HELP pls

[NightWolf187]

i got my own snake today and i went to pick its cave up to get it and it slipt out my hand and landed on it now the snake is fine but very very nervious do i keep tryin to handle it or do i just leave it for a week or 2

[Coty]

All potential injuries aside, I would advise you to give the snake at least a week without handling it if you just got it. Usually, with a new snake you want to avoid handling it for at least the first week. I wouldn't pick it up until it has time to acclimate.

In terms of the potential injury: I am not the most experienced owner so others may chime in, but here is my 2 cents. Corn snakes are usually very hardy. If it was something that wasn't huge or ridiculously heavy I would recommend leaving the snake alone and observing it when (or if) it comes out. What you should look for (in my opinion) is odd, jerky movements. Aside from that, see if there are any issues the next time you feed it.

Corn snakes are pretty rugged little creatures, but they can break ribs potentialy so I just recommend that you keep an eye out for now. I would not necessarily recommend a vety trip yet, usually conventional wisdom dictates that you should wait til you see a "warning sign" such as odd behavior or lack of feeding.

So far my snake has fallen about two feet once when she escaped from a plastic tub I was using temporarily, and once she wriggled her tail free and it swung and hit the side of the fish tank from maybe a foot away. I just left her alone for a bit and kept a close eye on her.

One thing you could do is to minimize the tank's decorations so you can observe it better - use paper towel or newspaper substrate, a water dish, and 2 hides (or a long one like a paper towel tube cut in half that covers the "warm area" of your tank partially so your snake can hide in it and still find a cool or warm spot) and your heat source. This way, without extra plants and decorations etc. it should be easier to observe the snake. Basically, it would be a quarantine tank (which is recommended for new snakes) so you can observe it for a bit to make sure it is all set.

[NightWolf187]

Thankyou for the advice x

[v_various]

I've had snakes fall too, I found out FinFang was deathly afraid of other snakes when he decided getting airborne was preferable to being anywhere near another snake. He flung himself off a 2' shelf. And he was fine.

When you handle him, after some time of course so he gets adjusted to his new home, maybe start off from low distances. Hold him over tables and such, and if you want to carry him somewhere keep him close to your body. Just some suggestions anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine either way.

[NightWolf187]

cheers m8 im glad for all the advice

[Nanci]

Do try to avoid falling, though. I know someone who lost a very valuable and beautiful snake after a fall.

[Caryl]

Coty is correct that you should keep an eye out for injuries, no need to see a vet now. Leaving the snake alone for a week to let it acclimate is also smart. Quarantining is also the right thing to do with a new animal. However, I disagree with the minimal hides idea.

While it seems logical that fewer hides mean you'll see the snake more, the snake may not see it that way. Fewer hides = a more stressful environment, and that may actually result in the snake being less visible because it feels less comfortable.

You didn't mention your snake's age. Babies hide more than adults, and some individuals hide more than others. In any case, you can expect to see more of your corn snake when it gets comfortable in its new home. It's hard to be patient while they get acclimated, but it's far better in the long run - for both of you. Enjoy your new pet!

[Jimmysan00]

Yeah wow! I'm there with your nightwolf. I just got mine last night, and it was going around everywhere, and exploring, doing just fine. Today though she's not very active, and is hiding, but i'm giving her space and time so i don't rush her into things. But i'm still wondering if my florescent blub is too bright and that maybe why she's hiding cuz like i said she was very active with no florescent bulb on and just the room lighting. Thanks for the thread, i got a lot of good info out of it as well.

[tyflier]

Couple things to consider.

How big and heavy is the hide that fell on your snake? I had a big, stone hide in with my boa, and I can tell you if it fell on a corn, even an adult corn, it would have broken ribs at a minimum and probably a broken back. The weight of the hide is VERY important in determining if there should be concern. However, if it's a coconut hide or one of those resin half-logs or something, it probably isn't a big deal.

Regardless, I would take the snake out and let it crawl through my hands, feeling for any abnormalities along the ribs and back. Broken ribs are usually visible, but they are always felt as a snake slithers through your hand. They will jut out at odd angles and you can feel small bumps where the break accured.

After checking for any potential injuries...follow the rest of the advice you've already been given. Leave your snake alone for about a week and let it "settle in" before any real handling sessions, and start off slowly.

Yes...corns are generally quite resilient and resistant of injury...but it still happens. Noticing an injury and taking steps to allow your snake to heal properly can be the difference between a clean heal and a disfigured ribcage...

As an example...I found an adult male Cali king not long ago. He had old retained eyecaps, several puncture wounds and slashes on the belly and 8 or 10 broken ribs. I believe he was picked up by a Sowet owl, which would be able to grab him, but not fly off due to size, and thus he was let go. He could not eat and hydrate enough to shed properly, which prevented him from healing properly in the wild. He was blind in one eye from several retained sheds, had pieces of tail missing, and open wounds all over his sides and belly.

I brought him home, got him well-hydrated, soaked him in betadine/water/peroxide solution to clean his wounds, and put him in a warm, quiet, dark place. After a week, I fstarted feeding him F/T mice(which he had no problem taking right from my hand), and in less than 2 months, his ribs had healed, his eyecaps had shed, and his open wounds had closed up.

He still bares the scars of his ordeal, but he is fat and healthy, and lives in my girlfriend's mother's woodpile, where he has done a fantastic job of destroying the native ground squirrel population. He even pops out occasionally and lets us know he is still hanging around...