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Is my snake "un-fixable?"

COerriccaRN

COerriccaRN

New member
I have had my baby Ultramel corn snake for about 4 months. Her name is Erricca. She is in a large tank with a sliding lid that she can't escape from. Ever since I have gotten her she has tried to get out of the tank. At night she will "pace" back and forth and rub her nose on the glass. She will also rise up against the wall like she is trying to reach the top (but she is to small) This behavior bothers me because 1. Her nose is starting to develop a mark and 2. She falls back into her cage everytime she tries to climb up the side. Another problem is that she climbs up on the temperature/humidity gage in her tank and gets stuck and is afraid to come down. I have to open the tank and rescue her :laugh:

I have read books and articles about this behavior and all I have heard is add more hides. Right now she has a rock cave, a wooden cave, a brick, two limbs, four fake "bushes", a large "rock" water bowl and a few stones. Her tank looks like a jungle, but her pacing is still so extreme that she has a path worn out where she crawls. I have tried EVERYTHING. I've added things and taken them away. I've changed temperature and tried to put her into a smaller tank. Nothing seems to help. I also put one of my t-shirts into her tank and she seemed to like it during the day, but at night she was back to pacing and trying to climb out. ANY suggestions would be appreciated. Also, has anyone elses snake ever done this so exesivly? I understand that snakes will always try to get out but she has been doing this CONSTANTLY for almost FIVE MONTHS :nope: Baby Erricca(its a long story) is killing me! Help!
 
Sounds like pretty normal behavior for me. I've got an 06 corn snake that still tries to get out every day.
 
My Hognose does that too...always exploring...if there's a flaw in her enclosure she's darn well gonna find it!
 
Sounds pretty normal to me. My female used to make a habit of wrapping herself around the temperature gage (it's circular) and then falling off when the weight got too much!

By the sounds of it, you have plenty enough hides, so I wouldn't worry about that.
 
Haha. Sounds normal. My okeetee and my both do it constantly almost everyday more often when hungry. When mine do it i usually hold them for a while because it seems to me like they want to explore so i take them for a walk. I put them back in the cage nd they do it all over again the next day. lol.
 
sounds normal to me, not the nose rubbing part, but yea.

You have a sliding top? I'm in the exact same position as you. I've got one of the critter cages and my corn is only 14 inches, but when ever i look at her she's looking to the sky or exploring her cage.

I've noticed the critter cages have spots for locks. I will definitely get a small lock once she gets bigger.

Kinda funny actually, as I'm typing this she's getting up to the top right now. :laugh:
 
Okay thanks for the reasurance! I feel better :)

I actually helped the problem today by picking up some fake Ivy vines from the store and hotgluing them to the back of her viv. Then I draped some across the top. She loves to climb on those now, instead of wearing out a trail in the dirt.

You have a sliding top? I'm in the exact same position as you. I've got one of the critter cages and my corn is only 14 inches, but when ever i look at her she's looking to the sky or exploring her cage.

I've noticed the critter cages have spots for locks. I will definitely get a small lock once she gets bigger.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do have a sliding top. Its so aggrivating because she is always looking up there. But apparently its normal. I just worry about her nose rubbing and her falling back onto the ground. The vines have fixed the falling part though.

Sounds pretty normal to me. My female used to make a habit of wrapping herself around the temperature gage (it's circular) and then falling off when the weight got too much!
Click to expand...

Mine does that to! She is also a female. Maybe its just a girl thing? But she never falls off. She just waits for me to rescue her. As soon as I put my hand in she crawls onto it and then back onto the dirt. She is funny.
 
As others have said, your baby's acting exactly like a corn snake! lol

Some of them do move onto hands willingly, but that's the not case for most. You lucked out there! As for hanging out on the temperature gauge, she may just want to hang out in a high place. One of mine much prefers to be in a vine or on a branch instead of in the substrate.

Now, what about this mark on the nose you mentioned in your first post?
 
Well thats good to know. Right now I'm waiting on the arrival of my Baby Lavender corn snake :) Yay! Just wanted to make sure my first wasn't having any problems before I decided to get a second.
 
Yes it sounds like normal behavior for some but could also mean she does not like the type of hides you have for her and she is stressed looking for a safer spot. Our baby R.O. acted like that and I was worried too.

I spoke with Kathy Love and she suggested a single hide made from paper towel tubes or PVC pipe. It should be the length of the tank (this way it covers all the temperature gradients in the tank), and the diameter only a little larger than 2-3 widths of your baby, then cut in half length wise, and put a hole in the top right at the middle or along the bottom edge right in the middle. If you make it out of PVC(you will get two), just make sure the cut edges are nice and smooth.

I mention this because often a non-stressed corn does not rub sores into their nose, and sometimes they do just wanting to escape. I mention it because it is a very easy and cheap way to check and see if your baby is dissatisfied with the types of hides you have. What Kathy explained to me, was that a corn snake, esp as a baby, likes a snug, dark hide with only one entrance as it makes them feel very secure. They can hole up in them and get all the temp gradients that they need in one hide and only come out when they feel safe and to get water.

At first we left the other hides and greenery in the tank to see if she pefered on or the other and she stopped using the other hides completely and my 10 yr old did not like the plants (they did not go with is desert, Egyptian theme)

Here is a couple of pics of the ones we made for our baby.
100_6892.jpg

100_6894.jpg
 
Edit: Forgot to state that adding this hide did end the obsessive attempts to get out and to rub against the tank, she now appears to be much happier, she is calmer, no rubbing and does not obsessively cruise the tank most of the day long. Instead she acts like the average corn and hides often and comes out occasionally but is still very very friendly and eating and growing well.
 
Thanks, Tisha. I have definitely learned something today.

I'm confused though. The lower picture.
Is that your baby RO's tunnel to her vacation-from-Egypt villa on the riviera? Or paraphernalia for more connubial purposes?
 
okay thanks! I will try that and see if it helps. I added some more leaves and things and that seemed to help but I will try "the tube" :)
 
My little koda does that but his nose is fine. it gets more excessive if he see's me in the room though like he wants to be picked up. lol.
 
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