[rachelr]

Hi my eldest is after a corn snake. He is 19 and has read and read all about them. (i said he had to lol)

Has anybody else kept them and is there any issues with snakes and health etc. I would like tohear from other people who have this kind of creature.

many thanks
Rachel

[johnny5]

Hi, Rachel the only problem i first came across was when i 1st kept  snakes was  back then in 1987  the substate of choice for the vivarium floor was either woodchips or bark and sometimes at feeding time one of the snakes would ingest a piece of bark or woodchip happily i never had any snakes that didn"t pass the bark/woodchip. Nowadays i use newspaper for substate. easy to remove less chance of any parasites lurking in bark or shavings. .the best thing to do is ask your son to find out if there is a group of snake enthusiasts in the area as this will prove invaluable. General health with corn snakes is usually good they are a hardy breed and as long as they are fed on a regular basis (keep feeding records) food sizes should increase with the size of the snake.  The chances are that in a few years he may have more than 1 snake in his collection. My o/h told me she would just about tolerate 1 snake in the house but as it stands i now have over 100 they are an addictive hobby.

[tosca100]

As with any reptile, it is very important to wash your hands well after handling them or cleaning them out, the main risk being salmonella.

Corn snakes are one of the best reptiles to start with as they are easy to look after.....as long as they can't escape! Don't trust them to stay put if there is the smallest hole for them to squeeze through. Generally they are easy to handle, but as with most animals, confidence is important.

Good that your son has done his homework. Good luck!

[massa]

i have a mexican black king snake (simular size to corn snakes) and have found it very easy to look after once the vivarium is set up with the heat lamps and mats etc. Always make sure it has fresh water and i feed mine on average 3 mice once a month. The thing that can be a suprise to some people is how long they live for i bought mine when i was 17 and am now almost 30 and its still going strong! the other thing to be carefull of is they can be great escape artists!

[Debz]

I've got 2 red tail boa's and had them for about 8 years but we also had a corn snake who managaed to escape.  At that time, he lived with my then boyfriend.  The snake turned up in the neighbours bathroom but disappeared again before it was caught then one morning my boyfriend woke up to find it was in bed with him.  It was a very sweet snake and my neice who was about 5 years old at the time handled it also.  Unfortunately it died a few months later

[rachelr]

thanks for your replies. He has wanted a snake for many years and i now feel he is a young man and not a child an can deal with it.

Is it better to get a young snake or an older one? we have seen a baby carolina one in the local pet shop. Also he probably already knows this but can you have more than one in a tank and is there any rules about breeding etc.

[johnny5]

thanks for your replies. He has wanted a snake for many years and i now feel he is a young man and not a child an can deal with it.

Is it better to get a young snake or an older one? we have seen a baby carolina one in the local pet shop. Also he probably already knows this but can you have more than one in a tank and is there any rules about breeding etc.

they will share a tank quite happily but keep them seperate when feeding and keep snakes of the same size in the same tankor problems can arise i personally keep all my snake seperate(kingsnakes eat other snakes given half a chance)

[spottymint]

Hi

A great forum for all reptiles.

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/

I have posted the snake link as I use the lizard one for my Leo.

No experience of snakes, not allowed one. 

[evie2]

I asked about our corn snake on that forum when she laid eggs last year, they were realy helpful

[Dominic]

My GF has a rat snake, which is kinda like a corn snake.
They can escape, mine almost did recently.

We think it used the latch to lift up the piece of glass and push it out, where is promply smashed, so I'd advise a couple of spare pieces...  And a relativly secure room

One word of warning.
The biggest group of people killed by snakes, are young men, who when drunk get their snake out.  They fall asleep with snake, and it strangles them.
Or so the internet told me.
Mines about 5 years old and close to 6 foot long, although quite thin.  It has had a speculative go at killing me once of twice, if I was asleep and didnt wake up, they would fairly successful.

They live till they're about 25 in captivity, and frankly, they're a bit borning...

No live food.  An adult mouse will take your snakes eyes out.

[rachelr]

wow scary

but my boy does not drink as he has a condition i think sometimes i am greatful knowing how much his sisters seem to drink when in uni lol

[Dominic]

Its just something to be aware of.
If you fall into a drunken sleep with a snake around your neck, it will kill you.
So dont get drunk and get your snake out.

No different than dont get drunk and play with power tools, or drive a car.