Do corns like to be handled?

[juliebot]

I've been a snake owner for about 48 hours now and I have a question. When I was at the reptile store, the owner told me that NO snakes like to be handled... at best, they will learn to tolerate being handled, but they will never enjoy it.

Now, when I got home and read the corn snake book that came in my corn snake kit, it said that one of the reasons corns make such good pets is that "they actually enjoy being handled". So who is right?

My little 4 and 1/2 month old corn is definitely still getting used to her new home and family and I can tell she is just "tolerating" being held at this point, but are we actually going to develop a relationship? Do corns like to be handled or are they just tolerating being held?

 

[TWGarland]

www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61846&highlight=intelligent


If you want a good read on the topic then check out this thread, it goes on some serious tangents! hehe, but covers many aspects of the topic in some detail.

 

[TWGarland]

My opinion is that they eventually learn through simple Pavlovian associations not to consider humans as potential predators via scent recognition, and then tolerate handling.

Handling is good exercise though!, and although i'm sure their not too keen on being disturbed seeing as their such solitary creatures, handling does expose a snake to new sights and smells which IMO can only be enriching.

All the best

Tom

 

[Nanci]

I've got several snakes that come out if I open their vivs and invite them, and a few that are out (in their vivs) a lot that I will stop by and pet without taking them out, like you'd stop to pet a cage bird that you didn't have time to take out and handle.

Who knows if they "enjoy" anything, even a tasty mouse. I think you project yourself into the relationship- if you believe a snake is just a dumb (not unintelligent) animal, you don't look for (or create) signs that it enjoys interaction with you.

If you are like me and spend many hours with your snake(s) and discover fine differences in personality between all your snakes (and other pets) and elaborate on those in your mind, you will end up with a snake rich with interesting traits and quirks.

It's sort of like, however much you put into the relationship is what you will get back out of it. Which is not to say that the more you handle the snake the more it will "love" you, but the more understanding of it you will have, and you will be able to adapt yourself to a calm, "friendly" snake or a cranky, standoffish snake.

 

[patm1313]

I think they do. Imagine being stuck in a tank all day and finally being able to crawl around on your owner's arms. I think that would be enjoyable.

 

[Velvet]

I think they do. Imagine being stuck in a tank all day and finally being able to crawl around on your owner's arms. I think that would be enjoyable.

If you were a social animal like a human or a dog, yes, but solitary and secretive animals like snakes? I don't think so...

Fact is that while snakes are wonderful, fascinating creatures, they are not very bright. lol

I have a few more outgoing ones that seems to like exploring but I am sure they don't get bored and miserable if they don't, they are just naturally more adventurous and confident.

Most of the time when a snake looks like it's "enjoying" being out and slithering all over, it's just looking for way to escape.

I love snakes for what they are and though I try not to, I do project human emotions and feelings onto my snakes, I think that's normal because I love them so much, but there is a limit and deep down I know, love and respect them for what they are. It doesn't make them any less wonderful in my eyes.

But fact is, they don't and never will love you back in human terms.

 

[patm1313]

But fact is, they don't and never will love you back in human terms.

Yah, I guess that is the sad truth, but nevertheless, I will always think my corn loves me.

 

[autumn75]

I'm a new corn owner myself, have had the little guy for a full month now, and I do believe he enjoys being handled and getting an escape from his viv every day. The reason I believe this is because after I started handling him every day (15 mins at a time), there was a day he didn't seem his usual self... wasn't active in the viv at all and just kept staring at me (he was holding his head up, so i know he wasn't sleeping). Since he wasn't as active, I thought it better to leave him be for the day. The next day he was doing the same thing... looked like moping around to me. My fiance (who'd been out of town for 2 days) asked if I held him the day before and I told him "no." He said, maybe he misses you holding him.... I thought about it, thinking "probably not, but oh well." I took the little guy out and he perked right up. I put him back in his viv and he was immediately all over the place again like normal, making tunnels in the aspen and playing like he does. Since then I haven't missed a day of handling him (except when he's digesting a meal of course) and he's seemed happy and active ever since.

 

[Weebonilass]

Of my bunch, I would say that Kieran is the only one that enjoys being handled, but then again he was my first snake and only snake for almost five years, so he got handled alot, but from almost Day One, he seemed fascinated by humans. He's never been one to hide, staying out in the open and watching the world around him. He still does that, although I now have a huge mesquite type log and he stretches out in there, with his head out to watch the world.

I could never put him in a tub, just like my little ultramel, she's another one who likes to watch folks go by. The minute I enter the living room, her head pops to the end of her cardboard roll and she watches me

 

[Plissken]

I think it's tremendously difficult to give any one certain answer on this. How does a snake express enjoyment, even if they feel it?

I don't personally believe snakes enjoy handling, I believe they tolerate it, but I'm really not that sure either way. It's just what I find most probable I guess.

I admit I have trouble creating a link between the intelligence of a creature and the range of emotions/feelings it experiences.

 

[Weebonilass]

I think it's tremendously difficult to give any one certain answer on this. How does a snake express enjoyment, even if they feel it?

I don't personally believe snakes enjoy handling, I believe they tolerate it, but I'm really not that sure either way. It's just what I find most probable I guess.

I admit I have trouble creating a link between the intelligence of a creature and the range of emotions/feelings it experiences.

I believe that Kieran enjoys it because he comes out from his hide when he hears me and comes up to the top of the tank while he waits for me to take the top off. He, then doesn't evade my hands, but comes up the hand and heads for the neck. Doesn't sound like an escapee wannabe to me

The others require that I "hunt" them down to get them out of the cage, but not him.

 

[Topazfyre]

My personal belief is that snakes will sometimes comprimise enjoyment for other things, using being handled by us almost as a tool.

I know a lot of people factor in warmth to whether a snake comes near you or not. This is an important one to remember. Just because a snake comes near you does not mean it likes you- it could mean it likes your warmth. I know that I have the worst circulation in my hands, and they almost always are room temperature or close to it (it's a curse... ><). Because of this, a lot of snakes shy away from my hands, even my own snakes. Instead, they head for a warmer part of my body, say my arms or torso. As a scientific person, this tells me that in general snake probably doesn't care as much about a person themselves, but rather their heat. Rather than liking to be held, they tolerate it in trade for a warmer spot.

Also, if it's in a new or scary situation, if may come to you because it recognizes your scent as safe. Being territorial creatures that aren't accustomed to being taken out of 'their area,' natural instinct tells them to not take their chances with a new place and instead stay with what they are most familiar with. This can be seen with differences among handers- snakes that have been held by only one person for most of their lives, when offered two hands, will opt to go on the caretaker's. A snake that has gone through various hands throughout their life may not care as much and can ignore natural instinct much better, having been safe among new things for a long time.

As Plissken has said, it's all very hard to know, and all that we can do is guess as to whether or not they enjoy something. These are just my thoughts, and I could be very wrong about everything, who knows?

 

[CALIVIK]

You know out of my 4, 3 of them are easy to be handled. Not sure if they LIKE it, but they get it anyway as often as we can. One 'Grason' our anery has 'always' been head shy & at 9mths still I feel like he hates to be handled BUT I do it anyway. I just love his spunk. So I think it depends on the Corn. :shrugs: