Snake Behavior

[Iysley]

I recently purchased a 7 mo. old Caramel Cornsnake.
WhileI have only had her for one week, she seems very
squirmy and defensive when I go to take her out of her cage..I know
it is not going to sit still like a dog but she does
not want to be held at all... I would like to calm her
down so she does not associate me with fear throughout
her entire life..is there anything I can do to help this
or is this just a phase???...Please let me know any suggestions or stories...Thanks

[Matt L]

Iysley,
I handle all of my snakes, and some are jumpy and some are calm. If you only have one, you will be able to devote much more time to it(at the moment) I don't know any true corn lovers with just 1 snake. You are witness to normal corn behaivor, your corn will calm down as it gets a little older and gets used to being handled. The best results will come with a schedule. When do I eat?--When do I get a bath?--When are you going to take me to the movies?(just kidding). I can't say that snakes show affection(don't think there that smart), but at that young age, the snake is subject to being conditioned. It will look for you at certain times for food, interaction,etc.

Best of Luck, Matt L.

[Jr Nimeskern]

HMMM I have a 7 month creamsicle corn female... and shes a little firecracker... she just wont stay still always trying to escape... then I have my 3 other male corns... and they are very calm... they seem to like to be handled... this is just my own observation... but at a younger age the corns will be very defensive, and sometimes will strike out at you mostly for intimidation... the older they get the calmer they become

[Iris]

Yeah, what Matt said. Remember, a week isn't very long for her to have adjusted. She will be very jumpy until she gets more used to her surroundings and you. I purchased mine at 4 months and he was VERY nervous. I didn't know you aren't supposed to handle them for a few days at first so I was bothering him like every day to take him out. Even still, after a few weeks he wouldn't try to run away from me and he wouldn't flinch when my hand came near.
So don't worry, your female will probably calm down as soon as she gets used to everything, but remember also that some individuals are much jumpier than others. You will find out about her personality over time.
Good luck with your new snake!

[LizS]

I have noticed a lot of difference in temperament among my corns. The difference doesn't seem related to gender, but to individuals instead. My corns ranged from a totally calm one to a little spitfire that would hiss, shake its tail, release musk and bite, and both are the same age. The nervous one has calmed down so much over the past few months that it's now among the most docile of my 8 corns.

Also, I don't think corns are capable of affection the way we know it. They don't form communities nor raise their young, so they are not naturally inclined to close bonds with others. However, that doesn't mean there isn't the possibility of a certain level of connection with you over time, but the instinct to be wary and flee is always going to be strong, that's how they're designed.

[Kaz]

I have 8 cornsnakes ranging from 7 months to 3 years, and they too are all completely different. My 7 month old is still very nervous and tries to get away whenever I handle it. I dont handle it as much as I should, so he is still fiesty. My others calmed down as I handled them more and more, but I still have two that rattle their tails at me when I open the glass doors. I just dive in a get them out and they soon calm down. When handling your new caramel, dont walk around and do handle when its quiet and no one around. After only a week its probably wondering where the hell it is!

[lynn]

Don't worry too much about it, I have just got a 7 month old and she is jumpy when I first get her out but she soon settle's down it was the same with my other snake, she was fairly jumpy, mind she still is when she has just shed.

[sunglow]

We purchased our only snake about 3 months ago. A beautiful 7 month old Sun Glow. At first he/she (?) would attempt to bite and rattle its tail when we reached in enclosure to take the snake out. We have been handling our snake about 3 days a week. It is pretty clear to us that the snake is settling down and becoming more comfortable each time we handle it. Our snake no longer attempts to bite or does its "rattlesnake" impersonation.

Our question is -- when taking a snake out to handle, how long should the session be? We have been averaging about 45 minutes with each play session. Is it possible to keep a snake out too long? Can a long session cause harm or stress to the snake?


Thanks,

Sunglow

[pdrau]

Our male is completely relaxed, while our female is still a bit nervous and clingy. I don't think it has to do with gender. I would think, not that I've had a lot of experience, that for the most part the more a snake is handled the less it is going to freak out about the experience. There is always the exception that is going to bite, squirm, or whatnot no matter what you do.

[Simon]

Well I have 19 corns right now but then 4 are in Vancouver.....and which are 1.1 blood red and 1.1 ghosts and the others are here with me.

6 males and 9 females. I handle all of them very often but the new ones that I got form Rich are a bit more slithery....and the females tend to bite me much much more often than the males. The two males that I got from Rich are very calm.....never bit me before. The lavender male is so calm that it doesn't mind being hold at all....but the mlik male just trys to run away from me. The female milk bites me whenever it gets the chance...and the lavender female will try and strick before I pick them up.

But then I would just say that this is really only a coincedence..... I don't think that there is much difference in between males and female's aggressiveness....but if you really want me to chose one then I would say it's the femlaes.

Good Luck and Happy Herping!

[Serpwidgets]

I've noticed there is a general predisposition with them. Most will eventually calm down.

I have hatchlings that are friendly from the time they hatch out of the egg... others are more "normal" and take a good bit of handling before they get used to humans and realize we are not going to eat them... others (like my 4 year old female anery) seem to totally hate being touched by human skin. At 4 years old she still hasn't gotten over it, although she does show more tolerance, as if she's thinking, "ok this is unpleasant, but I know I'll get something I want so I'll try to put up with it."

[Susan]

Each snake is an individual. Some are calm, others are nervous, and some are down right nasty. And they also have the occassional good or bad day. I handle all my snakes about the same amount of time. Very generally, I would say the males are more calm than the females as adults. This may be an instinctual behavior since the survival of the species tends to depend more on the female. The male is important too, but 1 male can breed multiple females, and his part only lasts a short time. She has to carry the eggs, find a place to lay them, etc.

[reaper]

my carolina corn is very active when he comes out. i leave the viv open and he comes out by him self and he always comes to me he does not like anyone else handleing him. i was told this is normal behavier for corn snakes.

[CornCrazy]

Both of my females are very calm, but my male is very active.
My females are content to just lay around. My male is very curious and likes to roam!