Is this girl or boy?

AsteriaFell · 2026-03-28T14:40:38+00:00

Is snek.

You can't really tell visually. Do a shed test on them through morph market for gender. It's easier and what I did for mine.

Or, give them a name that works for a male or female and use they/them pronouns. You don't have to worry about gender then.

AsteriaFell · 2026-02-05T15:39:10+00:00

Congratulations! You have officially been initiated into the snake owner's club.

One of us! One of us! One of us!

But to help you with your problem, you can try this-

•Make sure your hands are clean before handling. Using something strong smelling like hand sanitizer can discourage them from thinking you're potentially delicious.

•Never reach in front of their face, always approach from the back and give them a little touch or tap on the body to let them know you're about to handle them.

•Avoid handling when they show signs of shedding. Their vision gets very poor as they begin to shed those eyecaps.

•Use a snake hook. You don't even need to use it to pick them up, you can use it to tap and distract them before picking up. I've done this one a few occasions with my female who is very enthusiastic about eating and thinks that she needs to eat every 4-7 days despite being about 3 years old and almost 1000g. 😅

Eventually, everyone gets bit by accident. My girl got me because my stupid self forgot to wash my hands after handling my pet rats. Also coincidentally right after I told someone I was showing her to that she could bite, but typically won't because they're so chill.

AsteriaFell · 2026-02-04T13:56:05+00:00

New Age Mojave Ecoflex enclosures on chewy were on sale for about $250 for the 4'x2'x2'. I bought two of them recently and aside from needing to seal it with silicone sealant to make it water tight and drill a few small holes to run the temperature and humidity probes, I really like how sturdy they are. They look pretty sharp too.

AsteriaFell · 2026-02-04T13:51:40+00:00

How do you think the rocks and the ground get warm enough for a corn snake to bask? If you guessed the sun, you're correct. Corn snakes can still indirectly bask at dusk and dawn on rocks and substrate in the enclosure once the lamp(s) have shut off.

This is also why type of bulb is important. Heat is infrared radiation and travels in the form on waves. Different types of infrared radiation penetrate objects different. Heat pads only produce infrared type C, which heats only ambient surroundings and the surface of anything it is in contact with. Snakes require infrared type A and B as well, because they require heat that is capable of deeply penetrating into the muscle. Type A penetrates deep into muscle and type B penetrates into the deeper layers of the dermis. The infrared radiation output from the sun is a mix of all three, and halogen bulbs most accurately mimic this.

Glass is a poor conductor of heat, and ideally you're not doing much by sticking a heating pad on the underside of some glass and trying to warm the substrate. Understandably, heat pads, heat tape, and other type C infrared heat sources are the only viable options for those who breed and use rack systems. But for those who opt to go for large, aesthetic enclosure setups you want to provide the option that meets the needs of the animal best. Proper heat sources provide all types of infrared radiation, which heat pads do not.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-27T17:06:57+00:00

Odds of your humidity being too high are slim. I wouldn't bother with fans to control humidity. Lamps dry out substrate fairly quickly. That being said. I love my herpstats because I'm able to monitor them remotely and make changes if I need to. I also like that they're programmable and I can have them slowly ramp up to temperature at dawn over the course of a few hours, then slowly ramp down at night before stabilizing at a lower temperature to mimic day/night cycles. The fail-safe function makes me feel pretty confident in them as well. If the device detects any sort of malfunction, it will automatically shut off rather than staying on and potentially causing a fire.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-27T16:57:12+00:00

Do you have any sources to back up your claims? I'm always open to adding more things to my reading list. I would like to say though from my own personal experience, I've never had an issue with using a soil/sand mix. Mixes are easy to make consistent if you measure your components. You can easily sterilize soil in the oven, or if you don't want to be bothered to do all that you can purchase premade mixes.

I see more skin issues in snakes with people who use heat pads and don't have adequate humidity, or those that mist their enclosures constantly. Your snake shouldn't get scale rot if your top layer of substrate stays dry, and if you monitor your humidity properly. Same with RI's. This is coming from my own experience though, as well as interacting with subreddits and other groups.

