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Behavior General topics or questions concerning the way your cornsnake may be acting.

Help need for striking/biting.
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Old 11-02-2016, 02:29 PM   #1
Zeina
Angry Help need for striking/biting.

Ok guys.
I posted this question on the corn snake facebook page and got a lot of interesting feedback and suggestions.

The question / concern is about my amel, Seamus.
He has become, in the last 5-6 months or so, increasingly aggressive in his cage. He's fine being held. But when I go to take him out to hold him, or feed him, he strikes and bites me every time.

So, the main suggestion was that I feed him inside his enclosure, and he should calm down some and recognize my hand is not food.

This is where I need the help.
It's been roughly 3 or 4 feedings since I changed it up and stopped feeding him in a separate box. I feed him inside his house.
Now, every time I walk by or change the water or spot clean, Seamus comes flying out from his hiding spot, and searches for hours for a mouse. If I put my hand in there to clean or fluff about, give him water - he strikes and usually gets my hand / wrist. He's gotten so much worse.

He struck so hard today when I tried to get him out to spot clean that he ended up with a huge mouthful of aspen bedding... He immediately started making these puffing noises and swallowing the bedding..
I put my thumb and finger behind his head * gently * when he opened his mouth, and that kept his big dumb face open so I could take some tweezers and attempt to pull that huge, wet clump out of his mouth. I got most of it, which made him angry but oh well, and he only swallowed a little bit.

I put him back in his cage, and he spent the next 2 hours searching for food, and striking the doors whenever I walked by. I just don't know what to do at this point. I can't have him continuing to bite me and drawing blood- he's going to get hurt, or I am going to hurt him accidentally. I know it's part of snake owning- and I fully understand that- but now it's getting to the point where I'm starting to get scared of him. He's huge now, and I don't understand why his behavior has become to terribly aggressive.

If this is something you think I can try to fix, any suggestions you guys have- please let me know.
If you guys think, you know, he's over 2 years old and he's probably going to be like this for his life... then I can accept that, but it terrifies me. I mean, I don't want to just let him sit there while I throw food in his tank and be too scared to get him out... It's not fair to him.
I don't want to rehome him, either. He's my first snake and I love him dearly. I just want to help both of us.

Thanks guys <3


* Stats for you guys, because I know you will ask lol *

Seamus is fed 1 large/adult mouse every 9-10 days.
He was getting held for about 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a week. ( I have been too afraid to try and get him out lately )
His temps are 85/86 warm side- 74 cool side. He is never ever on his warm side, ever.
I do water changes about 2-3 times a week, and spot clean thoroughly once a week.
He has 3 hides, a large plant to hide in, and plenty of aspen bedding for burrowing.

Nothing else I can think of except maybe he is too hungry? Maybe a large adult mouse is too small for him now? I haven't gotten to weigh or measure him, but if you guys think I need to, I will. He's very hefty, thick and all muscle. He is definitely not underfed or underweight, but I just don't know.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 04:36 PM   #2
BLKfly
Did anything else change in your house, as in do you have the scent of another animal on you? Possibly try switching him to news paper, could be getting bothered by the bedding? Check for mites? Anything that may be irritating him. Try getting him out with a cloths hanger or snake hook until he calms down enough to take him out by hand. Could just be that he is entering into adulthood, I have heard of some snakes getting flighty during that time. Whether or not that is true is another discussion? Hope he gets better for you, that sounds like a difficult situation.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 05:18 PM   #3
DollysMom
In cases like this, I really believe in gloves. You are not a pincushion! Use gloves but handle gently and frequently.

I have very little experience with biting and striking, but I went through a period of time when Mandy wanted to strike me when moving her from her feeding tub to return her to her viv. This was strictly a feeding response and nothing more. At first I just put the tub in the viv and let her crawl out on her own. I recently started giving her some time to settle after eating-- about 10 minutes. Then I very slowly introduce my hand, holding quite still. Then I stroke her lightly about one third of her body down from her head. When I'm sure she knows I'm there and that she's settled from feeding, I can gently lift her back in without incident.

That may or may not help you. Your situation sounds different. But I put out how I handled it as a shot in the dark.

