Mean Adult Corn

Hi everyone, I'm new here and hope someone can offer some advice

An acquaintance of mine owned a beautiful charcoal corn snake for a long time but he wanted nothing to do with it. Apparently it was a gift. He never cleaned its tank or handled it at all. When it came time to feed it, he literally just opened the lid and threw in a dead mouse. When I found this out I got angry because that's abuse in my book. I badgered him until he finally gave in and just dropped the whole tank onto my doorstep and walked away.

So now I have this snake and I want to clean out his tank and give him a nice place to live (heating, water, clean shavings, cave, etc) but the second I open the lid, he tries to attack me. I understand why he's doing it but it really is scary to see a snake that big lunging at me the way he does. I don't even have to reach in...he'll come right on out to get me. It would be comical if he wasn't so big.

Handling him is my last concern. I just really need to clean his tank. There's actual mold and feces all over and he has no water. I can't believe he has lived this long in those conditions. It's heartbreaking to see.

Is my only option to let him bite me?

You have to get him out!

You don't say how old he is. I don't know if his bite will hurt or not (never had that experience). Put on some thick winter gloves, aand a thick-sleeved shirt (sweats or fleece).

Do you have a place to put him while you clean? an old pillowcase will work in a jam (just make sure opening is secure!).

More people should be along soon. GOOD LUCK!

Well, he might not even bite- he might just be good at bluffing.

Do you have gloves you could put on?

If he gets you- it will probably hurt a little, and bleed a little, but nothing major.

Could you put the viv on the floor, open the top, let him come out, then plop a towel over him and get him that way?

And- once I had ahold of him- I'd hold him a while- just to let him know that you aren't going to hurt him and that if he tries to hurt you, it won't get him put back instantly.

He's just afraid. He'll be ok after a while with patience and gentle care.

Nanci

PS, thanks for rescuing him!!

Nanci

Definately get that snake out and cleaned, whatever it takes. A pair of thick leather work-type gloves and a long-sleeve sweatshirt will protect you from any bites. I can't comment, as I've never been bitten. It is imperative that you get this snake out of the tank, the tank disinfected, and setup properly with the right temperatures and clean hides and bedding. If necessary, you can put the snake in an old pillowcase and tie off the opening securely to hold him while you clean the tank. And it needs to be disinfected, not just cleaned. A bleach solution will do the trick, but the tank will need to be aired out for at least 48 hours. Otherwise, they make reptile safe disinfectants.

I would imagine that with enough time and patience, and proper feeding/handling techniques, the snake will eventually calm down. It may never be docile or gentle, and will probably never "enjoy" being handled, but with time it may learn you are not a threat nor a prey item, and may calm down enough for regular maintenance and some handling.

Good Luck with your project. I think you might need it...

If the original owner wanted nothing to do with it, why did you have to badger him to get the snake?

Also, I recommend a trip to the vet.

Very very cool of you to see the need to rescue that animal. First and foremost a snake living in those conditions is very likely to have some kind of parasites or bacteria living on its body. A simple soaking and cleaning may not get everything you need to off of his body. I highly recommend looking up herp societies in your area as well as a godd vet (herp vet) who can analyze your animal and recommend some solutions in order to help get it back on the correct course. I have never been biten by my corn so I'm not sure how much it would hurt, but I would do as the others said and wear some gloves before handling it, if it's an older corn I'd imagine it may hurt a bit. Although from other threads I've read on corns in here. The comparison of an adult corn bite is similar to that of a boa hatchling, and I have been bit by one of those, not monstrous but it doesn't feel good either so. Anywayz listen to the others, but after research please get that thing to a vet to be treated. Good luck with that stuff, let us know how it goes.

Congrats... I guess.

Now that you've assumed responsibility, you have no choice: you've got to get that snake out of the filthy tank and into a clean one. You might as well kill two birds with one stone and feed him while you're cleaning the old tank, or before you transfer him to a new one.

Here's what I'd do. I'd probably ditch the old, disgusting tank, and buy a new one, or an appropriately sized plastic tub (32qt. +). That's up to you. Either way, you're going to need to purchase a separate feeding tub (Sterilite/Rubbermaid sweater box). I would recommend at least a 15qt tub, but a little bigger would be better. Feeding him in a separate tub will help in breaking his conditioning to attack whatever comes into his tank. It will also contain him during tank cleanings. Put a thoroughly thawed mouse into the tub.

Then put on a thick, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of those yellow, thick-latex dishwashing gloves. Tuck the shirt-sleeves into the gloves. Get the snake out of the filthy tank, keeping it away from your face. An adult corn can't inflict much damage on a human, but a face bite isn't fun. Place the snake in the feeding tub with the mouse, and make sure the lid is secure. It may take some quick maneuvering to keep the snake from bolting out of the tub before you get the lid on. He will probably make his big escape attempt at this time.

Clean the filthy tank with a very weak bleach solution, and rinse very, very thoroughly. Consult the FAQs here for tank set up tips, and necessary temperatures, etc.. When you're ready (and he has eaten or refused), return the snake to his tank. The most important part of keeping the snake will be making certain that his tank is absolutely escape-proof.

Good luck. Don't forget to use the "search" function and the FAQs to answer almost all basic questions. Don't be shocked if this snake doesn't become puppy-tame anytime soon. Don't be shocked if it remains "high strung" for a looong time. But it should mellow out somewhat in time.

Dean has provided you excellent advice!!!! Do it as soon as possible! Good luck!!!

Pat GC

Thank you all so much for the advice!!

Joolz, you asked why I had to badger the original owner so I'll address that before I forget. It was a gift his girlfriend got for him because she saw it in a pet store and thought it 'looked cool'. From what I understand, it wasn't something he expressed an interest in or researched. It was an impulse buy that resulted in this poor snake being treated this way. He thought all it needed to survive was a dead mouse thrown in once a week and that's 'good enough'. I work with this guy so we're not really friends or whatever and I don't want to judge him but anyone who says things like, "A snake is like a goldfish...you toss in some food and if it dies, oh well." doesn't deserve to have pets of any kind. It's harsh, but true.

I offered to buy the snake from him but he finally just gave in and left the tank in the snow on my doorstep. I know it's not right to badger people like I did but sometimes that's the only thing that works and I would do it again if I had to.

So here's what I'm going to do...let me know if it's right or not:

- I'm going to go get a new tank, one of those under tank heaters I read about on this forum, substrate, a decent hiding place and water dish.

- Put on some gloves and a sweater...and maybe a hockey mask...lol

- Open the tank lid and tell him to come get me...because he sure will, then try and feed him in a separate container and then put him in his new home and give him some time to adjust.

Should I try and bathe him before taking him to a vet or skip the bath for now?

I'm not worried about him being super friendly or anything right now. I just really want to make him feel a little better if I can. Thank you all for the
advice. I'll be sure to update you as we go along. If I don't post again, it probably means he took me out in a blaze of glory.

*fingers crossed....and gloved*