Am I Stressing My Corn Snake Out?

I have had my baby anery corn snake named Peanut for 1 month now. I think that he is probably about 2 months old? Anyway, I am worried that I may be stressing him out too much, can't corn snakes die from stress? I handle Peanut every day for probably a half hour x 3, so like an hour and a half a day total. This excludes when he is shedding, the day before he eats, and two days after he eats. Am I handling him too much? He always seems to be breathing pretty fast (his stomach moving up and down from his lung). A lot of the time when I have him out, I'll let him hide in my pocket where I know he feels safer. If I could I would take Peanut everywhere with me, but I know that wouldn't be very good for him.

I have another question. I have large half log that he never hides under. Is it because it's just too big for him right now? It's on the hot side and he never goes under it. Is it the log or the temperature (it's at 85-90F)? Should I get something to replace it? I have 2 other hides other than this one tho.

Irrelevant question. Peanut has a small bump on his back about halfway down his body. It is hard and he seems unaffected by it. Is this normal? I dropped him once, could it be a broken spine or something? Or should I take him to a herp vet? Is that expensive?

Sorry for all the questions...helicopter snake mom here

You can handle it the day before and even the day that you feed. That will not be a problem. Just dont handle after because of digestion. I do not have the experience to tell you if you are stressing it out for sure but I am inclined to say yes. At two months of age its normal for them to hide and sleep alot. A half hour a day of handling might be perfect. I would wait to handle more frequently for a few more months. As far as the log hide. I wouldnt give it any thought. I really doubt it is too big, Peanut might go into it sometime, he is just not ready yet.

The log might be to big if it is the one im thinking of. Corn snakes like to feel secure, especially the babies. For a temporary hide you can use an empty box. Ours likes the ones that those single serving powdered drink mixes come in (like crystal light). They tend to feel more secure since it is a smaller space they can crawl into. Depending on the side of your corn you could even used a toilet paper tube cut in half.

My young corn snake stays on the cold side most of the time, too. It annoys me for some reason. I feel like she should bask in the warmth or something. But, alas, she does not, and so I just ignore it. She digests her food fine, so I suppose it's not an issue.

Plus, I think that when I go to bed, Pyre is a lot more active than I realize. I couldn't sleep last night, and went out into the room her tank is in, and caught her being all active. Perhaps your corn snake is on the warm side when you're fast asleep? If you have a glass viv, and aspen shavings, you can kind of see the trails they make by looking under the tank. Just kind of distribute the aspen evenly, and the next morning, go look under the tank. I can always see little trails where Pyre has been, and so I know where she's been crawling.

I know it's tempting, but If you limited getting your snake out to once a day, it would be a little more comfortable. I feel like picking them up is the most stressful part.

Hey thanks! Yeah I've noticed that too! In the morning I wake up and there are little holes everywhere in the aspen like he has been tunneling! I know I need to cut back on handling...it's hard tho he's so darn cute!

I hear you, Peanut. I desperately want to handle my little fellow but he wasn't eating well at first so I am going to get his weight up and some good meals in him before I do more than say hi on the way to the feeding container. It's so hard when they are so little and cute to leave them be!

Mine always eats fine tho, which makes it even more tempting! But I'm not going to lie...I just put him to bed after having him out for 3 hours. I mean, he couldn't miss the presidential speech about catching bin laden! He has to keep up on his current events. I had him in my sweatshirt pocket for practically all 3 hours, so I think he was okay since he was hiding the whole time.

if you are really handling it three times every day it could very well be stressed out. i think once a day would be fine, but it does need some time to hide and relax. i think you need to lower the hotspot to closer to 84, 90 is WAY too hot for a baby corn. maybe put a couple tighter hides, one at each end. the bump could be a break, but if he is moving and eating well, i wouldnt worry about it. snakes will break ribs throughout their lives and heal up fine. some even vertabrae...if it is a big lump, like a tumor or mass, i would have it checked.

I don't know if you have the money or space for this, but perhaps you should get a second snake. That way, you'd be able to have a snake out more often without putting undue stress on Peanut. Plus, you could stagger their feeding schedules so one snake would be digesting and one available for handling. This is why I got Firefly after getting Sienna. It seemed like Sienna was always digesting or shedding. Of course, then I got Mango, but that's a different story.

Is there a certian behavior you're seeing that caused you to be concerned?

It sounds like you're giving your snake enough time to digest, and you've noted he hasn't had problems eating.. If your snake is eating and defecating normally, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. It's a personal decision how much you handle your snake, and while all day every day isn't healthy, long TV handling sessions are just fine! Especially if the snake is somewhere it feels secure, like your pocket.

Perhaps set a limit for yourself and stick with it if you're really growing worried. Just be mindful of your snake and if you feel like it's had enough, give it a break. I suppose if the snake is constantly looking for a hide and can't find one it could become very stressed. I think you will have to be the judge.

If the behavior that is causing you to worry is that your snake hides when you don't have it out, don't be concerned! It is very normal for young corns to be shy. They prefer to hide in the dark where they cannot be seen. Especially considering how much you handle your snake, definitely respect its alone time when it is in its viv. Whatever hide it choses is probably exactly where it's suppose to be!

Good luck with your snake, more power to you for making it a large part of your life and socializing it at an early age!