| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| dan84 |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 13:29:47
hi im dan im new to site. loving the pics of some of your corns i have 1 myself :).
i bought a corn towards the end of last year as a xmas present from my wife and currently lives in what the shop calls a starter tank consisting of aspen, and a heat mat ( the mat is currently UNDER the tank, as they told me to ) i have put a hide in there aswell as a tube off some kitchen roll which he/she happens to love and ofcourse a water bowl.
corn named neo seems to be healthy, eats fine since i bought and has had brilliant sheds although iv had the problem of the tail not properly coming off and recently have soaked and wiped with damp kitchen roll and seemed to come off ( or so i hope ).
when i bought the corn i asked if it fed ok, and if it had shed and they showed me all the doc's that they kept a record of and they had it labelled as an "albino corn snake" but looking at some of the pics on here it looks more like a snow corn.
anyway on to my worries, its only shed 3 times in the 7-8 months iv had it, its eyes seem to go cloudy quite a lot and the body goes dull and i expect a shed so i leave him be, but nothing, i give it a luke warm bath every few weeks just to keep him clean as i have a book that says corns love a bath. it very rarely goes in its hide which is at the same end as the heat mat and tends to stay at the colder end hiding behind his kitchen roll tube which is prob normal, im unsure.
2nd worry is, it was upped to 2 pinkies once every 7-10 days which seems to be fine as its munching them down no problem and last feed ( last sunday ) i gave it 3 pinkies to see if it would eat them, suprise suprise all 3 in under 10mins ( likes food ), should i be changing its food onto fuzzys now hes onto 3 pinkies or should i leave him be for a while longer then size up or ?.
just so you know i call neo IT as i dont know whether its male or female as the shop assisstants didnt actually know and the bloke who did know wasnt there as was on holiday, but as i was so taken by it i had to have it there and then.
any advice or help will be a great help and will be very much appreciated.
cheers Dan |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 11/06/2012 : 19:15:29
if you have the heat mat on the inside, then yes, if you dont, then have the stat probe on the mat, you can tape it on there if you want, and the thermometer probe inside the faun weighted down with the hide or something similar. I wouldnt move him to anything bigger for a while yet, hes still only small. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 11/06/2012 : 17:57:52
thanks for the advice guys mat stat seems to be fine and I'll be using it when i put him in a bigger tank, so basically what your saying is get a digi temp reader and stick it with the probe for the stat ?. if that's the case will sort that when he moves into bigger tank :D |
| lotabob |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 23:57:19
Yeah dont over stress the albino thing, my snake it a type of albino and its about 50% black. Its a common name for a all 'white' snake to be called albino when we know it as a snow morph.
Dial thermometers should be installed in the dustbin, one digital thermometer is good enough and installing it as Mike said is going to get you the best results.
The reason dial thermometers are useless is they react to temperature in the air, snakes heat themsleves through their belly so they are touching the hot surface, its that surface we have to have at the right temperature so we need a way to measure that temperature. Digital thermometers have a probe that you attach to that surface and it heats up with that surface in much the same way the snake will so its more accurate. (To get a 28oC reading in the air I'd guess you would have to have the heat mat running at least 40oC+ as the heat will rise straight out the lid) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 19:41:45
Dan, Snow IS albino, both amelanistic and Anerythristic, both are types of albino.
Dont bother with a hygrometer, you dont need it, our humidity is absolutely fine for them,dont bother with 2 temp thermometers either, you dont need them, room temp is fine for the cold end.
the dial thermometers are a complete waste of time, they take minutes to react to temp changes, and if you have them half way up the wall, they are only measuring air temp, not the temp of the floor.
Use a digital thermometer, you cant go wrong then. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 09:25:21
yh i have the exoterra monitor on the warm end of his tank, iv prob got it in the wrong position but the stat seems to be working ok and hes spending a bit more time in that end, so must be ok. once he's big enough for a proper tank im going to use the ideas off here and have 2 temp monitors ( 1 each end ) and 2 humidity monitors ( 1 each end ) hopefully using digi monitors as long as the shop in s****horpe has them in. which reminds me the shop i got my snake from is MY PET in s****horpe and they gave me the advice on setting it up ect, and when i went to fetch the bits i got the other day i asked about the fuzzy feeding and they didn't have a clue hence why im asking on here as you guys seem to know what your talking about which is great !. Will be glad to say his shed yesterday morning came off in 1 complete shed and measured it when i finished work and measures 22.5" about 57cm so the little fella is growing but slowly lol. also looking at pics on here and internet i am pretty sure he is a snowcorn and NOT albino as the shop had said, id just love to know what sex he is but not fussed anyway.
