Talk:Corn Snake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amphibians and Reptiles Portal
Corn Snake is part of WikiProject Amphibians and Reptiles, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative, comprehensive and easy-to-use amphibians and reptiles resource. If you would like to participate, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page for more information.
B This article has been rated as B-class on the quality scale.
High This article has been rated as high-importance on the importance scale.

Contents

[edit] Mexico

The article says, "They are found throughout south-eastern and central North America as well as parts of Mexico." This isn't good wording, as Mexico is in North America.

Agreed. I made the change. This page is not one of those where such acrimony exists that edits without prior discussion are resented. Feel free to make bold changes, that is what Wikipedia is all about. Good spot, by the way.--Counsel 15:52, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Subspecies

The article claims that there are only two. Does anyone have a cite? My understanding is that there are multiple: The Rosy Rat among others is not mentioned.--Counsel 15:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC) .......... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.155.34.115 (talk) 13:52, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Use of cedar as a substrate

Cedar and Pine are both widely known as toxic to many varieties of reptiles including corn snakes. A note of this should be made in the vivarium seciton. [[1]] [[2]] --Elgringo18 17:10, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit]  ?????Is it true??????

There is no proof that this information is valid. This website could say, "Corn Snakes can not survive in the wild but can breathe under water and fly", and no one would question them. So who's to believe them? Now, I'm not saying that I believe that accusation personally, but just making a point. Is there any validation that i=this website is for real? I haven't found any, and have come to the conclusion that I shall not. Is there anyone who believes they have found proof? Just asking. November 1st, 2006

If you dislike the info provided, do your own research and update the page. WP is as accurate as it's contributors can make it, and while vandalism does happen, it tends to be repaired/reverted rapidly. Just check the history of any high-profile page to see WP policing itself. Also, you'll tend to get faster responses if you make an account and sign your comments with four tildes [these things "~"] ... BigFatDave 18:46, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Caring For them

In the section 'Corn Snakes as Pets', it merely describes breeding and the way they look. If it would be fine, please add information on feeding rate, in captivity and in the wild, light, how to hold them, and how to, in general, care for them in captivity.

Thanks.

November 26th, 2006


You will find the link at the bottom of the page for "Corn Snake Care Sheet" extremely informative and comprehensive. As it stands the article is a good overview of the subject. I own a three-year-old corn snake. Jelly Catullus 16:56, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photos of Morphs

I have a red albino corn - would a photo of her/it be a nice addition, or create clutter? I'm not 100% sure, and I'd like some input before attempting boldness :) It'd also be in less of a natural-looking environment - probably on someone's arm - unlike the existing photos. Half-pint 02:06, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

How about posting it here, and then finding a place for it in the article? [I, personally, would put it in the "corn snakes as pets" section. ... BigFatDave 18:49, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Water?

"Many cities and towns have water that is unsuitable for corn snakes so it is advisable to use bottled water or to use a reptile water conditioner to make the water safe for the snake to drink." Can anyone provide a source for this statement? Silver2sg 06:14, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

The concerns are chemical treatment [harmless to larger animals] causing a slow poisoning effect, particularly in smaller/younger corns, or microorganisms causing diseases [ cryptosporidium in particular]. The safe option is to use bottled drinking water, which is sterile and generally has no leftover chemicals. While in the wild, corn snakes would drink whatever they happened across, captive corns don't have the resistances/immunities that wild ones would. Filtering would give the same effect, but bottled water is a pretty foolproof option.
As far as referneces go, Corn Snakes In Captivity by Don Soderberg backs this info up, I just pulled my copy and checked.
BigFatDave 15:17, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Name issues

Despite the fact that "In 2002, all North American rat snakes of the genus Elaphe were suggested for reclassification into the genus Pantherophis... however many people have not accepted the change, and it is still widely referred to as Elaphe..." it would be nice if the entire article referred to the animal as either one or the other, rather than alternating between both. 71.217.120.104 23:40, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Re: live feeding

A citation was requested for live feeding being illegal in the UK; I was not able to find one, and the law as written is somewhat of a gray area; it would appear illegal, unless necessary for the animal, in which case it might be required by the duty of care requirements. I did find that in Scotland, affected by the same Animal Welfare Bill, a discussion specifically about the topic did occur; an ammendment (no. 162) was suggested to specifically outlaw feeding of live mice to snakes, the discussion was as follows:

