Hi, am new to this site but just wondered if anyone could give me some advice. My son has had his corn snake from a baby and it is now three years old. The other day he went to get him/her out and the snake went to bite him, which it has never done before. Since then my son has been to nervous to attempt to get him out. I have tried to handle him a couple of times but he/she still seems aggressive and tries to bite, so I have also lost confidence in handling him! I have a suspicion that my son hasn't been handling Striker as often as he claims, I have no way of knowing as the tank is in his room. Would welcome any advice on how to tame Striker again as he is a beautiful snake and would hate to have to find him a new home! Will admit I'm scared of being bitten, but I'm willing to try anything to sort this out. Am just worried that because of Strikers age I'm not going to be able to re-train him?!
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grumpy snake
- Thread starter VEJJ
- Start date
yeah, thats all it is he hasn't been handling him as he says he is, I got a black rat snake that I found in the yard at my house he used to be the meanist thing you ever seen he would strike at you just by looking at it now I can reach into his viv and pick him up without a fuss.
Sooooo many options : )
Well there are a few things you can try. First, don't worry about IF you'll be able to retrain him, just go forward.
- You can use a snake hook to take him out.
- cool your hands down and remove scent by washing first before picking up your snake.
- You can wear a glove and pick him up from underneith. I cradle my ball pythin in my srms for the first minute or so so he has a lot of surface area to be against and therefore hopefully feels safer. Also, predators pick them up from above. grasping the snake by lifting him out of the cage mght help.
- Wear a rain coat if you have to! It will reduce your own fear if you feel he can't bite you elsewhere.
- Don't touch him on the first third of his body maybe. My Ball Python doesn't like it and it scares him.
- if he bites and you don't touch him anymore, he gets his way and will learn to bite you to get his way. Wear the glove and pick him up anyway. If he bites, pick him up again or try to hang on gentley.
- do things in his cage a few times a day, with the glove on and maybe he realize there's nothing to fear.
Don't give up, and he'll probably come around.
- WHat's the temps and humidity? Check all the temperatures, ensure he has his cool and warm needs met. Change his water daily as a way of getting him used to you again. Mist the tank daily and check humidity. Maybe he's cranky because his needs didn't get met and he had no way of doing so for himself.
- Has he pooped lately? Is he sick? Check it out. I'm cranky when I can't poop.
- HOW BIG IS HIS TANK? Ensure the tank is big enough for him to feel like he can get away from you if he wants to. If it's a too small, where can he go? No where, so his only choice is to bite. A 3 foot tank is good for an adult corn.
There's many things to try before worrying or giving up. And, we're all here to help each other!
- oh ya, make a daily schedule/log sheet of retraining activities and follow it. That'll help you track progress and stay on top of things.
Keep us posted.
Well there are a few things you can try. First, don't worry about IF you'll be able to retrain him, just go forward.
- You can use a snake hook to take him out.
- cool your hands down and remove scent by washing first before picking up your snake.
- You can wear a glove and pick him up from underneith. I cradle my ball pythin in my srms for the first minute or so so he has a lot of surface area to be against and therefore hopefully feels safer. Also, predators pick them up from above. grasping the snake by lifting him out of the cage mght help.
- Wear a rain coat if you have to! It will reduce your own fear if you feel he can't bite you elsewhere.
- Don't touch him on the first third of his body maybe. My Ball Python doesn't like it and it scares him.
- if he bites and you don't touch him anymore, he gets his way and will learn to bite you to get his way. Wear the glove and pick him up anyway. If he bites, pick him up again or try to hang on gentley.
- do things in his cage a few times a day, with the glove on and maybe he realize there's nothing to fear.
Don't give up, and he'll probably come around.
- WHat's the temps and humidity? Check all the temperatures, ensure he has his cool and warm needs met. Change his water daily as a way of getting him used to you again. Mist the tank daily and check humidity. Maybe he's cranky because his needs didn't get met and he had no way of doing so for himself.
- Has he pooped lately? Is he sick? Check it out. I'm cranky when I can't poop.
- HOW BIG IS HIS TANK? Ensure the tank is big enough for him to feel like he can get away from you if he wants to. If it's a too small, where can he go? No where, so his only choice is to bite. A 3 foot tank is good for an adult corn.
There's many things to try before worrying or giving up. And, we're all here to help each other!
- oh ya, make a daily schedule/log sheet of retraining activities and follow it. That'll help you track progress and stay on top of things.
Keep us posted.
v_various
secretly normal
maybe you could move the tank too, so the whole family can help with his socialization and enjoy his company.
And I know you're afraid of being bitten, but it's really noting at all. If you have ever been bitten by a dog, cat, bird, or bunny you've already been through worse than anything a snake can do. Their teeth are tiny!
And I've always held the opinion that kids need supervision when taking care of pets, mostly because I remember what I was like as a kid, and partly because I volunteer with a shelter and see the worst of it. I guess it depends on the kid, and how old they are.
I think Tracy hit about every point there is to make, there is no such thing as 'too old', some snakes are naturally mean but since this is a new behavior I doubt your striker falls in that catagory. I'd bet he'll be fine with proper handling (assuming it's not health or environment related). You'll learn lots here - if you decided to stick with striker, and don't forget to post pictures : )
And I know you're afraid of being bitten, but it's really noting at all. If you have ever been bitten by a dog, cat, bird, or bunny you've already been through worse than anything a snake can do. Their teeth are tiny!
And I've always held the opinion that kids need supervision when taking care of pets, mostly because I remember what I was like as a kid, and partly because I volunteer with a shelter and see the worst of it. I guess it depends on the kid, and how old they are.
I think Tracy hit about every point there is to make, there is no such thing as 'too old', some snakes are naturally mean but since this is a new behavior I doubt your striker falls in that catagory. I'd bet he'll be fine with proper handling (assuming it's not health or environment related). You'll learn lots here - if you decided to stick with striker, and don't forget to post pictures : )
snakewispera snr
The Devils Advocate
Watch a couple of austin stevens shows , fire yourself up an go for it.
He'll come round,if you follow the advice you've been given already
He'll come round,if you follow the advice you've been given already
Thanks for the advice people! Don't think he is grumpy because of tank conditions, his tank is a three foot one and I (not my son!) check temp and stuff so I know thats fine. Will persevere and let you know how I get on. Love the idea of having his tank downstairs but unfortunately this isn't an option. When I first decided to get Striker my husband said he didn't like snakes, after we got him I quickly realised this was man talk for ' I'm scared stiff of snakes'!! Still his fault for not wanting to admit his fears in the first place! Thanks again, X