How often ?

[Grant.]

so i was wondering, i have a juvanile corn who ive had for quite awhile now. I was wondering, i stay in the uk and i was wondering if i can take him outside ?

 

[jessicalb]

I'm curious about this, too. I see people taking pictures outside but I worry. Our snakes are both so fast (Ark almost made it under the stove yesterday from my lap) and also I worry about them picking up some weird disease or coming into contact with pissed off wildlife.

 

[Karoni]

Oh, good. I hope somebody experienced answers this. I worry they're going to pick up mites or some other parasite.

 

[Gungirl]

From my basic knowledge I would feel ok taking my snake outside with a few things to keep in mind. It has to be warm enough for them to stay comfortable. I wouldn't take out a flighty snake only a calm one. I would have to make sure that where ever I took it outside there was nothing that could harm it such as other animals. Then when I would come back inside I would wipe them with a damp paper towel to get anything off that might have gotten on them.
I am fairly new-- feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

 

[jessicalb]

We have bark scorpions everywhere here, probably even inside (shudder). So I just assume there is angry ready to sting with neurotoxins wildlife anywhere I can't clearly see, like in trees and grass and under my couch.

 

[toxiclight]

We've taken ours outside for picture-time, but don't actually put them down on anything. They're so freaking fast I wouldn't trust myself to catch them, plus we really don't have anything good for them to climb on.

 

[bitsy]

I was wondering, i stay in the uk and i was wondering if i can take him outside ?

I doubt there's anything they could easily catch here in the UK. Native reptiles are pretty rare and you'd be very unlucky for a Corn to come into contact with anything nasty left behind by one.

Temperatures are probably your biggest worry over here - especially being in Scotland. I'd make sure it was no lower than around 65-70 and then limit the amount of time outside to maybe 10-20 minutes at a time (although that's just a guess, based on what I'd do if I had safe outside space to use).

I'd be sure to stay on your own property and not go anywhere that other people could be "surprised" by your snake. Phobias around snakes are common and scared people can react in odd ways - like hitting out at what's spooked them.

Also, make sure the snake never has the opportunity to get away from you. I'd stay out in the open and not go near anything like hedges or bushes, that the snake could zip into and not be easily retrieved from. Photos of Corns in trees look fab, but you need to make sure that it won't suddenly decide to head upwards and out of arms' reach. Whilst the fire brigade are OK about rescuing cats from trees, I doubt they'd appreciate a scaley customer!

 

[Nanci]

Well, you have to make sure they don't get too cold or especially, too hot. I wouldn't take a snake out if the temp is 85-90 for more than just a couple minutes. You also need to make sure any surface you set the snake down on isn't too hot.

Then, you have to watch for predators. Especially hawks. I have had a hawk dive at a pigeon who was _right_ at my feet, so don't think you're much of a deterrent unless you are physically blocking the bird from the snake.

If you put the snake in a tree, you have to make sure it doesn't fall. Some of them are so used to you holding them that they don't realize they have to actually hang on to the tree! Also, make sure they can't climb out of your reach or contact something harmful, like sap.

On the ground, you have to watch out for anything the snake can escape under/into. It would be extremely rare for your snake to contact parasites outdoors. Snake mites come from other snakes, they aren't lying in wait out in the grass. They are spread in dirty, crowded conditions such as a low-end pet store or a reptile show.