Finding Corns

[Whitefire]

I love snakes and have wanted one since I was two. I am now allowed to get a snake, but only if I can catch it(Mom doesn't really like snakes...). I know that we have snakes in our two acre backyard, but I'm not sure how to find one. I know that corns are most active at dawn and dusk, but, then again, our many copperheads are aswell. One of my Mom's many concerns is that I will mistake a copperhead for a corn and will try to catch it and get bitten as a result...Go figure...

Anyway, I'm just looking for any tips that people can give me about where to look for corn snakes. We have everything in our backyard ranging from grass to dead pine trees, leaf litter and piles to a small creek that runs into a swamp. If you have any advice, please post below. Please and Thank You!!

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[CAV]

First question:

Where do you live? "USA all the Way" is a pretty big place, so a more specific location would be helpful. ;)

Is "in the South" a good guess??

[Whitefire]

Yeah, a great guess actually. I was actually changing that as you posted... It now says 'Southeast US'.

[CAV]

1. I'd suggest starting your field herping experience by purchasing a good field guide. One of the best out there, IMO, for the SE is Snakes of North America (Eastern and Central Regions) by Alan Tennant. It is published by Lone Star Books. (FWIW, the cover features a magnificent painting of an Okeetee done by a friend of mine, Ed Acuna.)

2. Study the guide and learn about the snakes in your area. Become familiar with their range, habitat, activites, and become proficient enough to visually identify both the venomous and non-venomous species.

3. Get involved with a local herp club is possible. Many schedule day or weekend trips to field sights. IMO, this is where you can acquire the vast majority of the info you will need to successfully locate animals.

4. If you are seriously looking in known venomous country, exercise extreme caution when skirting brush piles, logs and around other ground debris. A good field hook will go a long way in easing the search and reducing the risk of an accidental bite.

5. Always take a partner with you and leave details as to where you will be located.


Field herping is an unbelievable experience, but it is not without it's dangers. Safety and knowledge are paramount! The most important advice I can give you is this:

If you don't know what it is, leave it be.

[Flygning]

Going out and finding your own snake sounds so dangerous, with venomous snakes about...Perhaps you could buy one locally and tell your mom you "caught" it ;) Good luck on finding one!

[Whitefire]

1. I'd rather check it out of the library before buying it, then I'll think about it.

2. I can already visually identify both venomous and non-venomous snakes in my area.

3. I'd love to, but not possible. I have karate four times a week, homework every day, volleyball twice a week as of next week, and owning a bird means that I have to spend some of my free time with her or she will get depressed.

4. I know that there are copperheads in my area; we have not only seen live ones, but there was a squished one on the road about a two months back.

[CrazyCorn]

I personally think a CB snake is much better for a first time pet, also IMHO if you dont have alot of time and cant spend time with it except maybe to feed it you don't need one. You probably IMHO won't take good enough care of it either if you don't have 1+ hrs time a week atleast to take care of it. Plus why do you have to catch one? Why not educate your mother first? That just my opinion. Not to be rude or anything.

[Whitefire]

I would much rather have a captive-bred snake, but my parents are afraid that my little brothers would take it out and lose it. Dad's a little concerned about a CB snake out in the backyard. I would have time for a snake, just not for any scheduled events, such as a herp club as CAV suggested. And I tried the educate Mom thing, didn't work...-sigh- It took me three years just to convince my Mom that I could take care of a snake and that if and when I got one it wouldn't bite her; I'm afraid to push the envelope any further.

[CrazyCorn]

but my parents are afraid that my little brothers would take it out and lose it.
Locks work good, or educating the the litle ones.
Dad's a little concerned about a CB snake out in the backyard. What afraid of it getting loose or will it be living there? A snake kept in a tank outside in the S.E. east will most likely die from over heating or parasites, also in the winter what will you do? weather its C.B. or not.
I'm sorry I just don't see the reasoning about this, maybe its just me, where do you live in the S.E.? Perhaps you could show your parents or mom this site or another site on cornsnakes and their easy care.

[Flygning]

What afraid of it getting loose or will it be living there?

I think it means that the snake would not survive iin the backyard if the little brothers let it out.

