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New Member in BC

randj

randj

New member
Hello Everyone,
I have been reading and learning on this forum for about 3 weeks now and have learned a lot to help us with our corn snake Murphy, an approximately 8 yr old amel male, wt 1220 gm. I started looking for help when we were having trouble with getting him to eat, and wanted to fine tune his habitat so he would be as comfortable and happy as possible. He used to be kept in the room of a science teacher at my daughter's school. That teacher is now on medical leave and the school did not want him staying there so it looks like he is ours now. I have been in touch with his original owner and this is OK with him. My daughter has always loved snakes and frequently catches wild ones to look at closely before releasing, so she was keen when Murphy needed a home. I was less so but have become fascinated in researching how to care for him--good thing since our daughter is in grade 12 and likely to be going off to university next fall--I am doubtful she can have a snake in residence :) My husband is still not sure about the whole thing but hopefully will come around.

When we first brought Murphy home, he ate well, but then his appetite dropped off. I asked some questions on this forum and got good advice for which I am grateful. In the end we took him to an exotics vet nearby (this is how we know his weight and sex) for a check-up; she found nothing major wrong. Murphy ate vigorously for us 6 days ago so hopefully things are back on track--I guess we'll have an idea about that in about 4 days.

So far to avoid stress Murphy has remained in his viv except when cleaning it or for the trip to the vet. He is not that keen on being handled (seems nervous) and we have not tried much to avoid stress given the eating problems. A question: I am wondering if at his age, he could learn to be more comfortable with handling once we are sure he is eating well again--I imagine there is info on this forum to help me and I will keep looking but if anyone has thoughts, glad to hear them.

Another question: what about excercise? If he lived in a natural habitat he would sure be getting more than he does now and it seems to me important that he have some. Any thoughts how to achieve this, especially given that he is a bit nervous with being handled?

I am already keen to add another snake to our collection! There is a reptile rescue close to Vancouver and I know they have some corns. Gotta convince my husband.

Love reading about the different morphs--if I could choose one it would be a caramel motley--love the look of those guys, but will stick to rescues for now!
 
Hello and welcome!

I'm soo glad to hear that you took him into your home! :) As I'm sure he is too,

I don't have much to offer on if he will mellow out for you or not, But from all that I have read on here I would say yes, Once he is back on track for feeding, just start to handle him for short periods, most snakes will learn to trust humans after repeated handling's; But not all, some would just rather be left to do their own things.

Best of luck! I'm sure some of the more experienced Corn owners will be by shortly too help. ;)
 
As for teaching him to become more comfortable - I bought my Jake at a later age (I'm not sure how old he is now, I'm guessing he was about 3 when I got him). He used to rattle at me all the time and strike at me whenever I even got close to the viv. I've been handling him a lot though, just sitting on the couch with him while not moving a lot to make him feel comfortable. I kept increasing the sessions and slowly started to add in some movement and noise and such, and by now he's totally at ease. He's started to explore his viv a lot more (even with me sitting next to it) and doesn't seem to mind being picked up at all. He just goes about his usual business or settles down on my lap for a little snake massage ^^ Not sure if all snakes will settle down like that, but I'm very happy that Jake did. :)
 
randj said:
Another question: what about excercise? If he lived in a natural habitat he would sure be getting more than he does now and it seems to me important that he have some. Any thoughts how to achieve this, especially given that he is a bit nervous with being handled?

I am already keen to add another snake to our collection! There is a reptile rescue close to Vancouver and I know they have some corns. Gotta convince my husband.
Click to expand...

I am glad you are rescuing! It is always good, wish I had a reptile rescue near by. Tell your husband that there is absolutely nothing wrong with snakes, they are better than dogs. ;)

What size is his enclosure? You can always pull him out everyday and let him roam your bed as long as you watch. Handling can help too along with floor space but don't let him escape. Or you know, get a leash :p jk

Good luck Murphy
-Skully-
 
Thanks for the welcome and comments from members in various parts of the world! Glad to hear from a fellow Canadian and if I understand correctly also a new corn snake owner, Justine66.
 
