• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Got a new Cornsnake 45 minutes ago.

F

fleapop

New member
Hey all,
So.....Yes About 45 minutes ago, I recieved a cornsnake from a girl, whos roommate moved out and just left the snake. He/she is about 3.5 feet long, and the cage in which he/she came in was really dirty. I just cleaned the whole thing and put him in a rubber tub to eat. He came with 10-12 frozen mice and supposedly hasnt eaten in a few weeks so he is nomming on one right now.

Now I have never owned a cornsnake myself, but have had other snakes.

I noticed when I first put him/her in the tub she started rattling her tail like crazy which somewhat made me nervous because then she/he seemed like she was in a striking position.

This snake (as far as i was told) has only eaten frozen mice its whole life. The lady said he is friendly, but seeing as he has been in a cage for weeks without contact makes me think, maybe.....its a little nervous of people? idk


I dont really plan on handling it a whole lot for the first few days. But I definitely want to make sure she/he is comfortable with human contact. So what are some good tips on getting him used to that?

My last snake (a ball python) was one of the most social creatures i think ive ever had, so I was never really nervous picking him up. Then again, that snake practically lived on me.

Alrighty!!! I await your response!

Also....for picking up this new guy/girl how do you suggest i go about just picking him up without scaring him or getting bitten? idk that he will.....Im just not sure since i dont have that much information on cornsnake temperments.


I would also like to switch him to live mice if that is possible, so any advice on switching to live prey would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!!
-Kelsey
 
Since you just fed him give him 2 days to digest his food. The only way to make him friendly is to handle him alot and the only way to handle him is to reach into the cage and grap him out. The thing to remember is if he does bite you it really does not hurt unless you are a real wimp.

I would just keep him on Frozen/Thawed mice.

Fatman
 
Welcome to corn snakes!!

I would leave the little fella alone for at least 7 full days. Just check water and try to be as noninvasive as possible. Also check temps and make sure the warm end is not getting above 85.

After the 7 day settling you can try brief handling periods. Start with just holding him for a little bit right over the tank and see how the snake reacts. Try to go slow and if the snake starts to squirm just roll with it. You don't want to reward squirming with getting put back and away from humans. But don't push the snake too far. Find a happy medium and slowly work toward more handling.

Of you take it slow from the start you will be surprised how fast the snake starts to calm down.

As far as the food. A snake that is already eating frozen thawed is a very very good thing. There is no need to be fed live. Stick with what it's used to, especially since that's what it's been eating it's whole life.
 
Sounds good.
Except I would prefer to feed live mice as I breed them for my ferrets and dont really want to sit there and kill mice all day. Or I could just have my mouser kill them and feed it to the snake.
Thanks fr your responses.
 
Pre-killed is better than live at the very least. It's hard to tell how an adult snake that has always been fed frozen thawed will react. I don't see where it would be worth the risk. But it's your snake to feed as you wish.
 
Well I mean....I wouldnt just stick an adult in there with it. I would start with a pinkie and work our way up. I was just wondering if anyone else has switched from dead to live before? I know switching the ferrets from kibble to live and whole prey was a process. but it worked out pretty nicely.
Idk if snakes would react the same. All of my other snakes ive ever had always ate live. and some would eat out of my hand at that.
 
fleapop said:
Sounds good.
Except I would prefer to feed live mice as I breed them for my ferrets and dont really want to sit there and kill mice all day. Or I could just have my mouser kill them and feed it to the snake.
Thanks fr your responses.
Click to expand...

I have ferrets that eat whole prey as well, but I feed them f/t.
My ferrets were all raised by the breeder to recognize raw & whole prey as food as babies.

You can make a CO2 chamber to euthanize several mice at a time, so you don't have to physically kill them.

I took a clear plastic shoebox, a CO2 canister (from a sporting goods store that sells them for paintball), a hose attatchemnt with a valve that opens & closes to let the CO2 out (also from the sporting goods store), a rubber seal, & a nut to attatch on the inside to hold the hose attatchment to the bix.
I drilled a hole big enough for the end of the hose attatchment, used the rubber seal on the outside, the nut on the inside, & attatched the hose. I put three small holes at the opposite end of the box, at the top, to allow oxygen to escape.

When it's time to euthanize them, I put the mice in the box, with the lid on, slowly turn the valve to open it, (if you do it too fast, the bottle will freeze up & you have to wait for it to thaw).

It's a much more humane way to euthanize the mice.
I know that ferrets can be very quick & efficient killers, but it's still more humane to use the CO2.
 
I understand that. I just don't want to sit there and kill the mice when I have perfectly capable killers already to do it for themselves.
Anyways.... here is a picture of the guy/girl
The lady said he couldnt be more than a year or two. he is pretty big though....probably 3-3.5 feet.
306370_2343862553550_1159572789_32904988_7257_n.jpg


tumblr_lqww4nyCcs1qir6d3o1_500.jpg


All the stuff in his.her cage came with him/her I just cleaned it out real nicely.
However the bulb on the heat lamp supposedly blew out a few days ago or something.....Any suggestions for something I could use instead? I have a small grow light I could probably hang that a few feet above the tank if it was that important. Otherwise....any suggestions for what I should use in the meantime? or shall I just take the whole lamp to the reptile store to find a new bulb?
The lady I got him from had tried putting a regular light bulb in the lamp so he would have something, but it didnt work.

the bulb thats in it is 120v the lamp says to use a 120v
idkk...... i feel dumb for not knowing this already.
 
oh yeah....and he has just been sitting in his water for a while now. that water dish was empty when he got here and instead there was a mason jar with water in it for him to drink out of. is this normal activity for a cornsnake?
 
