New snake very jumpy

Hi,
I bout a corn snake last Saturday. It has proper warming and plenty of stuff in the viv. He has been fed twice in the viv he is in now. but hasn't shedded yet.

The thing is that when I go anywhere near him he goes bezerk and tries to get out and i get really nervous. If I touch him he hits the roof. I was just wondering what I should do. I'm gonna need to clean the whole tank out shortly and I'm gonna have to get him out.

I'm not scared in case he bites me, but rather that he moves so fast that it would be easy for him to get away, and as im having laminite flooring installed there is a half inch gap right round the rooms.

PS. His name is Dave.

Thanks in ADvacne.

Ok, well first I would recommend getting a book on corns. A great one is Cornsnakes The Comprehensive Owners Guide by Bill and Kathy Love.

Well he could still be adapting to his new home, I would leave him alone for a few days.

You should feed him depending on his size. It sounds like he is a newborn so I would feed him one pinkie every 5-7 days. You should not feed in the viv so he doesn't ingest any stuff. I would feed him in a separate closed container. Make sure he has small air holes.

P.S. Great name.

First off, leave him alone for a while. He is frightened. He is in a new environment, with a gigantic creature poking him and he doesn't know if you are going to eat him or not. Give him a few days to get used to his new home. Then you can start handling him for a short period (10 minutes or so) each day. He will still be frightened and may freak out, but be patient and gentle with him and he will settle down eventually.

Secondly, if you only got him Saturday and have fed him twice already, you are feeding him too much. Cut back to once every 5 days or so. Baby snakes shed about once a month. You've had him less than a week, so it stands to reason that you haven't seen him shed. It's OK, he'll shed when he's ready.

Finally, if you are feeding him in his viv, make sure you have a substrate that he can't accidentally swallow with his food. Newspaper, Astroturf, or reptile carpet are OK to feed on. I don't like the last two for other reasons, but that's a different post.

Just be patient with him, I think the best thing you could do right now is just let him settle into his home for a while longer without being bothered. Considering that hes only been in his new home for 4 days its understandable that he would be a little jumpy still. Just give him some time.

Yea man, don't worry about it. Just remember to let him chill a little bit. Also, take to heart what Becky and Dave said about feeding him on substrate, the last thing you want is a sick baby. Besides, at least you can get your corn to actually eat his meals...

BeckyG said:

Secondly, if you only got him Saturday and have fed him twice already, you are feeding him too much. Cut back to once every 5 days or so. Baby snakes shed about once a month. You've had him less than a week, so it stands to reason that you haven't seen him shed. It's OK, he'll shed when he's ready.

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It was nearly 2 weeks ago I got him, LAST Saturday.

I fed him the monday after i got him which was 1 week after the last feeding, then again saturday, which is about 5 days between.

Ah, I see. Well that's ok then. Every five days is a good schedule for a hatchling.

You're right to be worried about escapes, hatchlings can be mad little things to hold and just do a search on the term 'lost' and you'll find how many of us have thought our snake was secure in a feeding tub etc then lost a snake. Perhaps you can put the snake into a small tub while it's still in the viv?