1st time owner worried

I moved my new corn into his new home after handling him (probably a little too much for the first night). He crawled up into the hollowed out tree branch in the middle of his home and will not come out. He was up there from right after dinner time to this morning. The only way I know he was up there was to feel for him because I can't see up in there.

How long can I expect him to stay up there?

Corn snakes like to hide and this is normal behavior - they are primarily nocturnal and are most active at dusk/night. Corn snakes hide because this is how they feel safe. In the wild most people find them in birdhouses, up in trees, etc. He will come out when he smells the prey item you are going to feed him (and more than likely he is out and roaming about when you are not watching him)

He is not "scheduled" to be fed until Wed. And I guess I'm impatient about wanting to hold him and have him be comfortable around me.

Usually you leave your snake alone for a week before handling or feeding. It needs to settle in. It can take months before they begin to feel safe, but you can start the handling after the week, but you do wait for 3 days after eating.

The hide, there is a log hide that has a hidden hole in it that small snakes can get into. I hope that is not the one you have. This is a thread worth reading : http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...t=hide+missing

That is the EXACT hide log I have and he is up in that same top of the log. Will he come out on his own or will I need to cut it open like OkeeteeMom had to do? Now I'm worried.

I do not have any experience with that hide. I'd ask that question on that thread. You'll get better answers when people know you have the hide of horror.

Originally Posted by Pugsley

Usually you leave your snake alone for a week before handling or feeding. It needs to settle in. It can take months before they begin to feel safe, but you can start the handling after the week, but you do wait for 3 days after eating.

The hide, there is a log hide that has a hidden hole in it that small snakes can get into. I hope that is not the one you have. This is a thread worth reading : http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...t=hide+missing

Well after reading that thread about the hide and many others having to cut the hide, I decided to cut mine. A small cut was made and then I cracked the top piece off. He was curled way up in there real comfy. I replaced the log hide with a half log for now until I can cut off all the jagged areas of the log hide. I will post some pics of the "rescue" later. I don't really consider it a rescue more than me overreacting a wee bit.

Honestly the safest hides are toilet paper and paper towel tubes. They are not aesthetically pleasing but safe and cheap. You want your snake to be comfortable and have a place to get away and feel safe. We also use various boxes such as Keurig coffee boxes, cracker boxes, etc. and they love them.

I hate that hide with a passion! I thought I was going to have heart failure when Jasper went missing...