# Corn snake for a 12 year old? advice



## marie1986 (Sep 19, 2012)

hi all i'm hoping im posting in the right place- it will be my sons 12th birthday in febuary and after years of pestering for a snake i was considering letting him have a corn snake- as from what i've heard these are best for beginners. just wanted some general advice on what i should be expecting to pay? there's 2 independent reptile shops near to where i live (worcester) and also a pets at home that have started to sell reptiles. thanks in advance!


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## bobbyd (Dec 12, 2012)

for a hatchling or baby, u can just use a small rub, with a couple of hides but I went for the monkfield setup, it cost me £79 plus I paid £49 for the snake


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## Revobuzz (Nov 8, 2011)

Corn snake is a great choice for a first snake. Prices vary hugely due to the different morphs so price is a bit complicated. The rarer morphs are more expensive than the "normal" looking one. The morphs are not better in any way, other than people see them as more attractive. So if you like the look of the "normal" type it will be much cheaper. If you contact a breeder direct even cheaper still. Pets at Home will probably be a bit more expensive on a like for like basis.


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## bobbyd (Dec 12, 2012)

pets at home prices are £49 for a corn no matter what the morph, so 49 for a normal is way to exspensive 888 reptiles where doing normals for £15, I got my cremsicle from pets at home, only a little dearer than buying online


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

bobbyd said:


> pets at home prices are £49 for a corn no matter what the morph, so 49 for a normal is way to exspensive 888 reptiles where doing normals for £15, I got my cremsicle from pets at home, only a little dearer than buying online


Not all PaH charge like this. The one near me charges much more for morphs than normals.

I agree, find a breeder on here, go and see them and buy the snake from them. Normals/Carolinas are anything from £5 to £15.


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## bobbyd (Dec 12, 2012)

mstypical said:


> Not all PaH charge like this. The one near me charges much more for morphs than normals.
> 
> I agree, find a breeder on here, go and see them and buy the snake from them. Normals/Carolinas are anything from £5 to £15.


oh really, mine charges 49 for every snake they sell in there no matter what it is


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

bobbyd said:


> oh really, mine charges 49 for every snake they sell in there no matter what it is


Yeah i'm pretty sure they are some kind of franchise, or at the very least they charge different prices in different areas to match demand and supply.


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## dubs (Oct 13, 2008)

:welcome:

Corns are a good starter as has been said I would expect Snake and Setup to be no more than £100


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## Tyzer (Nov 11, 2012)

bobbyd said:


> pets at home prices are £49 for a corn no matter what the morph, so 49 for a normal is way to exspensive 888 reptiles where doing normals for £15, I got my cremsicle from pets at home, only a little dearer than buying online


I would buy from 888 reptiles i got my carolina corns for 10 each then 20 shipping i bought 2 corns so came to 40 for 2 corn and shipping thats cheeper then pah and there a lot better looking than normals dont think there doing it for 10 anymore but they have a lot more also try and look on gumtree or look for local breeder a corn is a great beginer snake ive been bitten once that was because i didnt wash my hand after handling a mouse so took my hand thinking it was food honestly its nothing compared to a bite from a rabbit or hamster honestly i didnt even notice id been bitten till i looked at my hand 
If you have any questions just send me a message


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## scotty667 (Oct 14, 2011)

Rub £5-£15 or Exo Terra large flat faurnarium £8-£15 Viv once adult £30-£60
Matstat £15-£30 depending where you buy from
Heatmat £5-£20
Hides up to £10
Water bowl £0-£5
Bedding (optional)
Corn snake well this price varies alot i've seen corns go for a fiver so find one you like or your son likes and try and source it .

^^^^ For a Set-up i wouldn't think anymore than £70 buying new for a baby (you gotta look around for the best prices though), If you want any links just ask .

If i've forgotten anything someone say please .

This all depends on whether you want a baby yearling or adult for him ? it will help narrow it down then .


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

Above is nearly all you need and you'll need a decent digital thermometer as well.


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## scotty667 (Oct 14, 2011)

Hannah81 said:


> Above is nearly all you need and you'll need a decent digital thermometer as well.


Yep i knew i forgot something lol, Thanks .


