what do i need to get and know for a corn snake?

Question

i have a 20 gallon long tank i dont have anything in it and i want a differnt pet to caree for i looked on the internet a bit but not much can you tell me everthing

and how much would the snake cost

Answer 1

Eep, it's been a while since I bought my snake, but if you're going to buy it young they're pretty cheap, I believe mine was about 35 dollars.

But what you'll want is a soft dirt with little to no rocks in it, and despite what some people say, layer it on thick! My snakes adores burrowing in the fresh dirt. A heat lamp too, but opt to put it on one end where you'll put a shelter area so when the snake sleeps, its cozy. A water container needs to be on the opposite end and should be cool water. When I first had my snake my water container was small, but she grew very quickly and needed a bigger one, so its up to you if you want a large one from the start.

When I bought the snake the shop keeper also gave me a nob tree branch thing along with fake vines to allow it some slithering area besides the dirt.

The best thing to do is go to a good pet store and they'll tell you the best details on taking care of your snake.

Happy owning!

Answer 2

You need aspen shavings for the bottom--about 2 inches thick. It is non toxic and easy for them to burrow through. Dirt is too hard to clean and it holds too much humidity.
You need a heat mat that goes under one end of the tank. Plug it into a dimmer switch or thermostate to get a bottom glass surface temp of 85F. No lighting or heat lamps are needed--they are nocturnal.
Get at least 2 hides--one on the warm end and one on the cool end. You can also get fake vines/trees/branches for climbing.
A water bowl large enough for the whole snake to fit in and soak.
An escape proof screened lid---several clamps are a must as corns are very good at escaping through the tiniest openings. The best tank to buy is a snake cage with a locking lid.
Frozen mice of appropriate size--I order mine on-line and thaw as needed.
For lots of good info, come to the corn snake forum and you'll get expert advice from people who have been doing this a LONG time--including the author of the best corn snake care book out there--Kathy Love.

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/

Answer 3

Substrate: aspen or Bed-a-Beast (If you use this, make sure it is completely dry before putting it into the tank. I found spreading a thin layer on a baking sheet and putting it in the oven at 225degrees worked well.)

Heat source: undertank heater is best, as it provides belly heat which helps with digestion, plus heats up the area of the tank where your snake actually is (near the bottom)

Thermostat to control your heat source (whether it's a ceramic heat emitter, heat lamp, or undertank heater). If you don't get one of these, the undertank heater will get so hot that it could burn your snake, or the heat emitter/lamp will warm up the tank so much that it "cooks" your snake.

At least two "hides," something for him to hide in/under, like a rock cave. Place one on either end of the tank, so your snake doesn't have to choose between security and sitting at the right temperature.

Water dish, but not too large or deep that your snake could have trouble getting out (if it's a hatchling)

Thermometer: One with a probe, so that you can determine the temperature of anywhere in your tank, not just against the glass (like with the stick-on thermometers)

Water conditioner for your tap water

Hand disinfectant for yourself; sanitize your hands after you handle your snake or your snake's food.

Screen cover and screen clips (to secure screen cover, preventing your snake from pushing the cover off)

You'll want to put your heat source on one side of the tank, so the other side is a bit cooler, creating a temperature gradient. This way if the snake is too warm, he can move to the cool side, or if he's too cool, can move to the warm side. The water dish should be on the cool side. The temperature gradient should be about 70-85; it can vary by a few degrees, but not too much. Corn snakes don't require any special lighting, as they are nocturnal. If you want to see your snake moving about at night, buy some sort of red light; snakes can't see the color red, so this won't bother your snake or mess up his day/night cycle. Feed your snake in a separate container; otherwise he could accidentally ingest some of the substrate. Plus, if you feed him in his tank, he might start associating you reaching into the tank with food, causing him to strike at you.

Edit: As for the price of the snake, some Petsmart stores have corn snakes for sale, for $40. They only sell normal or amelanistic (adults have no black pigment; usually red and orange splotches on a white background) corn snakes. Cornsnake.net has many beautiful color morphs available, however shipping is a bit pricey. $46. Their cheapest corn snake is a normal corn for $20. LLLReptile.com has Okeetee corn snakes for $21.99 plus $35 shipping. Kingsnake.com has many breeder listings, as well.

Answer 4

decide what type of corn you want, there are many morphs(colors) price ranges from $20-$200 for the common morphs($20 of course is from a breeder/show and $200 is pretty much the same snake but from a pet store)

items needed are

1 8.5" dome light
1 75 watt infared nocturnal or ceramic heat emitter(heat emitter last longer, altho costs a bit more, may want a second dome with a white/blue/red light for viewing if you use emitter)
2 hides/cave, 1 for warm end, 1 for cool end
1 water dish, big enough for the snake to soak(whole body fit)
1 hydrometer(humidity guage)
1-2 temperature guages(1 in hot end, or 1 in each end so you can monitor both sides)

proper sized frozen food items(do not feed live it is dangerous for the snake)
make sure not to feed oversized prey items, feed 2 smaller rather then 1 really big one(wikipedia has a good chart to give you an idea on prey size for your snake) if your not sure on weight(i'd get a scale) or feed it items just a bit bigger around then the snake, feed every 7 days, make sure the snake has passed remains of last meal before feeding again.

DO NOT believe everything you get told by pet store employee's, half of them have no idea and only tell you what they think or have been told. and it tends to be WRONG.
join reptile/snake forums, or even just read them, they have tons of good information including ways to find shows/breeders.

substrate, aspen, paper towel, newspaper, eco earth to name the best types.
branches or vines for them to climb(not needed but they do add a nice view)

make sure your tank has a escape proof screen/mesh lid, and i mean escape proof, if there is a tiny crack, they will try to get out of it.

make sure you place the heat bulb over one end of the tank, place the water dish in the cool end or middle.

enjoy your new pet,

Answer 5

they are pretty easy to take care of....and usaly cost about
$20-$60 for babys and $100-200 for adults