Where to find corn snakes?

[jsng07]

I must have looked everywhere for a wild corn snake and have found nothing. Where are the best places to look for wild corn snakes and is there anything I can do to make it easier to find one? I would buy one but I much rather have one from the wild. Thank you

[Ken Harbart]

I would buy one but I much rather have one from the wild.

Just out of curiosity... why? It would also help if you clarified where you live.

[jsng07]

I live in South Florida(Homestead).

[BeniciaBrian]

Check the Field Collecting forum at kingsnake.com and the archives in that forum for info.



http://forum.kingsnake.com/field/



I remember that someone recently found a couple of cornsnakes in the wild and posted photos of them.

[bmm]

think that any corns in the wild are already in their brumation for the "winter" although I know its fairly warm in Florida so I may be wrong...but that might be why you can't find anything. But I would think you would have no problem finding wild caughts, or locality lines through local breeders.

bmm

[pinatamonkey]

Hmm...maybe try looking on roads at sundown and night in the spring? I've found about 5 corns like that here (mostly dead though :( ) . Though, I think that may have a lot to do with all the construction around here - destroying the habitat, forcing the snakes into residential areas?

http://members.lycos.co.uk/pinatamonkey/norm/8-31-1.jpg

This guy was found last year as a hatchling on the street in front of my door. I've had no problems with him.

[Susan]

bmm is right. The wild corns here in Florida should be in brumation, but you might have a slight chance on the occasional warm spell that lasts several days. Otherwise, wait until spring to early summer and look for a hatchling (they seem to be easier to find). When my husband worked for a pest control company, he was always finding hatchling corns under mobile homes. If you can't find one on your own, or don't want to try to check under dozens of mobile homes (my husband also found lots of black widow spiders under them), go to your local pest control places and ask the employees to try to find one for you. A box of fresh donuts should open the door for you.

[HaggasCheff]

This might seem silly, but they are Corn snakes, look somewhere there is corn...I think they grow a lot of sweet corn around Miami-Dade Co.? Cornfields are a good place to search when the ears are on the stalks. If you find grain silos around farms etc, that is an even better place to look, as there will likely be piles of trash or some kind of nice habitat close by. Rats hang out there for the corn, snakes follow the mice. Get permission to snake hunt on someone's land though. They might like the snakes around helping them control rodents, and there may be liability issues around farms or especially around commercial grain processing plants.

Also you can go out to likely places in the winter and lay down sections of tin roofing material or similar, go back in the spring and "flip tin". Wear boots and gloves, use a stick maybe to get up under the tin--Corns aren't the only likely inhabitants. Look up as well as down, corns are somewhat arboreal. In the winter, you can think where you might like to hibernate if you were a snake, check those places. Rotting logs etc. I once found a mess of garter snakes just emerging from under one of those green electrical boxes on the side of the road in the spring.

Try not to destroy habitat in your herping. Spring is a great time to herp. Snakes, at least in my experience, seem to be more prolific then, often spotted out sunning in the afternoons. Go road cruising towards dusk. Look under everything. If you stop at a store to fill up, walk around back and flip boards, old boxes, drums, whatever, but watch where you stick your hands. You can use a mirror to shine sunlight into dark places.

[Pepecita]

Just caught a corn last wkend. :D I was visiting my sister who lives in Holden Beach, NC and as I was leaving he was making his way across the street.....the neighbors all came running and there was no shortage of ppl that wanted/offered to dispatch of him for me.....:mad: There was one guy who offered to take him, he wanted to sell him to the local pet store.....Needless to say, "Woodrow" came home with me. ;)
Wasn't sure how he would adapt to captivity but seem to be loving life. I am guess he is about a yr old.....seems very healty with no apparent battle scars of any kind and very happily accepted the two dead mice that I offered him. He is also quite happy being held and loves to wader up my arms and get cozy in my hair. He also seems to rather enjoy having under his chin rubbed. Has not made any offensive gestures thus far, is very docile. I don't have any pics of his new habitat yet, only the ones I took that first nite that I had him .......... don't think he was real thrilled about the ride back to Charlotte but seems no worse for wear and tear. Will post some recent pics of him as soon as I get them.....have to keep him at friends house because others in this house hold are NOT snake lovers.
BTW....I am new to the board.....was very happy to stumble across it. Are there many ppl here from NC? HaggasCheff.......what part of NC?
pinatamonkey...he is a beauty...how much has he grown in the past year?? Mine looks very similiar only juvenile.