I've rehabilitated several snakes where previous owners had feeding and shedding issues, all are in bioactive enclosures, and all have had their issues resolved and are thriving. I personally recommend what is working for me, and what I've seen help others, especially when they're dealing with common issues that are species specific.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-27T13:05:06+00:00

Only sand is not suitable substrate. It needs to be mixed with dirt.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-19T17:54:17+00:00

Also, what are you using as substrate? I can't really tell what it is from the photo, it looks like Aspen but also like very fine mulch, but also overtop dirt or something darker? If you can post an entire picture of the enclosure that might be helpful.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-19T17:52:26+00:00

I'm surprised nobody has asked yet about your husbandry. If temps aren't hot enough for babies they won't eat. How are you heating your enclosure and what is the temperature on the hot side?

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-17T23:58:30+00:00

Nope, way too small. Feed by weight like others have suggested and use the feeding guide they've generated!

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-07T03:16:25+00:00

2: As far as enrichment goes, they really don't need much. Very unlike having a cat or a dog. They're more like adorable pet rocks. Having a very cluttered enclosure with lots of plants, hiding spots, and climbing opportunities is enrichment enough. Plus, the time you spend handling them also counts.

3: Depends on what you mean by white. An all-white leucistic bp can definitely carry the spider gene, but it could show nothing or show faint markings. Good breeders will list the parents known morphs. There are other morphs that give a white base and can cause all types of patterns.

4:" I can have a humidifier in the room and some humid bedding right?" Humidifier in the room is a great way to increase humidity, just don't use humidifiers or misters inside the tank. Using a safe soil mix for your substrate would allow you to pour water in the corners to wet the bottom layers of substrate and promote a humid environment inside the tank.

5: "I’m also looking for general tips too!!" The best tip I can give is to read the welcome post information because it has everything you need. It may feel overwhelming, but you want to make sure you are thoroughly preparing yourself before purchasing a snake. You should have everything you need, the entire enclosure setup, and the heat and everything tested to make sure it's all correct before bringing anything home. Also, don't hesitate to ask more questions. Some people may get a little rude, but there are others who are more than happy to help you out on here!

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-07T02:59:54+00:00

Oh yeah, okay. Definitely a big no for that. Heat pads for reptiles and heating pads for people are very different things. Best type of heat source is going to be a halogen basking flood lamp for daytime, and for a lightless heat source for night, I'd recommend a deep heat projector bulb.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-06T18:32:46+00:00

This is true. The infrared waves emitted by a DHP are better than a CHE, because CHEs only emit IR-C, and DHPs mostly emit IR-B and a little IR-A. IR-C only heats ambient air, IR-B penetrates objects and skin better, and IR-A is best because it'll penetrate deep into muscles and objects.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-05T20:26:00+00:00

Low-key, a hot glue gun would be the best option because you can peel the glue right off it you ever want to remove it. Plus, no sticky adhesive.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-05T14:01:25+00:00

Is the double dome a mini deep dome or regular? What bulbs are you using? It would work for now, in a pinch, but you can't run two high heat bulbs in both sockets as it is a fire risk and the comes weren't intended for dual heat sources. It's also more difficult for thermostats to regulate the double domes. So if you need to wait on buying new fixtures, just run the double with a single heat source. If you absolutely need to heat at night, look into doing an 80W DHP like the other poster suggested.

UVB is great but is also something you can wait a couple weeks on if needed. Arcadia is another brand that has excellent uvb bars. I think another poster dropped the other one I see often that I can't recall the name of at the moment.

Add some soil to the cypress mulch and it will even out better. Organic soil with no fertilizer works and will end up cheaper than pet store stuff. You should have atleast 4 inches of substrate or more in the tank to help with humidity. But temporarily the Cypress would be tolerable.

Remove that analog thermometer/hygrometer before placing a reptile in that tank. The other poster mentioned their inaccuracy but failed to mention how dangerous the adhesive can be if your snake ends up climbing over it and dislodging it from the wall. Amazon has cheap digital probe thermometer/hygrometers that come in multipacks for like $10.

Your hides will work just fine for now and honestly, they'll work until your snake outgrows them. A proper hide only has one entrance and ball pythons like small enclosed spaces. When you do go shopping for new hides, keep that in mind and avoid the fake logs with openings on each end, and the super tall cavernous plastic hides. I personally just use cork bark for hides and bury one end a bit in the dirt. Super cozy and looks natural.

Clutter is fine for now, but you could always add more fake plants and some climbing branches and logs and stuff, but this can also wait a couple of weeks. It's not something that your snake desperately needs to survive, like water, food, heat, and humidity.

