Handling a baby snake?

Hey, I'm new here. I just got my first ever snake/reptile roughly 2 weeks ago. He's an Okeetee corn. He's a baby still, hatched in January according to the store I bought him from. Before getting him, my fiance and I did all the homework we could. We've got a 20 gallon long tank, aspen bedding, a heat pad on a prob thermometer, 2 hides, water bowl and a stick for him to climb on. He's been decently adventurous and will explore his cage every night and now even sometimes during the day. He has also eaten twice with us now [once every 5 days] which I've been taking as a good sign.

When I open the cage, his body language changes and he curls up some and stays very still. He used to hide or bury himself so i guess that's a bit of improvement. I change his water nearly everyday and spot clean his messes so I think he is getting used to the cage opening.

The problem now is handling. I read online and watched videos where the handler would gently pet the snake around it's middle to let it know it had company and was about to be held. So, trying not to startle my baby snake, I reached in slowly and tried petting him some. He gets very tense and then runs away into his hide when I do so. I let him be for the day and tried again the next day with the same result.

Does anyone have any tips about handling? Should I just pick him up regardless? Am I approaching him wrong? or does he need more time to adjust to me and his new home? any advice is greatly appreciated!

I got my first about six years ago and was in the same situation it sounds to me like you are doing a good job. Just approach him slow and try not to come at him from right above him if i remember correctly they take that in a threatening way. Do you pick him up at all or does he run and hide every time and you let him be?

All I can say is he's going to be defensive keep picking him up quite often he will mellow out babies normally do this kind of stuff trust me baby corn bites don't hurt


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That's totally normal for a baby. Their instinct is to flee and hide. It really is their only defense. They can rattle their tails and strike but even they know that's all show.

They both get used to handling and also outgrow the baby stage. I always found scooping up a baby with two hands to kind of encircle it help it feel more secure. But whatever you do, babies are just more jumpy. It gets much better. By a year they really mellow out. By two years they get down right laid back if they have been gently handled all along.

Congrats on your new snake and best wishes!

To give you some more hope, I have had my corn snake for about 3 months now, and at first, he was very afraid of being handled and would be constantly trying to escape during handling, but now he has become much more relaxed. He still is a bit nervous about being picked up and tenses up, but once I have him in hand he just wanders around, figuring out where he can and cant go, then calmly slithers into his cage when I go to put him back. Hold him daily outside of digestion time, and your snake will warm up with time.

Thank you for all of the replies! To clarify some, the only time I actually held him was when he first arrived. I mistakenly picked him up and placed him in his viv rather than letting him crawl out of the deli dish. But since then I've only slightly touched him and he always runs. I've been a bit nervous to pick him up. I'm not worried about him biting either, I'm more worried about hurting him or stressing him out too much. I tend to over worry and over think things.


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Welcome to the overthinking and worrying club. I'm a card carrying member. The fact that your snake's welfare comes first is a good thing. Just keep the handling short. At first. I literally start out with 5 minute sessions over the cage in case they squirm away. Now I can watch TV with a snake slowly slithering in my arms.

Just pick it up. The more you hesitate and shaky, the longer it's gonna take for your the animal to calm down.

I've had my corn for about six months? I was in the same boat as you back when I first got him. Afraid to hurt him and stress him out too much, but with advice from my dad (who used to raise retics and burms), I just got to the point where I'd take him out for 5-10 minutes a day to get him used to being handled and to let him know that I'm not there to hurt him.

Now, I can have him out for an hour and he's still absolutely fine. I know he doesn't "enjoy" this handling time, but that doesn't stop him from being adventurous and ready to take on the world while he's out and about. X3

Good luck with your baby!

hmmmm..... my snake must be a bit different.

He very much enjoys being out and being handled. We go out shopping and running errands together and people always want to pet him and hold him, and you can just tell by his body language that he enjoys it.

People always assume that snakes don't have feelings or don't like people. That may be true with a wild animal. You know a wild dog or wild cat will bite too. But a domesticated dog or cat will curl up on your feet and go to sleep, go where you go, and enjoy your company. So why do we assume a domesticated snake would be any different?

If you never handle the snake, it will retain its wild streak. I've heard some folks state that their snake tolerates being handled but really doesn't like it. Ok.... maybe that's true of their snake. I may feel the same way if I lived with them. But after having 5 different snakes, 2 parrots, 2 cats and 2 dogs, I'm quite sure I can tell if an animal likes me or simply tolerates me. And my snake Rufus acts no different towards me than any of the other pets I've had over the past 40+ years.