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What are corn snake teeth like?

H

Hoosierneals

New member
My kids were asking me about our new corn...does he have fangs, does he have teeth, how many, how big are they?, etc. I know he has teeth, b ut not much about them.

Luckily, Nitro has been sweet enough to not to do anything remotely like biting us in the last few weeks, so we haven't really gotten a good look in his mouth or any first hand experience.

I haven't found any good info on this in my internet or forum searches- anyone care to answer?

Thanks,
Sara
 
Their teeth are short and sharp. They are designed to hold onto prey as the constrict it. A bite feels like a bunch of pin pricks, enough to draw blood, but not very bad.
 
In the almighty words of "Tim" from Monty Python's The Holy Grail, "Big, sharp pointy teeth..." :grin01:

Kidding...:) I think that I've heard it best described that their teeth are like stiff Velcro (not the soft fuzzy side of Velcro!)...I've been bitten once, by a sub-adult, and I got essentially "pricked". I'm sure, if your snake was to bite you or your children, you'd feel more from the shock/surprise of being bitten than the actual bite itself. At least, that's how it was with me. :)

I defer to all of those who have been bitten by adults, as I have yet to experience that.

(I did have a slight bite from one when she was a juvenile and I could see that she was aware in the same second that she "gripped" onto my finger that she knew that my finger tip was not what she wanted at all...and she let go immediately. I felt nothing but the slight pressure of her mouth from that...it was funny. :) )
 
Cegninedorf said:
"Big, sharp pointy teeth..." :grin01:
Click to expand...

LOL

I've never been bitten by an adult corn, but I have been bitten by my 5'+ kingsnake, which have similar dentition. I wouldn't say it hurt per se. More like a hard pinch that drew some blood. A little triple antibiotic cream and a band-aid took care of it. :eek1:
 
You probably wouldn't even need a band-aid. I've never had more than one drop come from any bite. I'd compare it to a quick poke from a hypodermic needle or a sewing pin. Their teeth are quite short.
 
It is the shock of the bite that gets to you not the bite itself. you will need antiseptic for it unless you've taught your snake to clean its teeth.:rolleyes:
I've been bit by an adult corn (a rescue that hadn't been handled on a while (it's nothing ) don't drop them keep hold and after a few more bites it stops.
As a matter of interest I had a large anaconda that was very nasty, it bit me on more than one occasion. It bled quite a lot but after a quick wash it stopped bleeding quite quickly.
A good tip but it's almost impossible to do , don't pull your hand out of its mouth. It can tear your skin and more than lightly snap off teeth that stay in you.
MIKE
 
I've only been bitten twice (by the same snake actually, strange because she is actually very sweet and quiet!) but she's only 7mo so wasn't that bad! lol Feels like lots of tiny pin pricks.

I wouldn't like to be bitten by my adutl corn though, though I am sure its not that bad! lol He's just super grumpy.
 
The worst bite I had felt more like sand paper being rubbed on my skin than like a pricking. It drew a decent amount of blood; but looked worst than it was. I have a slight alergy to their saliva (or something else in their mouth); I always get a little bit of swelling in the area that lasts for a day or two.
 
blueapplepaste said:
I have a slight allergy to their saliva (or something else in their mouth); I always get a little bit of swelling in the area that lasts for a day or two.
Click to expand...

Me too... Sort've burns/itches.
 
My son (11) was handling the corn (2 y/o, 36") Steve-the-snake (we did NOT name him) we'd adopted 6 days prior to "the bite." My son said it felt a bit like a cat-bite. Here's my question: How to you stop the snake from biting, once it's teeth are in. Do you let it realize "oh, this isn't food" and let it release, or...? When Steve bit my son, I, instinctively (I guess) tried to pull the snake off. In hindsight I see my son would've been (and is) fine, but I could have really hurt Steve. Suggestions completely welcome! I am new to snakes, but am really interested in them. Thanks, Alexandra
 
When snakes are in a defensive mode they may rattle their tail and rear up and strike. But they usually bite quickly and release, often more than once. It almost sounds like Steve thought your son's hand was food. When that happens they may bite and hold on, and sometimes coil on the hand too. I've had it happen infrequently, and just lift the upper jaw with my finger nail. If you pull the corn off you may make things worse. The teeth are small, but sharp, and usually leave a nice impression on your hand with blood.
 
Hoosierneals, try watching after a meal, they will usually "yawn" to realign their jaws. This gives a really nice view of their teeth. But you will need to be pretty close to see them, their teeth are pretty tiny.

