AmandaCisub
New member
I just bought my first pet snake yesterday (a grey rat snake). In the pet store where I purchased it from, the girl who was assisting me had no problem reaching her hands down into the tank and taking it out. The snake seemed tame in her hands, and I even took a turn holding it. It was fine with me too. She said it was the one they had the least problems with as far as it striking or biting at them. I was somewhat hesitant because it seems to be an adult one and is pretty long already, but she said it was not quite fully grown(she couldn't tell me how old it was though). But I loved the look of it and the way it reacted to being held, so I took it.
Shortly after getting home, I started having problems with it. I picked it up once or twice to show my brothers, sisters, and parents. It was somewhat wild when I picked it up those times. After that I set it back in the box while I quickly set up its new tank. When I went back in to get it, it was coiled up, and struck at my hand. It was being very aggressive and would not let me get it out. It was hissing, rattling its tail, and repeatedly striking at anything that it saw move. I decided to give it a while to calm down, but it didn't seem to. Eventually I had my dad gently slide the box into the cage, and slide it out. It was still very aggressive at this time. He wore gloves that it did bite a few times. I have read that you should give your snake about 3 days to settle down and get used to its new home before handling it. But today when I went in to change its water it still had it's aggressive behavior.
I read that corn and rat snakes took well to being handled and could be tamed easily. But how will I do this if I cannot even get my hand near it? The girl also said that it had just eaten the day before I bought it. So I don't think it could be that he is just aggressive because its time for feeding. Unless she was wrong? Or could it just be all the commotion and stress it went through from being transported to a new home, and being handled with so many people yesterday? Does he just need some time to settle in? I am worried that when the time comes for me to handle him again, in a few days even, he will still be acting this way. Or I will just be too afraid from all of the biting he has been doing.
If someone could just give me some reassurance that he'll eventually let me pick him up, or that it wasn't a mistake to buy an already adult snake, I'll feel better.
I'm just new to this snake thing.
Shortly after getting home, I started having problems with it. I picked it up once or twice to show my brothers, sisters, and parents. It was somewhat wild when I picked it up those times. After that I set it back in the box while I quickly set up its new tank. When I went back in to get it, it was coiled up, and struck at my hand. It was being very aggressive and would not let me get it out. It was hissing, rattling its tail, and repeatedly striking at anything that it saw move. I decided to give it a while to calm down, but it didn't seem to. Eventually I had my dad gently slide the box into the cage, and slide it out. It was still very aggressive at this time. He wore gloves that it did bite a few times. I have read that you should give your snake about 3 days to settle down and get used to its new home before handling it. But today when I went in to change its water it still had it's aggressive behavior.
I read that corn and rat snakes took well to being handled and could be tamed easily. But how will I do this if I cannot even get my hand near it? The girl also said that it had just eaten the day before I bought it. So I don't think it could be that he is just aggressive because its time for feeding. Unless she was wrong? Or could it just be all the commotion and stress it went through from being transported to a new home, and being handled with so many people yesterday? Does he just need some time to settle in? I am worried that when the time comes for me to handle him again, in a few days even, he will still be acting this way. Or I will just be too afraid from all of the biting he has been doing.
If someone could just give me some reassurance that he'll eventually let me pick him up, or that it wasn't a mistake to buy an already adult snake, I'll feel better.
I'm just new to this snake thing.