will be taking a few pics over the weekend and uploading them to hear so you guys can see him, the wife is getting worried about his size already and doesnt like it when he grips, he also LOVES blackberry phone cases, he sneaked into hers last night and wouldnt come out, i found it hysterically funny :D
again thanks for the advice and help i appreciate it
cheers Dan |
| Donnie |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 22:20:01
I feed mine one every 7 days. Bit strange that you are only getting 20 in your faun if your stat is so high. Are you using your exo terra digital thermometer on the hot side now? Just bin the strip thermometer it won't be accurate enough. There is not a lot you can do about the cold side temps so I just monitor the hot end temps. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 22:08:58
set to just under 30degrees donnie, iv moved some of the aspen off that end so hopefully he will get some warmth of it but its 1 of those stats that click off when it reaches temp, like a habistat i do believe. he seems happy enough at the moment although i have left him tonight as he's just shed but will try a fuzz over weekend, am i right in saying 1 fuzz every 7-10 days or so ? |
| Donnie |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 20:46:15
What temp is the stat dial set to? |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 20:00:44
couple of things, Snows are albinos, so dont worry about that, feeding wise, 3 pinkies isnt gonna do any harm, but, they are quite low in calcium, so the sooner you can move up a size the better, dont worry about damaging him internally, that wont happen i can assure you.
Temp wise, your thermometer is a waste of time and money, stick on ones are not worth the plastic they are printed on, get yourself an aquarium digital one, they are about 3 quid on ebay and you can put it where you need it.
to set up your faun properly, with the heat mat underneath, you want the stat probe taped to the heatmat, underneath the faun, and the thermometer inside the faun weighted down directly above the heatmat, then you can set the thermostat according to what the thermometer says.
mat stats or temp stats (same thing) will give you a temp fluctuation of about 4 degrees (should be 2 either side, thats normal, some are more, some are less, dimmer stats and pulse stats give you a pretty solid temp all the time, however some pulse stats dont work properly with small mats, not enough load on the system.
As far as health goes, if hes going cloudy and not shedding, then you would be able to tell because he would look very dry and wrinkly, ideally, as a young snake he should shed roughly once a month, some are different and dont grow as fast.
Viv wise, if you are handy with a saw and a screwdriver then build one, its far cheaper than buying, the glass is the most expensive bit, and you need to have tempered glass ideally, for a corn its not so much of an issue, but definately for anything bigger, tempered glass will look green if you look at the edge.
As far as heat mats go, yes they can get very hot, hot enough to not only burn the snake, but to potentially burn your house down, as unlikely as it sounds, i have heard of one occasion when it happened.
Temp wise, a 28 degree heatmat will generally feel warm, it depends entirely on the person feeling it, whilst out body temp is 37 or so, our hands arent, mine usually are around 26 degrees, but that can depend on what you have been doing and what the weather is like. Dont bother with the feeling the mat thing unless you know how hot your hands are, always go on a digital thermometer, you will be able to setup much more easily and it will be more reliable. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 11:57:51
Hope what your saying is right lupi lol I'd hate to think that I'm going to cause damage to the little fella. And I'm pleased to say I found a shed this morning when I got up so panic over in that respect, will be measuring it later when I finish work and I'll also try and put a better pic of him up as I rly want to be sure about these fuzzyz lol. Also is there anything I can do to the temp on the warm side as its roughly same temp as cool side, 20degrees ?, the stat is connected to heatmat and probe is on the heatmat both are UNDER the plastic tank pretty much how donnie described he did with his !?
I'm also wanting to know about vivs, I'm after a corner unit, roughly 3ft wide at the front and thinking of building my own, is it difficult to build 1 or would I be better off shelling out and buying a proper built viv and dec'ing it out to how I want it, seen a few pics of vivs on here and love how they look and wouldn't mind stealing a few idea's, if that's cool with every 1 ?
Again thanks for the help and advice I greatly appreciate it !
