My new corn snakes acting weird.......

Im new to all of this but i got a new snow cornsnake on saturday and she's acting very differently from my other corn snake, first of all she's always burying herself (is this normal?) and secondly she seems so scared, we havnt handled her yet but when we go to get vidic out for handling she zooms across the otherside of the viv and curls up and she also snakes her neck at us like shes going to strike, the lady in the pet shop said she had a lovley temperament but she's making us nervous.......any help or advice...........x

she prolly is really scared new cage new predators new everything its all pretty normal sounding to me, just give her more time itll be alright....

Burrowing is part of a corn snakes natural behaviours

And a wee hatchling is bound to be frightened at first. You have to be confident in picking it up, do it quickly and firmly, it will settle down once its in your hands, its just the initial approach that is usually said to cause the most distress, so you want to get that bit over with quickly and get your snake into your hands where it will feel safer

rara.lou said:

Im new to all of this but i got a new snow cornsnake on saturday and she's acting very differently from my other corn snake, first of all she's always burying herself (is this normal?) and secondly she seems so scared, we havnt handled her yet but when we go to get vidic out for handling she zooms across the otherside of the viv and curls up and she also snakes her neck at us like shes going to strike, the lady in the pet shop said she had a lovley temperament but she's making us nervous.......any help or advice...........x

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are you keeping them in the same tank? thats really not the wisest thing to do...before i go any further on this ill wait for you to answer the question

Yeah, burrowing is completely normal and perfectly healthy, it helps maintain the wellbeing of your snake as they feel enclosed and secure when burrowing.

Basically, you have to give your snake 3 days before any handling (minimum) and at least 5 days before attempting to feed for the first time. Young hatchlings will be frightened of you at first so defensive reaction is completely normal. Don't be nervous, even if she does bite, you'll hardly feel it. If she's a very young hatchling she won't even pierce the skin.

As Tom (TWGarland) said, a firm and determined, yet gentle approach is what's required, and as soon as you start handling just let her roam through your fingertips.

If she bites whilst in the viv or in your hands, continue to handle her for another few minutes. This prevents her associating biting with being left alone. With gentle, consistent handling, your little girl will tame and be relatively calm around you. Make sure you give her 48 hours after feeding before handling again (to prevent regurgitation), and keep handling to a minimum (5 - 10 minutes a day) at that age to prevent major stress.

I hope that helps!

David

Great advice above. Especially the question about being in the same viv.

In addition, please bear in mind that Corn Snakes are every bit as individual as cats or dogs would be. They have their own individual characteristics, preferences and behaviours; two Corns can be very different and you can't assume that your second Corn will be exactly like your first.