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How to find a good home for my snake

C

Cornflake514

New member
Okay, so I got a snake a year ago, and well I just don't feel like I am taking care of him as well as I could. I don't think I knew enough about snakes when I decided to get him.
I don't think he is growing right, and I don't know why, I feed him every five days and what not, he has a heater, but I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. He's a year old and just over two feet, and not very thick.
He also bites all the time now, and I know it's because I don't spend enough time with him. When I first got him I had much more free time, and now I work full time and go to school. Even when I have free time, I almost don't wanna hold him 'cause of the biting. I only take him out to put him in his feeding tank. Last night he bit me when I was trying to take him out to feed him, and I didn't expect it, I jumped and flung him 'cause I jumped so hard. He hit the side of his tank. I feel terrible about it, I don't think he got hurt 'cause hr ate just fine, but still.
I don't neglect him, I make sure he is always fed, and has clean water. I just don't think I give him all that he needs.
So I am wondering if anyone has any good tips on finding him a good home. I know that if someone has the time, they can get him back to being friendly and not biting like he was when I held him every day. I love him, and what not, I just know there is someone out there that can take better care of him that I can.
So I am wondering if anyone has some basic questions you can ask someone, and what not. I know nothing is fool proof and that you can't be 100% positive his home will be great, but I'd like to do my best. If I give him to someone who is less capable that I am it kinda defeats the purpose.
Any advice is welcome. Thank you :/
 
I am sure people here can help you what the rehoming is concerned, but I'd just like to say that what the snake's concerned, you're probably not doing wrong. The size sounds about right (do you have a weight?) for a year old and if you feed him and give him clean water and he has a suitable viv, that's really all he wants.
You're right about the biting and that there is a chance he will calm down more when he's held more, but still.
If you believe rehoming is the best for you and him, by all means do so, but please don't think that you're taking bad care of him. From what you're saying in your post it sounds like he has all he needs to thrive.
 
The biting could be down to something as simple as the temerpature being too high. They can get very antsy if they can't cool down enough. Do you know the temps on the warm and cool sides of the floor? The solution to a nicer pet could just be to turn it down a bit but you need to know the temps accurately to start with.

I've sold on snakes that bit before, so if that isn't the answer then don't feel bad about rehoming. A pet that you can't interact with isn't much fun. On the other hand, as Kali says, I doubt you're doing anything wrong from the snake's point of view. They don't need human contact to do well.
 
I don't know I just feel like I'm not doing all that I can for him I feel guilty. I guess you're right that he doesn't need human contact, I just feel like I should handle him more than I am. I really don't want to get rid of him, but someone said that he should be much bigger for his age when I took pics. I got a book on them and joined this when I first got him. I was so excited! I guess maybe I should just try to make some more time for him.
I just felt really bad after last night, when my jumping made him go flying into the other side of the tank.
I need to by a thermometer, the one I had broke, I'm gonna do that next week when I have some money. I figured I couldn't be taking care of him to bad if when I got him from the pet store his shed was partial, and when I got him he's only had complete ones. He's had about four, and is getting ready again, is that normal?
Maybe I'll stick it out with him a bit longer, and see if I can get him to be a bit more mellow. I really do love having him as a pet. I just feel guilty for not spending the time with him I should.
 
Also, the book I had didn't say anything about feeding him other things, I didn't even know you could, but my brother said they'd eat crickets... Is that true? If so what do I do? 'Cause I don't want him to eat the aspen and have it get impacted inside him...
 
I'm afraid your brother's wrong. Crickets are definitely not recommended for Corns. Stick to mice and all will be well.
 
I understand you feeling guilty, but these things happen. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be any harm done. For the time being just expect him to always bite, then you won't be startled :D
His size does sound about right for a yearling, but do you maybe have a recent pic? One were you're holding him or something to see size?
And like Bitsy says, your brother is wrong. Sometimes somebody says they can eat insects (sometimes even in a petstore!:nope:) but that's not true, corns aren't insectivores and insects don't have what a corn needs. There are a few other feeder animals for corns (like day old chicks once in a while), but most people stick with mice and they don't need anything else.
The shedding is normal too, at that age they grow a lot, and so also shed a lot. When he gets older the intervals between shedding will get longer.
 
Cornflake514 said:
Also, the book I had didn't say anything about feeding him other things, I didn't even know you could, but my brother said they'd eat crickets... Is that true? If so what do I do? 'Cause I don't want him to eat the aspen and have it get impacted inside him...
Click to expand...

If i were you i would stop listening to other people and just listen to the advice you get on this site. Crickets are no food for a corn and the size and shedding is normal. And don't feel bad that you don't handle him they don't need human contact, the only reason some people find that handling is a must is because they want a snake that is tame and won't bite them. You don't have to handle him every day if you don't want to. My corn stays tame and i handle him only 2-3 times a week for a few minutes.
 
The biting could be down to something as simple as the temerpature being too high.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY what I was going to say.

