"Problem" Corn Snake and a Husbandry Question

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Menolly07

Juvie Member
I have a corn snake I have taken home. This poor, little guy had been at PetCo for at least six plus months (but less then a year -thank PetCo for the precise age information >.< -). I only know that he has been there for six months because one of their reptile guys has been an employee of PetCo for six months, and this guy was there when he was hired. When I saw the snake I was actually struck with him. He kept coming right to the cage glass and tracked my hand. I crouched down and had a chat with him, as I'm prone to doing with basically any animal that notices me. The sign on his cage said that he'd been there to long and to ask for details.

The snake has some docility issues and is a difficult handle. He is bitey and rattles his tail. He's very aggressive and not at all as docile as some of the other corns I've handled. I'm not at all worried about bites, I mean, I have been bit by bigger and badder things. Short of frequent and gentle handling is there anything else I can do to assist in helping him adapt to his new home and, hopefully, settle in and become a happier, better adjusted snake?

Currently, I estimate he's less then a year old. I plan to feed him separate from his living quarters. His tank is currently my beardies old 20 gallon warmed with an UTH on one side. I'm using aspen bedding with a thermostat set to read 88 degrees on the glass, but I'm unclear whether that's correct or not. To reach the ambient air temperature I get the impression I'm meant to meet on the warm side of around 88 degrees my instinct tells me I ought to be trying to meet a much higher glass temperature. However, I understand that he'll want to burrow into the bedding, and I don't want him to scald himself on too hot glass. Additionally, I also have a temperature probe and a water bowl as well as a hide. He's been eating peach fuzzies, thawed, once a week. I plan to stick to that because they say he's been eating really well.

I'm not handling him yet. I'm giving him several days to re-acclimate to his new surroundings. I'm hoping that, in part, the lack of a constant stream of people, children especially, right at his level will help him settle down a little. I have the patience of Dr Doolittle when it comes to animals, my husband says, and have a history of taming feral cats. I'm hoping soft words, slow movements, gentle handling and lots of it will do the trick, but it anybody has any other ideas and could double check my husbandry for errors I'd appreciate it!

Thanks!

Oh..... And his name is Boots.. It was either that or Fluffy.
 

william488

Juvie Member
hi there, I am new to corn snakes too, just got mine from a reptile rescue center, they have done a wonderful job with her. I cannot give you any advice do to me being new to it too. I will be watching this thread for help and tips too as I want to keep Myah as healthy and happy as I can. I have two beardies that we love and I have learned so much from here. good luck with Boots.
 

jovamabob

Hatchling Member
The snake has some docility issues and is a difficult handle.
I have a corn snake (Sebastian) who is puppy tame now but was very skittish. He was born Jan '11, arrived at the shop in march and stayed there till almost November when i chose him. The guy was like 'im sure you want a younger one to watch grow, a tamer one or one with prettier colouring' - but i said no, this was my guy! I found whenever i reached out to grab him in his tank he got very 'rattley' and recoiled his neck into a large 'S' shape. If i placed my hand near him and picked him up as he went over me he was less aggressive. (If he won't go near your hand you'll end up just picking him out as its less stress to just get it over with). When i first got him a friend who is a snake expert said leave him to settle into his tank for a few days, offer him a feed so you know he's settled if he takes it, then begin to handle after 48 hrs. Seb bit me, struck at me and rattled countless times. The trick is to go slow, gentle but don't back down - if he bites you, insist he stays out until he's calmer then put him away. Its kinda like dealing with small children's temper tantrums. I handled him 2 x a day for a week for as long as he seemed to manage (20 mins or so) and within a fortnight he was totally handleable without biting, rattling or striking and was no longer skittish within a month.

I'm unclear whether that [set up] is correct or not.
The set up sounds good :D Be sure that your snake has a chance to get to a cooler spot and always have a thermostat to control the heat mat and use a digital thermometer to ensure its accurate. As for temps there seems to be 2 schools of thought. A consistently nice temp of around 31C/88F and a cooler area - between 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank being covered with the heat mat. If the tank has a better thermal gradient - ie. if there are shelves within it etc - then a slightly higher temp at the heat mat is acceptable. Watch your snake and see - if it spends all its time at the heat mat, its too cold and vice versa. If it is shifting between the two and feeding properly, the temps are ideal. I place the probe directly onto the glass so i can see that the glass temp is acceptable (since this is where they absorb most of their heat) and then a thermometer to check the ambient temp half way up. If the ambient temp drops i turn up the thermostat a few degrees (my house is very cold and i have 3 levels in my tank - 2 of which are not heated.)

