# Snake questions



## madmonahan (Aug 26, 2012)

I've recently become very interested in snakes. I was studying corn snakes until I found out that they are allegal to own here :/ Corn snakes are native here and they don't want people to take snakes from the wild and sell them, makes sense but I was a little disappointed.

Then I started getting interested in ball pythons when I held one at Petsmart the other day.  boy are they cute! I've never been scared of snakes the way most people are, I've just never had much of an interest in them until my friends dad killed a baby snake a few weeks ago. :-( it upset me that he killed it, even if it was a copperhead, which after further research turned out to be a brown garter snake! Not like coppers are very venomous anyway, so he killed it for no reason. As my dad says, "humans kill what they fear."

No one in my family is very scared of snakes (my mom held the python also) and really there is no need to fear snakes anyway. 
I would really love to get a python after we move, and I have done alot of research on them, but I still have questions. 

How long is the process of shedding, during the process when do you start soaking them in warm water, and do you feed them while they are shedding?

How long do you leave fuzzies/pinkies in hot water for to de-frost?

What do you use to tell the temperature and humidity, and if you use a hydrometer, where can I get a good quality one?

That's all for now  I'm sure I'll come up with more questions to ask.


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## madmonahan (Aug 26, 2012)

I've got another question!

So people say it's not good to have heat lamps because the snakes can burn themselves if they get to close (which can happen if they are trying to escape and get to close to the lamp) but I also know it's good to have a heat lamp on the warm side. So what can I do to prevent my snake from being burned??


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## Tank Gurl (Sep 26, 2013)

Hello madmonahan! Unfortunately i cant answer all you questions about snakes. 

My husband and I used to have a boa named Otis. She bit me on my armpit, so I became hesitant to hold her again and we ended up re-homed her. 

Dont let that scare you though, i'm a chicken like that. And she has never ever bite anyone ever before. =) Snakes are awesome pets!

The shedding process can take any amount of time. We used to put her in a tub of warm water to help the process along. Plus she loved it.

We always used live pinkies for Otis, then when she got older, very small, tiny, live mice, but we would hit them against the tank to kind of daze them so they didn't bite her. My friends feed their snake frozen pinkies, but i don't know the process.

Snakes only eat once a week. We never fed her while she was shedding though. One time, there was shedding skin covering her eyes and she couldn't see what was going on, she thought our hand was the food, she didn't bite us, but she was ready too.

The heater we used was like a heating pad that you put under the fake grass stuff, BUT she somehow got underneath the floor covering and sat directly on the heating pad!!

KEEP IN MIND! Snakes will just sit there an let themselves burn!

Thats what happened to Otis, she stayed directly on the heating pad for we dont even know how long and burned a huge part of her stomach. It stunted her growth and theres an arch in her stomach where she was burnt. So when shes all stretched out, theres a little bridge in the middle of her.

I hope that helps a little! Im not super educated on snakes anymore, its been awhile since we had Otis.

Let us know if you get one!! =)


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## madmonahan (Aug 26, 2012)

Thank you Tank Gurl!!


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## Finlovesme (Oct 21, 2013)

Hi! I love snakes! The EASIEST pets to care for! 

I currently have an amel corn snake that was captive bred, named Cornelius Fudge. 

My snake is a yearling, so he sheds every 4-6 weeks. He will turn bubble-gum pink and shed within the next 5 days. Your snake should soak itself when it is needed, just include a water dish that is large enough. Snakes won't usually eat while they are in the shedding process, so it is no big deal for them to skip a meal. A growing snake should eat every 5-7 days, and an adult should eat every 10 days - 2 weeks. 

I'm glad you are thinking about feeding frozen/thawed food. It is safer for the snake - you are avoiding lacerations from the fighting mice. I thaw the mouse in the refridgerator the day before, and use hot water to bring the mouse to "body temperature" before feeding. 

Corn snakes are native to my area, so the natural temperate climate is perfect for them. However, I do mist the whole enclosure the week my snake will shed. During winter months, I use a heat lamp (red light) over one half of my tank. Do not use heating rocks, or under-the-tank heating pads - they will burn your snake. 

I highly recommend getting a corn snake from a reputable breeder. Not having to adjust the snake's climate makes caring for them much easier than tropical snakes. 

Good luck!


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## Finlovesme (Oct 21, 2013)

....and to answer your second post. My heat lamp is a mere 45 watt bulb, that is raised about an inch from the top of the enclosure. This situation won't burn your snake.


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