# First ever corn snake



## Crazyskillz (Jan 6, 2016)

Hi,

Got my first snake today – She’s a Carolina Corn Snake called Nate. I’ve done loads of reading and got her viv all set up but there were a couple of things I could not find the answer too and wondered if anyone could help.

So at the moment I have an exo terra 45cm by 45cm viv. She’s about 40cm long so I’m keeping her in a carry box inside the viv. My question is how big does she have to be for her to be moved to the bigger enclosure? I’ve found loads of info about the maximum size a snake can be for the tank they’re in but very little about the minimum. All it usually says is if it’s too big they can get stressed but how big is ‘too big’?

My second question is about my current heat set up. So I have the heat mat underneath the viv – above it is the glass of the viv, a layer of substrate, the plastic of the carry box and another layer of substrate. My digital thermometer says the temperature inside the viv is 30°C but will this transfer well through the plastic and 2nd layer of substrate? Should I turn the heat up a little to accommodate or will it not make much of a difference?

I’m trying not to disturb her now apart from water changes for about a week (does a week sound long enough? Again everyone has their own opinion) so she can settle in and calm down from the journey over. Also at the moment I’ve got 2 coconut hides for each end and her water bowl in the carry case but they’re really jammed in there even though it’s the smallest stuff I could find. The person in the shop said for this set up I only need one hide on the warm side and her water on the other – does that sound right?

I think that’s everything for now – I’m really worried I’m going to do something wrong and hurt her. I thought I was prepared but now I’m not so sure lol.

Thanks for any help,

Rich


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## Herpster (Oct 24, 2006)

I would just move her into the viv now (providing that if there are gaps in the doors etc it can not escape). If it refuses a feed move her back into the tub, but corns are hardy little things so you should be alright. 1 week should be ok but would not hurt making it two weeks.


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## Boagoa (Mar 15, 2011)

I agree Corns are hardy. To be honest I've never had a problem graduating any snake on. In the wild they are in the big outdoors after all. A big viv just has more opportunities of escape so as said above make sure all gaps etc are not too big. As long as decent hides and places to feel secure are provided they wil do fine in my experience
.


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## Crazyskillz (Jan 6, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I've moved Nate into her new viv and she seems to love it. Spent a lot of her time exploring. I've also started handling her daily in little amounts and she's happy to sit there or to wander around.

I have noticed that she spends all her time in the cool hide. I never see her in the warm hide. Should I be concerned about this or will she use it when she wants to?


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

If the heat is correct at both hot and cold spots you don't need to worry, as the snake will suit itself.

You say its a digital thermometer? Where is it placed and what is it reading?

I like to have a temp gun to double check spot temps.


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## Crazyskillz (Jan 6, 2016)

The current reading at this exact moment is 28.6°C. The sensor for the thermometer is placed alongside the sensor for the thermostat lying on top of the substrate inside the warm hide.

She seems happy when I handle her. Bit of a dumb question but when I pick her up she is cold - I know snakes are cold blooded but should they still feel a little warm from their thermoregulation or is feeling cold absolutely normal?

Really appreciate the help


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

what temperature is the cool end? (this is why its useful to have a temperature gun as its slightly easier to check all round the viv)

The high temp can be up to about 30, but if the snake isn't spending all its time there I wouldn't bother putting it up.

They can be quite cold to the touch if they are in the cool end.

Unless the low end is less than 22 its good. Neither of my corns spend much time at the hottest part of the viv, even after eating. One of mine ate last night and is lolling on a platform about half way up the viv, where the temperature is approx 24oc. 

As yours is a fairly small viv it might be the temperature is just right at the 'cool' end.

If you provide the correct gradient and hides both ends you don't need to worry too much about where the snake hangs out. 

The only concern is it is avoiding the hot side because it doesn't feel safe there. Which shouldn't be the case if you have coconut shells both sides. 

Do you have pics of the set up?


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## Crazyskillz (Jan 6, 2016)

I only have an analogue thermometer at the cool end and it is currently in the 22°C area.

Oh wow did she scare me today. I fed her on wednesday and she was reluctant to eat which worried me even more. Left her 48 hours like I have done the the last few weeks and went to handle her today. Couldn't find her in any of the hides... start to panic and I look behind the vivs back and in the darkness I can see this mashed up tail shape. I'm thinking omg she's forced her self behind there so hard that she's crushed herself... I turn on the light and see what I thought was her mashed up body as her first shed with me. She's happily curled up besides it squashed up looking a little more alert and happy with herself.
Explains why she didn't want to eat the other day :lol2: Really relieved. As far as I could tell the shed was complete, nothing retained on her eyes and tail.

These are some pics of her viv:


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

you could try swapping the hides around just to check it isn't a favourite hide thing.

The set up looks fine to me.

Just a couple of ideas - 

if the corn hides a lot and doesn't roam esp at night, you could try covering the glass sides with cardboard just to see if that is an issue.

its more than likely though she was just in shed. 

also - its not the most aesthetically pleasing, but all my baby corns LOVED toilet roll or kitchen towel inner tubes squashed down a bit as hides.

You could also try some fake ivy or something draped across the substrate that might encourage the snake to move around thinking its hidden. 

Or some jungle vine or a platform something high to encourage her to climb. The exo terra has a fair bit of height and most corns enjoy climbing. 

But to be honest your temps look fine to me. Corns are temperate snakes that survive in a fairly wide variety of habitats. If its using a hide in that temperature range I don't think there is any reason to worry it isn't just at the temperature it wants to be


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## Crazyskillz (Jan 6, 2016)

I swapped the hides round and now she favours the warm side instead so it seems as though she has a favoured hide. I occasionally find her behind the foam background on the cool side so I take that to be where she prefers to go when she wants to cool down.

She's exploring a lot more now. I often see her head poking out of the hide watching what's going on and she's always wandering round her viv and digging her way through the substrate.

One difference is she's stopped taking food offered to her on the tweezers and prefers instead to eat when they're left in her viv during the night. I was thinking of getting a feeding bowl to leave the mice in so they're not touching the substrate as I worry she might ingest some of it. Is this an ok alternative or should I encourage her to strike at the tweezers and keep trying with this?

Other than that she's doing great


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## Scifi addict (Feb 7, 2015)

Marmaduke my corn feeds either out or in the viv depending on his mood. If I am feeding in the viv him, or my royal I personally just put a piece if card such as from a cereal box in on top of the substrate. Then place the yummy din dins in top. But I am using aspen at the moment so that sticks to the food otherwise. I am thinking of changing substrate. 

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk


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## Knoob (Feb 24, 2016)

I like to have big vivs with lots of hides. Some at warm end, some at cool, and some between. Chuck in some kitchen roll tubes, whatever works. I figure the more hides the better idea you will have that your temps are right as the snake will be where it wants to be just from a temperature point of view, not also a safety point of view.


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