u/fih_v

Where should I put my thermo-hydrometer on the cool side? I have one on the warm side with the probe on the substrate right above where the heat mat is, but this one is supposed to be on the glass soo is it best to put under the heat lamp or in the shadow near substrate or even near water bowl? (Second pic is the glass wall of the cool side) ((cool side is on the right))

U can also rate my enclosure btw! I use a lil cocoterra under larch bark, my 6 month old corn snake lives there, still working on adding more clutter

Mituna's meal upgrade! I love him so much

Thats mostly what Mituna does as soon as the light goes off. I know he loves climbing and being up high but why boop the enclosure lid constantly? He also glass surfs sometimes I guess? Doesnt really slither against glass just boops it many times and slides his nose against it. I'm worried he might be stressed although I do not see a reason why. The temperature is normal, all his bodily processes are fine, he has plenty of coverage and clutter and even if im still working on adding even more he has enough not to feel exposed. Okay the high up part is pretty bald but it's hard to think up ways to clutter just under the lid. He does this circle with all his highest stuff with little change in his path for like an hour or more every night just after his lamp shuts off. His laps included more parts of his enclosure before I added the ball and the hammock so I guess he really likes them but why same path over and over and always booping the lid? Sometimes he tries to push it up and puts too much pressure and slips off onto his branches in the middle of his cage. I'm worried he might injure his nose by grating it against the metal net that is the lid..

He also seems to understand the way the doors open cuz tries to go to the part they start opening from.. I thought maybe he just wants to come out, put my hand near the open enclosure but he just slithered away to his furthest away favourite crevice, froze and just stays frozen like that rn. I moved back to the spot I was watching him from leaving a door half-open but he still doesn't move. Idk why that suddenly scared him, whenever I put him back in after handling he starts doing laps all over the place with me still very near and both doors wide open, he also doesn't mind me watching him roam at night from any distance as long as I dont startle him with too sudden movenents. What could be wrong? (I also did the leaving enclosure door open and staying near thing before, he just went out and tried to approach my sleeping dog before I put him back)

Got him this ball that came with a big bell inside, pushed it out, put it at the end of the branches he has that end at a glass wall remembering someone's advise that all climbing stuff should end with something = for the routes to have a destination.. He ignored it absolutely. When picked Mituna up and let him inspect the ball in my hand he flicked his tongue once and slithered right through it. Though well ball is not for him. Then just decided to hang it in the air cuz why not, he likes climbing. Brother did his usual 33 laps around the entire enclosure as soon as lights went off and included the ball and the new hammock in each lap. Though seemed more interested in the ropes it hung off, he reeeally likes climbing. Caught him red handed tangled up in the ball! He usually backs off a lil to not be in open air when he sees me moving but I got to snap a photo in time. Balltuna I love him so much okay sorry I always explain and describe too much

Found these on a marketplace listed as toys for big parrots.

Would these be good as snake enrichment? Not to put in an enclosure but outside it and sometimes let a snake on them

(3rd pic is before I upgraded the enclosure and dog for reference, he's amazing)

Hello! First time on Reddit first post first snake. This is Mituna he's 6month old amel striped corn snake. I've had him for 2 and a half weeks. I might be overthinking but I'm just worried about him and can't find answers anywhere

1.Dislikes his heat lamp and avoids light-lit spaces. I was told he doesn't need UVB and doesn't like bright lights but he seems to dislike even his heat lamp. During the day he absolutely ignores the entire right side of his enclosure which is supposed to be the cold side. He surely is not feeling cold in fact im worried about it being too hot for him (he clearly doesn mind but the warm side reaches up to 32°c and at night only falls to 26°c, I added much more substrate but it didn't help). At night he explores both sides enthusiastically so I figured it must be the lamp that bothers him. He doesn't even use the branches on that side to reach for water, sliding across the left corner to the shadowed area of substrate for hydration making a big loop. He also seems to prefer the log hide on left top corner and the left top corner in itself just under the lid - most shadowy places of the warm side 'cuz I put a lil desk for keeping his schedule on top of the left side of his lid.

My main question is is this just normal for amel snakes and should I add more clutter just under the lamp so that he has more shadows? Im worried that if I do that the stuff I put directly under the lamp may get too hot..

