more questions about snakes
- Thread starter J.huff23
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- May 13, 2007
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Once a week. Also increase the prey size as the snake grows. 75 on the cool side and 84 on the warm side . Cornsnakes are very prolific in captivity. The water bowl should be big enough that the snake can soak in it if it wants too. If the snake is a baby you would need a smaller bowl.
John
John
thank you. i did some research on substrate and an article said to use reptile bark or astroturf. it said not to use cedar or pine because it causes respitory problems. are there any other substrates suitable for a cornsnake?
The article also warned that corn snakes are "escape artists".
The article also warned that corn snakes are "escape artists".
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- Dec 8, 2003
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How often should i feed a cornsnake?
Depends, once a week is usual but prey size is important. Most people recommend too small a prey size. My hatchlings were on fuzzies usually by their 3rd or 4th feeding (1.5-2 months old) and eating adult mice by the time they were 22 inches long (3-5 months). I was a breeder so they reached adult breeding size in two years. I saw others still feeding fuzzies to animals that were 6 months old and that were 1/3 the size of my animals the same age.
Is it a need to have heat lamp for a cornsnake?
Not unless you keep your house very cold, corn snakes are generally brumated before breeding. Brumation is a term used for the hibernation-like state that cold-blooded animals utilize during very cold weather. And temps in the low 50s and upper 40s are common, you'll also often see them begin to refuse food during winter even if you keep the temps up (temps 70 and up continue offering food, below 70 stop offering food)
How big should the water dish be?
large enough for the snake to fit it's entire body into for soaking.
What is the ideal temperature for a cornsnake?
75-85 is pretty ideal
Rev
Depends, once a week is usual but prey size is important. Most people recommend too small a prey size. My hatchlings were on fuzzies usually by their 3rd or 4th feeding (1.5-2 months old) and eating adult mice by the time they were 22 inches long (3-5 months). I was a breeder so they reached adult breeding size in two years. I saw others still feeding fuzzies to animals that were 6 months old and that were 1/3 the size of my animals the same age.
Is it a need to have heat lamp for a cornsnake?
Not unless you keep your house very cold, corn snakes are generally brumated before breeding. Brumation is a term used for the hibernation-like state that cold-blooded animals utilize during very cold weather. And temps in the low 50s and upper 40s are common, you'll also often see them begin to refuse food during winter even if you keep the temps up (temps 70 and up continue offering food, below 70 stop offering food)
How big should the water dish be?
large enough for the snake to fit it's entire body into for soaking.
What is the ideal temperature for a cornsnake?
75-85 is pretty ideal
Rev
I have heat lamps for the snake, but my main concern is overheating the snake or not heating enough. I hear stories of snakes getting fried by the lamps. how do i equally heat each side of the cage? I hear that one side should be cool while the other should be warm.
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2004
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That happens mostly when someone has a bulb IN a tank without an adequate cage around it. (Like plywood/melamine stackable cages) If you have the lamp adequately distanced from the snake it won't happen. Also, just get a 75w or 100W bulb instead of the giant 200W bulb. For my baird's ratsnakes which are still pretty small, I am using a 50W spotlight reptile bulb and the tank is adequately heated on the warm side. Just buy an infared temp gun (only like $10-$20) and move the lamp closer or farther away until you get a good temp on the basking spot.
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- Dec 8, 2003
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when heating remember the purpose of heating is not so much to keep the snake warm but to aid digestion. Snakes like us digest in their bellies, therefore undertank heaters are used on one side only (snakes need to be able to self-regulate their temperatures), and heatrocks are evil. Overhead heatlamps are unnecessary and do not aid digestion. Newspaper is very good substrate, for display enclosures I found a recycled paper product that resembled bark in the garden department of Home Depot, indoor/outdoor carpet worked well, came in many colors, and machine washed (laundry mats only never the home washer)