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bitting snakes!

Rhiannon

Rhiannon

New member
Hi there everybody!
I'm not sure which forum this post goes in but anyway,
I've just been on holiday for a month and the original snake sitter i had organised suddenly turned ill so i had to quickly find someone else. At the last minute my mums friend offered to help although she was not all confident with snakes.
I went to pick up the snakes today and was told that they had been fed and watered but not handled because the whole sitter family was scared of them.
Later i went to handle them and i got bitten by them, they had never done it before so i was really shocked. How do i approach them again without them bitting and regain their trust?
Please help me!
Sorry for the complicated unessarily long post.
rhiannon:)
 
Hi

Well what I was taught is that when you put your hand into the viv, make a fist and the corn will think that it is too big to bit and when the corn somes to smell your hand when its in a fist make your hand flat for the snake to come on to.

I hope this helps

Alex
 
The snake probably was not used to being handled and was very nervous. Just get back on your regular handling schedule and it should settle down.:cool:
 
When you go up to the snake be confident , if he / she bites you keep holding her / him and eventualy he will stop, although it could take a while for him to get used to you again he could calm down quite quickly! :)
 
Corn Snakes strike for two separate reasons. (1) conditioned feeding response. This explains why your snake may strike your hand if you have just handled a mouse. and (2) Fear / protection response. This is the response, for example, of a new hatchling that strikes at your hand to get you to go away and leave it alone. I think that your snakes are exhibiting the fear/protection response due to being moved to a new location for an extended period of time and being exposed to the new handlers. The fear of the snakesitters probably made the snakes even more fearful, so over this extended period of time they developed this behavior. I think they will quickly settle down after you get them back to their normal schedule.
Mark
 
i tried to pick her up with my hand in a fist but i got scared she would still bite me. but i mananged to pick her up wearing a glove and slowly taking it off, she seems fine now thanks for your help.;)
 
Do you feed your corn in its regular housing? I am not sure if this applies to corns but I have heard that you should offer your snakes their meals in a separate environment from which they live. This is, I guess, so that the snake doesn't expect food when your hand enters its enclosure and striking as a result.

I have never had an issue with feeding either of my corns in their enclosures but that's not to say its good practice. My corns have both got great temperaments.

Can anyone "shed light" on this for us?
 
No, its malarky IMHO.

The ONLY way you can cause a huge increase of aggresion from feeding a snake in enclosure is by ignoring proper husbandry.

If you feed in enclosure, you also have to change the water, clean your snakes cage, handle the snake. One time out of 4-6 cage openings per week will not condition the snake. Also snakes fed out of enclosure who seem "friendlier' are automatically get two more handling session per week just because you remove them into the tub and back out again. The highest time for a bite IMHO is when removing them from a feeding tub back home. All my snakes are fed IN enclosure and I haven't been bitten in almost four years.

I believe your problem is your snakes are not calm and they are hungry. I'd fed them, and then leave them alone for a few days. Feed again and then two days later try and handle. I would think this would be the time to handle as they will be calm and relaxed. And full.

bmm
 
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