Change of Plans

[Jay_Bunny]

Originally I was going to get a full grown miami phase male corn snake from the couple who sold us the gliders. Well, plans have changed. The cornsnake died last week due to old age. So now I might be in the market for a new snake. I was thinking of getting a little one from Noah's Pets down the street. My grandmother would not be happy about it, but I could keep it in the corner where she can't see it. Either way, I was wondering if a young cornsnake, say still on pinkies, could live comfortably in a 10g tank for a few months and then be moved up to a 20L. I have to go to the store today anyway to get a feeder for Zim (now on Hoppers) and some crickets and mealies for Chibi, so I know I'll be looking at the baby corns. Oh and I'm getting Zim probed again just to make sure she is a she.

Any opinions about the 10g?

(Just a tid bit, the 10g tank was a fish tank previously. Actually it still is, I'm taking it down (still has water in it) and giving it a good scrub. Wondering if this makes any difference in its use as a snake tank.)

[Izzi]

Actually thats perfectly fine - young cornsnakes can be kept in things like plastic shoe boxes and be perfectly fine - a 20 even in a couple months would prob. be too big and stressful. a 10g is good. I personally wouldn't get a corn from a pet store - its overpriced and you won't know anything about the snake - I recommend getting one from a breeder!

If you have any more questions, check out this site - www.cornsnakes.com
Its an awesome forum that I'm a member of, and not only will you find a quality snake to purchase but everyone there is so friendly and willing to help!

Good luck getting a corn! They are so addicting - I was only going to have 1, but now I have a male and female and I'm in the market for 2 more!

[Kagez28]

it's best to find a breeder in your area, and stay away from pet stores. you could look online for a breeder, but the cost of the snake compared to the cost of shipping makes that difficult. check around online and see if you can find a breeder, or try a hit a reptile show around you. shows are another way to get a corn, you can see all the different morphs offered, handle them, and then pick one you like.

and a 10 gal is plenty big for a corn until it hits about 2.5 feet. alittle rule of thumb i use is the tank has to be at least 2/3 of the total length of the snake. a 10 gal is usually 20 inches, so a 30 inch snake would be the max in a 10 gal. sound good?

[kavmon]

it's best to find a breeder in your area, and stay away from pet stores. you could look online for a breeder, but the cost of the snake compared to the cost of shipping makes that difficult. check around online and see if you can find a breeder, or try a hit a reptile show around you. shows are another way to get a corn, you can see all the different morphs offered, handle them, and then pick one you like.

in general i agree with you. in this particular case, i know this store and the owner. this store doesn't buy wc or imports or deal with online wholesalers. he tends to buy from local breeders instead.


vaughn

[Jay_Bunny]

The pet store isn't like your normal 'can't take care of jack' pet stores. This pet store takes good care of their animals and I have bought from them before. Zim was a Noah's snake until I got her. I just took her there to get probed but they couldn't find the right size probe and didn't want to risk going up to the next size probe.

As for breeders. I don't know of any breeders around here, though there is a reptile show coming up in August in Northern Va I could go to.

As for the 10 gallon. Does it matter if it was once a fish tank? I'm cleaning the rocks at the bottom now and I'm going to take it out and give it a good rinse with the hose, then a good scrub and another rinse.

[Kagez28]

sounds like you have a very nice pet store... i wish i was so lucky.

as for it being a fish tank, it really doesn't matter as long as you give it a very good cleaning, which i am sure you were already planning on doing. a 5% bleach solution will work, just keep the bleach on the surfaces for about 20 mins and then make sure you give it plenty of time to dry out. if you smell any bleach, more washing with water and drying is needed.

the only thing i have noticed with switching fish tanks between different kinds of animals is if you use it for rodents, then try and put fish in it... you are going to have a very wet floor

[Jay_Bunny]

Nope, no rodents going into this tank. Come to think of it, no more fish either. I'm getting out of keeping fish. My other 10g fish tank is going to my grandmother's friend. Everything included for free. I'm going to focus on reptiles, my cats, and sugar gliders. Thats it. So as of right now, I have two empty tanks. One that was supposed to be for crested geckos but I don't think I'm going to get any of those for a while and then the 10g which is currently drying outside from its first rinse. Then I'm off to find the bleach.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Yup, a 10g would be fine for at least his first year, probably 1.5-2 yrs depending on how fast he grew. And yes, rinse it out with a diluted bleach solution, I've also used vinegar on old fish tanks, as it's an acid and can dissolve away tough gunk left over by fish; just make sure to rinse, rinse, and then rinse some more.

Just make sure that when you put the snake in it that the lid is ultra secure, corn snakes (especially hatchlings) are notorious escape artists. As for finding a corn, if you have a trust worthy pet store then by all means go through them. But shows are also a great source as well.

[Jay_Bunny]

Thanks for answering my questions everyone. I still haven't cleaned the tank with a bleach solution yet. I had it outside drying from the first rinse and then I got busy. Tomorrow is my cleaning day for my reptile tanks, so I'll just get that one too.

I really want to get another snake, but I'll have to wait till I move out. I want to get another corn.

[Flagg]

I'd wait for the show. They'll have a much better selection and the show will be cheaper. Even a good pet shop will have much higher prices.