Cornsnakes(thin) at Petco

[ProXimuS]

So I was able to get to Petco today, and was making my rounds looking at the reptiles, and came across their little Corns. These were "fancy" Corns, and they really were pretty. I fell in love with one and seriously, seriously had to talk myself out of buying it:( Anyways my point for this post was that they were relatively young(looked to be about 6 or so inches long) but they looked pretty thin.....I felt like mentioning it to someone, but didn't know what good it would even do. I feel like hopefully they won't be there long and hopefully will go to a home where they will get fattened up! Also they had crickets in with them.

So I guess what I wanted to know is, do Corns eat crickets?
And should I maybe mention something to someone about them looking thin?

[Invisible Snake]

I've kept corns before and have never heard or read that they eat crickets. I think you should politely mention it to an employee there, tell them that the corns are looking a little slender.

[snake man]

Thats not good I would mention it to someone.

[ProXimuS]

So, if you don't mind me asking(because I know nothing about Corns!), what did you feed your corns? Same diet as garters?

[guidofatherof5]

Corn snake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_snake)

[Invisible Snake]

I only fed the adults f/t mice and the babies/sub-adults f/t pinkies/hoppers.

[ProXimuS]

Thanks guys!! I just got off the phone with a girl in the reptile department. I told her I was just in and was looking at their Corns and noticed they're a little thin and, that I'm under the impression they don't eat crickets. She was very nice, and told me that the crickets actually get into the cage, through small little slats, from the neighboring cages. She also told me that they are fed pinkies and they keep a log of how often and how much they eat. She did tell me two of them haven't been eating, and if they continue to not eat they are going to do something about it. So I hope this isn't any b.s.....She seemed very nice and like she knew what she was talking about. I told her thank you for the information and she told me thank you for my concern:)


So thanks again to you guys:D

[ProXimuS]

He he I was googling Corn snake imagaes just for fun, and came across this and had to share :D

5903

[Invisible Snake]

He he I was googling Corn snake imagaes just for fun, and came across this and had to share :D

5903

That snake looks delicious! lol jk :p

[kibakiba]

If it came in raspberry, then I'd happily get one! :D

[ProXimuS]

Yum!:)

[kerensa]

Thanks guys!! I just got off the phone with a girl in the reptile department. I told her I was just in and was looking at their Corns and noticed they're a little thin and, that I'm under the impression they don't eat crickets. She was very nice, and told me that the crickets actually get into the cage, through small little slats, from the neighboring cages. She also told me that they are fed pinkies and they keep a log of how often and how much they eat. She did tell me two of them haven't been eating, and if they continue to not eat they are going to do something about it. So I hope this isn't any b.s.....She seemed very nice and like she knew what she was talking about. I told her thank you for the information and she told me thank you for my concern:)


So thanks again to you guys:D


This is true at our local pet smart. They have shown me the records on snakes I was considering.

[ProXimuS]

So, I've been thinking about this little one.....There were 3 of them, but one of them specifically I fell in love with! I really want him...They were for $50 though....So I want an opinion: Is $50 too much? And if they are possibly not eating well(I'm not sure if the one I want is one that hasn't been eating)is it possibly not a good idea to buy him in case he's sick? I really want him, and have been thinking about him since Sat.! Any input would be greatly appreciated!:)

[Steveo]

You can find them for less but $50 isn't unreasonable for a retail store. Unless it is truly ill it'll probably eat with some extra effort and attention (which I'm assuming it doesn't get at the store). Does the store have a return/refund policy in case you can't get it to eat?

[Invisible Snake]

(Just some random thoughts) Corns are mostly nocturnal so you will most likely only see them at night, they also love to burrow usually hiding their entire body under/in the substrate with only their heads poking out. In my personal experience I loved having baby corns because they were so cute and adorable, but not so much when they became adults. Adults can range in length from 3.5 feet to 5 feet. Corns are constrictors and females are egg layers. Corn snake prices range from $30-$200 depending on the morph.

What color morph was the corn that you are contemplating on buying?

[Stefan-A]

In my personal experience I loved having baby corns because they were so cute and adorable, but not so much when they became adults.
I like the adults more. They look like proper rat snakes and not something people get just because they're so cute and adorable.

[ProXimuS]

The one I'm looking at is like a purple color! He(it) is really pretty! I guess kind of like a light pinkish/tannish on the body and the spots are a darker brownish/purplish color. I already came up with a potential name: Raspberry:)


Not sure if they have a return policy, but that is something I will definitely find out before purchasing...if I do...:p

Thanks for the input!

