Species: Corn Snake Elaphe guttata
Expected
lifespan: Up to 23 years
DOB: Oscar - 15/07/05, Isla - 25/07/05
Oscar
Oscar
is a fantastic little snake who is absolutely bursting with
character. He is particularly suitable for visiting as he
has never bitten a person nor has he hissed. Sometimes if
he is angry he will rattle his tail to create a buzzing sound
similar to what a rattle snake can produce using its tail
rattle. As a baby he always had an expression of surprise
on his little face due to have huge baby snake eyes. We have
included a few of his baby pictures down below for viewing.
We have
had the pleasure of having Oscar from when he was only a tiny
baby and in that time he has won over everyone who has met
him. He is a very nosey little snake and will stick his nose
anywhere. This lead him into trouble when he was younger as
he managed to get his head stuck in a small gap in his old
tank.
Corn
snakes tend to be escape artists and no matter how careful
you are they always find a way out of their enclosures at
some point. Oscar escaped once in our presenters parents house and floor
boards were removed in an attempt to retrieve him. The next day Oscar apeared sitting on top of the fridge downstairs.
Oscar
is easily old enough to breed and may be allowed to do so
if Isla turns out to be a female and as soon as she is old
enough. Oscar has been a gannet since he was hatched though
he tends to go off his food for a month or two in the spring
time due it being his breeding season. He will eat one large adult mouse every 10 days normally which we dust with vitamin powder and calcium every month. Oscar has never and will never be fed live mice.
Thankfully
Oscar has never had to visit the vet and hopefully never will.
Corn Snakes are very hardly little animals and as long as
their set up is correct people are unlikely to have a
problem with them.
Isla
Isla
is only a tiny baby at the moment and was hatched around October
2008. She was the last remaining survivor of a clutch of corn
snakes and we took her on. It is wishful thinking on our behalf
that she is a little girl as our other corn snake is most
definately a boy.
Corn
snakes are the most common pet snakes in the UK and for good
reason. They generally do not get very large and 5' is around
average though corn snakes as big as 6' have been known. They
normally have very docile temprements and come in a huge array
of colours and patterns. Both of our corn snakes are "wild
type" and we believe the natural colour of the corn snake
is the most beautiful.
At
the moment Isla lives in a 28" glass vivarium which is
heated with a heat mat controlled by a thermostat. She has
plenty of hidesm artificial plants and branches and a hollow log for climbing. We have recently changed her substrate to aspen bedding as we find
Oscar likes to burrow in this.
Isla
is a very docile little snake even for a corn. She is quite
happy to curl up in someone's hand and does not usually spent
her "out" time trying to escape. As we would expect
of a young snake she enjoys her food and has yet to refuse
a feed with us. Isla gets one small adult mouse every 7 days normally which we dust with vitamin powder and calcium every month. None of our snakes are fed live mice.
As
she is only young she will not be used in shows for a while
in fact she will most likely be around 2 years old before
she's ready to come out on the road with us. She is handled
a lot and we hope she will keep her gentle nature as she grows.
Isla
has never had to visit a vet.
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