Few questions concerning new corn snake.

[TCHOP561]

I am a new corn snake owner. I've been reading these forums a lot and have learned a great deal, but still a lot to learn. I just got a new Extreme Okeetee (pics in my thread in the new members introduction forum) from Don Soderberg last Tuesday, so I have yet to handler her. I got her temperature on the warm side ~84 and the cool side ~77. I am using a tstat to regualate the temperature and have hides on the warm side and the cool side with one hide running along the back of the tank.

She is pretty active and I am looking forward to handling her on Tuesday. I have a few questions...

1) When should I feed her?

2) Don said she has been fed at least 6-8 times already. Should I start with a small pinky just to be safe?

3) I notice people take pictures of their corn snakes outside, so it appears. Do you guys let your corn roam around outside, supervised? If so, how long? Are there certain things they should avoid coming into contact with? Do you clean them off when you are done letting them roam around? I do not plan on letting my new corn roam around outside. I was just curious.

4) When is it safe to let friends handle my new corn? What about my wife? I don't want to put any added stress on the snake.

Thats all I have for now, but I am sure I will have a few more questions later.

Thanks

 

[Christen]

1) When was the last time that she ate for Don? You could probably start her first meal with you on Tuesday.

2) What was Don feeding her? That is the size that I would go with.

3) I wouldn't recommend doing it with a baby just because they are so fast. I do take adults outside and usually put them in a tree and not let them get to high where I can't reach them.

4) Your friends and family can start holding when you do. Just take it nice and slow and don't have lots of people hold her all in one day. You don't want to add to much stress to her.

 

[Naagas]

1) What Christian said
2) "" "" ""
3) If you fertilize your lawn, you shouldn't let the corn come into contact with that. Corns are very sensitive to chemicals, especially near shed time.
Nanci has great photos she gets of her snakes in her pond.
4) Watch your corn's reactions. Remember that freezing is a sign of fear as well as flailing around. A relaxed baby corn will generally be moving at a steady pace through your fingers.
Lotions, etc. can throw a corn off (or make the corn more relaxed). I make new people wash and sanitize their hands before handling my snakes, therefore eliminating both germs and smells.

 

[TCHOP561]

I am not sure when the last time she was fed or what size Don fed her. I assume I could start her off on small pinkies and go from there, no?

What should I expect when going to pick her up and how should I handle it? Just grab her in the middle? If she freezes/flails do I continue to hold her or let her go? I don't want to condition her to associate freezing/flailing with not being picked up.

 

[Fatman608]

Start off with one small pink for the next 6 months. After that either 2 small pinkies or one large pinky for the next six months. By that time, you will have been able to pick up either Don's book or Kathy Love's book and can read how to size food for your snake.

 

[rosewood]

What should I expect when going to pick her up and how should I handle it? - lots of freaking out and bolting maybe even trying to bite you. I usually say feed the snake about a week after you get it home, wait three days more and then start handling the snake a couple times a week for short periods.

Here is a link to two videos I made for new owners with these questions:

http://rosewoodcorns.webs.com/apps/videos/channels/show/2987411-corns

Just grab her in the middle? - Yes, but not to hard.

If she freezes/flails do I continue to hold her or let her go? - continue to hold her till she calms down then put her back after about 10-15 mins. Take it slow at first.