Getting a corn!!

[Ginevive]

I am taking in a corn snake (candy cane) named Mitch, from my friend's brother. He is adult sized, eats great and is, I am told "friendly.) He looks like this one (not my pic
http://www.reptileallsorts.com/cornphase/win13.html
So in the next day or so, I am boning up on corn care.. any advice?? I have only ever kept BPs, my boa, and garter snakes..

[MPenn]

I am too tired to type a lot so I will give you this link http://www.cornsnakes.net/care.php3 .
It has plenty of good info.

[Ginevive]

Thanks; great site. Why retype everything when it's already typed?
I am glad to find that he can live in the same rack as my BPs.. that site said that a 20-long tank would be fine for an adult, so I am thinking that my 41-qt Sterilite tub would be fine.. are they known for escaping racks though?

[stangs13]

Congrats!! Corns are awesome! there is a reason why I keep corns and balls!
It depends on how big of a gap is between the tub and the rack.

They CAN NOT handle the hot spot of ball pythons. So I wouldn't go there, you will have some problems if you do. Also, Depending on where you live, you could just keep him in your house, without heat, but since your up north you might want to go with heat. Candy Canes are really really pretty. I will PM you some great forums all about Cornsnakes!

[Ginevive]

Congrats!! Corns are awesome! there is a reason why I keep corns and balls!
It depends on how big of a gap is between the tub and the rack.

They CAN NOT handle the hot spot of ball pythons. So I wouldn't go there, you will have some problems if you do. Also, Depending on where you live, you could just keep him in your house, without heat, but since your up north you might want to go with heat. Candy Canes are really really pretty. I will PM you some great forums all about Cornsnakes!

That's cool; I am going to get back my 20-l with the sliding/locking lid, that I had at consignment at my friend's store; I am kinda glad it never sold, now.
Then I plan on making a naturalistic tank for him; I always wanted to do this, but I know that BPs are not really display snakes; but this will be a fun project for me in the coming months!
How about adding an UTH on a thermostat to the side of the tank? I saw this idea on the site I jsut went to.. but the temps in our house never go below 75 degrees anyway..

[stangs13]

That works!! Corns are really fun to play with, enclosure wise.

[Ginevive]

He is also a laid-back snake, so it will be cool to have one that I can handle. Rat snakes always turned me off b/c of their habit of musking, but this guy has never done that. I haven't seen him in about a year though, but I remember handling him then and he was fine.
Now, he is at my friend's moms' house, and her brother only really stops in there a few times a week for cage cleaning and feeding; so he definately needs a home where he will be appreciated.

[gibbrishclown]

what's musking?

Congrats on the new corn, I think you'll love it!

[Ginevive]

Musking is when they squirt out this foul-smelling substance from their vent; it is something that wild garters will do, and that one of my friend's rat snakes did to me before.. I actually had a WC BP do it years ago too. It has to be one of the worst scents out there; I remember a garter musking me when I picked it out of our garden to take a photo; I took a shower and washed all of the clothes I was wearing and still smelled it!
For anyone that knows: ever been musked by a corn?

[gibbrishclown]

I've gotten Nugget to "rattle" his tail at me, but never a musk (*thanks lucky stars*)