With regards to the other stuff ie. aspen substrate, feeding separate from his living quarters that all seems fine :D I use shredded kitchen roll because aspen gets everywhere! Seb doesn't seem to notice the difference and its so much easier to clean. For feeding, it sounds cool. I took a peice of string, measured it around his thickest part and then took it to the pet shop which deals with reptiles well. They recommended the right size food - i was recommended to move up to small mice which i thought would be too big but he took them down like a champ! I weigh seb every so often and when he's getting significantly heavier than when his last size feed was recommended, i do this again. My guy was on fuzzies at that age though so it seems about right :) Make sure to use a good multivitamin and mineral supplement - as you would with beardies! i place it on the rear of the mouse as seb is a fussy eater and need to 'smell the brain' to be attracted to eat... I also only ever recomend pre-killed defrosted mice. It just isn't worth the risk :)

hope this helps somewhat!
 

Menolly07

Juvie Member
Original Poster
jovamahbob:

The handling all sounds like what I was thinking, a sort of YOU -WILL- LET ME LOVE YOU approach. :-3 They called him aggressive. I've gotten a read of curious, inquisitive but skittish/scared. For instance, he burrows completely but loves to pop up his head and just watch me like a periscope. If I touch the glass with my finger tip he actually comes out more.

I always talk when I walk past the vivs. His tank is beside my big beardie viv. Hers is elevated and has opaque sides. Pretty much, I'm treating him a lot like a feral cat right now. No touchies, just acknowledging he exists and speaking softly whenever I'm around, going about my day like normal, but otherwise letting him be.

So far he's resurfaced and moved on the top of his bedding to the cool side to sort of lengthen out around the perimeter corner of his cage. He was part in his water bowl. I think that was just because the water happens to be in the corner. When I saw him that way I said my hellos to him, and he slowly postured his head up but didn't rattle. He just sort of stared at me, sort of like, "Nothing going on. Just sitting here. Doing snake things. Thinking snake thoughts."
 

jovamabob

Hatchling Member
That sounds good :D He does sound very cute! :) Let me know how you get on - im taking on several hatchlings soon so i'd love to see if this works on a truly annoyed snake. I maintain that Sebby is partially sighted though - he always misses his food and is constantly pointing his eyes in slightly different directions so im not sure how much he see's of me - which may be why he was so skittish.

He's somewhat of a 'special' little guy.
tumblr_md1834n72o1ry9h3jo1_1280.jpg
 

Menolly07

Juvie Member
Original Poster
He's so handsome! What a great capture. That tongue. <3 <3 Ever since Odahviing (my beardie) I've begun reacting with the "you're so CUTE" to reptiles. There's been something about having a herp that's connected the dots from "they're interesting" to "companion animal" and thus "squeeable". Tho my friends still think I'm crazy when I'm sitting on the couch looking at animal pictures and saying things like, "Aw, they're so tiny! Look at their wittle faces!" Then they come over, because they have to see, and see that I'm squeeing over a clutch of hatching beardies......

I have to post the couple pics I took of Boots. They're crappy cell phone shots for now.
 

jovamabob

Hatchling Member
I do the same! my other half hears me going 'its so cute!!' and he looks, hoping for puppies - im there with a reptile pic just all 'look at the bobble heads!'
 

Menolly07

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Oh... And when I bury my face in 'Viing's beard... under her spikes, where it's soft and it's still warm from her rock. I nuzzle into there. I have fuzzies too, six cats. In fact, our big, brown tabby things Odahviing is her earless, furless, special needs kitten. I cuddle them all and nuzzle bellies and ears, so it's not odd behaviour for me in and of itself, it just seems odd because it's this big, fat lizard whose beard I'm snorrfling or nose I'm kissing. Goodness knows what affection sharing will become normal with Boots, should settling become successful.
 

Menolly07

Juvie Member
Original Poster
...... oh.. and he's on the lam already. I can tell. This little guy is going to put the FU in fun. *sings as she heads off* Snnnnaaaaakkkkeeeee on the run.
 
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