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Baby wants to bite

EvilRix

EvilRix

New member
Hi,

My baby corn (about 8 weeks) Ollie has recently decided to adopt a strike position when I open his cage. Up until now he's been quite placid and although a little skittish when I first pick him up he usually settles down after a minute. I've only had him for 3 weeks and he hasn't shed yet so I'm assuming (I hope) that his 'bad mood' is due to this process starting. Nothing else has happened to cause him to be upset, he seems healthy and is eating well. He's always exploring his home in a way that suggests healthy curiosity.

Although I'm not currently planning on handling whilst he's in this mood, my question though is, if he did decide to bite me just how much is this going to hurt? I'm very new to snake parenting and I'll admit to being a little apprehensive at handling him, especially if he's in the mood for biting! Should I leave him for a few days of just keep trying to handling?

Any advise on this would be appreciated.
 
You'll lose you hand if bitten!!!

No seriously, have you ever pulled a bandaid/plaster off fast? thats what it feels like when a corn bites you, (a big plaster for an adult) but it doesn't hurt, just makes you jump more then anything.

(s)he may be getting ready to shed which would explain the behaviour, my amel still coiles up and goes into strike position when in shed and i've had him 18monthes, so every 8 weeks i leave him alone for 7-10 days, then he's fine again afterwards. My other 2 corn's are fine during shedding, so it's an individual thing really and how comfortable they feel while in shed.
 
EvilRix said:
Hi,

My baby corn (about 8 weeks) Ollie has recently decided to adopt a strike position when I open his cage. Up until now he's been quite placid and although a little skittish when I first pick him up he usually settles down after a minute. I've only had him for 3 weeks and he hasn't shed yet so I'm assuming (I hope) that his 'bad mood' is due to this process starting. Nothing else has happened to cause him to be upset, he seems healthy and is eating well. He's always exploring his home in a way that suggests healthy curiosity.
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your right when you say it could be just that hes due to shed, even mine get a little ratty when their due to shed, i avoid handling through the blue phase inparticular as you can accidently rip the old skin before it is actually ready to come off, therefore you could also damage the new skin underneath.

Although I'm not currently planning on handling whilst he's in this mood, my question though is, if he did decide to bite me just how much is this going to hurt? I'm very new to snake parenting and I'll admit to being a little apprehensive at handling him, especially if he's in the mood for biting! Should I leave him for a few days of just keep trying to handling?
Any advise on this would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

i would not avoid handling him when hes in his 'mood' otherwise he will learn that if he has a mood your gonna leave him alone, you have to try to teach him that no matter what hes like hes gonna have to get used to being handled, he will learn this with time.

also as hes only 8 weeks old, trust me, if you do not actually see him bite you wont even know he had, it does not hurt at all, if you do see him bite i think its just a natural instinct to freak out a little even though hes tiny but purely coz hes a snake, lol, you get used to it though, i personally have never been bitten by any of my snakes over a year old so i wouldnt be able to tell you if it hurts when their bigger but hatchlings ive been bitten many many times and you dont even feel it, its quite cute actually, they take their best shot and you cant help but laugh at the poor thing. lol. but when you do handle him and he does bite try not to put him straight back in his viv otherwise, again, he will learn that when he bites you leave him alone. you dont want that, he then could continue to bite into adulthood. hatchlings are very known to bite often and they get more intimidated a lot easier, he will grow out of it, get used to your scent and settle down, your both new to each other, i now can handle 3 of mine all at once sitting around my neck and carry on watching telly and their all settled, lol. it gets easier so dont worry. its onyl natural.
good luck with ollie and dont show him your a little intimidated when he gets in his strike position okay. show him whos boss. lol
:D
 
Try looking away at the instant you grab the snake, if you have a reflexive reaction to the snake striking at you (even though you know rationally that it won't hurt.)
 
