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Any tips for evaluating disposition of juvenile?

anderson110

anderson110

New member
I'm going to an expo this Saturday, and I plan on getting a corn snake that will be for me and my two young sons, who are only 5 and 7.

While they are both interested and fascinated by the snakes we've seen and held so far, they are both still a little skittish around them and want a lot of assurance that they're not going to get bitten. So far they have had no negative experiences.

So one of the biggest things I'd like to ensure is that we end up with a snake with a calm disposition that is unlikely to bite them. (I know there are no guarantees and that any snake can and probably will bite at some point.) The last thing I want is for them to get bitten right away and to be afraid of the snake from that point forward.

So is there anything else I can do other than just handle the snake a little and see if it seems to be acting aggressively? I have little experience with corn behavior other than holding them a couple times.

tl;dr Any tips or tricks for spotting/selecting a well behaved juvenile snake?
 
Most very young snakes are jumpy and more likely to bite. I'd say 90%of them grow out of it. If you are looking for a snake for your kids get an older one. If it was me I would get an adult or sub adult. They are generally much calmer and easy going. Also they are a bit more sturdy for a small child. I wouldn't trust many children to handle a hatchling or even a small yearling.

I have an adult snow that I got as an adult and she is a dream. I feel ok letting anyone hold her and she has never given and indication of biting. She just takes it all in stride.
 
Well from what I've seen around, the most placid animals are sub-adults that have been handled around often. You'll find that many snakes are nippy when they are young and that many of them will turn into mellow snakes after regular handling.

You could also get the snake out of the tank for your kids and I think that will reduce the probability of your kids getting bitten plus in the event that you get bitten while you are reaching out for the snake you can teach your kids why the snake did that and that it's important to remain calm and it doesn't really hurt.

I think the probability of being bitten while the snake is already out of the cage are really low even if the snake feels threaten it will most likely attempt to flee/musk before biting. Now false striking is another thing...
 
yeah. I agree 100% with HVani, I would get a sub adult... and ask if they have been handled regularly.
that's what makes the bigger difference I find, weather you find a sub adult of hatchling if the sub adult wasn't handled much if any by the breeder, then your just going to have to start from point A of handling them and taming them down just with a larger animal... which might not be the best for your little boys.

I think if you can find a nice sub adult that's been handled regularly grab it!!
but if you can't then getting a hatchling may be the best thing, that way with regular handlings you'll know that the snake is calm and used to being around small children..

I got my shake as a hatchling, and I have a 10 year old little sister, a bit older then your sons but similar..
and she did very well at being gentle, and holding him. I'd just clear a room and let her sit on the floor with him.. 5-10 mins is usually enough each day to give you a calm demeanored snake.
and not corns would rather flee then sit and fight, lol so I'd say you picked the perfect type of snake to get!

I hope this helps some, :eek:
 
I just went to a show and saw a yearling snow who might as well have been a ball python. I suggest a yearling because they'd have grown up a bit, but they're still young.

Hatchlings are flighty at first, but you can "tame" them yourself. I just got a hatchling and she hasn't even tried to strike (in the whopping three days I've had her).

Hope it helps!
 
Admittedly I am not very experienced, but it's a toss up. If you get an older snake, you have known disposition and morph, but personally I had difficulty locating one, since my daughter (11) was looking for a specific morph. If you get a hatchling you can get the exact morph you want, but disposition and final coloration are going to be unknown. And, as is a great disappointment to my daughter, hatchlings are pretty flighty and hide A LOT. Most kids want to see and watch their pet, but with a little hatchling, it's just not going to happen unless you get an odd ball. And when they are little, it seems that short handlings are best. Considering they eat every 4-5 days, and need to digest for 2... you are not looking at a lot of hands on time with a baby.

So... I guess what I'm saying is if you are set on a color, you'll probably be in for limited time while you wait for it to grow up. If you are just about good with anything, an adult can be handled more, eats less often, and is MUCH easier to find in the viv and watch!
 
The problem is that at a show, with the stress of moving, being deli'd, and being unheated, it will be very hard to determine a snake's personality. Smaller scale breeders usually know the attitudes of most of their babies, though attitudes can change. A couple of my bitiest adults were fine as babies, and I've had several hatelings calm down. But usually a high-strung baby is going to be a high stung adult.

I agree with everyone that a yearling or adult would be a much more sure bet. What morph are you looking for? Is having one shipped not an option? It adds to the price, but opens up a much larger selection... and as I always tell people, these things live a long time! Best wishes, and let us know what you do.
 
Thanks for all the good thoughts and advice.

We are looking for an Okeetee. We just all like the way they look.

I guess we will be looking for a little bit older snake, a year or so. I guess that's good, the tiny little hatchlings do seem kind of fragile and almost more like worms than snakes.

I don't know how likely it is to find something like that at the expo, and I guess if we don't find one we like, we'll go online. It just seems so... weird... to be shipping a snake through the mail!
 
You'll almost certainly find okeetees, but I wouldn't necessarily expect yearlings. Also, unless you know what to look for, it can be tough picking a baby okeetee. They are awfully drab for the first several months.

Many of us here ship (and have shipped to us) scores of snakes each year. They'll go Fed Ex Priority, and while the shipping isn't cheap, it almost always works out fine for the animal.
 
Chip said:
You'll almost certainly find okeetees, but I wouldn't necessarily expect yearlings.
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That's what I was thinking.

The expo looks like it might be a bit of a bust, too. I was just looking at the "confirmed vendors" and the list was very short (like 3). I live in a small town and it may have failed to attract much attention.

Also, unless you know what to look for, it can be tough picking a baby okeetee. They are awfully drab for the first several months.
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Yep, and I don't really know what to look for.

Many of us here ship (and have shipped to us) scores of snakes each year. They'll go Fed Ex Priority, and while the shipping isn't cheap, it almost always works out fine for the animal.
Click to expand...

Seems a little odd to pay $50 to ship a $30 snake, but that may be what I end up doing, especially if the expo is a bust.
 
Well, I wouldn't expect to pay $30 for a yearling unless someone is eager to get rid of it, they'll have more than 30 bucks in mice in it. But it's temperament will be known, and it will be colored up!
 
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Chip said:
Well, I wouldn't expect to pay $30 for a yearling unless someone is eager to get rid of it, they'll more than 30 bucks in mice in it. But it's temperament will be known, and it will be colored up!
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Good point.

I hope I luck out at the expo, because being this picky about what I want is going to make it a bit trickier to find it!
 
My advice is take your time and be picky! These snakes live a long time, might as well get the right one for you.
 
Today me and my sons brought home Reggie, a regular 2-3 y/o corn snake.

He is currently happily sleeping in his hide. We'll try to feed tomorrow.

:crazy02:
 
anderson110 said:
Today me and my sons brought home Reggie, a regular 2-3 y/o corn snake.

He is currently happily sleeping in his hide. We'll try to feed tomorrow.

:crazy02:
Click to expand...

I don't know if this only goes for hatchlings but maybe you should wait a little bit until he gets acquainted with his new setup before feeding him.
 
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