[Whitefire]

He's afraid that my little brothers would take it out, would go outside, accidentally drop it, and let it loose. Or that a door would be open and they would drop it inside and, in trying to catch it, squish it, or not be able to catch it and it get outside and away. No, it would not be living outside. That works nicely for pickeral frogs though... Anyway, I live in Georgia. Sadly, my Mom is a little bit more reluctant in letting me get a snake now than she was earlier. In short, I went to a pet store today, held a very small milk snake, got flung with poop, and got tagged. Very little teeth, no pain, but it stung for a while...

[lil' corn]

Well if u dont much time to take care of any animals in ur house i would say u cant haddle taking care of snake they nedd a lot attecion to how they live

[CrazyCorn]

Again - I stress locks on the cage or educating the younger brothers and not letting them near it unless you or an adult are around, corns are not very fast snakes they are easy to catch if dropped, also CB snakes can survive being let loose, I have heard many times about snakes that were C.B. being found outside many months later, You should also tell your mom about how nice corn usually are compared to other snakes, some milks are not for beginners and do have bad habits such as you listed but most corns do not.

[mugsydugsy04]

mine, lol. when i was little i had to find all my pets, too. once i brought a salamander home from the creek near my house and my mom told me, "since you found it, you can keep it." we went out that night and bought brine shrimpies for it to eat, then we left for the night. when i returned i ran into the kitchen to see my slithery friend and he had escaped! my brother and i searched the WHOLE basement because we assumed that's where he went. never found Slimey :( oop! i went a bit off topic...

i think the idea that someone suggested...go out and buy a snake and tell your mom you caught it is a GREAT idea! if you do decide to venture out and locate one in the wild, just be careful. bring garlic and a crucifix!! jk.


:wavey:

[jjspirko]

Now this is a guess but as a young boy at one time with parents that did not like snakes I bet this is a good guess.

Mom and Dad would just prefer that this young person just not have any snake at all. So they made a deal you can keep one if you find one. They give reasons against captive bred and the whole deal about if the little ones take it outside is a clue to the real issue.

See mom and dad know if you buy one you can't ever let it go free. However, if you catch one in your local area and grow bored with it or they deside you need to be rid of it they know the solution is easy. Let it go and it is done.

Now what I sould do is advise our young friend to just wait but as someone who loved snakes as a kid too I won't do it, no I plan to help you work the system here.

1. I believe you when you say you know a copperhead from a corn. I sure did and one must be pretty dim not to be able to tell the difference between them. However, with copperheads they tend to bite you first and warn you second. While not the most deadly of North American snakes it is NO FUN (experience speaking) to be bit by one. The biggest danger is when you turn over logs etc that you will scare one into striking or step on one. The blend in well so just be sure of where you step and it is a good idea to get a tool like a hoe to turn over logs and rocks etc. Please take heart I heard the same line from my folks "how do you tell a copperhead from a corn you might make a mistake". It is far easier to tell a copperhead from a corn then to tell a camero from a firebird something most of our youth can do quite well. Just be careful.

2. Sure CB is better in the grand scheme of things then wild but when your a kid a snake is a snake and where do you think all the corns we have came from. They will bite and it is not fun when they do it but they also tame down. Leather gloves help but I never used them. I simply pined down the head and grabed them behind the neck. This will piss them off and make them want to bite even more so it is only for catching them. I always tried to tale handle them if I could but you will most likely get bit if you do. Wash the bite and don't sweat it.

3. Once in a cage a wild snake is best left completely alone for a week then add a mouse and hope he eats. Go with live mice as this is a wild snake. Once you get him to eat you can start the taming process. I used to place my hand in the cage (this I did wear a glove for) for a bit at a time. They get pretty testy at first but a little each day and regular feed and they begin to calm down.

4. Eventually they stop being so mean then start holding them a little at a time and just be patient. Some are just mean and don't tame these are best set free. Some don't eat in captitivity these set free as well.

5. The young snakes are best if you find one about 24 inches to 30 inches you will have most likely good luck taming them. It will be less of an issue if you get bit too. A 5-6 foot corn will most likely never tame down (one did for me though) and will put a good bite on you. A 20 inchers bite is hardly worth noticing.

It can be done as a kid I had different snakes all the time that I kept for a few weeks to a few months and some for a long time. Some tamed down some did not. Some were easy to tame and barely had issues with being caught in the first place. Generaly move slow and be gentle and some can just be picked up and put into a bag.

Is this perfect? No. Can you find good wild pets? You bet you can!