Yes, I think this is the problem. Although I know rationally it won't hurt I am still apprehensive. I also have 2 hampsters, one of which is a little git and will bite with anger (sometimes down to the bone) yet I have no fear of shoving my hand in his cage and grabbing him (well, mabe a little!).

It's been suggested that I could try wearing gloves until Ollie is calmer, so that if he does bite the rational part of my brain will know I'm wearing gloves and therefore not freak out. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for all your comments.
 
you dont have to worry, it is a baby corn anyway, it will probably miss, or just bump you with it's head. both of my corns struck at me while I was holding them for the first time, and neither of them connected. I'm pretty sure they both just like hit my hand, and the one went for my palm, cant grab much there with their baby heads. just go in there from behind, when he turns around grab with the other hand, and just pick it up, you still need to hold it when it is like this, otherwise it will know that this pose will keep him in his cage. He should be fine after you get him out.
 
Like everyone else has said~ don't worry about it if he bites. That hamster bites MUCH harder than that baby corn will.

Just toss a paper towel over the snake the minuite you open the cage. This will throw off his aim and confuse him long enough for you to grab him without taking a strike. Once yu have him in your hand he is less likely to try striking~ but it may still happen. Expect it~ and try not to worry about it. Baby corns are often nippy (they are pretty sure they are delicious and your hungry~ it's a natural instinct to be frightened) when they get older they almost always grow out of it~ and if your handling him despite his somewhat nippy mood he will stop trying that much sooner.

Good luck!
 
EvilRix said:
Although I'm not currently planning on handling whilst he's in this mood, my question though is, if he did decide to bite me just how much is this going to hurt? I'm very new to snake parenting and I'll admit to being a little apprehensive at handling him, especially if he's in the mood for biting! Should I leave him for a few days of just keep trying to handling?
Click to expand...

It sounds like it might be shed time, but personally, I'd just let him bite me. If he knows you'll back off everytime he goes into strike pose, he'll learn to do it often.

But if he is moody because of shed week, then by all means leave him alone. He obviously doesn't like to be handled while in this state.

That aside though, I don't advise backing away from a testy snake (don't let them scare you). If a snake wants to play "Who's the boss", well... game on. All part of the "taming" process, I guess. :)
 
Thanks Spirit. I've just got home from work, faced up to him and scooped him up (after a few deep breaths). He was as good as gold tonight. No moody stances, not thrashing about. He just slivered around my hands for a few minutes. Since this is only the 3rd or 4th time I've held him I decided to not over do it and put him down after about 5 mins. I'll build up the time slowly, hopefully giving us both a chance to build our confidence.

With regards to letting him bite me, a number of respondents have said it won't hurt and I believe them but for some reason as soon as he goes into a stike stance I just freeze and cannot bring myself to pick him up. It's a totally irrational fear, one I guess I'll just have to overcome. Maybe I'll let the hamster bite me a few times first to get me in the mood for pain :)

Thanks for your help.

BTW, I love the picture of your snake, s/he is just so cute! How on earth did you manage to get such a cool photo?
 
I'm SURE he can sense that fear. I'm also sure the hamster bite would likely hurt more than the snakes. lol

You just need to build the confidence and once you have that, the snake will learn to trust you more.

Here's the full pic
 
I've been bitten by hamsters and hatchlings and trust me, hamsters are WAAAY worse! A hatchling's teeth are tiny, so there's no danger of them going any more than a fraction of a millimetre into your skin. Usually they don't even draw blood and most of the shock comes from the sudden impact of their head hitting your hand.
 
My one new hatchling almost had her name changed to Psycho B***h! She would coil into an s shape, tail rattle and strike. It's hard not to pull away even when they're only 14" long and the size of a pencil. In her mind she was 8' long!I kept at it and put up with all the musking, rattling and biting and she's finally calmed down. If you really feel aprehensive, you could try gloves or socks on your hands to give you added protection.
 
