Suddenly aggressive corn

[ktcorn]

I have a 3 year old corn snake who is typically very mellow. I had noticed her being much more active since her last feeding but didn't think much of it. When I went to feed her tonight she began striking at me through the glass. After some difficulty and continued aggression I was able to get her into her feed tank. I had assumed that he aggression had come from hunger but when offered food she rejected the food and continued trying to escape out the top of the tank or strike at things that moved. At one point she even coiled in an s-shape (which she has never done) and stayed like that for some time.

I have left her alone for a while in her feed tank thinking that maybe she was agitated and needed to calm down but she continues trying to escape. She has never acted this way and is typically a very good eater.

She is currently about two feet long and the diameter of a mans thumb. She is in a 36"L x 18"W x 18"H Exo terra terrarium. I am in Arizona so it does tend to be hard to keep the tank cool but I tend to have a 75- 82 F range from cool to hot end (I stop using my heat lamp and just use the mat in the summer). I am currently feeding her 1-2 small mice once every 7-10 days. I am getting ready to move up a size but am trying to use up my smalls before buying more.

I should handle her more than I have been able too the past couple weeks but was not expecting this kind of change in behavior.

I am surprised because this is so out of character from what I am used to. She is typically very shy and easily handled.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zeina]

I'm not an expert in aggressive corns, but it could be any number of factors.
The warm side should usually be around 85-86 degrees, and the cool side around 75ish, a lot of time if the temperature drops or changes it will cause them to get nasty.

I know it is also spring/mating season so a change in behavior is not uncommon around this time. Are you sure it's a she? If it's a male it would make a little more sense for him to be acting strange around this time, I'm not sure if it's the same with females during this time.

She could be going into, or getting ready to shed.
I went to feed my Opal yesterday and I had no idea he was literally minutes away from shedding- he half-heartedly grabbed his mouse, and I checked on him 5 minutes later and he was shedding and eating- I can never tell once his eyes have cleared if he's going to shed, and I had just gotten back in town. He tends to be very grumpy during his shed and doesn't like to eat until it's over, whereas my other corn will eat an elephant and shed at the same time.

Try searching this site for more behavior problems, I'm not sure exactly what would cause such a 180 change in behavior. Hope she goes back to normal soon! Good luck!

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

don't mistake irritability or fear for Aggression.

Corn snakes are Not aggressive. "Aggression" suggests your corn snake is stalking you, coming after you, and wanting to do harm to you. There are only a few snakes that are truly aggressive, corn snakes are not. Most snakes will go the other way or try to avoid people. Even a Rattlesnake will warn before biting.

Just because a snake strikes or bites does not mean aggression. It means he's hurt, pissed off, or scared. If your snake is trying to bite you, he is defending himself from "You."

So the question is - Why?

Nobody on this forum can say for sure, but here are a few things to check out:

1. Improper temperatures can make some snakes irritable. So check your temps.
2. Some snakes get cranky right before or during a shed.
3. If you have other pets, (Birds, Rats, Cats or Dogs) and you handle them right before you handle your snake, he might smell them and think an animal (Predator) is after him.
4. If you rarely handle a snake, they can revert back to their "Wild Nature" but can become tame again with frequent handling. I handle my snake daily, treat him like part of the family, and he is as sweet as can be.
5. A very hungry snake that is not taken proper care of and underfed will sometimes strike the owner thinking they are food. This especially happens right after a feeding if the snake has not calmed down and regained its composure.