Best wishes!
 
Old 11-02-2016, 07:44 PM   #4
blacktip
I've always found that a firm hand to the butt while saying "no" forcefully has worked in the past...j/k

We have one that has always been a striker and is just now getting to the point where he can draw blood. I feel your pain. Like yours, ours is fine once you get him out but he is a real butthead while in his viv. I would second the advice for using a snakehook. Hopefully this will allow you to get him out without the fear of losing a few drops of blood.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 07:50 PM   #5
blacktip
I failed to mention that all of 6 of our babies have become much more aggressive in the last month or so. Aggressive may not be the best word to describe it but they all have started coming out and investigating my hand every time I go into their vivs to add water or spot clean. They never did this before. I'm not sure what has caused this as the only change is that our apartment has started to run a little cooler now that the summer heat has passed. Maybe they've sensed this change in temperature and the shortening days and are trying to fatten up before winter. I don't know.

In any case, I hope you're able to find a solution that works for you and your snake and if you do I'd love to hear what it was. I may need it for our little butthead.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 08:03 PM   #6
Zeina
Thank you guys.
I will try some gloves or a hook- I don't want to be scared of him, or scared of hurting him. It hurts my heart more to know that something is up with him and I can't bring him out easily and enjoy spending time with him like I used to.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 09:06 PM   #7
Dragonling
I have a pair of leather rose trimming gloves I use for handling bitey snakes like Felicity (or our garter guest, who I have affectionately dubbed "Alligator" for his/her snappy behavior). I think they're worth having.
 
Old 11-02-2016, 09:07 PM   #8
DollysMom
Hi again Zeina. I hear your pain. It's really difficult not to let this behavior color the relationship. Just know it's not personal. The snake brain doesn't work like that.

Most of the time your calm, confident and frequent handling will overcome something like this. In the meantime double-check temp and any other aspects of husbandry that you have control over. Best wishes.
 
Old 11-04-2016, 01:36 PM   #9
Highball
Hey Zeina, I feel your frustration. Having a snake that bites you strains the relationship especially if you only have one or a few snakes.

So I'd say the first thing I would do if I were you is accept that this snake may never be a docile pet. I have snakes like this and accepting them for who they are just helps you not be upset when they do bite you or act like jerks.

These snakes may just have a high feeding response or be high strung or both. When they bite due to stress/in defense, they will bite you but not hold on. When they bite due to high feeding response, they will hold on and wrap around you. It's good to differentiate.

So most biters are high feeding response biters. In this case, I'd go with gloves or a snake hook when taking them out. Once they realize they aren't getting fed, they will usually not bite. Sometimes they will! But yeah, changing the "greeting" may be all it takes to solve the problem. It won't solve him striking at the cage but that may be defensive striking and him just having low tolerance for stimuli, which is just who he is.

I use gloves for some of my big females during the winter. For some reason, if it's cold and they're not in brumation, they want to eat anything that moves. Maybe it's the change in season right now affecting your snake (trying to get as much food in as possible before brumating?). If so, it is very possible he will calm down when the transition is over. You might also consider brumating him if you can do that safely.

Good luck!
 
Old 11-07-2016, 10:29 AM   #10
Zeina
Thank you for your suggestions Highball- I have noticed that he does both- sometimes he will hold on and wrap around, then realize he's never going to fit my entire hand in his mouth... Other time he strikes and immediately lets go, like he's realized he's making a mistake.
It honestly to me feels like every time he has bitten it's out of hunger... He seems to always be on the search for food- and ever since I started feeding him in his cage, he now thinks every time I walk by it's time to eat, and he comes flying out looking for stuff.
I am going to get a pair of gloves and try fishing him out with a plastic coathanger instead of reaching my hand in there... Maybe he'll realize he's not getting food.
Since he was a baby he's always been kinda sketchy, on the edge of looking like he might go ahead and snap at you- but only until the last few months has he just struck and struck and struck, no matter what.

I am not going to give up on him, I'm just frustrated with his behavior. Hopefully we can get him to relax a little bit and still get to hold him here and there =)
 

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