I need help with snakes?

Question

hi, i just bought an albino corn snake, its 3 - 4 months.. i want to know when it grows up to 4 feet what size tank it would be most comfortable in. if you can throw in some tips to care for my snake.. its my first snake and i want it to live.. also i really want to hold it.. i know i cant hold it after it eats or if it throws up or doesnt feel good..

any tips will be good.. thank you.

3 - 4 months old

abouy a foot long..

they told me to give it one small mouse once a week..

Answer 1

Corns make great pets.  He'll be fine in a 30 gal. reptile or larger, as an adult.

I don't think they meant to tell you small mouse... he's a baby, and is most likely taking pinkies (baby mice).  Once a week is fine, but you'll need to increase how many, as he starts to grow a bit.

I don't endorse feeding live prey:

http://www.redtailboa.net/forums/feeding...

Frozen feeders can be ordered on line if they aren't available locally:

http://www.bigcheeserodents.com/  

http://www.rodentpro.com/

As for handling, good rule of thumb after a feeding is to wait until he elimates (2-4 days after the feed) to resume handling.

I've never been a fan of reptile bark as a substrate.  I use either aged newspaper or Carefresh (pulped paper product - digestible) in all my tanks.

He's diurnal so should have UVB lighting.  You'll have to decide how you want to heat them, though.  Some people use just heat lamps.  Others use UTH pads and lights, and yet others use ceramic heat emitters (I use light, emitters and UTH pads).

He'll need a ceramic crock large enough to crawl in comfortably for soaking, especially before a shed.

Just before a shed, when you see his eyes begin to cloud, increase the humidity in his enclosure by about 10%, misting with a spray bottle or cool steam steamer.

His eyes will clear up short after they fog, and he'll shed in the next day or three once they clear up.

Here are some links you can check  out on habitat and humidity requirements, as well as basic care:

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/  

http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html

Enjoy your new baby, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

Buy it a 20 gallon tank i did for mine, feed it a frozen thawed muse that is a wide as the snake is in the biggest part once 1 and 1/2 weeks.  Get a light that is specially made for reptiles.

Answer 3

If you just bought it you should leave it alone other than food & water for 1 to 2 weeks. Do not hold it in this time while it adjusts to it's new environment, otherwise it could become extremely stressed which is very bad for reptiles.

At adult size it needs at least a 20 gallon long tank, but bigger is always better.

If you have any other questions feel free to send me a message.

Answer 4

Yeah, you're doing good. You should get an under tank heater, though. As an adult it will need about a 40 gallon tank. You can hold it 24-36 hours after feeding. These make great pets. I hope this helps.