Corn snake *tank upgrade plans 4/23/15*

[wodesorel]

What are the stands made from?

Just realized I missed this! The tall black stand is parts from an old nylon cat playhouse. It's the same one that was used to support the water dishes in the old E tank, just cut down a bit. The green wire thing that the water dish is on are those white coated wire pop-up shelving things that Walmart sells for kitchens. I hated the white and had just enough green Rust Oleum Universal spray paint left to try to change the color. I was still dreaming of a "natural" tank at that point. :roll: I don't recommend it. It worked, sort of, but the paint will scrape off easily and for how much the shelf has to be removed to be washed it's already looking really bad up close.

[CallaLily]

I was thinking of doing one shelf so thank you for the heads up! What about those locker shelves? I think there are plastic ones? Would that be safe? My other thought was making a wooden one. Is any wood safe other then Pine? I'm guessing sealing it in the stuff that's safe for crabs would be ok? (can't remember what it's called at the moment)

I might just use branches and vines for up high. Would rope be safe? I've seen that used in some pics though I'm not sure what kind.

[wodesorel]

Snakes aren't crabs. That has been absolutely the hardest thing for me to get past. I am so hardwired now to think "will it hurt a bug? will it hurt my crabs?" that I was going overboard on making everything crab-safe for the snake when he did not require that much effort. It's not even straight out recommended everywhere to dechlor a snake's water - that seems to be an addition from people like us who started off with fish or sensitive animals and are so used to it we mentally can't give untreated water to anything.

Cedar and pine are the only things I know that are recommended to stay away from, and it's for the same irritation reasons as all small pets. Reptibark is even considered safe - although it doesn't really work because it's chunky and doesn't hold humidity - and it's made of fir. FYI, there is a lot of fir being used now for lumber instead of pine. The boards I used to build everything in the invert room are Douglas Fir studs and were the cheapest 2x4 they had in the store. That said, using things that won't mold and can easily be removed washed is something to think about. I personally feel that non-porous works best as then it can't absorb anything and won't smell and is easier to scrub clean, but that's just me.

Anything taken from outside can bring in snake mites. We're used to the crabs where nothing here can bother them, but snakes are native and the mites that can hurt them can be anywhere. It has to be completely sterilized or bleached before being used in the tank. It took an entire day, but that big branch was soaked in strong bleach water in my tub before it was used. More here: http://www.anapsid.org/wildwood.html

If you washed it first, I would think any rope - natural or nylon - would be fine. The hemp and jute used for crabs would also work. They're not great balancers on moving objects, but if you were to weave something wide with it, I bet she'd use it.

Are the locker shelves the ones that click open and use compression to stay in place? I always worry about those since they would put pressure on the glass sides in a very unusual fashion. If they're plastic and self-supported though they should be great!

[happycrabbymama]

Anything taken from outside can bring in snake mites. We're used to the crabs where nothing here can bother them, but snakes are native and the mites that can hurt them can be anywhere. It has to be completely sterilized or bleached before being used in the tank. It took an entire day, but that big branch was soaked in strong bleach water in my tub before it was used. More here: http://www.anapsid.org/wildwood.html

Absolutely right! We use chunks of hollowed out maple and oak for our snakes, BUT, they have been washed/ soaked thoroughly and baked, to help kill off anything that might be hanging on and hiding out. And when we do that... ugh... I hate it. It makes our whole house smell like a campfire. :roll:

[CallaLily]

It is hard being so used to worrying over crab safe items.
I don't have an exact locker shelf in mind. My middle son has a metal one with legs but I think I've seen similar ones made with plastic.
Would branches from a store need thorough washing too?

[wodesorel]

Snake mites can be transported with bedding and decorations, so it's not a bad idea to clean anything new to be safe. Some stores can have serious problems with the mites.

[CallaLily]

Yay! He brought her in today. My husband sent me these pics. I'll get better ones once she's home and settled.














He talked to the guy more and he's saying she refuses to eat anything but live. I'm still going to try of course.



On another forum I'm told she looks like an anerythristic (morph). Anyone know for sure?

[wodesorel]

She's gorgeous!!!

Anery snakes are completely devoid of red, yellow and orange pigment. In most species that leads to truly white & black snakes, but the corn pics I'm finding are brownish instead. http://iansvivarium.com/morphs/species/ ... 8888f70329

[CallaLily]

I guess I'll have a better idea when she's right in front of me. What the guy on the other forum actually said was anery but I assumed that was short for anerythristic?

Thanks.

*edit* I realize you basically gave me that info in the above post now. Sorry I had a duh moment.

[wodesorel]

What the guy on the other forum actually said was anery but I assumed that was short for anerythristic?

Yes! Anery is Anerythristic. It's a lack of red pigment and causes black & white color.
Amelanistic is lack of melanin which leads to red, yellow and orange with red eyes.
Hypo is hypomelanistic, which is a reduction in melanin which leads to brighter colors like red and orange.
Albino is lack of all pigments which makes them white/pink with red eyes
Luecism or leucastic is a reduction in all pigments which usually leads to white animals with usually blue eyes. (<- I want a luecastic Corn or King so badly!)

And with snakes when you start mixing these genetic mutations you end up with all the color morphs found today. There are genetic calculators for corn snakes that can tell you what you should end up with if you breed parents with certain traits so long as you know what they're carrying from their own parents. People are breeding for some outrageous colors and patterns. (And the prices match.....)

The interesting thing is that while her color is close to natural, from what I've been told it's hard to find for sale. No one is breeding them that color anymore because they're too "boring". Everyone wants the unusual colors and reds or albinos instead. My pet shop lady has a hard time finding breeders of the natural colors, and an even harder time finding someone who wants to buy one.

[CallaLily]

Thank you for explaining. There's so many morphs listed on that site it's overwhelming. I had no idea there were so many! I think she's pretty. Most corns I've seen were reds. I guess in the end it doesn't really matter.


I would love one like this too: http://iansvivarium.com/morphs/species/ ... /palmetto/.

[wodesorel]

Thank you for explaining. There's so many morphs listed on that site it's overwhelming. I had no idea there were so many! I think she's pretty. Most corns I've seen were reds. I guess in the end it doesn't really matter.

I would love one like this too: http://iansvivarium.com/morphs/species/ ... /palmetto/.

Every new color/pattern gets it's own name in the breeder circles, and then each snake species has it's own names for the colors/patterns on top of that. I don't even bother trying!

Yeah, those Palmettos are GORGEOUS. I love calico cats, so a calico snake would be awesome. The price tag not so much... http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showth ... p?t=133529

[CallaLily]

Yeah. That's crazy.

So the tank turned out to be a 29 gallon. So will do for now.

[CallaLily]

Ok here's a couple quick pics. I think she's stressed out a bit so I just grabbed a few quick ones.

With flash:



Without (I'll try again in brighter natural light when she settles):


She's has black (or very dark brown) with a grayish-brown background. Her eyes are grayish and her belly is black and white.

[wodesorel]

WOW. She is seriously stunning! She looks freshly molted? Did you get a chance to handle her to see what her temperament is like?

Definitely Anery.
http://www.cccorns.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3683