new corn handling...

[ivegotcorns]

hey guys im new here and just bought my first corn today and hes def a young hatchling, so hes not used to being handled yet. how long should it take him to get used to me handling him. i purposely got a corn as my first snake cuz i know they are docile and able to be handled frequently, no fangs either haha. thanks for the input!! ill have pics up soon.

[Nanci]

General Acclimation

You've just received your shipment, opened the box and there's your new friend staring up at you from the inside of deli cup. Now what?

Glad you asked, because what happened to your pet during transit was pretty frightening. What happens next can be even more traumatic, depending on how you acclimate your new pet. Please take a few moments to read the following paragraphs, hopefully before you receive your shipment, so that you know what to do to minimize further stress on your new reptile.

There's a few simple rules to follow which can really ease the transition from their old home here at VMS (the only home they ever knew) to the new home somewhere else in the United States.

First, resists the temptation to tear into the box and dig out your new pet. I know this is hard, but please take just a moment to collect one critical piece of information - the temperature inside the box upon arrival. Just quietly crack the lid and slip a thermometer inside. This information can be very helpful if you should need to contact us later regarding difficulties in getting your pet to settle in.

Second, resist the urge to handle your new pet for a few days. VMS is a commercial breeding facility, housing many hundreds of baby reptiles at any given time. As a result, they rarely get handled other than for routine maintenance and cage cleaning. Your new pet may view being handled as yet another stressful event following the trauma of being packaged up and shipped across the US, ending up in some strange new place. Give them time to settle in and start feeding before attempting to handle them. When you do decide handle them, do it inside the cage if possible or at least on the floor. Odds are high they will be nervous and easily startled - jumping out of your hand for a five foot plunge to the floor can be fatal! Handle only for a few minutes at first, increasing the time spent handling each day until your new pet no longer minds at all.

Third, resist the urge to unceremoniously dump your new pet into his new spacious cage. This can be another real shocker to them. Instead, set the deli cup inside the cage and gently pry off the lid. Turn out the lights on the cage (or even the room if very bright) and quietly withdraw, allowing the reptile to venture out and explore the new surroundings at will. This increases the chances of successfully locating the hide area and water dish, etc. without panicking.

Fourth, don't even think about feeding your new pet immediately. Sadly, this is the first thing most newcomers to reptile keeping try to do. Odds are very high that your new lizard or snakes will be too frightened to feed. Attempting to feed under these conditions can have several consequences:

Uneaten live rodents and crickets may actually turn to your new pet as a food source, gnawing on exposed areas of your new pet! Too frightened to come out of hiding, your new reptile may receive some serious damage.

Snakes frequently seem to associate the presence of the food item with the recent trauma of shipping, and will remember it! This is likely the reason for a juvenile snake refusing to feed after shipping. It simply associates the food item with the traumatic event. We recommend waiting about a week before attempting to feed snakes.

Lizards seem to get over it all a little quicker than snakes, especially very young geckos. Waiting two days is usually sufficient. Even then, feed sparingly! A couple crickets is plenty to tempt your new pet, and you can always add a few more if you see them get eaten. But two dozen crickets running about can be a bit frightening to an already nervous little lizard! Remember, less is better.

Larger geckos may require longer periods to adjust, with some adults refusing to feed well for ten days or more! Some keepers report success tempting such stubborn with wax worms, which seem to have an irresistible wiggle when they crawl. But most will simply resume feeding one day as if nothing had ever happened.

Also, avoid handling your new reptile before attempting to feed. It's more important that it resume a regular feeding schedule than anything else.

Most of the reptiles we sell are nocturnal and feed best in low light conditions. It's best to offer food in the evening or early morning hours, before bright lights and a lot of household activity disturb your pet.

Feed very sparingly the first few weeks after arrival. Feed snakes smaller meals than normal and give lizards fewer crickets than normal. The stresses of shipping can often upset their digestive systems, and large meals may be regurgitated, causing additional problems.

It is of prime importance that your new pet be allowed to settle in and acclimate fully. Constant stress during the acclimation period should be avoided. With proper care and conditions, you should have your new pet for years to come. There will be lots of time to mess with them later - for now, give them a rest!

[ivegotcorns]

wish i had read that before i got him home lol. thanks though!!

