First time snake owner. Lots of questions.

[DollysMom]

That's wondeful! So glad it all worked out.

 

[kdickens]

Congrats on a successful feeding! After my mouse is fully warmed up (I'll make sure it's ready then wait another 3 or 4 min!) I'll use tongs and gently shake it in front of him ... of course he thinks it's alive ... and he'll jump all over it! Coiling around it will make sure it's really truly dead!

 

[axis1]

So I prepared my snakes food correctly this time because he struck it within 30 seconds of putting it in the closed container. He didn't coil it at all but he did with live prey, but I'm fine with that! I'm just glad he ate!

Thanks Axis


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You're very welcome, but the real thanks should go to the patient members of this forum like Dollysmom & Nanci, to name just a couple, who have been so generous with their time to take a few minutes in order to concretely explain to me that Fruit Punch is NOT a gay boxer!!

But seriously speaking & all kidding aside (NOT!!), I have owned reptiles for over 45 years but never realized until I subscribed to this forum that there was so much about just caring for corns as pets that I was clueless about!

The info I share comes from my own humble knowledge and experience but any and all of that would be significantly compromised if I had never came to this particular forum. And if it weren't for the patience of members here who didn't ignore every post & question I generated.

In any case, glad your little sneaky one downed that rodent! There really is no right & wrong way to do something as long as you do it with thoughtfulness & caring. Contrary to popular belief, sensitivity & compassion go a long way when it comes to caring for animals!!

 

[axis1]

OMG! I am so dumb!

Ok, so.... I've deleted most of the original post in the quote and left the parts I need to address.

Axis1 don't worry about sounding/being facetious. I can take it. To long time snake owners that is probably an insulting question , but I am like 100% new to snakes. I know a lot about dogs, fish, snails, and parrots but before getting this guy I had ZERO experience with snakes. I couldn't even tell you the difference between a python and a corn snake! I did a lot of research before buying him and I am still constantly trying to learn more each day. So to anyone on here that is experienced, please feel free to share your knowledge with me. No matter how "common knowledge" it seems to you. It could be ground breaking for me and my snake. I just want to make sure I am doing everything correctly for him [emoji4]

With that being said, this post from Axis1 has helped me tremendously!!

First mistake. I was told to put the mouse in hot tap water for 10 min. That's it. So I did just that. No bag, no weight. just hot water and a mouse.

Second mistake. I waited until the mouse was completely thawed and out of the water for 3-4 min before I put him in a feeding bowl (with no lid)

Mistake 3... Watching him and waiting for him to eat We were just hovering around watching him. I was told never to leave him alone while feeding unless something went wrong. I guess that was just because they only fed live where I got him.

I am going to try again tonight, but this time I'll do it like you said.

BTW- Since you were so helpful before... I'm gonna pick your brain!!

I have his Viv set up with a warm and cool side, two hides, water and aspen shavings. He always feels fairly cold when I pick him up. Is that just because he's cold blooded or is the warm side not warm enough? It's a plastic enclosure and the heat mat instructions said to stick it on the side of the wall not under the bottom of the tank. (I am not sure why)

Also I have a 40gal Viv waiting to be set up and moved into but I am afraid he is still too small for a tank that size. When can I move him from the small plastic container to the big real Viv? (He is 23" and 34g)

Is there a good time and bad time to hold him. A time limit? A recommendation for frequency of handling? (I do know not to hold them after a feeding for 24-48 hours and not to hold during a shed) How can I tell if he's happy being held not?

If I can't hold him after he eats how can I get him back into his small enclosure if the feeding bin is too large to fit inside the Viv for him to crawl out on his own?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their infinite snake wisdom!



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Hi there Firefly!! How ya been?

No explanation necessary, but don't berate yourself. No one can be as dumb as I can be! I once put a quarter in a parking meter and waited for a gumball to pop out! :crazy01:

So needless to say, I am NO expert! Just someone who loves corn snakes and has been somewhat successful at keeping and caring for them for some time now. But to address a couple of questions:

Your snake is not cold because it feels cold to your touch. That occurs because corns are colubrids and can't fully regulate their own body heat. As long as you provide the appropriate temperature variances in its enclosure, your little sneaky one will handle where to hang out!

A 23'' snake can live very comfortably AND feel safe and secure in a 40 gallon viv! The key with smaller corns is to ensure they have appropriate temps (as mentioned), enough hides, one of several different substrates (aspen is fine), and some clutter or vines to crawl amongst and feel secure in. The more cluttered, the tougher to keep it clean, but it's worth a snake's happiness, I believe, to give it as many hiding places as possible. Corns are not good with a lot of open space.

As long as you don't handle your cornsnake for 36-48 hours (at least) after eating, it's OK (I think) to hold it for up to an hour a day (if you have time like that) and until you get to know it. Some of this is only by trial & error, since they can't TELL you whether or not they actually LIKE being held. One of my corns (Chili-Pepper) is so friendly & docile, that if he's out when I unzip his screen door, he will actually come to ME and literally glide right up into my hands! He actually enjoys being held, though he is never totally STILL, like a ball python or a boa, when they get comfy on your arms. Chili just loves to crawl in and out of my hands and arms and his tongue almost never stops flicking! Even when he is blue - though he won't be looking for me, but usually hiding - I have picked him up and he just seems to settle in, though it's not advisable to hold your new cornsnake while it's in pre-shed mode. On the other hand, my Lilly - whom I LOVE to death & adore! - is very skittish and will sometimes rattle her tail or quickly scurry away when I open her viv. I sometimes grab her anyway, just BECAUSE (I just HAVE to hold her SOMETIMES, ya know?), but if she's REALLY unhappy, she will try to straighten her body out against my hands to let me KNOW she's pissed (the only time she ever went after me to bite was when I surprised her once by grabbing her from behind, so as skittish as she is, she's never really NASTY!). But you will get to know yours only by regular handling and if it REALLY doesn't wanna be held, you'll know it! Then you just place it gently back and try again the next day or later on. BTW, it's FINE to gently lift your snake AFTER it swallows a rodent in order to place it back in its enclosure. Sometimes, I tip the tub over and let my BIG GUY, Bozo, slide back in his tank only because I normally feed him a 60+ gram (small) rat, as he IS a big snake and as I only feed him every 2 weeks and even a small rat like that can get a little messy if he constricts it hard enough. But I usually just wait till they swallow their meal (when the lump has traveled MOST of the way down their bodies) and pick them up with both hands and gently place them back in their enclosures. I have NEVER had a regurge from any of my adult snakes in my 40+ years of owning them (the past 8 exclusively with corns). But I also don't handle them until the THIRD day after a meal (it's a preference, not a rule, but think about it - this animal who only eats a couple of times monthly has swallowed a meal that compared to one of US, is the size of a small Brazilian soldier!! Ya know? Just a little empathy!)

In any case, I hope I answered SOME of your questions. As I said, I'm not an expert and most or all of the preceding is the result of my humble experience!

Later On, Firefly!!! oke:!!!!