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): Amendment 162 is a probing amendment, so I will move it only to allow us to have the discussion. At present, the bill does not specifically prohibit the feeding of live vertebrates as prey. The practice seems to be a bit of a grey area, as an offence would be committed only if it was proven that unnecessary suffering occurred.
The feeding of one live animal to another is repulsive. The prey animal—usually a mouse or a rat—becomes terrified before being eaten alive by a snake or other reptile. Live feeding can also cause distress to the predator animal. For example, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was involved in a case in which a snake was caused unnecessary suffering by wounds inflicted by a rat or mouse prior to the snake eating it.
Live feeding is also widely considered to be unnecessary. Leading zoo collections no longer regard it as a necessity and many specialist texts recommend the feeding of dead prey. Scottish SPCA animal welfare centres feed exotic animals in their care with pre-killed animals and doing so does not compromise the welfare of the exotic animals.
Of course, the practice of live feeding might be necessary in a tiny minority of circumstances, such as when a caught wild animal requires to be weaned off live prey. When the committee took evidence at stage 1, that example was used to justify feeding with live animals. Amendment 162 would permit live feeding only when certified as necessary by a veterinary surgeon, so it would cover that example.
I move amendment 162.
The Convener: As no other committee members wish to comment, I ask the minister to respond.
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Rhona Brankin): I reassure Elaine Smith that, under the bill as introduced, it would be an offence for a person to feed a live protected animal to another animal. As soon as an animal comes under man's control, it becomes a protected animal. Under section 17, it will be an offence to cause a protected animal unnecessary suffering. I make it clear that live feeding would already be caught by the bill, so I ask the committee to reject amendment 162.

This suggests that although the law as written is a gray area, the discussion in Scottish parliament is not a gray area at all. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 198.103.172.9 (talk)

[edit] Not just Scotland

Live feeding is illegal throughout the whole UK. OK if i change it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.132.139.189 (talk) 18:56, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Constrictor" change

I was surprised that such a fairly good article would say that all snakes are constrictors, when clearly they are not, so I changed it.

Also, I would agree that using two genera for the same snake is confusing, but I didn't change it. Shouldn't you use one or the other in the text, yet maybe footnote it to indicate a controversy?

 Cheers, Dr. James C. Hendee (talk) 03:43, 12 December 2007 (UTC)
Well if they're not constrictors, a lot of sites have been fooled. [3] Where are your references? Also, my own corn snake appears to be a perverted one, since it does a pretty good immitation of constriction (though not of course on dead mice). If you want to see what is clearly a corn snake clearly constricting a clearly live mouse on You-Tube, here you go: [4] SBHarris 00:55, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
You misunderstood. I said not ALL snakes are constrictors (see my original), which is what the original text said. Clearly that is not so. I'm sure you, like I, have owned many snakes and seen that, for instance, water snakes certainly are not constrictors. At any rate, it appears my change has held, so I guess the majority of reviewers agree. sharkface (talk) 02:01, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Major edits

Ok, I've taken an axe to this article, particularly the section on captive care. Much of it is superfluous or irrelevant, with large chunks of text devoted to comparatively simple issues, and little organization. Some statements, such as deli-cups for hatchlings, is outright wrong (or, if not, whichever moron does it needs a good smack), as are statements about UV lights, the mythical live-feeding controversy, etc. The table is entirely superfluous, given the links at the bottom of the page, and advised far too frequent feedings - 2 weeks should pass at a minimum between feedings of adults, and sometimes 3 weeks. Reproduction has been expanded. Mokele (talk) 23:55, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Please Fix

The article has the following note: Note: Albino Okeetees are not okeetees, they are selectively bred amelanistics

There are many ROs out there that ARE in fact amel versions of the Okeetee phase. The amel abbott's line for example, I believe bred by Joe Pierce. Breed one of those to an Okeetee and you get Okeetee young het amel. Breed the hets together and you get 3/4 Okeetee young, 1/4 reverse okeetee. There certainly are some snakes marketed as reverse okeetee that should not be associated with okeetee, but there are also some normal corns markete as okeetee that should not be associated with okeetee.

There is a second error: Over hunting in their natural range for the pet trade has caused a decline in wild Okeetee specimens.

That is an opinion and can not be documented. If there has been a decline, it is not necessarily due to over collection for the pet trade. I kind of doubt it, in fact. Conjecture does not belong on the wikipedia page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by FunkyRes (talk • contribs) 04:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)