[rach666]

hey, slightly worried bout my three yr old corn ozzy! had him few weeks not sure about how hummid to have the viv? hes in a glass tank,my temps are bout 83-85 hot end and 70 at cool end, have noticed that he has a couple of bits of skin that seem to be flaking, he has his water bowl,but only drinks from it,not sure weather hes having trouble shedding,he hasnt shed while ive had him but i know he shed a couple of weeks before i got him ,cant really inspect as he was fed yesterday! ate like a gannet as usaul! any will be grateful of any advice! xx thanx

 

[mark67123]

Is it an aquarium type viv, with a screen lid? How is it heated?
The temps sound ok but if it's ventilated across the top then a lot of the moisture in the air will be lost very quickly.

You could put a humid hide in with him - a plastic tub of some kind with an entrance hole (and a few vent holes around the sides) with some damp kitchen towel or (ideally) sphagnum moss in there.

If he is having a bad shed it will certainly help - he should find it on his own after a day or two, and maybe stay in there for several days until he sheds.

 

[rach666]

it is but the mesh vent is above the heated end and there is a light in the mesh as well!

 

[rach666]

sorry should of specified, its 3ft and well, just over a cd case lenth is the mesh vent(sorry cant find tape measure) the rest is glass sliding doors x

 

[rach666]

sorry should of specified, its 3ft and well, just over a cd case lenth is the mesh vent(sorry cant find tape measure) the rest is glass sliding doors x

 

[welshgaz]

corns don't really need massive humidity.. I just spray mine one each morning quickly and I've never had anything but a full shed from him for well over a year

 

[PendleHog]

His skin shouldnt flake but should come off in one piece so yes he may appreciate a humid hide filled with sphagnum as Mark suggested.
The venting sounds fairly minimal so I dont think you need to cover any of it.

Glass tanks arent ideal for snakes as they dont hold heat well and can make the snae feel insecure as they are exposed on all sides. At some poit you may want to look at getting a wooden bib with sliding glass doors.

 

[welshgaz]

Thats very true... But you can cover 3 sides with newspaper for now.... :idea:

 

[rach666]

three sides are covered with that photo aquariumstuff and he doesnt come across insecure hes out most nites exploring only time he dissapears is after hes been fed! i think vivs is about perssonal choice as i maintain my temps fine in a glass viv i think they look nicer aswelx also its not like his skin is flakin off in big chunks it is just acouple of specks

 

[PendleHog]

Personal choice.. hmm perhaps but you wont see people maintaining whole collections in them as they are a right royal pain compared to wooden ones :lol: Corns arent prone to nervousness but it can be a major problem in some other species - royas for example are well known for it.

His skin shouldnt be flaking at all but should come off in one clean piece - sounds like your best bet is still a humid hide.
These are super easy to make - a sandwich tub or similar with a hole cut in the side is fine. Then just stuff it with sphagnum moss (or if you want to do it straight away you can use wet tissue paper).

 

[mark67123]

Just the fact that the vents are in the top will mean that more humidity will be lost than if they were on the sides.
Although aquarium-type vivs can be covered around the outside, the snake may still be able to see it's reflection all around in the glass on the inside - not good for nervous species but a corn should be ok.

Forgot to ask - what substrate do you use?

Some can be very drying (eg. corn cob) and cause shedding problems.
Even if it is only a couple of small flaky bits it could still lead to a bad shed so definitely give him a humid hide.

You could mist the viv but the moisture could be lost pretty quickly, unless you absolutely soaked it and then that could lead to other problems.

 

[rach666]

my substrate is that hard wood chip, i think its beechwood chip im not sureits like chunks of wood in little peices if that makes sense!, was given a bag when i bought ozzy,but just looked it up on net and it says suitible for dry humidity vivs,, DUMBASS! please correct me if im wrong! thankyou for your help

 

[mark67123]

No problem with beech chip - sounds like that's what it is. (Corn cob looks like little granules, not bits of wood.)
I've used beech chip for years with corns and not had a problem with shedding.
Corns do need to be kept dry, but sometimes in a viv the humidity can drop too much.

I'd just give him a humid hide of some kind and, if his water bowl is very small, you could give him a slightly larger one - a larger bowl would increase the humidity slightly.

You could mist him lightly a couple of times a day, but don't overdo it. If he's got a humid hide in there (and he uses it) that should sort any shedding problem on it's own.