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Handling

R

Rincewind

New member
We got our first corn snake last week. I was wondering if there are any do's and don't about handling ie as in how much handling is too much? I've been told not to handle when he is about to shed his skin or just after feeding, which I wasn't going to do anyway. Any advice guys?

Also our bedroom where we keep him is a warm room and our viv seems to have an all over temp rather than a cool and warm end is this wrong? or how can i sort this out.
 
about the handling: You may handle him during shed, mine doesn't seem to bother. You have to wait 48 houres after the meal to handle it again or you will risk a regurge.

About the temp.: Good question. Sometimes mine has the same prob., I would like to hear that too.
 
Ok something that my husband would like to ask about handling too.

What about him being so jumpy when first picking him up. Is that normal and is holding him firmly until he stops wriggling the correct way to go about it?
 
Well a snake is a snake and will always be a snake. So it stays wild. However if you handle it often it will get used to you. In the beginning my snake used to freak out aswell, but after a couple of seconds he/she would get mellow and relaxed.(Don't let your snake get TOO relaxed, or you will understand what people refer to as "marked":p :rolleyes: )

And you should never squeeze your snake hard...never.
Just a gentle touch is enough. Besides your snake does most of the "holding on". I think that that's good for them, that helps in developing muscles.

Next time your snake freaks out, just try and keep up for a couple of seconds and your snake will understand that you don't want to hurt him. After a couple of sessions your snake will know your sent.

Have fun with you new snake, I sure know I am. (sorry for the long post)
 
I totally agree. We have two hatchlings and have had them for 2 1/2 weeks now, and we've (my kids and I) have been holding them every day (except after feeding). They try and get away when we go and pick them up, but the amel then totally calms down and just hangs, slowly going between our fingers, the normal calms down a tad but is still active. It's amazing how different their personalities are! Have fun.
Tina
 
Handling your snakes every day is fine. The "48 hours after feeding" RULE is quickly becoming a sore spot with me. While it is a good general guideline for snakes that are difficult about regurging their meals, a normal snake under normal conditions can be held for a few minutes every single day, including while in shed or right after being fed. Just be careful with them while doing so.

The more often you handle your snake, the less jumpy he will be. Remember, especially in the case of a hatchling, as far as he knows, you're a predator. So, the more often you handle him, the more quickly he will associate your scent with a benign encounter. Putting an unwashed t-shirt in the vivarium for a while to get the scent around him 24/7 might help the process along faster, though.

One more thing: The only hard and fast rule I know about corn snakes is that there are precious few hard and fast rules about corns snakes. Food, water, and warmth being provided equals a satisfied corn snake. Everything else, you kind of have to make up as you go along, adjusting your individual corn snake to your individual keeping situation.

Have fun with them! :cool:
 
I'm a total novice and I don't know if this is typical but our little hatchling is usually all curled up underneath his hide. If I go in gently and scoop him up into my hand while he is still curled up he tends to be more relaxed, sometimes he will even lie in my hand all curled up for a few minutes before he starts exploring.
It's a different story when my son goes in though, he tries to grab it with a pincher type grip and Pazoozoo freaks out!!! Maybe he thinks my son is a bird!! :)
 
LOL could be...Anywho I think that's because they (mostly) sleep during the daytime houres and are active around dusk and dawn. Mine does that too. I'd rather pick him/her up at night, when he/she's awake and ready to go:).
 
Yeah, your son is a bird to the snake I think. I am always very carefull to ensure that my shadow doesnt fall over the snake when I go to pick her up. I also always approach her from the side at ground level rather than from above. Just try and appear as non-threatening as possible!
 
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