Cheers Dan |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 18:58:29
if he's taken 3 pinks in one feed he will be able to take a fuzz. that first fuzz is always a daunting thing!!! |
| Donnie |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 18:42:02
Bit hard to tell hid girth on the picture but the normal guide for feeding is for the mouse to be no bigger than 1.5 x the widest part of the snake. When I first moved mine up I thought she would never take it but she did it just took a bit longer to swallow. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 18:34:52
i have a sticky temp on 1 side ( like u have on aquariums, its made for vivs though) and a exo terra temp on other side, cool side is about 20degrees or so, bit worried about the warm side as its not much warmer than 20degrees since i put the stat on. hes currently inside hide on warm side, i have the stat set to just under 30degrees.
so if thats ok only issue i have now is to whether these fuzzyz will be ok for him. |
| viraleye |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 16:15:02
that looks pretty good perfect now!
what are your current temps now you have it all set up? |
| dan84 |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 16:01:47
hi thanks for advice etc, been out today and bought a stat, another hide and 2 temp gauges unfortunatly didnt have a gauge to measure humidity, but will get 1 soon enough. so now neo's go a hide at each end of tank and the 2 temps are at each end. i also bought some fuzzys as well, just worried about feeding him them, they seem massive.
anyway heres a couple of pics to show his tank and a pic of neo as i want you guys to tell me if you think hes big enough to handle these fuzzyz.
that's how iv set up his tank at the minute, right is the warmer end, cooler to the left
that's neo, currently measures about 46cm ( roughly 17") and is about 1.6cm at the thickest part, that ok for fuzzyz or do i carry on with the pinkies for now as pet shop said if he isn't big enough they could do damage to his insides, which i obviously don't want !
thanks for the help guys sorry im asking so many dumb questions, but id rather ask than leave it and something happen to my snake
cheers Dan |
| viraleye |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 10:27:10
Its not your fault you've been given bad advice from a pet shop but you've come to the right place now :-)
Turn the heat mat off and get a thermostat and do not feed until you have it all set up. Also get a digital thermometer so you can accurately monitor the temps.
I hide in the warm end and the cold end, and put your water bowl in the cold end. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 00:46:46
Hi and welcome to the forum. As above a thermostat is essential kit (I dont understand why shops seem to reluctant to sell them in their starter kits). Cool to the touch is irrelevant, the hot end of a corn snake's tank should be 28oC which will be cold to the touch the problem lies in that so is 32oC and this is 2 degrees hotter than the maximum temperture a corn snake can tolerate long term and long term exposure will cause brain damage. Surrey Pet Supplies sell the cheapest stats I've seen, you only need a mat-stat and it protects against overheating them and also mat failure, a malfunctioning mat can melt the tank and in rare cases actually catch fire.
If you haven't fed Neo within the last 48 hours it will be best to just switch off the mat completely until it is safe. Its nice and warm at the moment and Neo will be absolutely fine while waiting for a stat so long as you dont feed him until the mat is running at the proper temperature. While investing in a stat get yourself a digital thermometer too so you can accurately set the temperature.
I would be guessing too that the amount you are feeding is slightly off recommendations. Feeding 2 items at a time is about as much as you want to feed, I tend to just go for one though no bigger than 1.5 times the thickest part of the snake. Pinkies are small so perfect for small snakes but once they are big enough to take something bigger and more nutritious then its best to just work up through the sizes.
Lots of us have no clue of the true sex of the snakes we have, and unless you are breeding its not all that important, just pick a sex, they dont mind. lol. |
| Donnie |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 23:18:31
I have got one of mine in that same faun and my mat is on the outside with the thermostat probe directly on the mat and under the faun. I have my digital thermometer probe inside the faun touching the floor to monitor the temp there as that is the closest snakey can get. Adjust the thermostat temp to the reading on the digital thermometer do not rely on the dial on the thermostat. |
| dan84 |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 23:07:37
thanks for the responses, i have been checking all day heat wise on the mat side of the tank and its pretty cool to the touch and i actually saw neo in his hide this evening, fed this evening also and went straight into his hide. il look into getting a stat for it but the spec of the tank hes in doesnt give me anywhere to put the mat anyway as theres no holes part vent holes in the lid.
thats corns tank untill i get a proper viv, hence why the heatmat is underneath where the feet to it is. |
| ScalySituation |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 17:53:25
he also needs a hide at both ends :) |
|
|
