Curious Behavior

So I was feeding one of my young corns today and I noticed that he started to rattle his tail (emulating a rattlesnake) and I've never known a corn to do this. I know it is relatively common among kingsnakes, but this was curious to me. Now my snake had escaped for a couple months (had visitors over and they left the tank open and I did not notice until it was too late) so I'm wondering if this is common behavior among cornsnakes and I just happened to have never experienced it until this point, or could it possible be something he picked up while living in the wild?

I haven't seen this in corn snakes personally but I have seen it in wild rat snakes that we have around there. It seems that they do this when they feel threatened or uneasy and want you to back off. I'm sure you're little guy will calm down given some time. It sounds like he had quite the adventure!

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Hi CarlosI210! How ya been?

Corns definitely rattle when pissed! (Maybe not only then, but I know that's one of the times they do!)

I know this because one of my adult corns (Lilly), the female of the trio I have (also have a young, unsexed one from a clutch Lilly put out last spring). She rarely does it, and only when she's stressed or as I put it, pissed-off! I never intentionally get her to that point , of course, but sometimes when I used to take her out of her hide for feeding (when I could tell she didn't want to come!), she'd scurry to the back of the viv and as my hand approached her, sometimes I'd hear that rattle as her tail thumped with a furious frequency against the side of the enclosure! Scared the HELL outta me the first time I heard it! Probably the result she was looking for though! I mean, it worked because I backed off!

If it's during feeding, maybe it's just the adrenaline they assign towards the hunt usually associated with food(?). Don't know. Are you using live rodents? Maybe an expert here will chime in. Though I've had my corns for a little over 8 years, I'm in no way near an authority, so I even may be wrong about the reason they do it, just know that corns can and do rattle on occasion!

Hoped that helped!

Thanks so much! It did help, although I've had him back for almost a month now and he didn't start to rattle until after I put the food in front of him, before that he was really calm, maybe it's because I just bumped him up a size in food and he was maybe a little threatened, and no I don't feed live I feed frozen, and Eavlyn he sure did, damn near scared me half to death when he was gone xD

Every single one of my corns has at some point rattled their tails at me, either because they smell the food I'm about to offer, they just finished eating and want me to go away faster, or I'm disturbing them by spot cleaning (because how dare I remove the poop upon which they wish to sleep!).

Carlos, I can only imagine what you must have went through while he was gone. I have 6 little scaled babies and I would lose my mind if I lost any one of them. I'm glad that you got him back! A little rattle in the tail isn't a big deal, I think it's kind of adorable

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Glad you found your little buddy! I only heard my snake rattle for the first time a couple of months ago when we were at the vet. So like the others said, no big worries.

Eavlyn it was hell, I am not exaggerating when I say that I tore my house apart xD first I would remove all the clothes checking every pocket then I checked every container and I would take them off a certain room then I'd check every crevice of every piece of furniture and until the room was completely empty and I did this for every room in the house multiple times xD I finally gave up after doing this for two months and I found him a month and a half later on my window sill, I was honestly scared to touch him because I was afraid he had gone "wild" after being gone but he was as gentle as ever, he's always been super calm and gentile and the sweetest of all my snakes, he's just a normal but I have to say that I love him the most and thanks everyone for the support! I was a little freaked out when he rattled if I'm being honest xD

Yeah, I guess it CAN be freaky, especially the FIRST time you see AND hear it!

When my Lilly gets pissed, or hungry, or BOTH, she can sound like a heavy smartphone on vibrate! Scared the bejesus outta me the first time as I've only had a temperamental kingsnake do that before!

Also, I guess it's because this thread came up, because I doubt I would have noticed it otherwise, but when I went to change my 9-month-old's water a little while ago, Ozzy seemed to rattle his tail slightly when I seemed to startle him! I mean, I KNOW I did a LOT of psychedelic psychopharmeceuticals as a kid, but I KNOW what I just saw!

Weird stuff man!!

All snakes rattle their tails when upset. It's just the Rattlesnakes actually have noisy rattles on their's. But if you ever come upon a wild corn snake or king snake in some old dried leaves or gravel and it rattles its tail, you'd think it was a rattlesnake. They sound just like it.

Mine did a little rattle too.

A few weeks ago, I noticed mine do this as well when I accidentally startled him. He's almost a year old so it was super cute. When he realized it was a friendly finger coming his way, he calmed down, greeting me with the equally adorable tongue.

Never forgetti my spaghetti

I have two rattlers. One will rattle only while eating, but rattles at every meal, and the other does it only occasionally when having a bad day.

Dragonling said:

Every single one of my corns has at some point rattled their tails at me, either because they smell the food I'm about to offer, they just finished eating and want me to go away faster, or I'm disturbing them by spot cleaning (because how dare I remove the poop upon which they wish to sleep!).

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So mine aren't the only ones who love to curl up around their poops to sleep? I always thought that was weird! Nice to know they're just being typical corns. Dirty little poop cuddlers. uke01: