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Handeling Questions

Kitten0Face

Kitten0Face

New member
Hello everyone, I've had my juvenile cornsake for about a month now, and I have some questions regarding handeling. I have read a lot of varying things, and am unsure what to do or expect.

Nagichi rarely comes out of hiding, and usually only for a few hours in the wee morning, around 1am-3pm. I have handled him only a few times, as I wanted to give him time to adjust, as well as digest his food.

I have read snakes are secretive and hide a lot, and I have read that some respond more positiveley to owners. I have heard people handeling once every week, and once every day or so.

I see pictures of people all the time with their snakes crawling all over them, but mine still seems very scared of me and tries to run away when I holds him rather than explore.

I have only handled him when he has come out, and haven't gone in to find him, so I don't scare him.

Can anyone tell me what is more normal as far as behavior goes, and what realistic handeling expectations are? I know he is still younger and new, but I don't want to waste any formative time if I should be doing something more.

Can you tell I'm a nervous new parent? ;)
 
I don't think you have waisted any time, but certainly you've given him time to settle in. Go ahead, and if you're comfortable doing so, pick up his hides, find where he is, and take him out for a short handling. I wouldn't do more than once a day. And start with short sessions. Make sure he is calm when you put him back, you know, end on a good note. Increase the length as you both become comfortable.
That being said, next month, we'll have had our girl for a year, and in August, she will ne 2 yrs old. In the past couple months due to increased.follage in her viv, she's out more and now, I tend to get her out only when she's out and about. But if o had waited for her to come out to handle in those first several months, she wouldn't have been held.....but different people have different thoughts on how much to handle.
 
I only have one snake, so my sample size is small, ;-) but I think that handling a few times a week or every couple days is reasonable for a young snake (obviously waiting at least 48 hours after a meal). Don't worry too much about lifting up hides to get him out for handling-- as long as you don't do it ALL the time, they'll still feel secure in there.

Instinctively flighty as little guys, they calm down and get more confident and curious with size and handling. Once you get a hold of them, they'll usually calm down a bit. They're going to run from you at first, but with patience and time they will eventually realize you aren't a threat and won't flee. They may still be a little "twitchy" or jumpy as they continue to grow and get used to you.

I was also a really nervous new snake parent. :) You'll get to know your snake better and better with time, and he'll get to know you, too.
 
Hey, it's just fine to be a nervous new parent! Stig was 3 when I got him, and I was still afraid of breaking him.

The snake will eventually recognize your smell as "owner scented person" and be less afraid of you. They might always be a bit flighty or want to wander though.
 
Different snakes have different personalities. I have one that is always around. If she hears me in the room or near the rack, she wants to come out. I have another that I have to dig out. I have others that are somewhere in between.

Little guys are usually crazy to hold. Using the "hand over hand" method is usually the easiest, but when they are little its still difficult, as they tend to be flighty and move at the speed of light.

Take your time, there is no rush.

-braingarble
 
Being young, they're naturally going to hide a lot. That's their instinct. Being small, they'll constantly hide as everything is pretty threatening to them. After he's settled in, there's nothing wrong with picking up his hides and bringing him out for quick handling sessions as long as it isn't for a huge length of time, and not ALL the time. You don't want to stress him out. For a while he'll be very flighty, and try squirming away from you, especially when you reach your hand in and pick him up. This monstrous thing is coming to get him. Or so his instincts tell him. He'll eventually calm down the more he's handled and older he gets. Of course there are certain ones that never do lose that squirmy nature. ;) Best of luck with your little guy.
 
My older corn is nearly 2 and she still thinks something is chasing her when i get her out but she does settle sometimes and then my baby is quite flighty when i first get her out but then she settles right down and just looks at me like 'yeah wot do you want to do today then'. They all have individual personalities, just keep at it. You will both find your comfort zones with each other eventually.
 
This is what I do when I take my corn snake out of it's home. I let it sniff around for a few then I let it sniff my eyebrow. This is something I have did since the day I brought it home from the pet shop. Once she smells my eye brow, she gets comfortable and slithers freely through both my hands. I am not so sure this is very smart, but it works for me and it gains her trust that I am not going to hurt her.
 
Cleo freaks out if I go to pick her up while she's out of her hide, yet when I lift up her hide she just sits there looking at me, tongue flicking out, like "what is this? Oh it's a human-smelling thing" and she's much calmer when I pick her up, although she does still make a lazy attempt to get out of the way if I'm not quick enough getting hold of her. I have noticed she's getting a lot more calmer and curious as she gets older, before shed never leave my hands, and now she's getting into my hair, down my sleeves/top, all over the place lol :) I only handle her maybe 3 times a week for a max of 10 mins each time. I don't know when she was born but I believe it was in August, she was roughly 8-10 weeks old when I got her at the end of October.
 
When is best to handle my corn snakes, I have a male and female in same viv, can I disturb them when under the hiding rock or should I wait till they are up and about? Since I have had them they have not been up and about, I've had them for 48 hrs and can they be aggressive, they have bitten my rottweiler and I also noticed the tail was vibrating (male). Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
 
jamesg27112 said:
When is best to handle my corn snakes, I have a male and female in same viv, can I disturb them when under the hiding rock or should I wait till they are up and about? Since I have had them they have not been up and about, I've had them for 48 hrs and can they be aggressive, they have bitten my rottweiler and I also noticed the tail was vibrating (male). Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
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You should never co-hab! Cornsnakes are NOT sociable and should be housed separately at all times. Also if you don't even know how to handle them, you should be be housing a male and female together for any length of time as how can you possibly know how to care for hatchlings or a gravid female, for that matter?

New snakes should be left alone for a week. They certainly should not be anywhere near any other animals. Did you do any research before getting them?
 
JamesG, it really isn't a good idea to house multiple snakes together. This is a typical beginner mistake, I am glad you could get helpful information from us before anything bad happened to either of them. Ladymagpie posted a good link to see the reasons you shouldn't house them together, please get them seperated as soon as possible!

Also, please get as much reading material as you can on corn snakes and learn about your new pets. You will learn a lot, and be a much better owner for it. Good luck!
 
hello thank you for your comments...... very confused by them tho, i bought them off a lady who has had them for 2 and half years living together they are both around 4" long, also she said very well handled by kids and around other animals... they are in same viv with the same things in it as where i bought it. why cant they be kept together? will do some reserch and reading up about them, also i was told they get fed once a month is this correct.
 
read that link and yes it says keep seperate apart from breeding, ive contacted the old owners, she said they lived in that viv together for 2 n half years. confusing? x
 
Well, I suppose you could do a lot of not-recommended things and you might be OK for a while or you might not. Lots of folks don't wear their seat belts, and never have an accident, but that doesn't make it wise or recommended.
So, she had them together fine, but you ARE having problems. And the sage advice is:
Separate them.
Make sure temps are good.
Do not handle or feed for a week.
After a week, feed and leave them be for 48 hours.
Then, start short handling sessions.

You are having a problem, this is the good/recommended advice to fix your problem. :)
 
jamesg27112 said:
read that link and yes it says keep seperate apart from breeding, ive contacted the old owners, she said they lived in that viv together for 2 n half years. confusing? x
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Which do you think is more likely to be correct? One woman who owned 2 cornsnakes, or the entire Internet and every book ever written by cornsnakes, including those written by reptile vets?
 
*about cornsnakes, although if there were any books written by corns they would say "no cohabing please!"

Feeding once a month sounds like under feeding. Adults should be fed one adult mouse every 2 weeks.

Why didnt you do any research BEFORE getting them? Please tell me you read at least one book or read one article on the Internet before now? Better late than never though I suppose.
 
She's lucky if they housed together for two and a half years that the female didn't get egg bound with a premature breeding. A 2 and a half year male in most cases is going to be definitely wanting to breed at his age and any further co habbing could lead to the death of the female if she is truely a female.
 
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