Hi I just got a cornsnake today alittle hatchling I'm keeping it in a 2 gallon tank with a water dish in a

Question

gallon tank intill I can get a 10 gallon its got enough reptile bark to burrow in and a water dish big enough to bathe in is this acceptable intill I can get a bigger tank and please don't say OMG your so stupid I know it needs more care I just don't have the proper funding right now to give it a bigger cage and a undercage heater with thermostat and i'm fashoning a few tiny boxes as hides right now

Answer 1

It will do for a little while but you need to get preferably a 20 Gal. tank. and I agree with the other person you should have made sure you could afford what it needs before you got it. Any pets are a big responsibility.

Answer 2

Yes, that is just fine sweetie. Make sure you do get the bigger tank but for now your hatchling will be just fine. Also, don't wait to long to get some heat. Remember he's a baby.

Good luck,

Answer 3

You should have gotten the money , and then got the snake.

The snake can die without the right heating and cage size!

Send it back to wherever you got it from , then get the money, then get the enclousure,heating etc, then get the snake.

Answer 4

Giving it a temperature variant isn't optional, it's necessary for digestion..

Here's how I like to do things..  First, I research extensively on the care requirements of a species and think about how I will feel about maintaining that kind of care for the lifespan of the pet. If I decide I do really want that kind of pet, even with all the work that goes into it, then I start getting ready to get that kind of pet. With reptiles, the first thing I get is the enclosure. I get at least the minimum recommended size, preferably a bit larger. Then, I set it up with water bowls, heating, lighting, etc even before I get the reptile. I plug it all in, and then throughout the week before I get my new reptile, I watch temperatures to make sure the cool and warm side of the enclosure stays within ideal ranges using the temp gun I got that actually measures the temperature on surfaces rather then in the air.

Once that has been stable for several days, then and ONLY then do I buy my new reptile.

Hatchling corn snakes are pretty sensitive to things like any other hatchling. Not being able to digest it's food will be a pretty big deal. I would suggest you borrow the money from your parents to set it up properly OR return the snake to whoever you bought it from and use that money to buy a proper tank and under tank heater. Then, when you have enough money, you can buy another snake..

In future, here are the steps you should take when obtaining a new reptile..

1) research extensively to make sure you understand care needs, what can go wrong, and whether you even really like the species once you know more about it.

2) set-up and acquire everything it needs and get the enclosure up and running so you can monitor temperatures and humidities in advance. You may need a stronger/weaker heater and making that kind of mistake with your reptile in the enclosure can be a big deal. If the heater you buy keeps the tank at 130 degrees, you're going to have a dead snake. But, if you test those things a few days in advance, you avoid that kind of problem.

3) finally, obtain the reptile from a trusted, reputable source. If you are buying a pet, then only buy captive bred. Some breeders may need wildcaught to diversify the bloodlines in their breeding projects, but, the average pet owner should not be buying wild caught.

If your parents bought it for you, then THEY should've read a care sheet and made sure you had the right enclosure first. Hopefully it's still early enough where you can at least go out and get a ten gallon with screen lid, and a $10 under tank heater.

Answer 5

pet shops will sometimes keep new born colubrids in large deli cups w/ a small water dish. It is liveable. If you're having money troubles, you may not want to be getting a pet. Next time just be patient and wait until you have all the necessary supplies, then purchase the snake. Corn snakes aren't going anywhere. They are everywhere and you'll always be able to find one so there is never a reason to rush.

Answer 6

You should have gotten the funds before you got the snake.

Answer 7

Sorry, no. It needs a heat light, but it needs to be in a bigger cage so it can get away from it. If it doesnt have this it cannot digest it's food properly and will probably die. Get a big rubbermaid container, some reptile substrate (i use bark chips), a reptile water dish, and FROZEN pinky mice (do NOT feed live, because then they might refuse to eat frozen and when they start eating big mice and rats they can get mauled by their own food, possibly even killed) and do not under any circumstances feed him in the tank he lives in. Use a separate feeding tank because not only could he die from possibly swallowing substrate, he will also think whenever you reach your hand in his tank your feeding him and start biting. Sorry to say, but my corn snake is the only baby corn snake ive known to not die a baby, and that was just luck. A few of my friends tried and took just as good care as I did but theirs died anyways. They're horribly overbred and usually not in good shape at the store, but good luck