new corn snake

[jonathan5650]

hello i recently bought a corn snake from the local petshop. they told me how to care for the snake a little bit but i still have a few questions that i forgot to ask them

1.how do you give the snake a bath?

2.are infrared lights bad for them?

3.what should my humidity and temperature gauge stay around?

4.how often do they shed?

5.about how many years will it take for her to get full length?

6.what kind of corn snake is she?

i cant think of anymore questions at the moment im sure i can ask more later

at the petshop they said that she was a female... i dont know how you can tell...they also said to feed her once a week, which i am doing with frozen pinky mice right now... ill put some pictures up so you can see her

	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[jonathan5650]

pictures

[spike06]

you shouldve done all of your research BEFORE you bought the snake

1. you only need to bathe them if they are dehydrated, or are having problems shedding. in that case, put them in a tub (bath or rubbermaid) in shallow warm water

2. infrared is fine

3. not sure on temps and humidity for corns

4. if cared for properly with proper humidity and temps and diet, every 2-4 weeks or so

5. a couple if cared for properly

6. looks like a normal

[LlamaxPalooza]

1.how do you give the snake a bath? Regular baths aren't needed. If you provide a water bowl large enough for the snake to comfortably submerge in, that is sufficent enough. Bathing is only used in aid of removing unshed skin most often

2.are infrared lights bad for them? No, but undertank heating is the best source of heat in my opinion

3.what should my humidity and temperature gauge stay around? I don't keep corns, I'll leave this one to the experienced colubrid keeps so you get an accurate number

4.how often do they shed? with proper care and feeding, your snake should shed monthly

5.about how many years will it take for her to get full length? maturity in corn snakes is around 3 to 4 years if im correct. snakes grow their whole lives, just at a slower rate as they age

6.what kind of corn snake is she? lagain, ill leave this to the corn keepers

hope i was of some assistance

	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[ChelsyC]

1) I've never bathed my corns, so I don't know. Sesha would have eaten my face, and I've never even seen Draco soak in his water dish.

2) Never used it myself, they don't need it, but I don't think it's bad for them.

3) Humidity isn't really a thang with corns. Temps aren't a big deal either. I keep mine about 78 on the warm side, but the guy I bought Draco from said he never had any heat on him for his whole life, and he was 3 or 4 when I bought him, so it obviously didn't harm him.

4) My baby shed about once a month. Draco sheds about every two months.

5) Draco's between 3 and 4 years old, about 5.5 feet long, and still growing.

6) Dunno, no pictures yet.

Edit: Looks like she might be a ghost, but I'm not sure.

[faroutinmt]

Congratulations on your new corn snake!!!
2. You can use infrared heat, but your snake will only utilize overhead heat if it has a place to bask under the heat and feels very safe and secure doing so. Starting out, I think an undertank heater would be best for your little pet for now. Be sure to use a rheostat or a thermostat to control the temperature of the warm spot or it can rise to dangerous levels and kill your snake. Also, be sure to use a thermometer (the digital ones from walmart with a probe attached are good for starters) to accurately measure the temperature of the spot where your snake will be absorbing this heat. If you use an undertank heater and you have a hide box over the heat, it will warm up more within the hide than outside of it. Be sure to measure the floor temp if using floor heat. The thermometer with a probe is useful for this.
3.You should try to attain temperatures of 75 degrees on the cool side of the cage and 84 to 86 degrees on the warm side. Your corn snake MUST have additional heat to properly carry on its biological functions. If you keep it at room temperature, it will die a very slow death.
Hope this helps.

	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[ChelsyC]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the 78 is the ambient air temp. It's much warmer on the ground and in his warm hide.

Edit- I can't stop looking at the piccies of her, she looks a lot like my first corn. I miss her.