sudden change in temperament?

[Shimmer]

hi all,just seeking some advice,recently aqquired a new corn after not keeping them for a few years,*my then partner objected and hated my hatchlings :eek1:*We've had "her" *i think* for 21 days and shes been really lovely,very placid,great to handle and very curious,shes an amel,the biggest snake I've owned also,mine were just little yearlings,about 3ft in length and aqquired from the local reptile centre,feeding very well and to be honest after struggling with picky hatchlings for a few years she was a delight until about a week ago,then bang she's rattling when you go in the viv,coiling.sssing and striking out for no apparant reason until then she was being handled for about 15-20 mins a day unless she'd just fed then I leave her for about 48 hours to digest,I don't understand why shes gone funny but its been constant for a week now and she doesn't appear to be about to shed,one of my hatchlings used to get snippy then!!you open the viv and she starts,so far she's not tagged me but she seems to be trying very hard,shes not been dropped or hurt when handled so I'm lost as to why she's gone pyscho and its also putting my 8 year old off her too,I'm not too worried about being bitten as my hatchlings used to bite and apart from the strike I never noticed,but I am worried I'll jump and startle or hurt her?should I leave her alone for a while or just bite the bullet and handle her anyway,any advice would be helpful,thank you :)

[CAV]

Here are a few suggestions that come to mind:

1) Small environmental changes can impact the snake's behavior.

2) You might also try leaving the snake alone for a few days. Often, a short break in handling will make a difference.

[Tracee]

Gosh the only thing I could suggest as a non-pro is to de-stress snakey as much as possible, even if that means moving the viv into a quieter room and leaving her completely alone.

Is she still eating ok? That's usually the first sign something is medically wrong, but it doesn't cound like that anyway.

Could anyone have handled or tormented her without you knowing?

Hopefully someone will have an idea what could've caused such a drastic change, best of luck..

[mbdorfer]

If you can't move the viv, drape a towel over the front for a few days, sometimes they just need the solitude. Good luck

[Mangrove]

this is right outa bill adn kathy loves corn snake manual

Corns thrive at temperatures in the same areas that humans find comfortable. this means approximately a range of 70-88 F (21-31C) but unlike humans with self-regulating body temperatures, snakes can't sustain all bodily functions if kept at anyone temperature constantly. there are times when they must experience higher or lower temperatures to facilitate natureal functions such as digestion, embryo development, paracite or infection control, as well as spermatogenesis.
:idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

[Tracee]

Temperament - not temperature.

[Shimmer]

and *lol* yes I was on about temperament not temperature but thanks for the advice anyway,and I already own that book too,and heres the update,turns out she is a he!!!!very pretty looking for a guy,and he's calmed down,left him alone for a couple of days apart from changing his water,he's turned very pale/white in colour so I think he may be about to shed hes an amel so i can't tell by his eyes,possibly he was just cranky cos of that? and it may sound strange but I would swear he's dehydrated even though he has a huge bowl of water in his viv"kept between 65 to 80 with a cold to hot gradient,heat mat controlled by a thermostat,with heat lamp too",had him out when misting my marble newts tank and he slithered under the spray and sat there having a shower and gulping at the water??? and then the same tonight,I know hatchlings can have dehydration problems but I thought bigger snakes might have the common sense to have a drink?:S,but now my local reptile shop says not to mist or let them have to much moisture in their viv? because of respiratory problems but I'm getting confused now so if he seems thirsty should I keep giving him his little shower? or not,he s also refused food for the first time? but that was before his showers and once he was moist he was a very happy contented snake again,so any ideas please,non of the books seem to cover this? :o

plus I don't seem to have this problem with my western hognose?