Do you guys see this behavior and why?

So guys,

I read a lot of posts online from people who say their snakes are biting. Now for my snake (11 year old Julius), I do not think it is aggression.

I moved to Ottawa, Canada a few years ago and was not able to take my corn. My parents took care of him for a while. He had not been handled very much because he bit my father by accident once. Since I got him back, I must say I haven't been the best owner, but am on track again. I love this snake!

He is doing some things these days that I am curious about. For starters, he is twitching quite a bit, at times, when I hold him, or get near his face. I heard this twitching can be a mating thing, or maybe he just needs to get used to being held more again? Another thing is that lately, he has been mistaking my arm for food. He will smell around and go for my arm quite a bit as if he thinks it is food. Is this at all normal? I always wash my hands and arms before holding and after.

Lastly, I think he is thin, so I have been feeding once a week now to bulk him up for the last few weeks, about two adult mice each week. I have seen people do this with a thinner snake. Is this alright? Do you guys think he is thin? Oh, and I fed him today!

Any advice would be fantastic guys! Thanks so much!

The twitching could be defensive or mating. The trying to eat you is because he's hungry. That said, 2 mice a week is too much. You can overload their system that way. 1 mouse a week until he's a normal is better as you want slow but steady weight gain. Get a kitchen food scale and use that to keep track of his weight.

Shiari said:

The twitching could be defensive or mating. The trying to eat you is because he's hungry. That said, 2 mice a week is too much. You can overload their system that way. 1 mouse a week until he's a normal is better as you want slow but steady weight gain. Get a kitchen food scale and use that to keep track of his weight.

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Thank you for the reply. I have been wondering about 1 or 2 and for sure I will stick to one from now on. Now, how do I kno what the correct weight should be for my snake. He does look thin, but do you think I should get him checked out at the vet?

Also, I am aware that corn snakes rarely bite, and when they do, it can be because they are hungry, or they smell food on you. I was before I handle and after, so that's not it, but being hungry maybe. Although I feed once a week now, so why would it still be hungry?

Thanks again for the advice

A vet exam is always a good idea. Bring a fresh fecal sample with you too. At the correct weight, while the spine should be the highest point on the back, the sides should be straight up and down and gently rounded near the top to the spine. On him you can see he is overall triangle shaped.

And yes, the bites can still be hunger even on that feeding regime. He's underweight so his instincts are driving him to gorge, but that's not healthy. But I've also had fat snakes do taste-test bites because corns are a bit like labrador retrievers; they will eat until they explode.

Twitching can also be the early process of separating the old skin from the new. They sometimes do this in preparation for a shed. So the next question should be, when was the last time he shed?

Karl_Mcknight said:

Twitching can also be the early process of separating the old skin from the new. They sometimes do this in preparation for a shed. So the next question should be, when was the last time he shed?

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I don't know exactly when he shed last, but it was maybe around four weeks ago I would say.

I read this post after welcoming you to the forum. He does appear thin, but you got good advice already. Get a fecal sample and hopefully it's just internal parasites, which can be treated. He should not be thin eating that much. Let us know what you find out.

Twolunger said:

I read this post after welcoming you to the forum. He does appear thin, but you got good advice already. Get a fecal sample and hopefully it's just internal parasites, which can be treated. He should not be thin eating that much. Let us know what you find out.

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Well I wasn't feeding him regularly up until a little while ago, which again was my wrong doing and stupidity, (And I will take him to the vet to make sure), but I think he has gained some wait since feeding him more often, so that's a good sign.