[ProXimuS]

Ok so I called again, and they said they have a 15 day return policy. I won't be able to go up there till tomorrow....So I've got about 24 hours to think about it:p I'm not sure if 15 days is enough to know if he'll do ok in the long run though...That's my main issue...

[KJPettit]

$50 is pretty standard for a corn, and depending on the morph - can be a steal. I've heard of some rarer morphs showing up at petsmart.

Just to echo what was said above, baby cornsnakes eat baby mice.

If you want to participate in an awesome and insanely active cornsnake forum, look @ CornSnakes.com Forums - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/)

[Invisible Snake]

Hey Emily, so you didn't buy the corn snake?

[ProXimuS]

No...:( I decided against it...I really shouldn't have any more animals while I'm still at my grandparent's house...And I really would rather stick to garters:D I just got extra excited! But I really wouldn't mind having one still....I saw them again(or maybe different ones) when I went to Petco yesterday, and had to peel myself away from them:p They had the "Fancy Cornsnake" for like $50 and then ones that were labeled just as "Cornsnakes" for $40. But they really looked mostly the same to me....The "fancy" one was like that purpley/maroony color, and the "regular"(I guess) ones that were about the same color and an albino. I don't understand how they can charge $10 more just to call it "fancy."

[Invisible Snake]

A "fancy" corn snake is how PetCo labels basically any morph other than straight normal. (and I've even seen them mark normals as "fancy" too).

[Steveo]

Do you have any reptile rescues nearby? I know of a few locally that are overflowing with corns (and balls). IMO that's the best way to get one... even if you just want to foster one for a little while :)

[ProXimuS]

Maybe this "fancy" one was a normal, because it was just about the same color as the "normals":rolleyes: He was still pretty nonetheless!(But so were the otehr ones:))

Steveo, I hadn't ever thought of forstering with a snake. That's a pretty cool idea:) I'll have to look into when I'm able to move out. I'm sure there's gotta be plenty of snake or reptile rescues around the Houston area.

[ConcinusMan]

they had crickets in with them.

So I guess what I wanted to know is, do Corns eat crickets?
And should I maybe mention something to someone about them looking thin?

Yes, I see the same thing at my local petco. Crickets in the enclosure. Ridiculous. They don't eat them, and remaining crickets are a danger to the snakes. The crickets will chew and injure the snakes.

You could mention it, but they don't care. They expect to lose 80% of them and are priced accordingly. The bottom line is, they don't have the manpower to work with the babies to make sure each one is eating, and to make sure they are eating a proper diet. They buy them dirt cheap in bulk and don't care if most of them die. They simply don't care.

In my opinion, corns are so plentiful there is no reason at all to purchase newborns of questionable health from any pet store. You can get healthy established ones for free or nearly free. I highly recommend adopting from a reputable local rescue. There are plenty awaiting adoption.

EDIT: I see now that has already been suggested.

And BTW, their "fancy" corn snakes are produced by breeding morphs. Even if there are normal looking ones in there, the difference is, they carry genes for one or more morphs. The "regular" corns do not. They are simply wild-type.

[ProXimuS]

Yes, I see the same thing at my local petco. Crickets in the enclosure. Ridiculous. They don't eat them, and remaining crickets are a danger to the snakes. The crickets will chew and injure the snakes.

I didn't know they would mess with the snakes too. I knew mice/rats would. I've seen the crickets in there since then. Even in a different enlcosure with (what I think were) different corns....Ugh, maybe they just told me that the crickets got in there "by accident" that one time to try to get me off their butts. Next time I go there, if there are more crickets in with them I will say something again, and see what happens....Probably nothing:rolleyes:

I didn't think about the normals being het for anything either...That could have been the case.

[ConcinusMan]

The crickets didn't get there by accident. The idiots think they'll eat them and for lack of anything better, of appropriate size, they give them crickets. The truth is, the crickets will get hungry and actually chew on, and injure the snakes, or even kill them. it happens all the time. it's been well documented. You never want to leave uneaten crickets in with any herp for too long. The bottom line is, most, if not all, of the baby snakes they keep haven't eaten since they got them, and they just sit there and starve until you buy them, or they die. I think it's their policy that after 90 days or so, any unsold snakes are returned to their supplier or otherwise disposed of. They recognize that the pet store is not a good long term home. It's merely a temporary holding.

[ConcinusMan]

if there are more crickets in with them I will say something again, and see what happens....Probably nothing:rolleyes:


It's falling on deaf ears and they won't do anything, believe me. To them, the snakes are expendable. If they sell one or two, and the rest die, they still make money.