Nowadays, and very sadly, I have very little to do with my old guy any more. He simply doesn't need or want the attention, which works well for me when I'm out at work for 12 hours a day and all weekend (I was 15 when I got him in case it sounds like he's never been handled in his life!).

Of course a young corn should ideally be handled frequently but I'm wondering if you got past all the bitey malarky, whether you may find yourself making time for him, because you enjoy it more..?

Make it a priority to buy a cheap thermostat - you owe the snake that much as temperature is so important to their health - and your guilt can disappear :)

If you do eventually decide to let him go, the best you could do is ask a breeder for some trustworthy contacts.
 
You could wear gloves when handling him so you won't get bitten and he will get used to you handling him more. If you just really aren't in to giving him that extra time and want to rehome him that is your choice. I would suggest trying to rehome him with someone who knows about corn snakes, has them or has had them in the past, and how to care for them.
 
If I were going to rehome a snake, I think I would give the snake to someone who already owns corns and takes care of the corns the way I feel is correct.
I would ask any potential owner how they would take care of the corn: what they would feed, what tank they would use, etc.

I would also ask "What would make you take the snake to a vet?"
And "what would make you get rid of the snake?"

But, you sound like you are giving your snake everything it needs. Don't feel like you have to get rid of it because you don't handle it enough. It is a snake. It doesn't care if you are too busy to handle it. (Yes, snakes have personalities and can tolerate and even enjoy human contact, but your corn sounds like he would rather be left alone.)

Or, you could always send him to me! ;)
 
Are you a guy or a girl? I ask this because when ever I do my nails and put on red or purple nail polish the snakes love my hands and want to be held. When my snakes get too hot they start acting nippy, before you pick him up turn off the heat for about twenty minutes or so that'll calm him down. Are you jumpy when you try to pick him up, or let him run from you and grab him like predator? You may have trained him to bite. Use an object to slide under him; I've used plastic spoons, spatulas, whisks (search "How to whisk a snake" for that story), whatever I've had on hand before I was confident enough to grab a snake.

Fist off get a dimmer or thermostat and a better thermometer and cool him down a bit, some of our guys like to be chillier than others. He may just be digesting too fast and is hot and hungry all the time.
 
I've been trying to handle him almost everyday since the original post, and he has bit twice, but yesterday and today he didn't try at all. I held him for about a half hour today. He made my friend bleed the other day though. I told her not to pick him up 'cause he's been nippy but she didn't care. She also still went for it and picked him up.
I don't know, I didn't really want to give him away, but I didn't wanna deal with the biting either, I just figured it'd get worse.
I'm gonna keep trying to hold him regularly and see if that helps.
I'm going to add some pictures, so people can see his size and give me their opinion.
I'm also wondering about his morph. I know you can't see the colors that well. I have a book with all the morphs I just can't decide. He's yellow-ish white with a bright dark orange. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs022.snc6/165277_10150150556624062_549759061_8374204_5149436_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...0150555434062_549759061_8374175_1536529_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs772.ash1/166283_10150150553534062_549759061_8374126_5906126_n.jpg
 
Oh my gosh you're in Rhode Island? Me too! Oh man, if I had the room I could take him in a heartbeat. How are you going about grabbing him? He might feel threatened by the way you're coming at him. Don't do a lot of going in then pulling away, that gives off bad vibes. Be confident in your movements, but never rough.

Some snakes are just naturally less likely to tolerate people, though. Most snakes, especially corns, grow out of it as they get older so you can hope that with more time it goes away. From the pictures he looks a little small for a 2 year old, but not stunted or anything. How big are the mice you're feeding him? How much does the snake weigh?

Also, he looks like an amel (amelanistic) from those pictures. Aaaaaaah I wish I had the room! lol I say when asking a potential adopted questions, make sure they have enough money to take the snake to a vet. Make sure they are also willing to take the snake to the vet for small things. As the saying goes "If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet!"
 
It's a really nice amel. At first I thought maybe a reverse okeetee, but I think the borders are too small for that. He does have a really nice light ground colour.

I honestly don't believe he is too small or thin for a yearling!
 
He looks perfectly healthy to me. It is really hard to say what a yearling corn or a two year old corn should look like in terms of length, diameter and weight because their growth is so dependent on their genetics and nutrition. Sometimes even identical diets and feeding schedules will result in snakes with drastically different growth rates.
 
He looks to be the same size as mine and mine is suppose to be a year old. I know when I reach in He will rear his head back coiled like he is ready to strike, but now he does that for a few seconds and then he will just flick his tung at me and relax. I reach in real slow and dong go strait for him, I put my hand next to him and let him "smell" me and he then relaxes. I have only had mine for a week but when I got him they said he hasnt been handled much (got him from a pet store) and so far he hasnt bitten me. I just take it real easy and slow around him at first and hes fine.

When you pick him up are you slow about it or do you just reach in and grab him? Im sure if I just reached in real fast and grabbed Seth he would bite, there is no doubt in my mind.
 
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