| Author |
 Topic  |
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
 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 |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 13:40:23
|
| forgot to mention that the last shed was on the 13th march 2012. |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
 |
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 13:43:38
|
| Do you have your mat run through a thermostat and a digital thermometer to check the temps? If not that could be the reason it is staying at the cool end. 3 pinkies is a bit much in 1 feed and it sounds like you should be moving onto fluffs now. Once on fluffs you might find that it sheds a bit more often. |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 13:44:29
|
| Forgot to say 1 fluffy every 7 days. |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 15:06:43
|
hi cheers for a quick reply. no havent got a thermostat, its under the tank on an old clean tea towel, so its only warm no chance of burning it. iv only set it up how i was told lol but havent had any probs with it upto just recently. are fluffs fuzzies or ? and if thats the case will get some this week but will have to feed him today as not been fed since last weekend and depends whether pet shop round the corner from me has them in...
once its big enough for a proper viv i will be setting it up properly with heat mat stats and therm's ect but was told up untill then i needednt bother and will be happy in what its in.
i will try and get a couple of pics up shortly of its tank ect to see whether its ok.
cheers again Dan |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
|
Spreebok
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1135 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 15:12:06
|
No, get a thermostat now. Heatmats when left unstatted will get incredibly hot and can catch fire, which'll go straight through your teatowel and faun. Your shop has given you bad advice (and they don't sound too great if they're calling snow corns 'Albino Corns').
Currently, you're running on lady luck, and it's clear your corn isn't happy as she stays out of the hot end. A heatmat should not be noticeably warm to the touch for a corn, if you can feel the warmth it's too hot. |
|
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 15:16:54
|
| Fluffs/fuzzy the same thing. I would advise getting a digital thermometer to check the actual temp on the bottom of the faun as it should be a max of 30 deg which will still feel coldish to us. Temps above this can cause neurological damage to corns so I would defiantly get a thermostat now which you can also use on your big viv when it is time to move up. There was a big debate on here a couple of months ago about using stats, it may be worth a read. |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
ScalySituation
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5292 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 17:53:25
|
| he also needs a hide at both ends :) |
1.0.0 Butter motley corn (Sheldon)
0.1.0 Caramel Corn (Maggie)
0.1.0 Caramel motley corn (Echo)
1.0.0 Cat (Angus)
1 mealworm colony
RIP Skye x
Sleep well Sonny, Mummy loves you xx
|
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
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. |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
Edited by - dan84 on 04/06/2012 23:08:44 |
|
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
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. |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
lotabob
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
4334 Posts |
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. |
Anery Corn snake SPOT. Royal Python, DUKE. Hogg Island Boa, SANKE. Albino House Snake, HAL.
Harlequin Crested Gecko HARLEY
Albino Horned Frog WAKA
Chilean Rose Tarantula TRIXIE. Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-eating Tarantula SAM. Orange Baboon Tarantula BORIS.
Giant Asian Forest Scorpion, SALLY.
Giant African Land Snails, SHELDON & MICHELLE.
Budwing Mantis, MAIA
Dubia Roach Colony. Silkworm Colony. Mealworm Colony. Waxworm Colony. Fruit Beetle Colony.
MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL http://www.youtube.com/user/alocheeky |
|
|
|
viraleye
Yearling
United Kingdom
695 Posts |
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. |
1.0.0 Cyrus - Amel het Anery ph Hypo - CURRENTLY AWOL
0.1.0 Diamond - Avalanche ph Charcoal, Hypo
1.0.0 Garland - Bloodred het Hypo
1.0.0 Pinball - Carolina
0.1.0 Casey - Hypo Lavender Stripe het Amel
0.0.1 - No Name Yet - Crested Gecko |
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
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 |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
|
viraleye
Yearling
United Kingdom
695 Posts |
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? |
1.0.0 Cyrus - Amel het Anery ph Hypo - CURRENTLY AWOL
0.1.0 Diamond - Avalanche ph Charcoal, Hypo
1.0.0 Garland - Bloodred het Hypo
1.0.0 Pinball - Carolina
0.1.0 Casey - Hypo Lavender Stripe het Amel
0.0.1 - No Name Yet - Crested Gecko |
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
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. |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
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. |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
lupi lou
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3670 Posts |
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!!! |
 
1.0.1 Corns
0.1.0 Dog: springer
1.0.0 Horse
0.4.0 Gerbils
2.2.0 Leopard gecko
0.2.0 Cave gecko |
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
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 |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
|
mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!
United Kingdom
2901 Posts |
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. |
Location : Worthing, West Sussex
|
|
|
|
Donnie
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3215 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 20:46:15
|
| What temp is the stat dial set to? |
1.1 Corns (Anery Stripe, Amel) 1.0 Rootbeer 0.2 Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python 1.0 50% Diamond Zebra Carpet Python |
|
|
|
dan84
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
21 Posts |
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 ? |
Fear not the machine, but the hand that wields it. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
hi and advice needed
