Posted by Max --Previous Message-- : Link: Lil corn snake pics
on 2/19/2005, 10:34 am, in reply to "A couple questions about getting a corn"
4.227.44.54
: : (1) I was wondering about the care of
: corns......how often do you have to clean
: their cage?
From my experience, supply clean, fresh water daily. Cage cleaning depends on the substrate you use. I am only familiar with using paper and reptile bark. The paper should be changed whenever it gets soiled. The soiled reptile bark can be scooped out and fresh added as needed. I completely clean my tank once a month, replacing the outdoor carpet under the substrate with a new clean section and thoroughly cleaning the entire cage.
My setup is a 20 gallon aquarium with an undertank heater. I have outdoor carpet on the bottom inside of my tank, with reptile bark substrate added to about 1.0 to 1.5 inch depth.
The carpet is needed to prevent your snake from getting too close to the heater and possibly getting burned.
My corn is approximately 8 months old and about 20 inches long.
: (2) And what is the cage called anyway....an
: aquarium?
Terrarium is an ok choice of words.
: (3)I have a 20 gallon breeder
: aquarium....... but it has two small holes
: in the lids for the tubing from a filter.
: Would I need a new lid for this tank?
Corn snakes are experts at finding and using escape routes ... You may not need a new top but you would need to be sure the openings are less than the head size of your snake. Preferrably, you should seal these openings well to avoid a "lost" snake.
: (4) A baby live happily in a 10 gallon tank
: for how long? What age (or size) do you need
: a bigger cage?
A juvenile corn will be just fine in a 10 gallon tank until he is about 20 to 24 inches long. The most important thing to remember is to provide at least one hide so your corn can feel safe and secure. This will eliminate stress on the snake that could cause him not to eat... and he's got to eat to grow and be healthy !
I have a larger tank under construction as I write this. Hopefully it will be ready for my snake's first birthday ! size is 48" long by 24" wide by 20" high. Plenty of room for several years.
In closing, I recommend a couple of books, if you don't already have them. First, get The Corn Snake Manual, by Bill Love and Kathy Love. Second on the list is Barron's Reptile Keeper's Guide, Corn Snakes, by R.D. Bartlett and Patricia Bartlett.Third on my list is The Guide to Owning a Corn Snake, by Jerry Walls. I got all 3 of these from Amazon.com.
I hope this helps !
Max
I have some pics of my lil corn on my web page
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