2 questions...

1) Why does my corn not constrict? do i need to feed live mice for it to constrict (i feed F/T) or do they just not do it till they get older? (He is 13 months old)

2) If i get a new snake (a baby), will it be likely to get along with the snake i have now (do they like new snakes)... should i keep the 2 tanks next to each other for a while before letting them "meet" up close or should i never let them be together? I'm planning on keeping them separate cages, i'm just talking about having them out and when i'm holding them or if i let them climb together.

Originally Posted by Haarstad

1) Why does my corn not constrict? do i need to feed live mice for it to constrict (i feed F/T) or do they just not do it till they get older? (He is 13 months old)

2) If i get a new snake (a baby), will it be likely to get along with the snake i have now (do they like new snakes)... should i keep the 2 tanks next to each other for a while before letting them "meet" up close or should i never let them be together? I'm planning on keeping them separate cages, i'm just talking about having them out and when i'm holding them or if i let them climb together.

Most corns don't constrict small prey, they just eat it. Some never seem to constrict even as adults, others enthusiastically squeeze the stuffing out of their f/t once they get bigger. My 2009s don't constrict their f/t, my adults do. So yours may grow up to do it, or might not, as I have heard/read of adults that just don't do it. It's OK if they don't since you feed f/t.

Many people let their snakes meet with supervision. You already know they can't live in the same enclosure. I would be really, really careful until the younger one isn't a tiny baby, and probably not handle them simultaneously until the younger one gets some size, but yes, they can be handled together or allowed to climb on a climbing object together once the younger one isn't a tiny fast moving escape artist of a baby. Hatchlings are so small and so quick I don't like to risk any distraction lest they get away from me. And although corn snakes don't usually eat other snakes, I'd be a little worried about that too with a tiny hatchling & a 13 mo old.

Hey Haarstad,

Tell you a secret to get your Corn to constrict a f/t mice. However, you can not tell anyone OK. You will need some long tweezers like 12 to 18 inches. All you do is move the mouse and the corn will strike and latch on and constrict, but you got to keep moving the mouse like it is alive.

Yes, I am warped because I did that for a 5th grade class to show how a snake constricts its prey.

Love the Fatman

You will also want to observe a quarantine period with any new snake you get, to make sure they don't have mites or anything else that could be transferred to another snake.

Originally Posted by Fatman608

Hey Haarstad,

Tell you a secret to get your Corn to constrict a f/t mice. However, you can not tell anyone OK. You will need some long tweezers like 12 to 18 inches. All you do is move the mouse and the corn will strike and latch on and constrict, but you got to keep moving the mouse like it is alive.

Yes, I am warped because I did that for a 5th grade class to show how a snake constricts its prey.

Love the Fatman

I did try that several times and only once i got it to give me a sorry excuse for a constriction lol, i don't need it to do it... i just saw some others do it so i was curious as to why mine didn't, hopefully cause it's young cause it's more fun to watch when they do it

And i wasn't planning on even letting them meet till the new one is not so small, i will just move the cages next to each other after a month of quarantine so they can start to see each other and get use to another snake around and then slowly allow them to interact with each other, does that sound good?

None of my Corns, Kings, or Milks constrict unless I move the mouse. They all just slide up to the F/T mouse and start to swallow the food. I guess because I have never fed them live. Even the fresh killed, the Corns would just slide up and start eating and only one of my Cali. kings would constrict a fresh killed mouse and he only did it for like 30 seconds or less.

Love the Fatman

Most of my adults will constrict even though I just put them in the tub with the mouse. They strike & coil anyway, even without any zombie mouse dancing. My 2009s and 2010s won't strike & coil no matter what I do, they just slither up and start swallowing. Go figure!

Most of mine don't bother constricting, although a handful do the whole roly-poly-kill routine. It seems to be an individual thing. It's not necessary for the snake to waste energy doing it with a defrosted mouse and I guess some of them just have that instinct.

Mine didn't constrict until the first time it saw a fuzzy - then BAM! Yours may be the same if the 'zombie dance' doesn't work I'd just leave him to do his thing and see what happens in future.

My 09 just got his first small adult f/t mouse last Tuesday. He squeezed it so hard I thought he was gong to pop it, and then spent 20-30 minutes trying to figure out how to eat it. He would grab a limb or a random place on the body that wasn't covered in his own coils and then let go, like "no, that's not right." And of course when I tried to help him, he struck at me. Finally I just put him back in his viv still holding onto the mouse, and when I checked on him later it was most of the way down. Pretty funny though.

As far as the snakes go, give them enough quarantine time, and time to grow, and they should be fine together as long as they are supervised. When they get older though, you will have to worry about what sex they are.