[Matt L]

Originally posted by HaggasCheff
Try not to destroy habitat in your herping.


DO NOT destroy habitat while your herping!

Sorry ,but this is a sore spot for me--how would anyone feel if a giant came and flipped your house over and didn't put it back. Maybe there wasn't a snake under that rock when you flipped it, that doesn't mean that one doesn't live there.

Thankyou --I'm better now.

Matt

[jsng07]

Hey Matt L,
Do you or do you not have any snakes of your own? Im sure you do and I just wanted to say that if your so against those who herp out there think about all those snakes you own which you have in captivity. You have them locked up in a cage for life, so I dont want to hear that your trying to help them yourself. Nice try though.

[SnakeLover#1]

All i think matt l was tryin to say was that dont destroy an animals habitat while your out herping.And would you rather live in the wild ware preditors can kill you and the heat is not controlled and you are out serching for food all day/night and thare is parasites and a lilmited supply of watter.Or would you prefer living in a nice locked safe cage with controled heating a good supply of watter/food hiding places and a nice care taker.And im shure most of or all matt l's snakes are captive bred and thay dont know any thing else then being in captivity.So nice try.


Thanx
Zach;)

[helenhighwater]

jsng07 your a little rat snake yourself, aren't you. ;)
Your obvious lack of expertise in such matters disqualifies you in any way, shape or form from "bad mouthing" a member offering you logical, practical, imformative advice.
Welcome to the forums (not!) you little troll:)

Turn around IS fair play. I feeling better now.
I think I just made a new friend, hehe ;)

[jsng07]

how about I just feed you snake freaks to my burmese python, im sure you won't mind since its part of nature, it will be nice to see you come out after being fully digested. Then you won't make anymore comments on others business.

[helenhighwater]

Hateful troll aren't you, oh please, please don't don't feed me to your big snake, oh your freakin me out.

Your obviously not known for your great wit and Charm.

Go be obnoxious somewhere else.

[SnakeLover#1]

Why dont you get of this site before rich kicks you off.You are pretty hateful all we wher tryin to do was help you out and you decide to atack us whith your burmisse phython BS.And about making comments on others business this is a fourum you idiot what do you expect.Why dont you just go let your mom/dad beat you some more.something must explain why you are so hateful.
I recomend counseling.Bye Bye
;)

[jsng07]

I never attacked you guys, you guys started it by saying that it was wrong of me to look for corns in the wild, please dont take this snake stuff to heart, and you actually want to argue about snakes, lmao.......

[SnakeLover#1]

how about I just feed you snake freaks to my burmese python, im sure you won't mind since its part of nature, it will be nice to see you come out after being fully digested. Then you won't make anymre comments on others business.


Yeah your right thats not attacking someone that is a threat.And you said we started it by saying that it was wrong to catching and keeping a wild snake.This is a forum people post thare oppinions.

[CowBoyWay]

Very Good advice, don't be a charging around like a human tornado...

Respecting reptile habitat (whether natural or man made ) is one of the golden rules of herping.

There is a multitude of relative problems/drawbacks one encounters with wild caught specimens that are not generally problems in Captive propagated specimens.
A Heavy internal parasite load is a given with wild caught. :(

A captive bred Corn Snake from a knowledgeable breeder will present far fewer potential problems in its lifetime for the average Corn Snake enthusist to "deal With". Sustainable captive propagation is a good thing.
Some people like a challenge though, and a wild caught specimen sometimes can turn out to be just that.

Herping can be/ should be a very enjoyable, rockin' chair type memory of an experience if done right.

Crashing and trashing through the countryside is not considered good technique. ;)

imho

[RyanRizzo]

just shut up and leave this site you hateful troll
noone needs you attaking us because we try to help if you want to do that make your own forum and rules you lucky that rich hasnt banned you yet\












PPL LIKE YOU shouldnt own snakes

[Matt L]

jsng07,
First! Please go back re-read my post. You will notice that my post said nothing about collecting wild herps. It was only in the defense of there habitat. I have myself infact over the years collected quite a few.
Second! I currently own about 80 snakes all colubrids. I have kept several large constrictors including a 17 foot Burmese python that tried to eat my hand and was unsuccesfull. I doubt yours would have a better chance.
Third! It's really a shame that you had such negative feedback to my opinion about collecting in the wild. The hobby has enough negatives allready. We herpers have to stick together.
Finally! If you exspect anyone to welcome you here in this forum, your next post should start out with I apologize!

Matt L.