corn snakes as pets?

[MuckyDucky]

Anyone got any experience to share.
Ds has contact with some kept as pets. I have long considered snakes as a pet but didnt want to commit myself until I knew i could. So getting to that point and considering the issue.

I need pros and cons of corn snakes as pets...

TIA.

an't be specific about corn snakes, but we have a few reptiles as pets - DS has a carpet python, DD has a royal python, and we've got a boa constrictor and another carpet python as family pets.

Pros - low maintenance, cheap to feed, easy to keep, enjoy being held, don't need exercise, no expensive jabs from the vet, don't bring fleas in, fascinating for the kids, and MIL hates them and refuses to come in the house unless they're covered up

Cons - equipment can be costly, food needs to be kept in freezer, and finding a friend to look after them for holidays can be difficult.

We've had snakes for a couple of years now after DS's hamster was eaten by the cat (long story, happened while we were away on holiday and the animals were in the care of a neighbour). DS decided he wanted something more interesting than a hamster, and a friend's daughter who was moving away to uni needed a good home for her python so we adopted him. DH then wanted a snake, so we ended up with another python, then acquired a large vivarium unit to fill an alcove in our hallway.

All the snakes are under lock and key, and we would not consider taking on a large animal like a burmese python which could be dangerous for the children, although the same argument could apply to a dog of course. Our boa's one of the small forms incidentally which will grow no larger than 5 feet.

So far the children have kept up the maintenance of their own pets - they change the water every day and help clean the vivariums when necessary.

The snakes are all used to human contact and are very tame - much more so than DS's hamster was. Although the cat's aware of the snakes - and often holds staring contests while sat in the hallway - she's shown no interest in them as prey and tends to keep her distance from them.

I've a friend who calls in every day to feed the cat and change the snakes' water, although he does not want to feed them. As they can go for several weeks without food this isn't a problem if we're away on holiday, but our local reptile shop can board the snakes for £2 a day each if needed.

In summary for us they're the perfect pet - easy and cheap to keep, tame, interesting for the adults and kids, and not much of a tie when we go away.

DS2 has had a corn snake for years - it's really pretty, & fine to handle. It escaped a few times when he first had it, that was fun, until DH discovered he had the ability to think like a snake & found where it had gone

He doesn't give it enough time now & it could do with a nice loving new home - I don't suppose you're in the NW, MuckyDucky???

I keep quite few (OK, a ridiculous number of... snakes. I do still have a few corns and also have a Nicaraguan Boa and a pair of Dumerils Boas, but I mainly keep Royal Pythons of varying 'morphs'. (colours)

Corns are good pets for kids. They tolerate handling well, are usually good tempered and not snappy/don't bite. They are also usually good feeders and are pretty hardly, tolerating less than perfect conditions well. (eg. if a beginner doesn't get things quite right at first). They also come in lots of pretty colours.

As has been said, set ups can be expensive and even specialist shops can give out the wrong advice, so do plenty of research. Once you have that sorted they are very low maintenance pets though.

I am Googling, honest. But I'm a bit lost. And I trust MNers.

I have promised ds a corn snake. What kind of terrarium should I get? I'm getting some conflicting advice when I read through the specialst forums, tbh. Would something like this be a good idea? It isn't terribly pretty though. I think I prefer something like this but I like the idea of an all-in-one kit [lazy shopper emoticon]

And where would you buy one from? A pet shop? A breeder?

Any advice much appreciated :)

OK, so a little more Googling [not so lazy as I thought emoticon] reveals a (fairly) local reptile store with a good reputation. So that's progress.

I'd still welcome any advice though. Such as, where should I keep it? Ds has his heart set on having the snake in his room, which I understand but still, am a bit

I'd quite like it in the sitting room but doubt either the cat or the snake would welcome each other's company

Hi JMHPG. The first kit you linked to would be ideal for a young corn snake, but I wouldn't be happy keeping an adult in that. You certainly could do - and many breeders do - but if you have the space, I would say it is much better to invest in something like the second link you gave, but double the size: like this one.

If you are buying a hatchling then they can be kept in a sandwhich box almost.
it is probably best not to put a very young snake into a full size viv straight away as they will escape. a hatchling will be the size of a worm!

I have had my corn snake for years. my DC love him and the other children down our road all come and handle him too.

IMHO they are ideal pets. minimal care, cheap (after initial outlay) and easily handled.

Be warned though, if he gets on with a corn he will want the more exotic snakes soon enough.

ok, so perhaps the kit for starters and that lovely one lazy linked to in a year (or less. How fast do they grow?)

