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Getting my corn snake out her viv

Tango48

New member
I've got a 9 month old corn snake and I absolutely love her.. she's my first ever snake although I've held them etc but I'm so so nervous when I get her out her viv and I hesitate I need to over come this and don't know how I'm perfectly fine once she's out its the getting her out that scares me ... please help me 😔
 
Welcome. :wavey:

How are you going about getting her out now? What do you feel the issues are? Any thoughts you'd like to add?

I know when I first got my first corn snake it was a little nervous, but got over it by acting confident. The more confident I acted the more confident I was and that came though to the snake and made him confident, too.

It's sort of like that old song "whenever I feel afraid, I hold myself erect, and whistle a happy tune, so no one will suspect I'm afraid" (Never thought I'd be doing Rogers and Hammerstein on cornsnakes.com, but there's a first time for everything) ;)
 
Honestly you just gotta get in there and get her. Over time you'll get over it. I think you're nervous because usually that's when you'll get bit, during the initial pick up. Make sure to always pick up from the side and don't stand right over her and you'll be fine. Plus getting bit doesn't hurt at all, at leas not from a smaller corn. Trust me from someone whose been bitten by snakes much bigger than corns.
 
Would a Snake Hook make you feel better?

I have 2 of these snake hooks. This is a small one ideal for corn snakes. It's telescopic and collapses to about 10 inches long, and telescopes out to about 3 feet long. I have another one that is bigger and heavier.

I mainly use these when I'm out looking for wild snakes, but they come in handy if you have a pet that's a bit nippy, or if you are scared of handling. Maybe the first few times you can lift her out of the cage with the hook, and then as you both get comfortable with each other, eventually you can put the hook away and just use your hands.

You can find these Snake hooks at most pet stores or online.
 

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Yup, fake it til you make it! Even if you're quaking on the inside, act as if you are confident until you actually become confident. You can do it!!

The only thing I will add is to have a plan before you reach in. I have one snake that occasionally tags me when I go to pick her up. When reaching in for her, I first tell myself "she might bite me, but I KNOW it won't hurt. It is suprising because she's fast, that's all. So if she does bite, I'll just carry on picking her up as if nothing happened." For some reason, having a plan in place just makes me feel calmer, and to be honest, she's never bit on a day when I remembered to do that.
 
Face your FEARS!!!

Honestly couldn't have said it better than albertagirl's "fake it till you make it!" or any of the other responses you got! The bottom line is that cornsnakes are amongst the best and most fulfilling pets you can actually have (They don't bark! You don't have to WALK them! They don't tear up the furniture!! Etc.). And to allow your anxiety to get ahold of you to the point where it controls you actually threatens your ability to engage in this self-actualizing hobby! Look at it this way: You can FACE your FEARS or BECOME a VICTIM of them! So DO whatever you gotta DO to get in there and pick up your snake WITHOUT allowing it to sense your anxiety or you'll just continue to act like a NUN in a CUCUMBER PATCH without the REAPING the BASIC REWARDS!!

I don't even KNOW you and I'll BET you can DO it!!! :crazy02:
 
I agree with all these guys I've held many snakes before I finally bought my first snake which is the corn I have now who's still a tiny 19 grams, I hear you though I'm still nervous about getting nabbed when reaching to pick him up, I got the hook Karl has and it's a big help because once they are out I'm fine like you, how ever I've been working on it by hand to. Also doesn't help I'm afraid I'll hurt the snake because in the Viv he always tries to get away once he's out he settles right down. but I've been putting my hand in and easing into him getting used to my hand in the Viv and touching him while in the Viv, still working on the grabbing/scooping him up lol. But my suggestion is get a hook for now and just transition at a speed comfortable to you, you'll get there trust me
 
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