Do not use any type of light that is not meant for them.
The best heat is going to be an UTH (under tank heater) & you will need to get a thermostat to regulate the temps, otherwise they can easily get too hot & burn your snake, or kill it.
If you are set on using the heat lamp setup, then I would go with a ceramic heat lamp.(does the lamp have a ceramic base?)
My biggest concern with the heat lamps, is they can can be a fire hazard.

That snake does not look 1-2 years old. My guess would be 3yrs at the youngest, but likely older. It doesn't sound like the previous owner fed the snake as frequently, so it would have taken a while to get that size.

You can use various stuff for hides, you don't need to go out & buy them. I use boxes, from things like butter, for hides for my snakes.
One person here uses wine boxes for hides.

I realized you're in CA....be careful about talking about having ferrets.
 
fleapop said:
oh yeah....and he has just been sitting in his water for a while now. that water dish was empty when he got here and instead there was a mason jar with water in it for him to drink out of. is this normal activity for a cornsnake?
Click to expand...

He could be getting ready to shed, sometimes they do that to help losen the skin.

He might also have mites. Check the water for small black dots. Check his head & neck area as well.

He might also be dehydrated, if his water bowl was empty, not knowing how long it was empty.

Keep an eye on him, watch for mites.

Hopefully he'll be just fine.
 
thanks heather. Yeah.... he came with tank, uth, thermometer, water dish, and the lamp. They lady I got him from wasn't the owner, she was the roommate of the owner who had just decided to move out and leave her snake there. Soo...yeah....Yeah I was wondering if maybe he would have mites. I have seen them on my friends snakes before. He had water in his tank. it just wasn't in the big dish. Also...Idk how often he was fed or how much. I only gave him one mouse. but it was a pretty big one. I figure Ill wait at least a few days until i give him another one. I figure that way he can get a little settled in to the new environment.

I noticed there were multiple skins in his cage so I think he may have just shed recently on account there was one whole skin that looked pretty fresh.

Also....don't mites usually come from the mice? he has only been eating frozen mice his whole life so idk how he would get them.....but who knows!!! Ill check him out closer in a few days when we get better acquainted.
Thanks for the help. :)

Oh yeah....and the heater is on and the thermometer says its between 75 and 80 F
So I think that is about the right temp. its cool in my area so he definitely has the ability to cool off if he wants. all he has to do is move to the other side of the tank.
 
do you think maybe I should cover his cage with a towel or blanket so he can be calmer? I just walked by the tank and he struck at me and hit the glass.
 
The floor at the warm end needs to be in the mid-high 80s all the time, with a cool end in the low-mid 70s. Too warm or too cool and his digestion might give him trouble.

Make sure that he has hides at both sides of the temp zone. If they feel safer in one spot, then they won't move - even if they actually do need to be warmer or cooler. Their main instinct is to keep out of sight from predators. That'll be especially true of your guy at the moment, as he's experiencing all sorts of new sounds and smells.

Sounds like the towel/blanket is a good idea for a few days. If he's not used to being handled, the move may have completely spooked him.
 
definitely. So yeah, I put some towels over the tank so he can calm down. He has a ooden branch hide away on the warm side and a ceramic buddah that he was inside when he got here. i just checked the temperature again and it seems to be going up it was in the 80's area a few minutes ago. I also just plugged in the uth maybe 2 hours ago. so i think it was just warming up still. He also seems to like hiding in his water bowl.

So the lady I got him from just said she thinks he was handled about a month ago and that he may have to be re-introduced to being handled a lot. she also told me that his owner who left him at her house wasn't that nice of a person. this could explain some things. ill jut leave him alone for a few days though and give him another mouse then. He really is gorgeous! And....I think with some time he will be a pretty awesome pet.

I actually got him for my little sister. she has been wanting a snake for a long time. I figure I will keep him for a while until he is comfortable with being handled and being held by other people also before taking him to her. btw shes 15 so its not like im giving this snake to an8 year old who might not know how to care for a snake.
Thanks again though!
I really appreciate it :D
 
Ok So today is day 1. I found a poop in his cage So I suppose he might be hungry again? what do you think? he was less freaked out today and didn't strike at me.
I waited until he went inside his hide to change his water. which.....he was not happy about. as soon as i opened the lid you could hear and see his tail flapping, hitting the side of the cage. I figure i will still wait at least 4 or 5 more days before i try to hold him.
But do you think i should feed him another mouse before that?
I only gave him one yesterday and supposedly he hadn't eaten in a long time before that. I am guessing about a month, since that was the last time he had been handled.
what do you think?

Thanks again!
 
I would not offer him any food just yet. He's already showing signs of stress from the move to a new home. I would leave him be (aside from filling water) for about a week, then offer a mouse.
He should be good with feeding every 2 weeks.
 
The poop you are seeing could be just urates, which they can do more often than pooping. I would definitely wait a little longer for him to settle in, otherwise you are risking a regurge. Good luck!
 
awesome! yeah, I was thinking that. well he is definitely not as freaked out as he was yesterday, which i am really happy about. i also took the poop out of his cage. He shouldnt poop anymor euntil i feed him right?

This really is new to me, because when i had my python He didnt have a cage. he just lived on me and in our house freely so I never really saw his poops anywhere and never really thought much about it.
 
fleapop said:
This really is new to me, because when i had my python He didnt have a cage. he just lived on me and in our house freely so I never really saw his poops anywhere and never really thought much about it.
Click to expand...

Sorry but that's gross and not a good idea for the python, I hope you know better now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top