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## snakesandscales (Oct 6, 2009)

All the advise given above is top notch.

My golden rule for new keepers is that if the setup and the snake are over £100 total, then you can get it all much cheaper elsewhere.


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## cloggers (Mar 13, 2010)

Mine cost £70 for a normal corn(by far the best ) and a basic set up. Took me five years to convince my mum I was serious about having a snake an finally got one for my 14th birthday. Had him four years, never hissed or bitten. Can't go wrong with a corn :2thumb:


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## Madhouse5 (Jun 6, 2011)

marie1986 said:


> hi all i'm hoping im posting in the right place- it will be my sons 12th birthday in febuary and after years of pestering for a snake i was considering letting him have a corn snake- as from what i've heard these are best for beginners. just wanted some general advice on what i should be expecting to pay? there's 2 independent reptile shops near to where i live (worcester) and also a pets at home that have started to sell reptiles. thanks in advance!


only thing i would add is corns can be quick to handle and do love to escape there is another snake that i would say makes a good first time snake is a royal python very placid dont get to big in length a very manageable big bodied snake setups easy too worth a look 


Paul


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

marie1986 said:


> hi all i'm hoping im posting in the right place- it will be my sons 12th birthday in febuary and after years of pestering for a snake i was considering letting him have a corn snake- as from what i've heard these are best for beginners. just wanted some general advice on what i should be expecting to pay? there's 2 independent reptile shops near to where i live (worcester) and also a pets at home that have started to sell reptiles. thanks in advance!


I wouldn't buy animals from pets at home, some people on here do but personally I would not, I suggest having a look around the local reptile shops around where you are or try and find breeders close to you, try looking round the classified section.

My corn (bloodred/diffused morph) cost me £60 from a good reptile shop, she was my first snake and she's grown and changed so much, mine was kept in a large flat faunarium, heated with a stat controlled heat mat, digi thermom probe on the bottom of the faun under the substrate & then there's decor, hides, substrate, water dish etc etc, didn't cost all that much, the stat cost the most I would say but this is essential to control the heat mat.


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## Snakes95 (Jun 2, 2012)

Plus food shouldnt cost more than £1.25 a week for an adult corn 

My brother is 12 and he helps me with the cleaning, handling and feeding of the snakes. At the end of the day if the person is confident around the snake then you shouldnt have a problem :2thumb:


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## snakesandscales (Oct 6, 2009)

Snakes95 said:


> Plus food shouldnt cost more than £1.25 a week for an adult corn
> 
> My brother is 12 and he helps me with the cleaning, handling and feeding of the snakes.* At the end of the day if the person is confident around the snake then you shouldnt have a problem* :2thumb:


This!

I've been working with snakes since I was 7. If they are responsible and comfortable, you should have no issues.

Have yourself a happy new year!


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## scotty667 (Oct 14, 2011)

Snakes95 said:


> Plus food shouldnt cost more than £1.25 a week for an adult corn
> 
> My brother is 12 and he helps me with the cleaning, handling and feeding of the snakes. At the end of the day if the person is confident around the snake then you shouldnt have a problem :2thumb:


Even cheaper if fed every two-three weeks and if you find a local breeder who does mice cheap and does it all legal of course.



Like everyone else said Confidence is the main thing i got mine when i was 13-14 and none of my family liked snakes that much so it was just me.


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## krstfoster (Oct 23, 2012)

I'd say for a 12 year old if your happy with having a larger snake then a royal would be better as they are easy to handle, placid, not as easy to get lost and aren't too expensive. A normal can be anything from from £20-£50. 

young corns and kids can be a disaster as corns can be very fast when their young and although they are mostly easy to tame, can be quite nippy at first. 

Hope this helps, I'm only speaking from experience as my corn was so quick when I first got him and for a first time keeper it can be quite daunting, especially because if you lose them when so small they can be impossible to find


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## snakesandscales (Oct 6, 2009)

krstfoster said:


> I'd say for a 12 year old if your happy with having a larger snake then a royal would be better as they are easy to handle, placid, not as easy to get lost and aren't too expensive. A normal can be anything from from £20-£50.
> 
> young corns and kids can be a disaster as corns can be very fast when their young and although they are mostly easy to tame, can be quite nippy at first.
> 
> Hope this helps, I'm only speaking from experience as my corn was so quick when I first got him and for a first time keeper it can be quite daunting, especially because if you lose them when so small they can be impossible to find


I would have to disagree with you there. I do not think it is a disaster if the child knows that these snakes can behave like that occasionally and that they should be careful not to let them escape.

