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can i hold my new corn snake?

Z

ZackTheCornSnake

New member
Hi i purchased a gorgeous baby corn snake yesterday so im as new to him as he is to me. I just have a few questions that need answering if possible.
When i put him in his tank he immediately went into his hide and stayed there for hours. Ive read on the internet that he is going to take some time to adjust to his new environment and also to me, but i would like to hold him.

Would it annoy him if i was to lift his hide so i could pick him up? I want to be able to start bonding with him a little bit each day so he gets used to me. Or should i just leave him be?

Secondly the temp in the warm part of the tank is approx 72F is this too low? When i woke this morning he was sitting under the branch in the warm end. He appeared to be ok.

Maybe im being too paranoid, and worrying over nothing but as im new to this its seems a little daunting as i want him to be as comfortable as possible.

Hes just over a month old.

Thanks for reading this
 
This is a care sheet about acclimation from VMS Herp:

General Acclimation

There's a few simple rules to follow which can really ease the transition from their old home here at VMS (the only home they ever knew) to the new home somewhere else in the United States.

Resist the urge to handle your new pet for a few days. VMS is a commercial breeding facility, housing many hundreds of baby reptiles at any given time. As a result, they rarely get handled other than for routine maintenance and cage cleaning. Your new pet may view being handled as yet another stressful event following the trauma of being packaged up and shipped across the US, ending up in some strange new place. Give them time to settle in and start feeding before attempting to handle them. When you do decide handle them, do it inside the cage if possible or at least on the floor. Odds are high they will be nervous and easily startled - jumping out of your hand for a five foot plunge to the floor can be fatal! Handle only for a few minutes at first, increasing the time spent handling each day until your new pet no longer minds at all.

Don't even think about feeding your new pet immediately. Sadly, this is the first thing most newcomers to reptile keeping try to do. Odds are very high that your new lizard or snakes will be too frightened to feed.

Snakes frequently seem to associate the presence of the food item with the recent trauma of shipping, and will remember it! This is likely the reason for a juvenile snake refusing to feed after shipping. It simply associates the food item with the traumatic event. We recommend waiting about a week before attempting to feed snakes.

Also, avoid handling your new reptile before attempting to feed. It's more important that it resume a regular feeding schedule than anything else.

Most of the reptiles we sell are nocturnal and feed best in low light conditions. It's best to offer food in the evening or early morning hours, before bright lights and a lot of household activity disturb your pet.

Feed very sparingly the first few weeks after arrival. Feed snakes smaller meals. The stresses of shipping can often upset their digestive systems, and large meals may be regurgitated, causing additional problems.

It is of prime importance that your new pet be allowed to settle in and acclimate fully. Constant stress during the acclimation period should be avoided. With proper care and conditions, you should have your new pet for years to come. There will be lots of time to mess with them later - for now, give them a rest!

**************************

Yes, I know it's tough. I've got two brand new babies just sitting in their vivs watching me, and they've been there since we arrived home from Daytona on Sunday! I'm dying to handle them! But the more snakes you have, the more you read, the more you realize that some snakes get upset, will not eat, and it is very, very difficult to get them started eating once they decide they do not want to. I want those new babies to be relaxed, comfortable in their homes, familiar with everything before I offer them their first meal here in the next couple days, and after that they will get three days to digest. Again, very conservative, but even one regurge for a baby snake can be a deadly event, so I am very careful with them. Finally, after that, I'll feel comfortable handling them for short periods of time, until their next meal and digestion period. Don't worry, they grow up quickly and once they are out of the fragile baby stage can be handled regularly.
 
Nanci pretty much covered the handling part of your question. As for the temp, 72* is low for the warm side. What are you using to read the temp? If it's not a thermometer with a probe, I would not trust it. Do you have a thermostat regulating your heat source? A UTH left unregulated can reach temps upwards of 120* and cook your snake.
 
yea i have a thermometer on the middle of the inside glass in the tank on the side the heat mat is on. the probe says its approx 72. I felt the bottom of the tank earlier it seems warm enough. But then im not the snake am i lol
I hope hes ok
 
Is the temp probe ON the UTH, under the glass, in the middle of it? What kind of UTH is it? You can't really tell anything about the temp by feeling it with your hand. Your skin temp is 91F or so, and anything lower than that will feel cool. 72 is fine for your snake as long as he hasn't been fed, so you have a few days to get the heating situation straightened out. Do not feed him until you have the warm side up to 80-85F, on the glass directly over the UTH.
 
What kind of thermostat or rheostat is connected to the UTH? I know it says it can only reach a certain degree, but it is lying!!! You have to use either a thermostat or rheostat to adjust the UTH. I put my UTH's under the tank and not in it, then silicone my thermostats probe in the tanks in the middle of where the UTH is to get accurate temps. Putting the UTH in the tank can allow your snake to get burned so I wouldn't do that:(
 
I know its hard to do, but try not to mess with him for a while. Give it 5 days minimum. He needs to get used to being somewhere new.
As for the heat, 72 is fine, so the cool side. Put your temp on the hot side and let it stay at about 80-85.
Remember that your probe MUST me touching the glass of the tank, the hottest point in the tank the snake can get to.
 
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