helpp! biting.. problem.

I've had my baby corn snake for about 6 months, and she's been acting differently for 2 weeks now.. After I picked up Cornflakes from her cage she starts coiling around me.. like constricting.. and then she tries to bite me (I see her mouth opening and trying to bite my hand at different angles :/ ) I think she sees my hand as some sort of large rat..? But whenever I try to nudge her out, she starts contricting tighter and wouldn't let go. Cornflakes normally never does this sort of thing. It takes around 5-10 minutes until I manage to pry her off (with more force and spraying water at her, I hated myself for doing that.. )and get her into her feeding cage. This has been happeneing for about 4 times now. It's wierd because for the last several months I've been feeding her, she's been perfectly fine.. she just crawls around my hand and never acted aggresive. I'm an amateur at this.. so if anyone knows what the problem is please help!! =D

by the way:
i always use anti-bacterial soap, before handling my snake
i feed her 1 pinkie every 5 days

well, not sure its the problem but if your snake is 6 months old, shouldnt she be eating more than a little pinkie every 5 days?? I have one about that age and he taking either 3 pinkies (3-4 days old) or a fuzzy (about 10 days old) every 5 days... just a question but maybe she is just that hungry by the time feeding day comes?? I dont know but I thought I would ask. Good luck with your baby

I think you should increase her meal size and switch to any other soap. And use the old soap only when you feed her. That's definitely a feeding response bite.

Nanci

yes,i would deff give her more food
and imo its only a little snake just wait intil she lets go,no need to do anything like that,

You have had your snake for 6 months...how old is it?

I agree that it needs a larger prey item...

well i think he needs to be fed more and is hungry and thats why he does that to ur hand but yeah just feed him more or give him larger pray!!!

are you handling the prey item before handling your snake? If so, are you washing your hands really well before trying to handle your snake?

Alternatelively, when it's feeding time, can the snake see the prey before you get him out of his viv? If so, try to not let her see the prey before you try to handle her.

Do you handle her on days when she is not going to be fed? If you only handle her on feeding day, she may be starting to associate your hand with dinner time a little too much.

Are you feeding her live prey? If so, this could be causing her to associate movement with food.

And lastly, like everyone else has suggested, feed him larger prey or feed him more often.

My tri-hog went through a phase of that. iI didn't do anything to bring it on. He stopped when I switched him to a five day interval rather than seven, and to more prey items.

Nanci

That poor snake is starving-- literally. I agree with the other replies; this is feeding-response biting, not aggression. A corn snake should be eating a prey item one to 1.5 times its own girth at its widest point. If you barely see a lump after feeding, it's time to move up to a larger prey size. When it's on pinks, feed it every 5 days. When it's on fuzzies and hoppers, feed it every 6 days. When it's on weaned mice (small adults), feed it every 7 days. When it is taking full-sized adult mice, you'll feed every 7-10 days, or on an appropriate schedule based on the snake's muscle tone. Good luck.

.... I feel horrible now, knowing I've been starving my cornsnake.. I'll try feeding her a fuzzie tommorow and see how she'll react then on. I'll also handle her more often and use different soap on feeding days. Hopefully, she'll go back to the way she was before. Thanks for all your advices!! xD

dont feel bad, you just didnt know. I am just glad you came in with your question and concerns Your snake was trying to tell you in the only way it could.... Hey, I need more! lol Good luck but remember to feed only about every 5 days. again Good luck