2. Leftover shed on tail. His tail is a lil crooked at the end which I didn't notice 'till a week after I got him and had shed stuck on it. I figured it'd be better I didn't do anything about that and let him be for now. But turns out when I bought him he already was in shed which I wasn't informed about. I also didn't notice it because he already was this coral-red colour when I came over to choose a snake and thought that is his natural colour(turns out he is much more bright orange than in those pictures). Well since I failed to notice him being in shed I fed him two times which I still dread (ate enthusiastically and pooped normally) and the next night after the second feeding he shed his old skin (I kinda freaked out since I had no idea and didn't even rise the humidity for him to shed easier still feeling guilty). Now he has even more shed stuck on his tail tip. I got to hold him yesterday and it's not soft or pliable enough for me to safely remove with fingers.

Seems like I will have to put him in a container with water for 10 minutes to soak and then try to pry it off gently??? But he doesn't trust me nearly enough for this to not stress him. But stuck shed is bad and I can't let him have 3 layers of stuck shed. Or should I just raise the humidity and hope for the best? He doesn't care and doesn't attempt to get it off tho. He often forgets his tail tip in random places so it sticks out in random angles in the air.

3. Nervous about dog. Mituna's enclosure is standing on my desk in just the right angle for him to be fully able to see my couch and basically the entire room if he wants to. My dog likes laying and/or sleeping and playing on the couch. Doesn't really care about my snake. I figured Mituna wouldn't really care either but last night found out that's not the case. Left the enclosure doors open stuck hand near it in hopes of him getting curious and stood there frozen not to scare him off. Ignored me and slowly moved to the left side of the table to the bunch of fake plants I was planning to later put in his enclosure. Been in them for half a minute then slithered past. Than I finally realized he is slowly but steadily moving toward the end of the table where the couch starts and where my dog was sleeping on a pillow on the other end of the couch at the moment. Tried to take him but he started going faster and when got to the end of the table froze, looking at dog, then got his neck in s-position but didn't stand from the table so that wasn't really a strike pose guess he was readying to sprint to my dog. Dog at that moment woke up and moved to Mituna. I put my palm vertically like a wall to block Mituna from seeing dog and told him to get back to the pillow. Dog went back to sleep and I was able to pick Mituna up and he explored my hands a lil, forgetting about dog. I put him back in his home and just stood there for half an hour with doors open (I hope to get him to stop being afraid to move and explore with me being near), he moved around fell did other stuff but between all that whenever he found himself near the left glass part of enclosure walls he would boop it with his nose and slide around glass a lil and overall just watched my dog. I didn't even realize he would bother Mituna so much.

What should I do with that? Will he just get desensitized to dog movements in time or should I block his view on the couch to minimize stress? How should I do that if I should? Would it be okay to put plants on the outside of that left wall to block view or will it be bad for Mituna to not be able to explore those plants if they're out of his reach behind the glass? Or is it better to.. Put a big box on the table or idk.. Put a piece of carton over that side..

4. About putting more stuff in enclosure. After getting Mituna I started getting videos of professional reptile owners all over my social media and learned from them. That's why I tried adding clutter - 3 more big driftwood sticks another long fake plant and 1 more small hide. I plan on adding a hollow dog ball with holes that's popular with snake owners - I'll put it up against his ceiling to hang. Also plan on gathering some dry leaves in autumn to put on top of his substrate and more fake plants everywhere. Have a hammock but didn't figure out where to put it for him yet it seems too big to fit.

I know about leaving a snake alone for 1-2 weeks after arriving but what about adding stuff later? If i make a major update to his enclosure do I need to leave him alone for another week or is it safe to try to handle a day after?

Constructive criticism on everything is appreciated

I use a little coco substrate under the larch bark, humidity is always 40-50%, temperature on warm side during the day heats up to 32°c near to the evening, at night doesn't fall lower than 26°c. Cannot figure out a way to cool it down a lil.. Another thermometer is in plan to buy to put on the cool side to monitor cool side temperature. Mituna is very explorative behaves seemingly normally. Doesn't really like me tho, hope I will change that. Never even tried to bite or get defensive but gets away when I try to pick him up from his enclosure no matter if it's day or night. Same reaction to snake hook but doesn't even tolerate pets from it and gets away immidately, doesn't mind if I just pet him with 1 finger during the day.