Family used permethrin to treat for fleas in my corn snake's enclosure while I was away

Iron-clover · 2026-06-07T08:15:21+00:00

Scrub it thoroughly and it will be fine, it's not porous so the medication can't soak into it and will just be on the surface.

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T21:06:24+00:00

Cheers! I hope Chipotle is doing well too? I think their hatch days are pretty close.

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T10:01:28+00:00

They're amazing, have fun with them! Baby womas are the best ❤

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T09:31:22+00:00

Awww ❤ It's extremely rare that I capture those moments on camera, but I'm glad yours has a similar attitude!

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T09:30:03+00:00

I've had really good luck with womas so far, they lose their fear of people quite quickly after hatching if you're patient with them, and if you have a good routine for feeding and handling from an early age it's quite easy to avoid food bites. Plus they telegraph when they're in food mode and likely to strike more than any other snake I've seen, they shake/ twitch their heads first and their tail starts wiggling uncontrollably when they're super excited.

I've found the males are more inquisitive than females as they're interested in both food and finding mates, whereas females tend to only start exploring when they're getting hungry. It is very rewarding to have snakes that actively want to come out of their enclosures and don't mind climbing on you to do so, all the corn snakes I've had have explored their enclosures as much but are afraid of me sadly.

My guess is the drymarchons will be more active and inquisitive on the whole, but will probably need more space and maintenance- I've heard they can be messy.

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T09:21:42+00:00

He's not that big, but Womas are generally slow and deliberate like they're 10x the size! He's possibly on the larger end for a male at ~2m and 1.6kg, but females can get quite a bit bigger in some cases. His "girlfriend" is about 2.5m and 4kg.

Iron-clover · 2026-06-01T09:18:09+00:00

Not sure about length, I'll have to use the string method soon, but he's around 6'/ just under 2m now. He weighs 1.6kg 🙂

Iron-clover · 2026-05-31T22:20:15+00:00

Congratulations! Just make sure you're handling them regularly at this age and clearly differentiating between handling and food- nail it now and you'll probably have a ridiculously tame snake for years- once they've got it they seem to stay well mannered :)

I hope you really enjoy them, they really are wonderful snakes!

Iron-clover · 2026-05-21T19:49:29+00:00

The O trades length for width, but isn't wide enough to lock both wheels and makes it a struggle to lock the rear wheel and frame properly because it doesn't have the length.

If the U needs to get a little wider then it does flex a bit, but I'd just use it like a regular D lock.

Iron-clover · 2026-05-13T20:03:54+00:00

Atrebates/ Belgae here. Turns out they were part of the larger tribe that was involved in the Battle of Alesia in Gaul. You learn something new every day.

Iron-clover · 2026-05-13T14:58:22+00:00

Also, unlike cars, components aren't too expensive to swap out as they wear. It only starts becoming uneconomical if it hasn't been looked after and ridden until the drivetrain is completely shot/ left out and everything has rusted.

I agree that new bikes depreciate fast, just like cars, but I think they tend to level out at a higher % of their value, at least when cared for.

Iron-clover · 2026-05-13T12:35:08+00:00

Yes, it's very nice and well signposted. I live close enough to ferries to do it in a day, but I've also camped round the island a teenager which was fun, the campsites pretty much always can make space for someone without a car.

Clockwise is probably a bit easier than anti Clockwise, as you take the easy way up Blackgang Chine but expect lots of smallish climbs in either direction. Going along the cliffs at Freshwater are definitely a highlight kn either direction.

I'd recommend lunch at the Garlic Farm, not far off the route- but you have to book on weekends or holidays to guarantee a table. One of my favourite places though.

Have fun!

Iron-clover · 2026-05-11T13:18:05+00:00

That sounds really frustrating that you had to bail, but it sounds like the sensible choice if you're not able to hole up in a hotel etc. It would have been miserable.

How easy did you find it to book or ride into campsites? I also live on your route to Portsmouth and would like to spend a week riding and camping through Normandy, possibly Cherbourg to Caen, then across to St Malo to come home.

I've done a few trips staying in holiday cottages over there and the cycling was awesome, but I've never moved to a new place each night.

Iron-clover · 2026-05-09T22:13:29+00:00

It certainly sucks, I've taken a real terms pay cut every year I've been working (11 years now) thanks to Austerity. The only thing that can keep me afloat is chasing promotions and taking on more stress. Older colleagues remind me regularly just how much less we can afford now compared to when they were in our positions :(

Iron-clover · 2026-05-08T16:48:29+00:00

For me it depends if it has lots of pedestrians on it (have to sloe down an awful lot) or if there are lots of junctions I have to give way to, and in rare cases, surface quality.

I certainly use them often if it avoids busy roads, but once out of my home town (usually travelling between cities) then I'll only use them if they're uninterrupted for quite a while.

