befriending a corn snake?

lanalizard · 10-21-02, 08:20 AM

i picked up a normal female corn snake yesterday from the show from Jonathan Crowe. Pretty little thing. I set her up in a new cage and all. Its a 1.54US gal rubbermaid with hides and a water dish. I thought that she escaped this morning so i looked thru the cage and there she was under the papertowel (figures). So then i put my hand over near her to attempt to put the papertowel back and she posed to strike and rattled her tail..it was loud, as if she was a rattler....how do i befriend her when he settles in?

by the way, i named her Amelia.

marisa · 10-21-02, 08:27 AM

Hi!
Well new cornsnakes, any snakes, are nervous. First just leave her be for a week or so. Feed her, let her digest. Then you can start handling her.

Just gentle remove her from her enclosure a couple days after a feeding. Hold her for like 5-10 minutes, then put her back. Do this twice a week and I promise you will have a "friendly" corn.

But either way, even my most "tame" and trustworthy adult corns sometimes rattle at me! Its a natural defense when startled. She won't do it as often once she has been handled but she may do it everyday when you walk by, or once per year. Can't really say. But you can handle her more and more and eventually handling will become easy for you and her.

Marisa

Jeff_Favelle · 10-21-02, 08:54 AM

Best thing you could possible do for that snake is LEAVE IT LONE! You JUST got it like a day ago. Let the thing settle in.

jay76 · 10-21-02, 09:25 AM

I got mine at the show too. The temptation to handle him is almost unbearable, but it's best to let them get settled in... but does anyone know when I can expect him to eat? After a week maybe?

Amelia is an adorable name

tai_pan1 · 10-21-02, 10:05 AM

The first corn I got rattled at me. Scared the H?ll out of me. He hasn't rattled since and is quit tame. I also put my hand in front of my corns first, before trying to pick them up, so they can get my scent. Seems to work.

lanalizard · 10-21-02, 03:24 PM

to jeff favelle, did you NOT READ WHAT I SAID? i thought it had escaped when i looked in the cage! i had to see if it was in there..i dont appreciate the caps, if you arent yelling at me, then sorry but if you would have read the post properly in the first place then you would not have reason to post JUST that cuz i am not handling her for another week or so.

thanks all for your help

crimsonking · 10-21-02, 03:58 PM

I tell everyone who gets a "new" snake to let it settle in and adjust to its new home. It'll be nervous for some time. Check in on it after a few days (mostly to make sure water is fresh) and try and feed a few days after that. Some snakes are more nervous and take a little more time to "welcome" you into their lives. Remember how much bigger you are than it is and how intimidating you must be. As said before, minimum handling for a while, gradually extending the time as you and your new pet get used to each other. Also, you may well expect to get a bite now and then,but I doubt if you'll even notice any pain at all.Be patient and don't be afraid of it either.

Lisa · 10-23-02, 08:46 PM

Johnathan Crowe's corns are nice, we picked up one from him last year.

We found she did better once we gave her a substrate she could burrow in. (cypress mulch, aspen mulch).

Giver her some time to settle in and then daily handling. I find our colubrids don't respond to handling the same way our boids do.