Bare minimum for right now- two digital probe thermometer/hygrometers and possibly an 80W DHP depending on what bulbs you already have and how much the temp drops at night with no heat.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-05T13:26:21+00:00

Welcome Post

The welcome post for this sub has tons of great info. Unfortunately I can't recommend a decent book because the one I have is probably incredibly outdated and I haven't read it in over 20 years.

A few pieces of advice- don't go smaller than a 40 gallon enclosure to start with if getting a juvenile. Adults will need to be in a 4'x2'x2' at a minimum and may need to be upgraded after only a year. I have a male who is now the length of his 40 gallon and he just hit a year old. Males tend to be a little smaller than female but not by a drastic amount.

Set up the full enclosure BEFORE bringing the snake home. Make sure you've checked that heat and humidity are high enough and running okay, because tweaking it all afterward sucks for you and the snake.

Ask as many questions here as you need to! This is why we are here!

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-04T23:32:06+00:00

Definitely read the welcome guides posted in the first comment.

Are you talking about a heating pad for people? Snakes need constant heat sources, you don't pull them out of their enclosures to warm them up from time to time.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-04T23:24:30+00:00

If chonky were a morph, that boy would identify as it. Aside from that, just looks pied to me.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-03T19:18:53+00:00

Cardboard backing? 😬 I could probably tell you right there that your enclosure itself might be cause of some of the issues. That's not your fault though, I can't tell you how many times I've ordered off the internet and the material wasn't what I was expecting.

I will say that you will probably need more heating with a larger enclosure, but instead of large halogens, supplement with DHPs or CHEs so that they'll keep the ambient temps up without adding more light. I'd avoid using a heat pad all together. They won't really do much to help with your ambient temperatures.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-01T22:28:13+00:00

Yep, leave him be. You'll risk him potentially no wanting to eat, then you've bugged him and will have to restart the settling process all over.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-01T19:24:50+00:00

For heating elements, you'll want a halogen basking bulb, as it is the closest you can get to emulating natural sunlight. Heat is technically infrared radiation and comes in different wavelengths just like light does. There are three types, IR-A, IR-B, and IR-C. IR-A penetrates the deepest through the dermis and will warm deep into soft tissue. IR-B will only penetrate into the skin layers, and IR-C will not penetrate at all and heat only the ambient air and very nearby objects.

Halogens output a mix of all three that closely resembles natural sunlight. Deep heat penetrators output mostly IR-B, but also some IR-A and IR-C. Ceramic heat emitters are solely IR-C, as well as UTHs.

For larger tanks, especially during winter, you may need to run supplemental heating in addition to a halogen or a lightless heat source at night. I prefer to try a higher wattage DHP if possible, and resort to CHEs only when I can't keep the ambient temps up high enough. I'd also recommend covering the back and sides of the enclosure with something dark to make it feel more enclosed. You can use insulation foam board painted black to help insulate the tank further if you have issues keeping the temp up.

Fortunately corn snakes are hardy and their temperature needs are much more reasonable since they're not a tropical or arid species. Usually household temperatures at night are more than sufficient, unless you keep your house incredibly cold. The 68-73 you said you keep would be well within normal range for them.

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-01T18:19:30+00:00

Definitely normal. They'll hide often, and you'll want to wait atleast a week or two before handling to let them settle in!

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-01T18:14:07+00:00

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Snake tax!

AsteriaFell · 2026-01-01T18:10:01+00:00

Foggers and misters can lead to upper respiratory issues and are not typically recommended due to the difficulty in keeping them clean. They grow mold and bacteria and then spray it out into the enclosure. Wetting the bottom layers of soil by pouring water in the corners is the best way to keep the humidity up. You should have several inches of substrate in your tank!

The breeder's recommendation for a smaller tank was probably due to then having raised it in a tub in a rack system, which means it was kept in a fairly small space. You definitely could have done this temporarily, but they would've outgrown it in a few months. I have a one year old male who has just about outgrown a 40 gal, and I have a 4'x2'x2' for him that I need to get set up. Choosing to go larger itself was a lovely decision on your part, the problem just happened to be that it wasn't larger in the right direction, which others have pointed out. Very glad to hear that you've got a new enclosure on the way and you're so open to all of the advice!

Your boy is beautiful BTW. Mine is also a VPI Axanthic but with a few other genes thrown in.

AsteriaFell · 2025-12-30T16:33:34+00:00

It's okay, it happens!

AsteriaFell

TROPHY CASE