I'm going to buy all the supplies i will need, set up the tank. and then buy the snake. But what i'm afraid of is that i have read on multiple web sites that corn snakes are in many places inbred multiple generations in order to get the desireable color patterns. and of course with inbreeding you get all the bad genes over and over again. I don't know any breeders personaly and I'm really not willing to buy one and have it shipped to me. is there any way at all to tell at one of the myriad pet stores in the area if their snakes are healthy all the way to their genes? or is what i read really not as bad as it sounds? ANY information would be appreciated. Also, can someone tell me if, obviously aside from the tank itself and food. Will this be all i need and is it safe for a snake? http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...9/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...7/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...2/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...1/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...0/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...4/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...4/Itemdy00.aspx http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/R1...1/Itemdy00.aspx I don't mind at all if it isn't "necessary" but if it's not safe then i will certainly scratch it off the list. And I'm not going for the whole "paper towels and tuperware" look ...
:*) JMHO here...ReptiCal is unnecessary...The only time you would be concerned with supplements would be calcium supplements for egg laying females, as the formation of the egg shell takes a lot of calcium from the mother, and if she already has a low calcium it could pull calcium away from her bones...Feed them good healthy mice/rats; that will eliminate the need for any supllements... You sound like you are setting your new snake up in a plush condo lol...that will definately give your corn the hookup, tho you didnt say what size cage/aquarium you were using...For the UTH I'd recommend a plug in type rheostat/thermostat to adjust the heat of the mat...attached to the glass/plastic they can make that part of the glass HOT...you can alway just not attach it and raise/lower the cage to get the desired temperature...Make sure you use thermometers at substrate level (you' snake is not gonna hover) and get a thermometer to check temps right over the heat pad...a meat thermometer works just fine... Inbreeding....Breeders (well, ones that care) will outcross their morphs into unrelated animals to bring fresh genes into their mix...Pet stores (Big chains like PetSmart et al) buy their corns wholesale from breeders/wholesalers...they are (a lot of times) a breeders leftovers...difficult feeders, smaller animals, etc...Smaller Mom and Pop type pet stores will do this too, altho they may buy direct from a local breeder or even breed them themselves... What kind of corn are you looking for and where do you plan on buying it?
If i can't find a blood corn then i figure i will just buy a run-of-the-mill corn snake. I'm going to set him/her up in a 30 gall aquarium. There are small pet stores here or there in this county, probably about 6. Or there is also petco, or is it petsmart? As far as the UTH, i didn't even know you could get them with an adujstable thermostat. My father had a green iguana when i was younger, i remember how he was longer than me. He died when the apartment under ours caught on fire though and the room he was in got drenched in smoke ( we were away when this happened ). I originaly thought of buying another iguana, but they live far too long for my tastes and preparing the food for them is a pain in the arse. a snake is alot less of a hand-full but no less enjoyable. I'm also looking for an adolescent, not a hatchling