[tstephe3]

yeah just make sure you do a little more research next time..

[Sheezy]

Dang Nanci, thats some good advice.
Thanks.

[Snake Dave]

hey guys im new here and just bought my first corn today and hes def a young hatchling, so hes not used to being handled yet. how long should it take him to get used to me handling him. i purposely got a corn as my first snake cuz i know they are docile and able to be handled frequently, no fangs either haha. thanks for the input!! ill have pics up soon.

Actually, Corn snakes do have fangs. How do you suppose they grab their prey in the first place, lol?

Nanci's given you great advice there, but next time make sure you do your research BEFORE getting a snake. Essentially, to break it down for you:

-80 - 85 warm side, 70 - 75 cool side. Heat the warm side with a heat mat as belly heat is the most efficient for digestion and regulate it with a thermostat such as the HabiStat Temperature Thermostat.

- If you don't already have one, get a digital thermometer with a probe to check the temperatures, never guess.

- Leave the little guy alone for 3 days at least, waiting 5 until you feed.
- Change the water every other day after the initial acclimation (3 day) period.

- Give him 2 hides, one on each side of the tank.

- Follow the Munson Plan feeding schedule. This means you need a set of digital weighing scales if you don't already have a set. Here's a link to the Munson Plan: http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50106&highlight=Munson+Plan+sample+feeding+chart

- Feed outside the tank in a plain tub, and leave 30 minutes before gently picking him up and putting him back into his tank.

- Leave 48 hours after feeding before handling again.

- Use paper towels, newspaper or aspen as a substrate.

Bear this in mind, your snake will probably be nippy at first, as most hatchlings are. Don't let this frustrate and/or deter you from handling. With persistance nearly all Corn snakes become tame and docile adults. As you said yourself, bites from a hatchling don't hurt.

All the best and I hope that helps

David

[Wylie]

...

Bear this in mind, your snake will probably be nippy at first, as most hatchlings are. Don't let this frustrate and/or deter you from handling. With persistance nearly all Corn snakes become tame and docile adults. As you said yourself, bites from a hatchling don't hurt.

Either that or they are constantly trying to slither out of your hands and go hide, heh, like my Flash does. He's so squirmy, never shows any aggression towards me, but it's like he's always on a mission to get away and go hide.

Great advice by the way. :)

[rolandslf]

Firstly I wish to add the following as humbly as I can.
Cornsnakes do not have fangs, they have teeth. Fangs are normally considered to be the 2 hollow teeth venemous snakes have through which they inject venom.
I do not intend this answer to be construed as malicious but only as a means to clear a point.
Once again, my most humblest apologies.

Ciao

[MerlinsPop]

Actually, Corn snakes do have fangs. How do you suppose they grab their prey in the first place, lol?

David - Um... no they don't. Corns have teeth. Not fangs. Fangs are specialized kinds of teeth, which, well, corns don't have. Fangs are used to envenomate and are either hollow or grooved. They can be in the front or the back of the mouth, hinged or not. Pretty awesome genetic inventions, really. Corns don't have venom, so fangs would have been an evolutionary waste of time.

Don't take offense...I'm just being snarky waiting for a meeting I don't want to be in to start. I can't really ditch it as I'm supposed to be running the darn thing.

[ivegotcorns]

i appreciate all the advice guys. i hit every site i could find on corns to learn about them and see how i should go about keeping one as a pet. i didnt know about the break in period, but my little guy isnt aggressive towards me in any way at all, ive been trying to hold him for at least a few minutes everyday so he gets used to me faster, but i also give im loads of alone time in his tank so hell get used to that to.
one question about the feeding though, will he be ok feeding in a tub with no heat element? im never going to feed him in the tank so that he will never suspect my hand as a pinkie haha.

[Snake Dave]

Ah, my bad... I just read about that.

I realised about the hypodermic properties of the fangs of venomous snakes, however, I didn't realise they were classed into seperate groups. Sorry about that, perhaps my other advice makes up for my mistake :grin01:

[Susielea]

one question about the feeding though, will he be ok feeding in a tub with no heat element? im never going to feed him in the tank so that he will never suspect my hand as a pinkie haha.

It's perfectly ok to feed him in a tub with no heat source, as the tub will be at room temp, which is probably very close to his cool side tank temps anyway.