I was handling my snake in her "play tub," touching her mid-section as she would move around and at some point, faster than I could even see it coming she turn around and just head butted me. No open mouth, no hissing, just a quick smack with her head? Is it normal snake behaviour? When do they normally do that? I saw animal documentaries showing male snakes fighting for rights to mate, but female corn snakes?
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Head butting snake
- Thread starter Ayidah
- Start date
can't say I've had my corn do that...Yeah, a corn snake, definitely. No bite, nothing, just knocking her head against my hand fast enough for me to feel it like a light smack. I never saw her strike at anything, not even food. She did however do a fake strike at me once when I was about to pick her in her viv and she felt cornered.
A fake strike is a warning strike. I saw snakes do it in documentaries too. She basically did half of the movement and did not stretched her body all out towards my hand. I did not have time to get my hand away and was lucky she did not do a real strike. She did not hit me with her nose, but sideways with the side of her head...
NH93
New member
What you are describing is a failed strike, not a fake strike. From no evidence that I've found, I can't say that's a real thing.
Which documentary did you watch?
Keep in mind that documentaries follow a pattern (the 3 "V's"), and are quite one-sided. I love them, but you should be critical when you watch them. Just because it's a documentary doesn't make it true.
Which documentary did you watch?
Keep in mind that documentaries follow a pattern (the 3 "V's"), and are quite one-sided. I love them, but you should be critical when you watch them. Just because it's a documentary doesn't make it true.
True what you said about documentaries. It was just showing cobras doing a few fake strikes before going all out and striking when it was for defensive purposes and not to eat. But these are venemous snakes... Also, the time when she hit me with the side of her head was a separate incident. Do you still think her intent was to strike and bite, but that she just missed me?
drybgerg
Greg
Yes I've had snakes do that.
Our snake has done that to me once and I had my hand in the viv, moving things. I believe it is a warning because when Alberto did it, he coiled back and sprung, he didn't have his mouth open. The guy I consider an "expert" told me it is a warning, if they want to bite, they spring with the mouth open and there is no mistake.
I have subsequently been bit by Alberto; however, he had just been fed and I was taking him out of his feeding tank. He didn't really bite down, but he did have his mouth around part of my wrist. I think he realized I wasn't food and stopped--he had been very aggressive during that feeding.
I have subsequently been bit by Alberto; however, he had just been fed and I was taking him out of his feeding tank. He didn't really bite down, but he did have his mouth around part of my wrist. I think he realized I wasn't food and stopped--he had been very aggressive during that feeding.
NH93
New member
I have been bitten close to 100 times by my corn, and not once has her mouth been open prior to striking.
I've personally observed all of the following from various species of snakes, so I can't say for sure that corns will do all of these:
- head butt strike against the side of the tub when it is feeding time (not really sure if they are so excited they are trying to strike through the tub or what)
- halfway strike, never gets close, obviously never intended to make contact
- opening mouth wide and then doing an odd sort of slow "strike" and latching on to a finger
- closed mouth strike so far as my eyes told me, but I felt teeth and/or had teeth marks, so I know that mouth was open for a moment of contact, but never grabbed on
- feeding strike where the snake mistakes me for food and strikes and holds on and most likely coils up on me
And probably a few others.
I've also observed one time when my daughter was holding our first corn that we didn't realize was in shed, and the snake started rubbing her nose & head against my daughter and shed in her hands. That involved a lot of what could possibly be described as gentle head butting, but it sounds like what you are describing was more aggressive than that.
NH93
New member
Interesting, good to know! Wish there was more info about it on the interwebs...
I said they spring with their mouth open, not prior to. If you go to youtube, lots of videos there you can see. They open their mouths shortly after they start striking. Sort of hard to see when they do it in real time, when Alberto hit me, he did so before I even realized what he was doing. Very fast.