• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Newbie to the snake world!

Okay I just tried to pick him up but he went in hiding. I am petting him every night trying to get him used to me. Normally I can do it for a while but today he went in his hiding spot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
STTSP4 said:
Okay I just tried to pick him up but he went in hiding. I am petting him every night trying to get him used to me. Normally I can do it for a while but today he went in his hiding spot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Then you should pick up the hide and take him out and hold him.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
My snakes don't really like 'petting'. I would just hold him anyway, even if he is hiding. I've also found that my more flighty snakes are worse in the evenings. If I hold them during the day, when they would normally be sleeping, they tend to be a bit calmer.

Just try to be confident and don't 'chase' him around with your hand. You just need to scoop him up from underneath and try to support his whole body.
 
I am starting to think I should of gotten a baby and not a 2 year old snake. :-/ thanks for all your support everyone. My daughter is still really scared (so am I). She has done so well with the garden snakes so I don't know why this one scares her so much. It's been 2 weeks since we have had it and neither of us have been able to hold him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aw, I'm sorry it's not such a great experience for you guys. If you really don't feel like you can handle him, I don't think there's any shame in finding him a new home. Usually I recommend that people get an older snake, because the babies can be nippy and flighty, but the older ones have usually calmed down.

If you want to get a calmer snake, I really recommend going with one of the breeders on this site. Most of them will be able to help you pick out a more handle-able baby.
 
Whether you decide to keep your current snake or "trade it in" for a baby or another older snake, you're going to need to get your temps in check and regulated. I live in FL and run the UTH year round, as it's regulated it will turn off if not needed, though our house rarely gets over 78° in the summer.

Did you let him settle in for at least 4 days before trying to feed or handle?

If you do get a baby you'll want to let it settle in for a week before handling or feeding.
 
One thing to consider though is that a baby will grow. I have a good friend who has a 4yr old corn snake. He was handed a lot as a baby, but they are all scared to hold him now so he isn't handled at all anymore. She uses a hook to get him out for cleaning and that's all. He's well cared for otherwise and gets plenty of attention and observation...just no holding. Honestly when she first told me, I felt a little sad, but realistically I'm not sure he particularly cares. He's got a clean nice big tank and regular mouse delivery. So I suppose it is possible to enjoy him and care for him without having to hold him. If that's not what you can do then maybe he should be rehomed.

It does seem to me that you may be being a bit impatient with him though. Given time to get his viv at a comfortable temperature. Leave him be to settle in. We've had ours for a month and he's only been held 4 or 5 times. Two of those were just to get weighed and fed (he ate in his viv the first couple of times).

Anyway good luck to you. I'm sure it will work out one way or the other.

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk
 
When I was working for a large corporate chain pet store, I always made certain I told my new snake customers the following:

  1. get your temps dialed in before your purchase. For corns, a basking temp of 85-86°F is sufficient. 88°F is high, but still fine SO LONG as the snake can seek cooler locations.
  2. DO NOT use our cheap analog thermometer and humidity gauges. They are terribly inaccurate. Spend the $20-25 and get a digital therometer or infra-red (=laser) thermometer.
  3. You will need a heat pad to properly heat the cage. You will also need a thermostat to properly regulate the heat pad, be prepaid to spend a combined $60-70 just for these 2 items.
  4. Provide a moist hiding spot, easily built out of an adequately sized food storage container and some coco fiber (= eco earth). This will cover the needs of humidity, aid in proper hydration for shedding, and give the snake additional sense of security.
  5. once you purchase the snake, DO NOT offer food for 1 week, give the animal time to settle in.
  6. once you purchase the snake, DO NOT handle it for up to 2 weeks, give the animal time to settle in.
  7. After 2 weeks, start by handling within the cage. You need to start building a level of trust before you can just go plucking the snake and expect it to remain calm.
  8. The snake may appear calm now, but when you get it home that may change. Again, give it time to settle in and slowly work on the handling.
 
And baby snakes go through phases of getting nippy as they grow. My oldest snake is almost 10 and hasn't struck anyone in 5 years. But when he hit around 2 years he started striking every time we opened the lid. I increased the size and frequency of his feedings and handled him more often with some gardening gloves and he eventually settled down.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
When is the best time to feed them? I am wondering if 2 pinkie isn't enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
STTSP4 said:
When is the best time to feed them? I am wondering if 2 pinkie isn't enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Do you have any idea how much he weighs? Our 17 gram 10 month old snake gets 2 pinkies and after his last feeding appeared to be looking for more. The ones he got were on the small side though so I'm going to pick out bigger ones next time.

I would imagine that definitely wouldn't be enough for a 2 yr old unless he's really small. Small adult mice are 2 or 3 sizes bigger than pinkies.

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk
 
If he's an average sized 2 year old, he should be eating small adults. Could you post a picture of him next to his food next time you feed him? Weighing him would give you the most accurate measurement, but if you don't feel comfortable handling him, that would be difficult.
 
Next size up from pinkies is small fuzzies. What does your snake weigh? If you weigh your snake the munson plan will get you in the ballpark.

It's kinda hard for me to estimate feeders off of photos but by what you posted I'd say he should be on weanlings but if you've been feeding 2 pinkies moving to weanlings would be 3 jumps in food size.

Best to weigh him or feed prey that is no more than 1.5 times the thickest part of the snake.
 
Oh I have been told by my daughter that they are not pinkies they are fuzzies?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
And the 'best' time to feed him would be the evening, as that is when they naturally would be out hunting. However, because he is an established feeder, you can feed him whenever it best suits your schedule.
 
I feed when it's convenient for me which is usually mid morning. I've never noticed a correlation between time of day and feeding behavior.
 
I'd caution against feeding multiple fuzzies at one feeding. If all you can get is fuzzies I'd maybe feed more frequent rather than 2 at a time, until you can get the correct size food item.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top