Thanks, chaps!

gigantosaur I suspect we might be starting something, too!

I'm rather partial myself. The reptile house is always my favourite section at the zoo.

I love the little crocs at Bristol Zoo. But think that might be a tad ambitious

or gigantaur even. Sorry!

Growth rate will vary a lot with frequency of feeding, temperature and obviously, the individual snake's genetics.

In my experience an average growth rate with corns would be that a yearling would be between 16-20", a 2 year old between 30-36" and reaching its adult size by around 3-3.5 yrs old. Again, though, eventual adult size varies a lot. My biggest was a 4'10" long adult female and yet a friend of ours had a stunted 2'6" long male, who was older than her and had definitely stopped growing!

Hi JMHPG, re the vivarium, a wooden vivarium is a much better way of keeping a snake - it loses much less heat than a glass tank, looks better, and more importantly the snake will feel much more secure if it's enclosed. A two foot vivarium is fairly cheap and will last a corn for quite some time, although it may be too much for a hatchling - the faunarium may be best for the first few months of the snake's life; you can then put the next snake in it :)

Best place to keep the snake is a fairly quiet location - avoid anywhere in direct sunlight or next to a radiator as this can cause the vivarium to overheat (incidentally a thermostat to control the heater is an absolute must). Our cat tends to ignore the snakes, and has made no attempt to play with them when they're out.

Do visit the local reptile shop you mentioned, and ask for advice. Knowing a reptile shop owner though I'd suggest going in the week if possible when the shop's quiet and they have the time to talk.

Fully agree with gigantaur as well - we've got four snakes now, and we're going back to a shop this weekend to look at an amazon tree boa.

AshT has made some great points, but, personally, even if the local reptile store has a good reputation, there's nowhere in the UK (in my experience) where you're that far from a good private breeder of any of the common herps, and you'll likely pay a fraction of the cost (you'd be looking at about 25-30 quid for a normal, whereas I've seen stores asking between 60-80 quid!!) and are likely get a much healthier snake, as dealers tend to source their hatchlings from people who breed intensively, for maximum "output", with little regard for the resultant offspring. A private breeder is more likely (although by no means guaranteed) to be breeding for the love of the species and because they have two particularly good examples (health and temperament wise) whose lineage they want to perpetuate... This obviously doesn't apply if you find someone who has bred from their two "pet shop" corns, but if you find an experienced breeder who knows their stuff, I think you'll be far better off in the long run.

Wow, thanks all!

I'll report back shortly but in the meantime your advice has been really useful :)

I meant to come back sooner with an update - sorry!

So, we've had our corn snake for just over a fortnight now.

Found a breeder half a mile away, who was very, very helpful. He wasn't imppressed with the faunarium I'd got (same as the one on the first link I posted) and when I saw the babies, I understood why! He let me have a RUB (Really Useful Box) that he set up for us and also a thermostat - lad in the reptile store seemed to think I didn't need one [hhmm]

He sent us away with a small bag of baby rats (or mice? must check), which saved me a trip to the shops, and lots and lots of advice. He's said that if we have any problems (eg apparently they sometimes get a bit of skin stuck over their eyes when they shed) to let him know.

Snakey really is very sweet and settling in well (well, it's eaten twice so I guess he's happy enough). Only thing that freaks me out a bit is having to squeeze the baby rodent to make sure it's fully defrosted [hshock]

Anyway, I'm very glad we chose a corn snake. Far more interesting that noisy, bitey hamsters! This sounds like a pet review [hgrin]

Thanks for the update Jenai - good to hear the new pet's settled in so well.

The breeder you got him from sounds very good, the shop you went to much less so.

Is this the first of many by the way - we now have an atb in addition to rest of the zoo [hwink]

Glad you found a good breeder. Sadly, all too kmany shops tell people they don't need thermostats, you do.

RUB's are widely used by keepers and breeders, for adults or hatchlings. Great for tiny, escape artist babies I keep most of my adult snakes in them because the type of snake I have especially like small, enclosed spaces.

It will be mice pinkies you have for food, this is what corns are started on. Good luck with your baby!

I do wonder what people do with their snakes when they get too big. Baby corn snakes are so small. And easy. I bet a lot of people think they're a great idea - and then they (the snakes that is) grow up.

One of the big benefits of buying from the breeder was that we were able to see a few fully grown corn snakes, so we're under no illusion as to what to expect in a couple of years time. If anything I was reassured - a five foot snake sounds enormous but in reality isn't that large. Well OK, it's a bit large, but hardly the anaconda I'd envisaged [hgrin]