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I don't understand- a question about biting, age and me!

V

vertigofm

New member
Ok this sounds silly but as a first time Snake owner I have to ask!

I have a cute little corn snake named Herman, he's still a little one at just about a foot long and very thin- I've had him since he was a hatchling (for about 4 months now). Whenever I go to take him out of his cage he goes crazy running for dear life- I always use a glove and when I catch him he is fine and goes through my hands and rarely gets scared unless I make a really sudden movement. I've tried to ween him off the glove but when I put my hand in cage he gets more scared and tries to bite it. I can't figure out why he does it with my hand but not the glove? What also doesn't make sense is why is he not scared of my hand when I am holding him? Does this running and biting behavior go away with age or am I doomed to use that glove? Will he settle down with age and if so how much? Also my last silly question is- is it normal for me to jump out of my seat when he bites me lol? I know it sounds dumb but I have this reaction that the hissing and striking makes me jump! That is why I still use the glove

Thanks for help

Frank
 
Well your snake will most likly grow out of biting. To help him get used to your scent you can put a old t-shirt of yours in his cage for a day or two. It is kind of scary when they bite not that it hurts too bad but your reaction is just to jump. Well hope all goes well for you and your snake.
 
Are you afraid of getting bitten? I am a firm believer that animals can sense our fears, either directly, through some sort of "ESP" or indirectly, thought our actions. If you are scared, you may approach him in a jerky manner which causes him to be upset and more frightened and so to bite.

Have you always worn the glove? Is it a bulky work glove or a smoother, tighter gardening glove?
 
It's a really bulky gardening glove. I imagine it's because he can't sense heat on it and thus doesn't see it as living where as my hand he knows it is alive. I am not afraid of being bitten- I've had it done before and its painless. Its just I am always hesitant to scoop him up because the hiss makes me leap out of my body. It's bizzare because after feeding him (I feed him in a tupperware thing) when I open it up he'll crawl right out onto my hand. It's only when he's in his environment- he'll run from my hand and if I have him cornered he'll hiss and strike. Even odder is that sometimes he won't bite he'll just hiss and head butt me. Poor little guy, I usually just back off and use the glove because my hand must be terrifying to him... unless... He's on it... see why im confused!
 
dont worry

firstly i would ditch the glove, and get him used to the hand, this might take a week or two, mine was always jumping and nervous when i first got them, but i handle them every day (except 48 hours after feeding) have you actually been bit yet? because mine have snapped at me a few times and if it wasnt for the hissing i wouldnt of even noticed, it doesnt hurt one bit, i know this now but even still i still jump.....just a reaction so its normal. hope things work out!!
 
Does he have adequate hiding spots so he's not scared all the time? He could be nervous if he doesn't even feel secure in his own home, let alone outside the cage.

As for being scared, perfectly normal, but being bitten by a hatchling doesn't hurt one bit (no pun intended!;)). So if he's going to bite let him get it out of his system now. He'll get over it if you're steady and firm with him. Don't let him hiss and bite and then you whimp out, he'll slowly associate that if he does this you'll leave him alone.

I would ditch the glove b/c like I said, it's not going to hurt and be patient. He'll grow out of it, don't worry.
 
One ditch the glove and dont be a sissy. A snake at that age you hardly feel anything. So just slowly go in and pick up your snake. No drastic moves, just let them know you are there and that you mean no harm. Then slowly just pick up your pet and hold them. Do this a little at a time and slowly build up to it, let your pet get used to you. Don't flinch or drop your pet, this is the reaction that the striking is trying to get out of you.
 
Ok... hmm I got it, I know the hissing noise provokes the jumping from me and I dont want to scare him. So Im gonna put on headphones and blast heavy metal when I pick him up so I cant hear the hissing! Might be dumb enough to work
 
Yes, ditch the glove and don't blast your music; you'll only stress him out more. He will pick up the vibrations from your head phones. If she can do it, so can you!! She was bit during this picture, know how she knew? I told her!
 

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There's also the chemical aspect, which the glove will block.

When humans are nervous, they give off pheramones - chemicals that animals can sense, that tell them we're scared.

You're nervous about picking up the snake. The snake smells the pheramones and gets edgy, because the "I'm scared" pheramone you give off, is also a signal that you may be hunting it or intending to hurt it.

So the snake gets skittish when you pick it up, you get more nervous and give off more pheramones, the snake gets more skittish, etc. It's a vicious circle.

I'm a great believer in not stressing a snake unnecessarily. If a glove makes picking-up-time easier for you both, then stick with it. It's nothing to do with being a wimp - a stressed snake is a bad thing and using a glove might be better for its health at this point in time.

Odds are he'll get used to you eventually. Most calm down about being picked up within a few weeks, but some can take months. Some never learn how to deal with humans without having a nervous breakdown, but these are a tiny minority.
 
he's still a little one at just about a foot long and very thin- I've had him since he was a hatchling (for about 4 months now).
Click to expand...

Isn't a foot long very small for a four month old? Mine is 6 monts old and is over 25.5 inches long.
Lise :shrugs:
 
one thing that might work for you is instead of the glove, wait to get your snake out untill he is all coiled up in his hide, then quickly and confidently remove the hide. and place your flat hand ontop of the coiled snake. Keep it their for a few seconds,applying only a VERY small amount of pressure. After youve removed your hand then confidently go to pick up the snake (the quicker you get the snake to your hands and running casually through them,then the less stressful it will be. This technique apparently makes the snake feel more secure (being in a small close space). Remember when picking up to support as much as possible, and to pick up from approx. a third of the way down the body.
Hope this helps
 
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