any1 help?

[phelo]

I bought my bros 3yr old corn bout 12mths ago,wen i put my hand into the tank she's ok,but as soon as i touch her she bolts sumtimes even tryin to get outta the tank,shes naturally a very actice snake and wen I do hold her she generally calms down quite quickly,she has never biten me but sometimes she can make her tail rattle like a rattlers would. shhe eats well,sheds like clockwork without any probs,how often do i need to handle her to be more dosile or is this just her temperament???
ALL SUGGESTIONS WELCOME:shrugs:

[Nanci]

She's just afraid and isn't sure of what your intentions are before you take her out. Since she calms down quickly after you have her out, I would bet she will eventually become a lot more accepting of actually being "captured" and removed from her viv.

[mitch's da]

Well i see you got your pc working again, but now that your up and running and registered on the site you should put a pic up and find out what type she is !!!

[phelo]

ALREADY DID,SHES A CAROLINA CLASSIC

[phelo]

THANX,SO IF I LEAVE MY HAND IN THE TANK FOR AWHILE BEFORE PICKING HER UP DO YE THINK THAT WILL GET HER REASSURED QUICKER/?

[mitch's da]

Normally would, that's what i do and Mitch is fine with it...
You might have to get some better pic's just to be sure of her morph,
Our's look very very differant to be both carolina classic's..
Get the digi cam out man ......

[phelo]

SHES SHEDDIN,GO TO THE THREA I SETUP FOR THE MORPH ID,THERES A BLOKE WIT ATTACHS OF HIS THREE SNAKES,CLICK ON FINFANG-CLASSIC

[TWGarland]

phelo
THANX,SO IF I LEAVE MY HAND IN THE TANK FOR AWHILE BEFORE PICKING HER UP DO YE THINK THAT WILL GET HER REASSURED QUICKER/?

I'd say no. Corns (in general) tend to quieten down once they've been picked up, its usually the initial approach that frightens.

Prolonging this initial approach won't do you any favours in my opinion. If i were you trying to calm my snake, then i would simply handle for a few minutes each day (each handling session getting progressively longer) and make sure you initial approach is confident and quick.

It'll be the frequency of her being picked up and handled that will eventually condition your snake to understanding you mean no harm.

All the best,
Tom

[phelo]

THANX TOM,I WAS PICKIN HER HER UP AS QUICK AS I CAN,BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS WHAT WAS MAKING HER EDGY,WEN I LIFT A HIDE SHE BOLTS FOR ANOTHER 1,IF IM GRABBING HER WEN SHES TRYNA GET AWAY WILL THIS NOT MAKE HER TRUST ME LESS??

[Jadie.Glitch]

I heard once that snakes don't like to live in a tank where the opening is on top. It makes them feel more secure to be taken out of the viv from the side.

They feel like being grabbed from above is like a predator snatching them up. I am not sure how true this is, but maybe she is at edge because her instincts kick in when she sees your hand coming down from above.

Also, to get her to know you better I would wash my hands with an unscented soap before handling her each time so she gets used to your distinct smell. I know that if I have put lotion on my hands a few hours before I handle my snakes then they flick their tongue at me like crazy and then try to get away. I think they don't know who I am at that point so I try to smell the same to them as much as possible each time I handle them. They are usually calmer during those times. But then again, maybe smelling a whole bunch of different ways will make them comfortable with ANYONE handling them.... and maybe that is what you want... I know I like the 'humanize' my snakes and I just feel like if it knows who I am then maybe it will learn to love me ;), but we all know snakes are just tolerating us big stinky monsters :P

I am not an expert, these are just my observations. If someone wishes to correct me then I would greatly appreciate it so that I can know my errors.

[Caryl]

I'm a newbie to corns, but I'd say you should move slowly yet deliberately toward the snake. Scoop her up about mid-body - too near the head or the tail is perceived as a threat. If you hestiate too long, the books I've read indicate (Love's and Soderberg's) that it makes the snake nervous. You're doing the right thing by handling her. Do it often, firmly but gently. Just stay patient and she'll eventually reward you with her trust.

[phelo]

thanx man i'll remember that

[daneale777]

I heard once that snakes don't like to live in a tank where the opening is on top. It makes them feel more secure to be taken out of the viv from the side.

They feel like being grabbed from above is like a predator snatching them up. I am not sure how true this is, but maybe she is at edge because her instincts kick in when she sees your hand coming down from above.

Also, to get her to know you better I would wash my hands with an unscented soap before handling her each time so she gets used to your distinct smell. I know that if I have put lotion on my hands a few hours before I handle my snakes then they flick their tongue at me like crazy and then try to get away. I think they don't know who I am at that point so I try to smell the same to them as much as possible each time I handle them. They are usually calmer during those times. But then again, maybe smelling a whole bunch of different ways will make them comfortable with ANYONE handling them.... and maybe that is what you want... I know I like the 'humanize' my snakes and I just feel like if it knows who I am then maybe it will learn to love me ;), but we all know snakes are just tolerating us big stinky monsters :P

I am not an expert, these are just my observations. If someone wishes to correct me then I would greatly appreciate it so that I can know my errors.

I'm a newbie to corns, but I'd say you should move slowly yet deliberately toward the snake. Scoop her up about mid-body - too near the head or the tail is perceived as a threat. If you hestiate too long, the books I've read indicate (Love's and Soderberg's) that it makes the snake nervous. You're doing the right thing by handling her. Do it often, firmly but gently. Just stay patient and she'll eventually reward you with her trust.
I would have to agree with the idea to 'humanize' the snakes to make them used to most smells. Of course, this doesn't include the one of mice. This is what I've done, and it seems to work. All of mine have eventually become fine with anyone holding them, starting with me and my scent, of course. Ha ha.
Also, the idea to grab them correctly (in the middle) and deliberately seems to work best for me also. I have an '07 who has become quite ornery lately (I'm thinking of changing his name to 'Zilla) and a little anery who isn't used to much handling. As long as I grab them correctly and deliberately, they calm down fairly fast; which is becoming sooner and sooner. I do also try to make the sessions fairly short, gradually getting longer.

Good Luck. I'm sure your patience will pay off.

[phelo]

thanx for all the replies,they've been very helpful

[bwcwrestling]

I'm far from being an expert but I wash my hands with the same anti bacterial soap that I use to clean the tank and vegetation.I feed in a seperate container and my snake is very aggressive during feeding.If I dont wash my hands in the soap I usually get bit trying to get him out of the feeding tank.When I wash with the soap I can reach in and pick him up with out a problem.Just keep in mind that what works for one snake may or maynot work for another.