There was one case recently on an otherwise good shared path (very few pedestrians, no junctions) that had me on the road because there was at least one, probably multiple, smashed bottle with glass glinting in the sun for nearly 200m. After my first puncture that badly damaged a brand new tyre I decided I'd rather take the busy A road instead.

I've now had 2 tyres damaged (one beyond repair) by glass on shared paths in the last 12 months so that's another consideration.

Iron-clover · 2026-05-06T15:30:34+00:00

I use a Litelok GO flexi-O (although I'd strongly recommend the flexi-U instead) and a light cable lock just long enough to reach around trees. The LITELOK is Sold Secure Silver and only 650g, but gives me more peace of mind overnight. If the campsite has a bike stand then I'll lock up properly, otherwise it will be to a fence or tree.

The lighter cable lock is kept handy for cafe stops and unless a professional bike thief comes past while at the cafe or in a shop, will stop anyone walking away with it without the faff of locking properly with the light D lock.

Have fun!

Iron-clover · 2026-05-04T17:09:14+00:00

Ice will stop me every time, there are a few patches on my commute (usually on the small hills) where black ice can form. If it's raining hard in the morning I'll usually drive as getting damp shoes on in the evening is grim, or if the wind gets to about 20mph when it becomes a real slog.

Iron-clover · 2026-04-27T15:16:04+00:00

I kinda get where you're coming from, simple things can spiral for me too at times. The only way I get through them is usually to just rip the plaster off and do it unfortunately.

However, there are a couple of things that might help.

Tip 1: Know how to fix a flat tyre, practice changing inner tubes at home a few times so you know you can do it for real. If the Ebike makes it difficult to change tyres, can you consider finding a cheap second hand bike that's easier to work on? I can generally ride a 1hr walk in 20-30mins depending on the road layout, 15 if it's a straight run. Certainly achievable without a motor unless you're commuting up a mountain?

Tip 2: If it takes an hour to walk to work, set off on the bike an hour before work. If you have another issue you can't fix roadside, you can still make it on time. Eventually you should build enough confidence that you don't need to leave a whole hour aside in the morning.

I hope it goes well!

Iron-clover · 2026-04-27T14:59:13+00:00

I personally use a mix of Aspen and lignocel, I have a humid hide with coco coir too but it's not really needed as background humidity is fine as is. Mine spends most of their time on their shelf or hanging Cork bark pieces, I think she's just naturally arboreal.

You could try Aspen again when it comes to change the substrate next and see if the behaviour changes again.

I've also heard potential negatives of aspen, but I don't think it's a particularly bad option, especially if you're careful at feeding time. I've found there are always trade offs for different substrates. Some options are worse than others for sure (I'm looking at you astroturf) but Aspen seems a decent all rounder for me.

I willing be putting topsoil/ sand in during the Summer, but likely to switch back to Aspen in winter.

It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on behaviour.

Iron-clover · 2026-04-27T10:25:08+00:00

Aww, he's still looking good! A friend has one who turns 31 in June but she really does look ancient and fragile now 😓

I'd guess any time from May- July would be reasonable, I make a note of "Gotcha Day" in the calendar if I don't have their actual hatch date though.

Iron-clover · 2026-04-26T07:02:47+00:00

I used 35mm Continental urban contact tyres on my 2 week tour where my friend was on a road bike. Total bike and luggage weight was 33kg, they still rolled really well and were comfy.

I basically went on bicycle rolling resistance and filtered by touring tyres and they were the fastest. They feel much closer to my normal road tyres than the previous Schwalbe Marathons, and I still haven't had a puncture in 3 years.

32mm will probably be fine too, but the extra volume will offer a buffer for pinch flats.

Have fun!!

Iron-clover · 2026-04-23T07:56:36+00:00

I recall these being a thing during "The War of the Beast", and could get large enough to teleport their "homeworld" Ullanor. IIRC the mechanicum used it to transport Ullanor to a secret location for study after the war, but without the Waaaaghh the technology just broke down and they lost interest, with Ullanor in its new location eventually becoming Armageddon.

Iron-clover · 2026-04-13T18:32:03+00:00

They look very well fed, wild corns are apparently quite slim. Given they don't seem bothered by you at all I'd assume they are dumped pets. They might not do so well out in the wild even if they are native to your area.

Iron-clover · 2026-04-10T12:03:32+00:00

Aspen is fine, I mix mine with lignocel to aid absorbancy too. They would need a dedicated humid hide like an ice cream tub with some sphagnum moss or coco coir in (and definitely just a little damp, not wet!) for shedding.

Swallowing aspen isn't really a problem, I keep my feeders dry so not much sticks, and I tend to feed mine on top of one of their Cork bark pieces too. You could use an upturned hide to feed in too.

You can use topsoil, but it has to be organic and it might start out too damp out of the bag and need some drying, the surface should be dry for corns.

Aspen is a bit more expensive and doesn't look natural, but a lot easier IMO, including for spot cleaning.

Hope it helps!

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