Hi. I am getting a corn and want to know if they need misting and if they have teeth? I have everything that I need. I have a 20L tank and a reptile carpet, water bowl big enough to soak in, a stone with a branch in it to bask and climb, a little tree to climb in and a giant bell with plants all over it and hole in it so that he can hide. Should I get a male or female and will the pet store know what sex it is? Also do you think that I have everything for it and can it live it's life in that size tank?
Thanks in advance,
Cheryl

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5 Dogs
Candice a collie, Budweiser a black lab, Shotzie a rottweiler, Rocky a german shepherd, & Gizmo a chihuahua.
4 Tabby cats
Magic, Phoebe, Tinkerbell, & Skitzie. Pookie & Boo black & white cats.
Spike a cockatiel. Heaven a leopard gecko. Link & Lucy fire bellied toads. Luke and Laura fire bellied newts.
Disturbed a albino african clawed frog. Snowy a silver molly. Fire a blood fin tetra. Jaws a black molly. Another fish tank with fish and snails galore.

First things first, start here: Caresheet

You will want to ditch the repti-carpet and use aspen bedding or repti-bark for your corn snake...the tank that you have described will work fine for an adult, but may even be to large for a hatchling. I doubt that the pet store will know the sex of the nake unless they are very familar with corns and know how to "pop" them or have a set of probes and know how to use them properly. How do you plan to heat the tank? Corns dont really bask like lizards do,they are nocturnal,, a Under Tank Heater would prolly be a better source of heat for your snake. NO misting will be required for your corn as too high himidity can acutally cause respiratory problems for them. As far as the hides go you need to make sure that you offer one on the warm side AND on the cools side, corns snakes are nocturnal and there fore enjoy hiding most of the daylight hours. As far at the teeth go, "The Cornsnake Manual" states that they do NOT have teeth... Let us know of any more questions you may have. good luck...

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Well, a few things. A 20 long is a great size for a cornsnake, they could use bigger but I'm assuming it'll be young when you buy it, and a corn CAN live comfortably in that size of a tank.

With the water bowl you shouldn't have to worry so much about misting, these are a southeastern US snake and are a little more tolerable of climate changes than other animals. That said, they're still very susceptible when they're young, and if you live in a really dry area you might want to mist them every once in a while anyway. Having a cave will help, it should be cooler and a little more humid in there so it can regulate if it needs to. I guess to help we'd really need to know how old the snake is.

I would also add some paper towels or crumpled newspaper, the hole to hide in is a good idea but if the snake is young the hole may be too large and it won't feel secure, or vice-versa if it's older. My corns all love to burrow, and giving them the option to do so will help reduce stress due to the move.

The sex of the snake is really up to you, I have absolutely no preference as both sexes achieve a similar size as adults depending on how you feed them, as always the female can get bigger, but right now my largest of six cornsnakes is a huge male Anery. As for the store knowing what sex your snake is...that really depends on the store. If it's young and the people know what they're doing you can pop it, if it's older it'll need to be probed. Either way, if the people at the store don't know you can always take it to a vet. However, if you're only getting the one snake with no intention of breeding, it really won't matter which sex it is.

And for the record, I can DEFINITELY confirm that they have teeth. When they're babies you don't feel them. When they're yearlings the teeth feel sticky. Two years and above and they'll stick ya. Just handle them gently at least every few days (every day would be too stressful, at least at first) and they'll get used to you.

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1.2.0 redfoot tortoises
3.2.0 ball pythons
1.2.0 beardies
1.0.0 asian water monitor
1.1.0 burmese pythons
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0.1.0 black tree monitor
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actionplant.com

Yes, they have teeth. If you are not planning on breeding, gender won't really make a difference. More often than not, the pet store won't know how to sex them properly. Even if a pet store employee claimed to know how, I would be hesitant to allow them to sex it, as either popping or probing could cause damage if done incorrectly.
Now that I have treid to answer two questions, I'll ask two...
What kind of heat source are you planning on providing?
Do you have your heart set on any specific color morph?

Hope this helps, and enjoy your corn!

Actionplant beat me... oh, well. ;-).

That's okay, jmherp beat me.

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1.4.0 cornsnakes
2.0.3 firebelly toads
1.2.0 redfoot tortoises
3.2.0 ball pythons
1.2.0 beardies
1.0.0 asian water monitor
1.1.0 burmese pythons
1.1.0 basilisks
0.1.0 black tree monitor
1.0.0 Green Iguana
0.1.0 chinese water dragon
2.2.0 redtail boas
1.0.0 CA rock python
1.0.0 emperor scorpion
1.2.0 leopard geckos

actionplant.com

lol. i try...

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Yeah, but to be beaten by a hamster sniffer, that REALLY hurts.


(lol... aah, the joys of having a 'reputation' ;-) ).

Hampster Sniffer? did miss something?

__________________
Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Hi. The pet store told me not to use anything but carpet because the snake can eat some of the aspen etc. while eating it's meal. I think that is what happened to my brown snake I feed him in his tank that had potting soil and reptibark in it and the next morning he was dead. I'm not sure what happened but I am still very upset and afraid to use anything other than the carpet. I put the hide inbetween the hot side and cool side is that ok or should I get another one and put them on each side. I have a Under Tank Heater and the clamp light with a 100 watt bulb in it that is what the pet store sold me. I think that the pet store is ok. They wouldn't even sell me the snake until I had that clamp light and bulb plugged in for a least 12 hrs. I'm going to try and pick him up tonight or tomorrow morning at the lastest so I will post more info when I get him. I think he is a snow corn or atleast that is what he looks like I will ask the pet store to be sure.

__________________
5 Dogs
Candice a collie, Budweiser a black lab, Shotzie a rottweiler, Rocky a german shepherd, & Gizmo a chihuahua.
4 Tabby cats
Magic, Phoebe, Tinkerbell, & Skitzie. Pookie & Boo black & white cats.
Spike a cockatiel. Heaven a leopard gecko. Link & Lucy fire bellied toads. Luke and Laura fire bellied newts.
Disturbed a albino african clawed frog. Snowy a silver molly. Fire a blood fin tetra. Jaws a black molly. Another fish tank with fish and snails galore.