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TRICKY TO HANDLE 4 MONTH OLD.....


HI GUYS,
I have a 4 month old corn and trying to handle when and as often as I can except 48 hours after a feed, but he squirms and tries to get out of my hands as soon as I pick him up. I know i have to try and try again but I just worry trying to capture him in the tank is stressing him out and I am making this worse, he has never gone to bite but just wonder if it's only going to be a matter of time. Any advice from you guys would be really appreciated, thanks.
 
Some snakes are more "feisty" than others. I have a ~3 month hatchling that bites me 10+ time every time I take her out. I doubt she will ever be "friendly", but with consistent work I know she will eventually tolerate being held. For some snakes, that is all you can really hope for....
~Beau
 
I see, I just hope he does get used to me as I would love to be able to handle him as he gets bigger, thanks for your reply Beau..
 
A couple of tips that helped me, perhaps you've already tried these, perhaps you haven't. Make sure you're not restraining him, just let him move and keep moving your hands so the free one is in front of him for him to move into, then as he moves off of one hand, move that hand in front again so that he can keep moving if he chooses, but never leave your hands. I had a baby that was REALLY fast and I was scared to lose her, so I took a big box and held her over top of the box. It really calmed my nerves to know that if she got away from me, I wouldn't be chasing her all over tarnation trying to catch her again. The value of a BIG box rather than holding inside of or over her cage was that in her cage there was always somewhere for her to go other than my hands, but over the box, the edges were too far away so she was encouraged to rather move onto my other hand as it was the only other safe place to go. I hold for a few minutes and end as soon as things seemed to be going well. After a few weeks I noticed a huge improvement.
Another tip you could try is going in when he's sleeping. Lift the hide and quickly but gently scoop before he has a chance to wake up. That reduces the "chasing".
When they were little I would also sometimes put them down on my lap and let them crawl around, using my hands to block them if they tried to escape, but otherwise letting them explore or hide as they chose.
Persistence and patience is key. A few minutes at a time, every other day or so. After a few weeks your confidence will have increased, and your baby's stress will have decreased. It just takes time. And before you start take a deep breath and make sure YOU are calm. That will also help a lot! :)
 
I tap on the cage a few times every time I stick my hands into it. That way I don't take Rufus by surprise. They can feel the vibrations and he knows I'm coming. He usually sees me and most times meets me at the door, but I still tap about 3 times every time I open the door.

When he was about 3 months old he was quite squirmy, but now he's about 16 months old and is quite calm. In fact I can place him on my neck and he'll wrap around and sit there all day if I was to let him. Completely different than when he was a baby.
 
wow thanks for that guys and yes I will use that big box idea albertagirl , I think you right there as I always hold him over his tank and in a way he just wants to get back in. Perhaps Karl_Mcknight he is just at that squirmy age and might mellow out a bit as he gets older. I would love to have that bond where he feels secure enough to sit on me for ages.... would be a dream come true and a reason i wanted a corn snake as I adore them so much. Thanks again guys.
 
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