I actually recommend a Ball python over any of the colubrids. They have a tenancy to be a lot more mellow. A corn snake will be fast and squirmy whereas a Ball will chill out in your lap while you watch tv. Plus you get all of the "big python feel" without all of the responsibilities, males tend not to exceed more than 4 1/2 feet and 2000 grams or so. They also are really forgiving of husbandry errors. Read up on it alittle on the 'net. Always buy captive bred animals. I can recommend a few excellent breeder if you are ready to take the next step. Feel free to ask any questions here.



-Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Shamez214 Yo Brian... got any recent pics of the snake? Also... I want to get one, not anything exotic, as I've never owned a snake before. Something like a corn or king snake. Is it okay to buy from a pet store? Or should I try and find a breeder?

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"We are all eternally 8th graders in our minds." -Lyssa

K... so I went ahead and got one. I have a friend at work who is big into breeding, so I figured I'd ask him if he knew anyone on S.I. He recommended a guy and I went over to his house yesterday. I'm not ENTIRELY sure what the name of the corn I got is (he told me, but I forget) but this is basically what he looks like:



I'll take a pic of my guy soon, maybe tomorrow. Fed him when I got home. That was fun... never saw a snake eat in person.

Just one thing... I'm kinda having a hard time keeping the temps right. My room is hot in Summer and cold in Winter. So, today, the thermometer said 89 degrees. I turned the air on in my room, and it lowered down to about 80 on the cool side of the tank. What do you guys think I should do? 'Cause I can't keep the AC on all day.

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*can't imagine it feelin' much better...
i wish it would just last forever.
and so, to feel like that?
i'd pay any price just to get that back.*

Definitely an albino morph...maybe okeetee?

What wattage is your heat bulb? To get the temperature down try backing down to a lower watt. You could also use a combo of a lower watt bulb and an undertank heating pad. You will want to aim for 85-90 in the bask and 10 degrees cooler on the far end of the tank. It's important to give such a heat gradient so the snake can thermoregulate itself. Night time drops can be as low as the mid 60's.

Whats up with this breeder in SI? I'm from SI...what is he breeding? Shoot me over a PM with his info if you still have it. Thanks man.




-Joe

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"We are all eternally 8th graders in our minds." -Lyssa

That's the thing. I hadn't even put the bulbs on yesterday, and the temp was close to 90 in the tank. It's not the hot side I'm having a problem with, it's the cool side. Again, I'll try and take some pics of the entire setup tomorrow.

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*can't imagine it feelin' much better...
i wish it would just last forever.
and so, to feel like that?
i'd pay any price just to get that back.*

quote:

Originally posted by Shamez214 That's the thing. I hadn't even put the bulbs on yesterday, and the temp was close to 90 in the tank. It's not the hot side I'm having a problem with, it's the cool side. Again, I'll try and take some pics of the entire setup tomorrow.

If your room is close to 90 degrees something is wrong lol. Try to put the tank in the coolest area in your room, out of the sun. You should buy a reptile thermostat to regulate the temperature of your tank. You then plug whatever heat sources you're using into the thermostat and it regulates the temp by turning on and off the heat source to maintain the target temp. The best way to do this is by putting the thermostat probe in the basking area. The rest of the tank will be fine at room temperature. Most reptile thermostats will have a "night time drop" feature as well. I bought mine from Spyder Robotics. They are a bit pricey but considered by many the best on the market. It will cost you about $110 for the basic one which will do just fine for what you need. Or you could always go buy a cheaper one at a pet store (usually around $35) and take the chance of it failing sometime down the road.

here is the link to the thermostat

http://spyderrobotics.com/

As far a heating sources go. Under the tank heaters are good, ceramic heaters are great and last three times longer than bulbs. Bulbs are ok but you can't leave them on at night. Never, and I repeat, NEVER use the heating rocks that they sell in pet store. They get way too hot for snakes and can kill them! I would suggest getting your snake on a 12 hour light, 12 hour dark schedule. You can do this buy plugging the light source into a timer. Start off with a low watt under the tank heater and a florescent, non heat emitting light for the warmer months. You might need to use a ceramic heater during the winter if your room is colder.

Hope this helps

Do your self a favor and buy a book on corn snakes and read it.

