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My baby corn is terrified of me :(

C

Cantu74977

New member
I know many snake lovers are against shipping of live snakes- and I can see why. My baby hypomelanistic pewter corn was delivered on Tuesday (my first snake) and I could tell it was a rough journey for her. All things considered though she did very well, she was pretty lively as soon as she entered her new viv. She was lethargic for about ten minutes, then she was exploring and poking around everywhere after that. I have not handled her or attempted to, she seemed stressed enough already and I figured give her plenty of time to adjust to her new surroundings. When I got closer to the viv though she even hissed at me and looked very nervous, even the next morning.

Since then I fed her a pinkie and she ate it without issue, but she didn't take it from the tongs. I left it on the opposite side from the hide she was in, left the rm and an hour later it was gone. I checked inside all hides and she didn't regurge so it appears ok. But still a few days later, at the first sight of me she hides immediately, I can barely catch a glimpse of her. Is this normal, too? I want to be patient with her and let her warm up to me, but at the same time, not being able to see her really at all I just want to make sure I'm not failing to notice any signs of distress if something is wrong. Should I keep doing what I'm doing, leave her be until she gets more used to me? Any advice would be appreciated- thanks!
 
Try to let it settle in for a week. Its hard to leave them be. After that, start putting your hand in the vivarium for a couple minutes at a time to let the snake smell you and get used to you. Then just pick it up. Support it well. Every third of its body. Dont over do it though. 15 minutes at a time at first would be good. If it bites you, dont pull away. It wont hurt. Dont freak out. That will just scare it more. Over time, it will trust you more. Its not a puppy. It isnt going to beg you to play fetch. It will become tolerant of you though. Right now it sees you as the thing that wants to eat it.
 
Lol I wasn't quite expecting it to play a game of fetch, but I imagine I could make some money at the circus if it did. Thank you for the good advice, I'll just continue to leave her be until she becomes more comfortable. I guess my only real concern is since I can go pretty much an entire day without laying eyes on it, I was afraid if something was wrong I wouldn't notice it in time. Sounds like most likely everything's fine though, and much thanks for the handling advice as I've never held a snake before. Appreciate it-
 
I agree, wait a week before handling her now. She will settle in, but babies are very flighty so don't expect total calmness for a long time, even when just looking into the viv.

Take the time to read everything you can about corns, it will help you learn the best way to care for her, and post any questions here or use the "search" button up top.

Here is a post I made for another newbie with a lot of links to good information. I hope it helps you too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ
 
Its amazing how quickly reptiles rebound from shipping. It would be pretty scary to be stuffed in a dark box and mailed across the country. You will be amazed how calm most of them wind up being. Too much stress is Your enemy at this point. Letting the animal familiarize itself with its surroundings will help a ton. When you do start picking it up, make sure to alert it of your presence. It is easy to startle them. Pick it up around the middle area of its body, not by the head area. It might hiss, and wiggle its tail.
It might strike at you. No matter what, dont give in. It will learn that it can trust you. If it goes blue, shedding, then leave it be.
 
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