It is kinda cute to see Ollie defending himself. He's very funny and constantly making me laugh. He too rattles his tail. Is this something indicative of this breed of snake or is this something they all do when upset? It freaked me out the first time he did it because I thought I'd been sneakly sold a rattle snake :)
 
EvilRix said:
It is kinda cute to see Ollie defending himself. He's very funny and constantly making me laugh. He too rattles his tail. Is this something indicative of this breed of snake or is this something they all do when upset? It freaked me out the first time he did it because I thought I'd been sneakly sold a rattle snake :)
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Most snakes rattle their tails as a mimic of a rattlesnake. Rat snakes do it, corns do it, black racers do it, etc etc. Dont let it bother you, just laugh at him and scoop him right up.

My 2003 female Amel was so damn fiesty after feedings (done in a seperate tank) she's come zooming over when I went to pick her back up after her feeding and attack my hand, thinking it was another pinkie/fuzzy. It was laughable, you couldn't even feel anything. Their teeth are so small you cant feel anything--honest. She got over that pretty fast and I've never had a problem.
 
It's not really to mimic a rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes defensively shake their tails as most snakes do when afraid. They just developed rattles that make more noise. Even snakes in other parts of the world, where there are no rattlesnakes, shake their tails in a defensive warning. Most of them also coil, and puff up to make themselves look bigger.
 
EvilRix said:
Hi,


my question though is, if he did decide to bite me just how much is this going to hurt?

Any advise on this would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi there,
If the snake is a baby and is actually biting you, you wouldn't even know it unless you were seeing it. I had a baby Snow in my hands once, that was determined to try and swallow my middle finger. At best it felt like a tooth brush rubbing on my skin. As mentioned, if it is a strike, it most likely will be
closed mouth. The best advice I can give is to be gentle, but determined when picking them up. If the "feel" of the bite is your biggest concern, wear some dishwashing gloves till you get over it. If it's the motion that frightens you, try turning your head away just before the "grab", (also mentioned).
 
Hi,

Again, last night Ollie was being very aggressive. I decided to stand my ground with him. I still couldn't face the idea of a direct bite (just don't ask, it's a fear I just can't seem to rationalize) so I followed your advise (and that of others) and wore some gloves. Anyway, when I put my hands near Ollie his tail rattled and he made the scary S shape. I gritted my teeth and went for it. The little git backed down, became all passive and let me pick him up! Once he was in my hands he just slivered from hand to hand for a while and then decided to curl around a couple of my fingers and explore my hands (gloves) with his tonge. I held him for a good 10 minutes and then put him back. I then went to watch TV and realised I'd forgot to change his water. I went back to change it and Ollie was near his bowl. Hi totally ignored me whilst I changed his water and just carried on doing his own thing rather than getting aggressive like he normally would.

Round 1 to me I think!

I will use the gloves a few more time and then try and go for it without them. I really am a coward eh? :)

Cheers,

Ricky.
 
My normal does the same thing when I go to pick her up. Strike pose, tail rattle, the whole nine. Thrashes around like crazy when I do get her halfway up to my palm. I have sworn since I had her she was going to tag me, but it has never happened. She calms down a bit when I get her in my hands, but still has a tendency to rattle her tail. I am also apprehensive about being bitten, but I have made myself deal with it. If you keep snakes, it will probably happen someday and you just can't worry about it. My cats and dog when they are playing with me draw blood sometimes, and I'm SURE it hurts alot worse than a corn bite!

Off topic for Spirit.....Max must be rubbing off on my snakes through the IM...Sneaky took a HUGE dump all down my back last night!! LOL First time I've been pooped on by my snakes. :puke01:
 
just don't ask, it's a fear I just can't seem to rationalize
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Great job!....Dont worry about that fear thing. It's all in ur head. The thought of just "getting bit by a snake" does numbers with the human brain. It's all in ur head and will disappear completely if you ever get bit by a little corn b/c it's really nothing.
 
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