Well, I want a corn snake, because they seem very good as pets, and I've been interested in snakes for a while.
However my mum keeps making reasons about why we shouldnt get one. The latest one being 'They smell.' which I proved her wrong about (with trips to a few websites ).
So now she keeps saying that she doesnt want frozen mice in the freezer, that she doesnt want a snake and that she will keep having to clean it out etc...
I'm trying to prove to her that I'm good at taking care of animals, by cleaning out the hamster and fish, but she is having none of it.

So I have a few questions,
Couldnt I just keep the pinkie mice in a plastic bag in the freezer? And only get them out when I need to, I dont see why it would bother her if I put it in on of the lower drawers.

Do they smell? i tried convincing her on this one, but she didnt look that convinced.

And any good reasons on why the Corn Snake is a good pet? she said that it's hardley a pet that you can cuddle and get attatched to, but I think thats quite the opposite! You can your handle a corn snake well as they are not scared of humans and are very docile. As long as you wait a few days after feeding without handeling.

So I need some good reasons on why corn snakes make good pets, I really want one of these fella's.

No problem keeping the pinkies in a bag in the freezer. They are so small they defrost within a couple of hours and have very little smell.

Snakes have pretty much no smell. Not enough that a human could pick up anyway. There feces are pretty smelly but they only go as often as they eat and it becomes predictable after a while. They also produce a urate, which is a mixer of solid and liquid which smells a little. I recommend you keep it on newspaper, that way it's easy to spot when it's soiled and you can clean it out quickly.

corn snakes dont smell at all the woodchippings do more

I keep my mice in a bag in the freezer so thats no problem! Very young nervous snakes can produce a musk but generally speaking snakes do not smell at all, though when they deficate you know about it lol. Any stools should be removed as seen and the snake enclosure can be fully cleaned out and disinfected on a monthly basis.

I'm very attached to my snakes, they have such a diversity in personality and are just lovely to handle and watch! I personally think they would make excellent therapy pets lol. Snakes are deserving of a home as any other animal, they're not particularly hard to care for and come in a wide variety of morphs which makes then even more interesting!

I'm actually trying to sell my snakes babies, they're all different in personality, no two snakes are the same :P and are just the lovliest little critters, kinda hard to see them go!

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Grrr i want one wish i had the bleedin money tho.

Just do loads of research which im sure you are, Perhaps you could show your mum videos on youtube of people with there cornsnakes. Failing that just go get one, thats what i did with my mice when my dad said i couldnt have them hehe no onlying joking you should have your parents permission so matter how long it takes to get it

If YOU as a respossible person doesn't clean his tank out often (every time he poos) then yes he will stink to high heaven!

Vinny

Without going into too much detail. If your mum needs proof that they are great pets for some folks you can tell her this. I have a six year old foster child who has attachment difficulties and the day we bought him a corn snake and he first held it it you could see that he for the first time felt attached! He has gone on to hold it every day and rushes in from school just to sit with it. Amber (the snake) loves to just sit wrapped around his arm and my foster son just talks and talks to her about anything and everything.......you would have to see it to believe it.

I also have a 10yr old adopted daughter who normally lacks confidence but she has gained so much by owning a snake and having the responsibility of looking after it. She would scream if a bee came into the room but now she sits with a corn snake wrapped around her and doesnt batt an eyelid.

corn snakes are a good pet even better for a first time snake owner non aggressive do bying one young is the better option for the reason being is adults when they have bin left in a pet shop for a while they can become a little nasty,they would soon come out of this after handling them anouth.corns are what i call movers meaning they like to get around an cheack things out not often just lying around keeping still.i find all snakes a good tool for stress very theraputic.if thats how u spell it.lol.make sure u clean up after them an u will have no lingering smells.my mum also had issues with having the mice kept in her freezer but i insisted she would never see them,keeeping them in a tubber ware tub an then put into a bag an then put to the back of the freezer soon anouth she forgot all about them being ther.hope this helps

I have 2, I find that the bedding definately smells more than they do, obviously as long as you keep them clean.

As far as mice go, a bag in the freezer is how I do it. Even the large mice are no problem, just make sure you take them out in good time for them to defrost...and if you put them in a cup or something to defrost make sure your Mum doesn't drink her morning cup of tea out of it cuz I doubt this will help her like them!

I recommend a substrate like Aspen bedding, it's pretty and easy to pick up when dirty and it's more natural than paper or tissue when you think they'd probably be living in barns and crawling about in corn field looking for mice and rats.

They are lovely, fascinating pets to have. Has ur Mum seen the colours they come in? You could even have a pink one if you think that might help!

Also a mistake not to make...I used to put my mice in an empty Ben and Jerry's ice-cream tub because my housemate didn't want to see them when she went in the freezer, however 3 occasions of hunt-the-defrosting-mice cuz she'd forgotten, opened the ice-cream, screamed and thrown them all over the floor made me realise this wasn't working. Also I somehow started to find ice-cream less appealing when I went shopping! Of course if your Mum wants to watch the pounds this might be a plus you could maybe suggest!!?