We just got 2 corn snakes as a beginner snake. Temperament is great (though the male seem more aggressive then the female), easy to handle, easy to house. One is a good eater the other has given us nothing but problems (still hasn't eaten a pinky). Though we are having difficulty with one of the snakes it would not stop me from buy another corn for my 11 year old.

Ok...computer doesn't like me. Just wrote up a reply and lost it. This is the second time that's happened on different sites. lol Ok, here's the short of my last post. What do I look for as far as choosing a healthy snake? Obviously docile could also mean sick. With a lizard I check the obvious...nose, mouth, eyes, tail, legs, toes, watch him/her walk, general appereance, coloring. Thanks for all the help. Sorry about all the questions but I really know nothing about snakes. I'm off now (or at least I'll try once again) to go look at the care sheet and more sites on corn snakes. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

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Char

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As far as choosing a healthy animal here are some things to look for:
First, look at the snake in it's tank: Is the cage clean or dirty? (There should not be feces, urates or old shed skins in the tanks.)
If there are other snakes in the tank too, do they look sick? (Bad signs are open-mouth breathing, wheezing, and bubbles or discharge from the nostrils.) If you see anything like that, leave the store and don't buy anything from them. DO NOT buy an unhealthy-looking animal with the idea of nursing it back to health... it's not worth it. Herp veterinarians are not the cheapest and a respiratory infection is quite contagious and can be difficult to treat.
Look closely around the eyes and along the lighter parts of the snake's skin. Tiny moving brown or black dots are mites (blood-sucking parasites that spread quickly) If your snake or the cage has a heavy white powder, it could be Sevin dust (used to treat mites.)
Mites are treatable with very strict quarantine procedures, but you'd rather not have them if you can avoid it.
Ask to hold the snake. Check again for any signs of illness (open-mouth breathing, wheezing, and bubbles or discharge from the nostrils) and look at the underside of it's chin. The mental groove is a slit on the lower jaw and a common place for mites or ticks to hide.
The snake should crawl around in your hands, flicking its tongue. The body should be smooth and firm, with no sores, cuts or lumps. The eyes should be bright and clear and its mouth should close completely.
Ask the seller to open the snake's mouth for you. The inside of the mouth should be clean... there should be no cuts or thick cheesy material (mouth rot).
Ask the seller for as much information as they can give you. Birthdate of the snake, when it last ate (and what it ate),how often it is fed, when it last shed and when it last defecated. (If the snake is kept with other snakes or if they don't keep records of that detail, they probably can't tell you the last one.)
Make sure you find out exactly what conditions the snake needs to be kept in and have everything set up and temps/humidity tested for a few days before bringing your snake home. Print out our care sheet on cornsnakes here: http://www.herpcenter.com/f109-cornsnake.html
I recommend keeping the snake in quarantine conditions (away from your other herps) for 3 months to be sure you don't have mites or other problems that could affect your other reptiles. I advise keeping new additions in a rubbermaid-type container (with a good tight lid!), with a human-type heat pad (no automatic shut off!)under one third of the box. You'll also need a small water dish, papertowel substrate and two hide boxes: one on the warm side of the box and one on the cool side. You'll want a good thermometer/hygrometer on each side of the box too. Make sure to get a few frozen mice of the size recommended by the seller. You'll want your snake eating frozen-thawed rodents. (Live food can attack and sometimes kill a snake!) There's info here about feeding F/T: http://www.herpcenter.com/showthread.php?t=2754 -- the trick is to make sure the food is completely defrosted and then warmed up before feeding to the snake (I use a hair-dryer to warm up rats for my snakes)
(Well, that's a start... hope it helps!)

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Andrea

Blackjack has pretty much covered the bases.There is a big difference between a snake that is docile yet is active, curious, strong and controlled in its movements and a snake that is sick. If you pick up a hatchling corn and it just lays there,... its sick. They will be active, they just won't make it a point to try to eat your fingers.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Thanks everyone - I have now decided to ignore advice about getting a Royal!! I am not experienced with snakes and would end up panicking about fasting issues etc. I have fell in love with corn snakes particulrly the lavender morphs and the motleys. I shall keep you posted of my advancement towards becoming a snake keeper lol

O.K.. Now that you have decided basicaly on a cornsnake, it's time for you to do some reading.

http://www.herpcenter.com/showthread.php?t=6976

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Fran
January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)

Thanks for the link Fran. I also have a care sheet from a lady called Tanya. She is one of the UK's most recognised and successful breeders of corn snakes. She is the ONLY breeder in the UK to offer lavender motleys and silver queen ghosts! I would not be getting a snake for at least another 3-6 months - I feel I have to allow myself this amount of time to leanr properly and make sure that it is a part of herping that I do truly wish to branch in to - not that I just like the thought of! I wouldn't like to have a snake on my hands that I didn't really think I was competant enough to look after. I shall let you all know of my final decision

Corns are hands down best begginer snakes IMO.

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Jason

hey britone I use tanyas site too really good care sheet..although the one here is too :P I also breed sliverqueens : D

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chris

corns are definitely a great beginner snake. was my first snake and I loved him so much I got another! and I plan to get more.

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
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