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how to handle my snake if it rattles its tail?

sixty7stang

sixty7stang

New member
so i got this corn snake and it was in a tank and all, but i thought it was dirty and i wanted to clean it out and put "different" bedding in it. (i put in that aspen stuff, im not sure what crap he had in there) so i cleaned it, put new substrat in it, new watering bowl, new hides ect. needless to say it was a kingdom compared to what he was use to. but when i put him back in, he seemed all stressed! i went to handle him and he rattled his tail and scurried away really fast. now im afraid to handle him again cuz i think he will try to bit or whatnot. i gave him a day to settle but i touched him today and he did it again. and lastly, how exactly do you handle them? i watched tons of videos but my snake moves so fast and doesnt wrap itself on me he just kinda hangs so i try my hardest to support him so he isnt just dangling. any suggestions?
 
How old is the snake? A baby or an adult?

Generally, after you get a new snake, you need to give it a week to settle in and relax. THEN you feed it a meal about half the size you'd normally feed it. Then let it digest for two or three days, THEN you can start gentle handling!

Pretty much all cornsnakes rattle. What it means is "leave me alone" or "you have startled me" or something like that. It doesn't mean "I am going to bite you." There _is_ a chance that the snake will bite, but it's not likely, especially if it is an older snake. Don't worry- if the snake _does_ bite, that does not mean that it will _always_ bite. He's having a very stressful period in his life right now! And a bite from a hatchling is _nothing_; it feels like Velcro. The worst the biggest adult can do is make a couple pinpricks! Yes, it will startle you if it happens, but it doesn't really hurt.

So, after the settling in period, you will want to pick the snake up to move him to his feeding container. Just reach in, don't hesitate, scoop him up. If he's a little baby, be very careful not to drop him! Hold him just tightly enough that he can slide slowly through your fingers, but not tightly enough that you are pinching him or restraining him from moving at all, and do not hold him by the neck or near the tail- they really do not like that. Let him move from hand to hand, or keep him cupped in your closed hand.

If you have an adult, pick him up in a clump and then hold him well-supported and let him wind around your hand. You'll get used to him, and he'll get used to you. It just takes a little time.

After he's done digesting his first meal, you can start gentle, short handling periods. I'd suggest taking him out and sitting down to watch a half hour TV show with him- holding him cupped up close to your body, or coiled around your hand, but not the center of your attention. Let him relax. Do NOT set him down anywhere or let him fall!
 
WOW! thank you so much for that. that was extremely informational. and to answer some of your questions.....he is an adult. fully grown. i got him on friday and changed his tank all out on saturday. so if that helps you any. and my corn doesnt wrap around my hands it just keeps going forward as to get away so i just keep putting one hand in front of the other and it kinda just moves along as if i was some endless road. i WISH he would wrap. and the owner said he use to feed him once a month and that the last time he fed him was a week and a half ago so will he even be hungry yet? any help/answers to make my first snake owning experience well is GREATLY appreciated.
 
Oh boy...Well, to begin with, spring is mating season, and this makes most males VERY active. He wants to go find a mate! Even if he is normally a cuddler, this time of year he is going to want to wander.

It is not uncommon for a male cornsnake to have a springtime feeding strike which may last weeks or even months. so if he refuses his next meal, don't freak out! Secondly, once a month is not enough feeding for a cornsnake, even an adult male. I'd start him off feeding every ten days or so, and see what happens with his weight.

There's a way to hold him that is very hard to explain, called the Cornsnake Treadmill. I have a really lame video of me trying to get my snake Pepper to do it. Basically, you hold the upper quarter of the snake with your right hand, and wind him around and around your left hand fingers in a figure eight till he gets tired!
 
Nanci is wonderful ;) that's why she is a Moderator. As to handling your adult corn. My biggest girls like to cruise straight ahead up or down my arm. Sometimes I can get them to wrap around my writs or arm but not usually. That's part of the reason why I enjoy corns, their never boring to hold. Keep in mind the more they move when your holding them the more exercise they get :D

I think snakes will eat pretty much right after they finish digesting and expelling the food from their bodies lol Idk if it's hunger at a week and a half but he should be ready to eat once he settles in.
 
Well, here's my video of me trying to demonstrate Cornsnake Treadmill with a very uncooperative snake. I've tried a couple times to get a video of it, and this is the best I can do! So this is what a snake that doesn't want to move looks like...



This is a link to my caresheet. It just covers some basics that you may or may not have thought of. http://snickersnakes.com/caresheet There are three really good cornsnake books, too. Kathy Love's book, Don Soderberg's book, and, for later, when you want to learn about all the morphs and genetics, Cornsnake Morph Guide by Charles Pritzell.
 
A corn can't do much damage if it bites. There's absolutely no reason to be afraid of a corn unless you have a snake-phobia. But then, of course, what the fox trot are you doing with one? XD
 
ShenziSixaxis said:
A corn can't do much damage if it bites. There's absolutely no reason to be afraid of a corn unless you have a snake-phobia. But then, of course, what the fox trot are you doing with one? XD
Click to expand...

I was deathly affraid of snakes when I got my first corn...
 
wow nanci that was helpfull. i made your video my top bookmark so i can watch it and perfect it. and i thought a month was kinda long as well so ill try feeding him sometime this week. maybe Wednesday. and i have been told by many that a corn snakes bit doesnt hurt so im not afraid but i dont want it to happen ya know. and im gunna look up those books and do some reading. i always thought the more educated you are the better. im sure ill have many more questions but im glad there are ppl like you on here that can give good honest replies :)
 
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