First time corn owner

[nicolehh11]

Just a couple of questions regarding corns, I'm also a ball python owner so I know these 2 snakes differ in several ways. First, her setup, I have her in a 10g tank with a water dish, 1 hide, a log to climb on, and some vines to take up some room. Her "cool" side is about 65-70 since that's the temp inside my apartment and about 80 on her warm side. Also, I'm using aspen bedding (I find that the best other than newspaper).

How do I tell if my corn is stressed out? Currently, I have black contact paper around my BP's tank so he doesn't stress (He's about 7 months old) but I'm wondering I should do the same for the corn. She seems alright, alot more active than my BP.

She's under 7 months old, very tiny (something I'm not used to! ) and pinkies look a bit too big for her. She's a little smaller than my pinky finger. I'm going to give her a week to settle in before I try to feed her, but should I try a pinky? I'd hate for her to regurg. I noticed at Petco that had crickets in there, is that the only other thing they will eat?

That's all I have for now, I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again! Thanks!

[mitochondria]

Pinkies are fine. Corn snakes look so small but they can get one down no problem. I haven't put anything to black out the sides of my corns enclosure, which is also a 10g. He eats every feeding day and spends a lot of time hanging out in the open during the evenings so I guess he isn't stressed.

Maybe consider blacking the sides out if your corn doesn't eat for a few weeks. Good luck. We enjoy our corn snake a lot because of how active he is.

[Gungirl]

Don't feed it crickets... Stick to feeding it pinkies its better for them. Also offering a hide on the hot and cold sides that is the same lets them feel safe where ever they want to be and not just stay on the hot side due to it liking that hide more. I blacked out 3 sides of my snakes viv and he seemed much happier.( came out a lot more to be seen)

[TheWinWizard]

Pinkies for sure, don't try crickets.

[blushingball419]

Yeah, corns are a lot different from bps as far as temperament goes. Everything you've described sounds good... the only thing I would suggest is adding another hide. Corns aren't quite as shy as bps, but babies especially can still be very skittish and insecure. It's great that you're using aspen, because most baby corns love to burrow, and if you don't feel like buying/making another hide, she can always use that to hide in instead.

You can tell a corn is stressed just like pretty much any other snake: they don't eat and are constantly moving and zipping around their enclosure frantically. Corns are more active than bps, but you can generally tell exploration from freaking out.

And, as the others have already said, definitely go with pinkies. If she's really small and you really think a pinkie is too large, you can always cut it in half and do it that way. Whatever you feed her shouldn't be too much bigger than the widest part of her body. She should be big enough to handle a pinkie, but I know some hatchling corns are ridiculously tiny (and also ridiculously cute! )

Hope this helps, and good luck with her!!

[Blue Apple Herps]

It'll handle a pinky just fine. Feed it a pinky until the lump is barely visible. Then move to double pinks until the lump is barely visible. Then move to fuzzies, until lump is barel visible, and repeat until you hit large mice. Even if no lump is visible with large mice, its all an adult corn ever needs.

Feed it like this once a week, and you'll have a happy, healthy corn.

[Sammy412]

You should probably not wait a week to feed it, either. Just give it 2 or 3 days. I never had a problem getting a corn to eat a couple of days after bringing it home. They arent' nearly as picky as BP's.

[thedarkwolf25]

I have never had my corn refuse food, quite the opposite. When we feed Zeus he will usually move around as if looking for more. I think he would honestly eat as many as we would give him, he is such a glutton.

[nicolehh11]

Thanks everyone for your help. Alice passed away last night or this morning. I've posted a thread in the Rainbow Bridge. Hopefully I will get another corn soon.