nov 4, 2013)

Plastic is more than strong enough, just ensure the lid is secured, they like to push lids off lol. But it wont break through the plastic. Keep us updated


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## WhenIWake (Apr 16, 2012)

Snakes are deceptively strong , but not strong enough to break through the plastic :lol2:


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## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

Just been to two different pet stores today and got some stuff, the main things I need to get now are a thermostat, thermometer, and then some things I could possibly get away with not getting, or using other things for: feeding tongs, another tub/box for feeding/transportation.(Also maybe some manuka honey and eucalyptus oil) I'll most likely get this stuff online.

Here's a picture of what I've got- Large flat faunarium(Too big for my shelf by a cm or two, but my dad is going to extend the shelf so It can fit in there) with Aspen bedding, two coconut halves, a water dish, and three little bits of decoration which were intended for fishtanks-but I have checked to make sure there are no bits that a snake could get stuck in or cut it's self on. (Also got a heat mat not in the photo, but yes I have one.)









Do you think I would need more decor for a snake to hide amongst or does this look all right? (Plus I've seen people say Hygrometers are unnecessary for corn snakes, is this right in your opinion?) Also is a heat mat on it's own all right, or should I get some sort of polystyrene or similar thing to put underneath it and the faunarium to reduce heat loss?

Finally any recommendations for where to actually get the snake? There are two shops relatively nearby which sell corn snakes, one which is Pets at home where all of them cost £49, another where the corn snakes cost ££35 I think(Although they only have Amels in at the moment and to be completely honest, that's the only morph I'm not fond of) I'm gonna check to see any other shops within Manchester too possibly. But I have heard that it is best to buy them from breeders, or from a reptile show, but as far as I know there aren't any shows too close to where I live. So do you think I should just make a post in the classifieds section here, or maybe anyone reading knows about any reptile shows I may have missed, or even actually know anyone in Manchester who has hatchlings they are selling? (Also, yes, I am planning to have everything set up for a few days before I get the snake, so It'll probably be at least a week.)


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## Toggsy (Jul 7, 2012)

When you do eventually get your snake allow it to settle in I know how tempting and exciting it is to want to pick it up but don't !!
Every new keeper new to keeping snakes goes through this when they get their first snake but disturbing and picking it will only lead to possible feeding problems and stressing the poor fella out.
Just do the daily checks of changing the water and removing poop until the snake has settled in, ideally a leave to settle in for a fortnight although some may say different but this what was recommended to me.
Even after this period don't over do it only handle for small amount of time until your confident with the snake and the snake is confident with you, in time you will learn how to read your snake reactions
Snake keeping is a wonderful hobby :2thumb: hope you enjoy I've been keeping snakes for a few years and everyday is a learning day :2thumb:

:welcome: to the forum


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## JimW (Dec 3, 2013)

Hi,
I would definitely recommend posting in the Classifieds here.
There is a very good chance that someone local to you will have some hatchlings / yearlings for sale.


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

SouloftheSky said:


> Just been to two different pet stores today and got some stuff, the main things I need to get now are a thermostat, thermometer, and then some things I could possibly get away with not getting, or using other things for: feeding tongs, another tub/box for feeding/transportation.(Also maybe some manuka honey and eucalyptus oil) I'll most likely get this stuff online.


You will need feeding tongs as fingers are not a good idea when feeding.
You don't need to get honey and oil unless you actually need to use it. It also has to be at least 10+ manuka honey as well which is expensive stuff to be just sat there in a box.



SouloftheSky said:


> Here's a picture of what I've got- Large flat faunarium(Too big for my shelf by a cm or two, but my dad is going to extend the shelf so It can fit in there) with Aspen bedding, two coconut halves, a water dish, and three little bits of decoration which were intended for fishtanks-but I have checked to make sure there are no bits that a snake could get stuck in or cut it's self on. (Also got a heat mat not in the photo, but yes I have one.)
> image
> 
> Do you think I would need more decor for a snake to hide amongst or does this look all right? (Plus I've seen people say Hygrometers are unnecessary for corn snakes, is this right in your opinion?) Also is a heat mat on it's own all right, or should I get some sort of polystyrene or similar thing to put underneath it and the faunarium to reduce heat loss?


Something to climb would be good in there, corns are excellent climbers and it's good exercise for them. A piece of branch or plastic vines are good.
The cheap hygrometers are a waste of money as they don't particularly work very well anyway - don't bother with them, they're not needed.

Yes it would be advisable to put a sheet of polystyrene down on the surface of your shelf/table to sit the whole lot on so the mat doesn't damage the furniture and also it'll help to direct heat into the faun.


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## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

Ah, thanks very much for that info!
I've got some feeding tongs now, and am just waiting for a thermostat and thermometer to arrive in the mail, then I can test them and - I have found someone I know who is offering a snake! An Anery, feeding well, and hatched this Septemper. So if all goes well and the equipment arrives soon and works well, It could be just a week or two until I can get the snake. I'm going to be checking the shop once more tomorrow for any extras- I'll have a look for something climbable.
Me and my dad have also been plotting this extension to the shelf, since it's not just a flat board stuck on the wall sort of shelf, but the faunarium would be bordered on all sides bar the front, so we need to move over one side piece of it and add extra slots of wood in the gap. Our plan to adjust it isn't as complicated as I make it sound, promise! I think we will start working on it tomorrow, and my dad has apparently bought some insulating board to line the inside of the shelf with. So once we're done we'll have a shelf adapted to hold a faunarium, is nicely insulated, and has a plug socket nearby.

I am getting quite excited, and have a bunch of friends who want to come see the snake once it gets settled in. I'm very glad my friends are more into snakes that my family are.

One extra thought I've had, I've not seen anyone worrying about this, but just to be super safe, does anyone know of any diseases/infections/parasites that can pass between corn snakes and dogs, or corn snakes and humans? Either way.


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## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

Thanks for the info!
I've bought a little bare branch, along with some more little fake plants, and some feeding tongs and reptile-safe disinfectant too. (Also got a plastic tub I can keep mice in in the freezer)
Just waiting for a thermostat, thermometer, and small faunarium for feeding/transporting if needed to arrive in the mail. (They should arrive tomorrow if all goes well)
Me and my dad have also extended the shelf now so that the faunarium fits perfectly.
Plus, I've found someone I know who has offered an Anery hatchling!

Just have yet another thing I have considered recently(Probably due to this bad cold I have), Does anyone know if there are any infections/diseases/parasites that can be passed between snakes and people, or snakes and dogs?(I ask about dogs since my family has two, and I just want to be careful)


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## SouloftheSky (Oct 20, 2013)

Been a little quiet for a while, but I've just picked up my little girl this last hour!
The person I got her from warned me that she could be a bit moody and shakes her tail a lot, but whilst I was there I held her and she was as tame as could be and kept trying to crawl up my arms.

She's now in her Faunarium and making herself at home, first hiding in some fake plants at the back, then trying to sit in some miniature palm trees before retreating to a coconut half.

She was hatched this September and is an Anery, but with various potential Hets. Her father was a normal with possibly up to 5 hets, and the mother was an Anery with unknown hets.








Curled up amongst the fake plants at the back of the faunarium.








And here you can see the faunarium, looking from the warm side to the cold side.


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## indigo_rock_girl (Mar 9, 2008)

She is very nice


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