As for where to find them here are a few suggestions,

1. Under anything is a good place to look you can even do some set ups. i did this often with a pile of old logs. I would build a nice perfect snake den in a hidden spot in the woods. Come back in a few weeks and check then keep checking each day. Most times I would find a snake though not always a corn. And I did attract the ocassional Copperhead. So again use care

2. Corns love mice so any area near a meadow that has hides is a great place to look. Mice like meadows and snakes like mice.

3. Wait till about one hour after dark and take a flashlight and check low traffic roads. They like to warm themselves on the still warm roads that is how they generaly get squished. In Texas we take slow rides on secondary highways to look for Trans Pecos Rats and Milks and Bulls. It works rather well. So in your back yard area a slow walk with a flash light may be helpful.

I am sure this is more information then I should have given you and I bet my huch about mom and dad is dead on but I remember being that kid myself so I am happy to share what I learned as that kid.

I will also state there is NOTHING wrong with wild caught snakes it is a great way to get genetic diversity and some realy neat morphs started with a "interesting looking" wild snake. They can be tamed. Doing so has its' own set of challanges but if you take the time it can be fun.

Now I never keep wild snakes any more, mostly because I don't have the time to take to tame them, but I still enjoy catching them, looking at them and letting them be on their way,

[Whitefire]

Finally, someone that understands my situation! Thank you jjspirko! My dad will let me have a snake, but neither of us can convince my mom. Aside from that, you're dead on! Personally, I don't think that I would grow bored with a snake since I've wanted one since I was three and first saw a live snake in a reptile house in a zoo.

When I was in CCD, before I went to a Catholic school, we had a program where this guy came in to teach us about animals. He brought with him lots of animals and one of them was an albino Bermese Python. he let us hold it and it took my whole CCD class plus the two teachers to hold it up. They took a picture and I was the only one that was smiling.

[puppypirate]

Here is a little something that will throw a wrench in the works. It is illeagal in the state of Georgia to keep any wild caught nonvenomous snake that is native to the state of GA you can however keep all the venomous ones you want but not the nonvenomous. Soo this will rule out a corn snake CB or WC An option is a great plains rat snake and you would more than likely have to purchase one unless of course you go herping in Nebraska

D BADEAUX

[So Pirate55]

i've hear by buying "Red eyed" corns such as amels and snows that it's legal to keep them b/c they are not those found in the wild. Is there any truth in that?

[darkpbstar]

I would never let a little brother hold my snake, not knowing they are catscans.

[WhiteLips]

Well as a parent I have to put my 2 cents in......
First I have always been an animal lover! and have had some kinda pet my entire life (a long time), I currently have a collection of snakes (so you know I'm a fan) and CAV gave you some excellent suggestions!
But here are some considerations from the other side...
Who will take care of your snake when you are away? What are your plans for the future? college, military? snakes in captivity that are well maintained can live a LONG time! Are you able to pay for the vet bills? (very enlightening thread about $$ a few days ago) food? cages as they grow? light bulbs etc.?
As a person and a parent please do not convince me of anything, please, educate me and then respect my decision- my mother (in her 80's) will look at the snakes through the glass & that it! she really doesn't care for reptiles and thats OK, my daughter (22) loves snakes but is not in a position to have one right now so she will wait. So talk with your mom, listen to her point of view (she might have some insights you haven't thought of) and come to a decision together! Good Luck! and I hope it works out! :)

[Alias47]

i've hear by buying "Red eyed" corns such as amels and snows that it's legal to keep them b/c they are not those found in the wild. Is there any truth in that?

Sorry I missed this almost two months ago...

I did some research on Georgia for someone who lived there that was interested in owning cornsnakes.

You cannot own a cornsnake, regardless of morph, in the state of Georgia unless you have a permit. The only people who are issued permits are museums/zoos and educators. SO if you are a schoolteacher you can have and keep a corn (and the permit is VERY easy to get for these people), but otherwise SOL. The guy I talked to at the Georgia DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) stated he though it was a shame as well...and that they have too many animals on their list that should be allowed for captive bred sales and keeping. BUT with the way the law is currently written it IS illegal...although there has been some legislation in the works to change the way these laws are written to allow for the keeping and breeding of some of the snakes that would be found indigenously in Georgia, as long as they are purchased from out of state or captive bred. If you live in Georgia, contact your state representative or state senator to see if they can help with passing this legisilation.