Isoldael said:
As for teaching him to become more comfortable - I bought my Jake at a later age (I'm not sure how old he is now, I'm guessing he was about 3 when I got him). He used to rattle at me all the time and strike at me whenever I even got close to the viv. I've been handling him a lot though, just sitting on the couch with him while not moving a lot to make him feel comfortable. I kept increasing the sessions and slowly started to add in some movement and noise and such, and by now he's totally at ease. He's started to explore his viv a lot more (even with me sitting next to it) and doesn't seem to mind being picked up at all. He just goes about his usual business or settles down on my lap for a little snake massage ^^ Not sure if all snakes will settle down like that, but I'm very happy that Jake did. :)
Click to expand...

I am pleased to hear that there is a good possibility that even as a mature snake,Murphy may settle and get a bit happier about handling. He at least doesn't strike, so far, and have only heard him rattle once when we startled him. (I had no idea they could rattle--kind of cool!--how do they do it--anyone know?).
 
Skully23 said:
What size is his enclosure? You can always pull him out everyday and let him roam your bed as long as you watch. Handling can help too along with floor space but don't let him escape. Or you know, get a leash :p jk

The vivarium is 36" long x 18" wide. I am concerned it is not large enough for a mature snake, but is what he came with from the school, and I have not seen anything with larger 'floor space' at the local pet stores. Suggestions as to how much room he needs appreciated. I'm thinking that if he needs a larger home I'll need to look at the DIY discussion for ideas.
Click to expand...
 
aha! why Yes I am a fellow Canadian, :) and quite new to reptiles too! but not exotics. This is the first snake of my own (I have a friend with several snakes, and MANY more critters. Boas and pythons are more her thing) and I will admit that I first started my "perfect pet hunt" out looking at more of the ball pythons and Rosey Boas, but as much as I do love every animal that walks this planet even most of the insects :) I am not a huge fan of the heat vents that you find on the more tropical species and as soon and as soon as I saw my first corn snake I could literally feel my heart melt inside.. :$ aha! I'm such a loser, but that one look at a hatchling led to my little man, Sirius. :D who I couldn't be more happy with!

BEST Christmas present I have ever received!
I tell my boyfriend quite often how much I love the little Guy!

(sorry for being such a Blabber mouth, but eh? the world be ending so why the heck not chat it up! ;) )
 
yup, its bedtime. Tell me a bit more about your little Sirius but tomorrow or when time is fine!
 
I have a 29 Gallon tall, for Sirius once he gets a bit bigger. ATM he's in a 6.6 quart bin.
I'm more than likley will get something around a 40 gallon once its needed. :)

but yes I would like to know what your set up is too! :)
 
My tank is 36" long x18" wide; not a tall tank, not sure how many gallons it would hold. Not sure how long Murphy is--probably a bit more than 4 ft. Do I need a bigger viv for him do you think? (and if the answer is yes, then already I find myself thinking about how big the rescue snakes might be--can one of them take over Murphy's current tank if I make/find him a bigger one?!)
 
randj said:
My tank is 36" long x18" wide; not a tall tank, not sure how many gallons it would hold. Not sure how long Murphy is--probably a bit more than 4 ft. Do I need a bigger viv for him do you think? (and if the answer is yes, then already I find myself thinking about how big the rescue snakes might be--can one of them take over Murphy's current tank if I make/find him a bigger one?!)
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have a 30g breeder. It should be okay, although the minimum tank size is a 20g, I wouldn't recommend it. I like giving my corn space. She is in a 45g Long.
 
Merry Christmas Everyone!

And I am excited about one of my gifts--a brand new 36 X 18 x 17 reptile tank!! I now have the co-operation of my husband in adding a second snake to our family. As mentioned previously, I am keen to adopt one from a reptile rescue a few hours from here. Last time I checked they had 4 available. Will figure out how to post pictures of both Murphy and the new snake once I have him/her home.
 
Hi Guys, I'm excited and relieved this AM. We'd had trouble, as previously mentioned, getting Murphy to eat, but finally he did in mid Dec. Then, just as he was coming due to eat again, we noticed his colors dulling and sure enough, a few days later he was blue, and had no interest in food again. He finally shed last night (he was so busy he kept my daughter awake with his moving, though she wisely I think, left him alone and put ear plugs in). I was just about ready to get on here and ask if snakes also go blue because of some disease and we were gonna lose him lol! It took 11 days, I now realize, so not that long but it sure seemed long to us! He's all bright and beautiful again. Will try to get a picture soon and see if I can figure out how to post just for fun.
 
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