AlexLou, if your snake doesn't let go immediately, it's generally pretty safe to just wait until they do. I have never had a corn snake bite and hold, but one time my ball python missed the mouse and grabbed my hand. Even with nice warm flesh in his mouth and the smell of food everywhere, he let go after about 2 or 3 minutes. But I had a q-tip ready to soak with alcohol and let him get a sniff of it, as I've heard that works in case they absolutely refuse to let go. Any kind of pulling is likely to cause damage to the snake, and since there's very little damage a corn snake can do to you, I suggest just waiting it out. :)
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
here's a cute video of a King snake that has bitten a guy and is hanging on. It's a feeding response as most King snakes are stronger feeders than corns. This video shows how to remove a snake that "Won't let go" and although it depicts a King Snake, it works with corn snakes and others as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNxMg5O-Be8&t=150s
Click to expand...

I really liked that video, and the king snakes can reach an intimidating size. I always wondered how you put them together during mating season, since their diet includes other snakes. I was visiting my son after he took his kings out of brumation and I asked him about it. He said the males typically go off feed a bit during that season, as there is a greater urge taking over. He had me open one of the rack containers to see a mated pair of kings. I opened the container and told him I only see one snake. Sure enough, the male may have mated with the female, but he also ate her.
 
Many of the King Snakes are quite small. The Cali King rarely exceeds 4 feet, and there are several others in the 3 foot size. The Eastern King aka "Chain Snake" and the Florida Brooks and the Mexican Black are among the larger capable of 8 foot lengths but rarely getting that big. I had a Cali King for a long long time. She was very sweet and was almost 5 feet when she finally passed away. (I always thought she was one of the Largest Calies I had ever seen.)

A lot of folks don't know, but Corn snakes are direct cousins of King snakes and can even interbreed with them producing several other morphs often referred to as "Jungle Corns." Corn snakes will also eat other snakes, and I've seen photos of such. It's really never a good idea to cohab 2 or more of any Colubrid, but a lot of people just can't be reasoned with and have to learn the hard way.
 
albertagirl said:
Hoosierneals, try watching after a meal, they will usually "yawn" to realign their jaws. This gives a really nice view of their teeth. But you will need to be pretty close to see them, their teeth are pretty tiny.
Click to expand...


Yes, I've noticed that he yawns like that. Didn't know why though. Thanks!
 
>> Here's my question: How to you stop the snake from biting, once it's teeth are in. Do you let it realize "oh, this isn't food" and let it release, or...? When Steve bit my son, I, instinctively (I guess) tried to pull the snake off. In hindsight I see my son would've been (and is) fine, but I could have really hurt Steve.


You are insightful, I like you :)

Snakes will eventually figure out that "You're not food" after biting you. Its actually more of a "I can't swallow this, this way." than a conscious "You're not food", but... same thing ultimately.

If they are biting at you defensively or out of fear, they usually let go right away. So, chances are if you get bitten and they hang on, they thought there was food there.

The best way I've found to get them to let go is to:
A) Don't panic. Don't pull back or pull the snake off.
B) dribble a little bit of water over their head. They find this annoying and usually let go pretty quickly.

Corn snake teeth seem like they are little hooks to me, so if you pull the snake off, you risk breaking some teeth (and also potentially hurting yourself more).

I realize that its a very human reaction to pull back and away from the owie, but if possible, I find just dribbling water over the head to be a quick and easy way to convince them to let go normally and reduce injury to both of you.
 
DennisP said:
>> Here's my question: How to you stop the snake from biting, once it's teeth are in. Do you let it realize "oh, this isn't food" and let it release, or...? When Steve bit my son, I, instinctively (I guess) tried to pull the snake off. In hindsight I see my son would've been (and is) fine, but I could have really hurt Steve.


You are insightful, I like you :)

Snakes will eventually figure out that "You're not food" after biting you. Its actually more of a "I can't swallow this, this way." than a conscious "You're not food", but... same thing ultimately.

If they are biting at you defensively or out of fear, they usually let go right away. So, chances are if you get bitten and they hang on, they thought there was food there.

The best way I've found to get them to let go is to:
A) Don't panic. Don't pull back or pull the snake off.
B) dribble a little bit of water over their head. They find this annoying and usually let go pretty quickly.

Corn snake teeth seem like they are little hooks to me, so if you pull the snake off, you risk breaking some teeth (and also potentially hurting yourself more).

I realize that its a very human reaction to pull back and away from the owie, but if possible, I find just dribbling water over the head to be a quick and easy way to convince them to let go normally and reduce injury to both of you.
Click to expand...

Look at the video 2 or 3 posts above
 
> Look at the video 2 or 3 posts above

Yep, that works! Sorry I wasn't able to look at the video; was at work at the time.

If a sink isn't nearby I just get water from their water dish and dribble it on their head and that often works, too. Its all a matter of how much you can keep your wits about you.
 
Some think eyes may taste good. Had a unique perspective of a large corn snake's throat. With gentle help he let go...
 

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