Leaving a cornsnake on the floor??

[ara35]

I have a real simple question… can you put a cornsnake on the ground and leave it? I hear of people doing this and it seems absolutely crazy. My cornsnake is one and half years old, about 30 inches and 60 grams. I would think leaving him on the ground would result in losing him instantly.

I kind of understand people doing it with ball pythons. They are a bit slower and lazier (although they could take off if they wanted I’m sure) and they’re a bit thicker so they cant get into as many tight spaces.

If someone could tell me why they do it or why not to do it, that would be very helpful. I am not inclined to do it at all, just interested. I will put him on my bed while kneeling right next to him and still get a bit nervous. He is very calm and comfortable with me handling him and being around him, but I just think it seems a bit crazy to risk it. Thoughts? Thanks guys

 

[bitsy]

No way I'd risk it, certainly. Even if I was hovering over them like a hawk, a few of mine move so fast that they'd be under and inside the sofa before I could grab them.

 

[BigByrd47119]

Even if I was hovering over them like a hawk, a few of mine move so fast that they'd be under and inside the sofa before I could grab them.

Perhaps this is why they dive under the seat cushions! :roflmao:

(humor intended)

 

[toxiclight]

We have never let ours down on the floor. We've put them on the bed, on the desk, on our desk chair...for picture time, but usually one of us is hovering right over the snake (usually my bf, as he has faster reflexes).

I know how fast those little suckers can move

I think it's pretty much down to the individual and the snake. My snakes are all fairly small and very fast.

 

[headly1994]

i put all of mine on the floor lol idk if my snakes are slow but i can be in the other room and catch them b4 they get away

 

[headly1994]

when i say in the other room its about 15 feet away

 

[Naagas]

I once was sitting on a couch and let a snake wander too far. She got into the couch and despite my best efforts, I couldn't get her out.
I later found her on the other side of the room, dead, after an exhaustive daily search for her.

Another time, I put a snake down in the hallway with all of the doors closed. He got halfway through a heating vent in a blink of an eye. I had to have someone come to the rescue and unscrew the vent as I frantically hung onto his back end.

Then there was the bathroom sink drain hole incident...

I don't put snakes down, even for a second, without my hand at the ready to grab them.

 

[atmox]

i put all of mine on the floor lol idk if my snakes are slow but i can be in the other room and catch them b4 they get away

You know if your snake escapes it can be bad for the entire herp community, don't you? The journalists don't care if it's a cornsnake or Burmese python and it gives politicians even more reasons to make ridiculous rules about reptile keeping.

 

[headly1994]

if my snake gets loose i promise i wont call the police

 

[vetusvates]

Many long time corn snake keepers take great outdoor photographs. I am sure that that is after they have learned the disposition of the snake, and are photographing far from hiding places convenient for the snake to dart into.

 

[azhketh]

I'll let my corn slither on the floor, mostly just so I can take an overhead picture of him for use with the snake measuring program. I didn't feel comfortable setting him down as a hatchling, but now I'm comfortable handling him and know his personality. Plus he's four feet long. XD I don't let him get more than a foot or so away from me, as I live in a small apartment and if he gets much further away from me he'll be closer to something he can hide in/under/behind.

 

[atmox]

if my snake gets loose i promise i wont call the police

Nobody does that (except if it's a dangerous snake)
The problem is if your snake gets outside and your neighbors (who probably can't tell the difference between a python and a cobra) and they call the police.
If you really want to let is loose on the floor than please do it in a escape proof room, where it can't get under anything and absolutely never get further than 3 feet away from it.

 

[Dreamsnake]

I'd never set a snake on the floor. I have this cat who loves playing with yarn and can get into small spaces much faster then I can. I wouldn't set my snakes down on the bed either. The thought of unwinding a corn snake from box springs sickens me. Maybe when the snakes reach four feet I'll relax a bit, but until then I am an overprotective matron.

 

[bitsy]

I've certainly read one post here many moons ago, from someone who literally had to destroy either an armchair or sofa (sorry, can't remember which) to get the snake out of the inner workings. They were sitting handling it in front of the TV and it just darted away from them unexpectedly. In the time it took them to react, it was gone.

 

[Naagas]

I've certainly read one post here many moons ago, from someone who literally had to destroy either an armchair or sofa (sorry, can't remember which) to get the snake out of the inner workings. They were sitting handling it in front of the TV and it just darted away from them unexpectedly. In the time it took them to react, it was gone.

That is what happened to me- except I didn't completely dismantle the sofa.
I figured the snake would come out.
So I put out some heat and water and even a live mouse.

No go.

That is the one I found dead.

In hindsight, I would have torn apart the sofa.

 

[bitsy]

It was a few years ago now, so I guess at least you have the comfort of knowing that you aren't the only one who had the problem. Sorry that yours didn't have a happy ending.

 

[dan803]

If you want to do that with a snake then get a Burmese Python. Corns are too small and active to be loose even under close supervision. All they will do is seek a dark place to hide if left to wander alone.