Congratulations
New Snake Owner!!
You’ve finally
picked out the perfect snake; now what? Hopefully you’ve
done some research and know what you’re getting into. If
not, don’t fret – you’ve come to the right place! Snakes
are, by far, the most delightful and easy to care for pets on the
market. There are some things you should know, however, to
get it ‘just right’.
Remember, your
new snake is traumatized!! You've removed it from its cozy
environment to a new place. It can take a few days or up to a few weeks
for even the most amiable snake to acclimate, or get used to its new
digs. I know you want to hold him or her, but try to be patient and give
your new pet a chance to settle in. That is, put it into
its new enclosure and leave it alone for at least 72 hours. You
do have its new enclosure ready, don’t you?
Enclosures
You
want to choose an enclosure that fits the size of your snakes. Babies
are relatively small and don’t require much room. On the
flip side, keeping a baby snake in a huge enclosure may stress them.
I would recommend a 10-gallon aquarium. They’re
cheap, easy to clean and provide enough room for at least the first two
years of your snake’s life. Smaller would be fine, size
wise, but may be difficult to heat properly. A full-grown
Corn Snake will need, at a minimum, a 20-gallon aquarium size. Larger
aquariums such as a thirty-gallon breeder or fifty-five gallon tank are
also appropriate for adults. Now… what to put in it…..
What Goes In, Besides
Your Snake
Substrate is the material you choose to line
your cage with. Some people opt for paper towels or
shredded paper. This is perfectly acceptable and
inexpensive. However, it’s not pretty if you want to
display your snake. Also, it does nothing for odor control.
I use Aspen because it’s relatively inexpensive, absorbs fecal
material easily and cuts down on odor. Cedar or Pine could
cause respiratory problems. Corncob could cause skin damage
and serious intestinal problems, if ingested.
Reptile bark is acceptable, but watch for excessive humidity and
mold growth. The substrate should be spot cleaned once or
twice a week and completely changed monthly or every other month at a
minimum. Your snake will need a place to hide, both on the
warm and cool side of your tank. This can be as elaborate
or functional as you want to make it. For hatchlings I use a
water dish that has access underneath on the cool side and a paper
towel roll on the warm. Whatever you use, make it easily
disposable and/or easy to clean. I rotate these, wash them
monthly and throw out anything soiled. The water dish you
provide should be large enough for your snake to get into. Often,
when trying to shed, your snake will soak. Water should be
changed twice a week and the dish cleaned well once a week to reduce
bacterial growth. If your snake likes to defecate in the
dish (and many do!) clean it as soon as you find it. Some
people will put in vines and branches, these are great and provide your
snake with opportunity to explore and climb, which many like to do.
Just remember that whatever you put in will need to be cleaned
at least monthly.
Heating
One of the most common mistakes new handlers
make is improper heating of their
enclosures. Snakes do not make their own body heat, rather
they rely on their environment to provide the heat necessary for proper
growth, a healthy immune system and the digestion of food. Therefore,
improper heating will almost always lead to sick or injured snakes.
Do it right the first time to avoid this common error! For
best results, belly heat is always the number one choice. You
can provide this by getting a heat mat to put under your tank (not in
it!). Make sure it’s recommended for the type of cage that
you purchase as some are not recommended for plastic, and so on. You’ll
also need a thermometer to check the temperatures in your tank. Get
one with a probe so you can move it around the tank. Place
the probe at the hottest point, which is under the substrate on the
glass, above the heat mat. Goal is 83 – 86 degrees, if it’s
hotter than this you need to regulate it so your snake doesn’t get
burned. Regulating a too hot heat mat is tricky. You
don’t want to layer anything on it, as the risk of fire is great. A
rheostat controller can be purchased to do this. The other
option, and cheaper, is to wire a dimmer switch to hook it up to.
If you’d like the web link on how to do this, contact me. Hot
rocks are not recommended because they’re not regulated and snakes will
sit directly on these. I’ve seen many nasty burns related
to people using these. Heating bulbs that provide basking
areas are also not recommended. Lights are fine for
display, but not as a heat source as snakes need belly heat to digest.
Digest? Digest what???? Read on….
Feeding
Baby snakes start out eating pinky mice every 4 - 6 days and progress up to adult mice every 7 - 10 days when they're full-grown. The rule of thumb is to feed your snake a mouse that is 1 1/2 times the girth of your snake at it's widest point. That is approximately the center point of your snake. You should notice a sizeable lump after eating that goes away in about 24 - 48 hours. Feed too small and not often enough, your snake won't grow properly Feed to large or too often, your snake will become obese and/or regurgitate, that is throw up. This can become a very dangerous situation because snakes loose necessary stomach fluids and electrolytes when they regurgitate. Other common causes of regurgitation are poor heating and too much handling after feeding. So, watch those temperatures, feed appropriate sized items and leave your snake alone for at least 24 hours after feeding. It's most likely that it will hide for this time frame anyway.
Shedding
A
snake will shed approximately once a month, more often in babies and
less in adults. Your snake will go into “blue” – that is
the phase when it’s eyes cloud up and you may notice its color is dull
as well. Your snake will look like this for a day or three
then abruptly clear up for a day or two, sometimes three. Then
it will shed. Be careful during this time as typically
your snake cannot see and may strike or even bite, not knowing what’s
‘out there’. When your snake sheds, carefully examine the
shed to make sure that it’s eye caps and tail tip are there. Both
can cause complications and can lead to the loss of eyes or tail tips.
Your snake should shed all in one piece, if not the humidity in
your tank isn’t quite right. If you notice pieces and some
are still on the snake, soak your snake in tepid (not warm, not cold)
water for a few minutes. You can also wet a washcloth or
towel and run it over your snake a few times. To prevent in
the future, place some damp moss or paper towels under a hide when you
see your snake going into blue. They’ll love burrowing in
this and will stay there until they shed. Do take the moss
out and throw away afterwards. Too much humidity can lead
to bacterial growth, scale problems and mouth rot.
Enjoy!!
This
care sheet is great for getting started, but not intended to provide
all the information. If you own a Corn Snake or plan on
purchasing one, it is YOUR responsibility to thoroughly research the
needs of your pet. Doing so will make for a much more satisfying
experience. Cared for properly, snakes can live over 10
years. For more information or just to shoot the breeze
with other snake enthusiasts I recommended:
www.cornsnakes.com
www.cornsnakesource.com
for the latest and greatest discussions and
information!
