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really anoying snake

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New member
My snake(Renegade) is a weird little snake...First he's tame and always willing to "jump" on my hand. But since he bit me once he has totally changed.....every time I enter the viv he sets himself up in striking position...never really strikes(unless I move too fast).. But I don't know what to do...I used the T-shirt trick,but it only had a small effect...

Anyway, what I mean is; should I be worried..can I do something against it??

Does some one have a clue what I should do??:confused:
 
Maybe you oughtta try handling it for at least 5 minutes daily?That's what i tried with my baby corn, and now she's used to me.
 
I don't buy the T-shirt trick at all

If it's a yearling or younger, just handle it bare-handed. It won't hurt if you can get over the idea of it striking and biting. It's really the only way to get them to calm down. If you have an experienced herper around, let him (or her) work with it until calm. Then you can take it and get comfortable with it. I used to turn my head and grab my biters! It didn't bother me if I didn't see it coming. Just feels like scotch tape or something.
But I feel your pain. I have some BIG wild-caught snakes I always dread grabbing! Even they don't really hurt, it's just a matter of learning the mindset. I have herping buddies way more brave than me, and a near 6 ft. w/c ornery corn doesn't make them flinch! But I paint houses and almost always have cuts and scrapes on my hands that smart when snakes latch on to them!
 
Try putting your hand in the viv making a fist that way they seem to realise it's bigger than anything they could get unlike your fingers and then lay it flat next to him so he can sense you there then pick him up from underneath slowly so nothing takes him by surpirse. Just my 2 cents.

Rachel
 
I am in the EXACT same position as you! My mum gave me her snake to tame him down a bit (he was very flighty and my mum didn't want to hurt him). So after about 3 weeks he was fine and ready to go back to my mum's house. We went on holiday and when I came back he had reverted to his old self x10 the nastiness! :mad:

He bit me several times (a proper chomp too) and since then reacts the same way as yours when I try to get him out. It is because I am slightly wary of him now and he can sense that (my fiancee can pick him up no probs). Maybe that's why your snake is reacting like that? I tried the fist trick but he bit my knuckles instead :rolleyes:

He is slowly getting 'better' though. I have simply persevered with handling. I take him out (I use the look away trick too!!) and handle him until he calms down then let him back into his viv. I do this every day (apart from after eating) and do it about 2-3 times depending on how calm he is. I also just stick my hand in the viv sometimes and let him smell me and come to me rather than grabbing him every time.

Good luck with him, I know how frustrating it can be!

:D
 
The other method I use is lightly tap the viv glass, not with your nail, but with only your fingertip so it is just a soft sound. Your corn should react to the vibration, start to slither its tongue and approach the moving object, slowly move up on the glass until the snake starts to follow your finger - soon he/she will smell you, and know who you are, and should be calm enough to handle him/her. It always works for me!

Let us know how it works out for you.
 
I role-play Steve Erwin and start talking Australian to the little aggressor- "boy what a bloody beaut., his bit could kill a fleet of elephants" and see who has better reflexes him or I...

Then I pounce on the little aggressive hatchling, scold him/her and we hug and make up...
 
Lol@homer!!

Revxus: If I put my hand anywhere near the viv, he strikes at it! Saying that, we had a more productive handling last night. He bit me once, but that was my fault. He calmed down quite quickly, once he was calm I put him back and then had to take him out again a few hours later for feeding. When I took him out this time he was fine, maybe he was behaving cos he knew it was dinner time!!
 
I'm sick so ya know anything most people consider nasty I'll love it and just to add yes i ACTUALLY fell on my head as a baby soooo ya know probably a major contribution. But we'll go with evil hatchling cuz im guessing they could give a nice bite as adults.


Rach
 
The weird thing is...my biology teacher asked me to bring him to school because well...a snake isn't a common sight here...
So I did..(with enough heat en everything...he had a first class trip:) )..

Anyway, he wasn't agro there...he was like the calmest snake I've ever seen:confused: ......

So could it be that he reacts like that(agro) because he sees his viv as his territory???
'Cause he wasn't like that at school:eek:

Haha yes I used the fist trick...he doesn't respond to that...just goes away...
 
Nah, it's not terriroriality

quite, anyway. I can bag snakes that chew me up putting them in the bag, and then pull them out an hour later and they're fine. It's something about disturbing them. Whether they are resting or out and about, I have some corns that are just biters 90% of the time. But they USUALLY will be docile enough to hand to people when removed in a strange place. Temperature, hunger, nothing seems to be the determining factor.
To totally contradict myself, though, I have on more than one occasion put a docile snake into a naturalistic viv only to get an attitude upon removing them from the "penthouse." Put them back in a rubbermaid on newspaper, and they are back to their old sweet selves. :rolleyes:
 
Hehe, atleast you snakes don't bang around their hides all night and keep you awake. I have to get increasingly heavier hides to prevent my amelanistic from doing bench presses with them. He's little but he's surprisingly strong, even the ceramic hides that weight close to a pound don't keep him from banging it against the glass. Every night at around 1 am, I start hearing >thunk< >thunk< >thunk<.

Maybe he's trying to chuck the thing and break free...

I think I'm going to have to resort to glueing down his hides sooner or later.

-Lemur 6
 
LOL, My 2 adult corns which I only got yesterday are already keeping me up at night by tipping their large wooden loggs upsidedown. Lol

Cheers

Alex
 
You know, I have this little hook that I purchased at a reptile show. It's small and lightweight but perfect for picking up the ones that are jumpy and afraid of my hand. I only use it with those and once they are picked up I transfer them to my hand without incident. I'm not afraid of being bitten but I have several snakes and usually busy and time is a factor. I think every snake owner would like to have one for "those" times.
 
I agree passport. We have eight corns and a few are reluctant to come out on their own. The lightweight hook doesn't seem to scare them at all. I slide it under them and as they curl around it I slowly pull them up, slide my hand under them and gently pull the hook away. But then again all my corns are very gentle and calm . I have never been bit or even struck at.
 
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