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quote:

Originally posted by vtec junkie If your room is close to 90 degrees something is wrong lol. Try to put the tank in the coolest area in your room, out of the sun. You should buy a reptile thermostat to regulate the temperature of your tank. You then plug whatever heat sources you're using into the thermostat and it regulates the temp by turning on and off the heat source to maintain the target temp. The best way to do this is by putting the thermostat probe in the basking area. The rest of the tank will be fine at room temperature. Most reptile thermostats will have a "night time drop" feature as well. I bought mine from Spyder Robotics. They are a bit pricey but considered by many the best on the market. It will cost you about $110 for the basic one which will do just fine for what you need. Or you could always go buy a cheaper one at a pet store (usually around $35) and take the chance of it failing sometime down the road. here is the link to the thermostat http://spyderrobotics.com/ As far a heating sources go. Under the tank heaters are good, ceramic heaters are great and last three times longer than bulbs. Bulbs are ok but you can't leave them on at night. Never, and I repeat, NEVER use the heating rocks that they sell in pet store. They get way too hot for snakes and can kill them! I would suggest getting your snake on a 12 hour light, 12 hour dark schedule. You can do this buy plugging the light source into a timer. Start off with a low watt under the tank heater and a florescent, non heat emitting light for the warmer months. You might need to use a ceramic heater during the winter if your room is colder. Hope this helps Do your self a favor and buy a book on corn snakes and read it.

That yellow worm thing that you have, I seen one in my garden today..

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quote:

Originally posted by yankeeBaby ew, ew EW!!! If you ever put me and a snake in the same room or area, you will see someone on the verge of a mental breakdown. no kidding I have a severe phobia of them and freakthefuckout.

I'm with ya. I am totally fascinated by snakes but have an extreme fear of them. If I make the mistake of watching a snake show on TV before bed, 9 times out of 10 I end of paying for it by having very bad nightmatres involving snakes.

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www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

quote:

Originally posted by zizack I'm with ya. I am totally fascinated by snakes but have an extreme fear of them. If I make the mistake of watching a snake show on TV before bed, 9 times out of 10 I end of paying for it by having very bad nightmatres involving snakes.

Thats kind of weird. If I speak to you before I go to bed I have CORE nightmares..True fact..

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quote:

Originally posted by zizack I'm with ya. I am totally fascinated by snakes but have an extreme fear of them. If I make the mistake of watching a snake show on TV before bed, 9 times out of 10 I end of paying for it by having very bad nightmatres involving snakes.

My mom was the same way. I would find brown snakes in the garden and she would be petrified if I brought it near her. And those are like... a foot long and less than half an inch wide.

But when I brought home this one, she was fascinated. She said she wanted to touch it and, after about an hour, she said she'd hold it. She thinks its the color of the body and eyes and that it doesn't look "dirty like other snakes."

___________________
*can't imagine it feelin' much better...
i wish it would just last forever.
and so, to feel like that?
i'd pay any price just to get that back.*

quote:

Originally posted by zizack I'm with ya. I am totally fascinated by snakes but have an extreme fear of them. If I make the mistake of watching a snake show on TV before bed, 9 times out of 10 I end of paying for it by having very bad nightmatres involving snakes.

same for me and tv shows about komodo dragons. eeeek!

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iamcharlie

I never saw the sailfish pics..nice!!!! I thought you got one mounted??. And nice bass also!!. Water is still a bit chilly for sharking in NJ

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Jesus Christ, George, I don't see you for two years and you show up on my doorstep with 110 pounds of blow

yeah 90 degrees in your room is like woah. Make sure sunlight isnt shining directly onto the thermometer probe. This is the hard part- setting everything up. Once you get everything right it will be a very low maintenance pet, even more so if you buy one of those light timers from a hardware store for a few bucks and set up a day/night cycle. You won't even need to switch a light on anymore.

Lets see what else...you need to have a hide for the snake and remember that when he sheds his eyes will turn a milky blue and his skin will get dull. After a few days this will go away and then a few days after that he will shed out, usually you will not offer food during this period however a little misting with a water bottle is always appreciated Also, corns bruminate (hibernate) during the winter months so if he starts refusing food around Nov don't be too alarmed.

You should also consider feeding frozen/thawed food as it is SOOO convenient and safer for your animal. I use T-Rex, they come in a plastic tub and each mouse is ziplocked individually inside of that so it is clean. Get a little tupperware bin, mark the snakes name on it so people don't use it again, then microwave water till it is hot and then thaw away. Don't microwave the mouse you will pay dearly when it explodes in your microwave You can buy these frozen mice all over the island- petsmart on Forest Ave. has em all sizes, pinky 3-4 grams is the proper size for you right now. Feed off of tongs not by hand, a missed strike will only be a nick but someday you may move up to a larger species so practice good husbandry now.

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"We are all eternally 8th graders in our minds." -Lyssa