If you have suitable housing, knowledge and common sense (and this goes for all ages) then I don't see where the problems would arise. So long as they are reminded to properly handle the animal and to secure its cage.

Sure, problems COULD arise, but they are unlikely and I think it is rather unnecessary to brand them a disaster without due cause.

Just my two cents.


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## krstfoster (Oct 23, 2012)

I said CAN Be a disaster. My two corns had both been returned to the shop after two weeks at they were 'too flighty' and 'too quick'. But after regular handling they are fine, but it depends how much time is put into it as animals are not born tame. All depends on the child really. I've also heard of so many lost snakes due to them being let go when handled


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## merritt (May 22, 2010)

I love my corns to bits, I keep both corns and Royals and I find my adult corns are far more active in the viv and are as docile as my royals when out, the where little :censor: when they where hatchlings but with time and patients they calmed down and my little nephew has fallen in love with my citrine. When hatchlings I used http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=2623&ProductGroupID=1287 it is slightly more on face value than other "starter kits" BUT it comes with a stat which can be transferred to the viv when you upgrade.


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## scotty667 (Oct 14, 2011)

merritt said:


> I love my corns to bits, I keep both corns and Royals and I find my adult corns are far more active in the viv and are as docile as my royals when out, the where little :censor: when they where hatchlings but with time and patients they calmed down and my little nephew has fallen in love with my citrine. When hatchlings I used Triple 8 Reptiles - 888 Reptiles Hatchling Snake Complete Setup Large Faunarium it is slightly more on face value than other "starter kits" BUT it comes with a stat which can be transferred to the viv when you upgrade.


Have to dissagree with the set-up for corns it's much cheaper getting it all seperate i'd say and at least then you can buy digi thermometers for just under £2 on ebay :lol2: it's still a good set-up though but just those thermometers in them starter kits are rubbish.

My corns when babies were perfect no hissing no biting they did occasionally tail rattle but what corn doesn't :lol2:.


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## snakesandscales (Oct 6, 2009)

scotty667 said:


> Have to dissagree with the set-up for corns it's much cheaper getting it all seperate i'd say and at least then you can buy digi thermometers for just under £2 on ebay :lol2: it's still a good set-up though but just those thermometers in them starter kits are rubbish.
> 
> My corns when babies were perfect no hissing no biting they did occasionally tail rattle but what corn doesn't :lol2:.


I bought a batch of corns from a friend not to long ago, each setup only cost me about £30 each, granted I already had some tubs for them. 

Heat mats, thermometer hide huts and everything else I got for under 30 quid.

You can make your own hides and water bowls.

Heat mats and thermometers. are cheap.

Substrate is amazingly cheap if like me, you have quite a few snakes and buy in bulk.

These corns don't even rattle their tails. When I hatch my own, they seem to strike for the first week or so, but reduce to tail rattling and them go tame. These ones seemed to surpass the above two behaviors and are as good as gold.

Oh and krstfoster, my point is they can only really be labeled a disaster if you allow it to become one. If a kid is not responsible, then mistakes will happen, but the majority of kids learn responsibility.

I got my first snake when I was 7. Did I let go of it? No. Did I forget to secure the cage? No. Thats because I done my research, learnt what behaviours it can display and spent a good deal of my pocket money to make sure its cage was 100% secure.

I will agree with one point, it does come down to the child. But also to the adult if they neglect to supervise the child and make sure they are taking proper care of the animal.


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## addictedtoreptiles (Jun 28, 2012)

all depends on prices on morphs and markings also where you buy them from at kempton reptile expo i saw some going for as low as £10 at the end of the day!

whilst a local pet shop sells them for alot more


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## mitsi (Feb 1, 2012)

go to worcester reptiles in lowesmoor they will give you all the advise you need and also sell second hand vivs as well at good prices, they are very good on price and advice, i go there for all my rep needs, wouldnt go anywhere ele.


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