My cornsnake has become very aggressive.

[erbzzz]

I have a corn snake and I don't know how old it is but it's between 1ft and 1&1/2ft long. Within the past week I haven't been able to pick him up with my hands. I know to move slowly away from the head and to pick them up from the side. I had been able to pick him up before now and pet him but one day he just went nuts. The temp is right, his water is good, i feed him every 3 to 4 days. No regurgitations since I've had him. I did change hand soaps right about the time this started happening but he is very aggressive compared to before and I don't understand how something as small as that could bring such aggression. He seems very stressed now and his breathing won't calm down if the lid is off the cage but it will if I close the lid and put my hand near him from the outside. I fed him today and he struck the tongs over 10 times and rattled his tail like crazy. He was missing the mouse and going for the tongs which he never did before. He would always nail the mouse right off the bat. I haven't touched him in about a week and I don't mess with him for 2 days after feeding. I use a coat hanger to put him into and out of his feeding tank. I was just wondering. Do corn snakes have teeth? Because after I let him bite the tongs a few times and didn't pull them away he stopped biting them, seemed to calm down a notch, and then finally bit the mouse and I was wondering if letting him bite my hand would have a similar effect. I just don't want him to latch on and then I sling him across the room on accident. So can someone show me a picture that shows corn snake teeth if they have any. He's gotten about twice as big as he was when I got him and I don't want this behavior to continue any longer than is neccessary. Please Help.

 

[Lennycorn]

Is he due for a shed??

Feeding every 3-4 days is pushing it a little. Try every 5 days and stretch that out to 10 days when he becomes an adult.
But for the aggressive behavior. hmm. go back to the first type of soap, but that doesn't seem right. What size cage are you using. When do you feed him. Is the cage clean?
If the above is OK then you might just have to grin and bear it. Take a bite. Wear glove until he gets tired or use to your hand. :shrugs:
And corn have teeth but nothing to bother you. It's more of the reaction of you that will do the damage so you might want to go in to get him with an closed eye per say.

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

well, I had a couple thoughts... first of all 3-4 days is very close for a snake of that size, like lenny said so yes, try every 5 days but.... also what is important is What size prey are you feeding him?? maybe its time for a bump ni size?? maybe the aggression is from just being that hungry??

 

[erbzzz]

i feed him pinkies and only one every time. I will start feeding him every 5 days. I don't know how to tell if he's ready to shed or not. I've had him for 3 weeks now and his eyes look the same as the day I got him. I don't see any skin in the cage. The cage is a 1 gallon cylindrical cage with two hides for each side, water dish, and heating pad that I have rigged to a lamp dimmer. The temp never goes above 83 degrees on the hot side and I measure from the base of the plastic.

 

[erbzzz]

BTW I work at a warehouse and I cary lumber around all day bare handed. My hands pretty hard so do you think the snakes teeth can draw blood?

 

[Lennycorn]

Well, you had him for 3 weeks, fed him every 3-4 days, in a "1 gallon cylindrical cage" whatever that is. Sounds like plain "stress out" to me.
Wait and handle him on feeding day which are now every five days or so.
and see how it goes.
Cat_Eyed_Lady is on something too. Feed him a food item that is 1 1/2 time the snake girth.

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

I am abit unclear also on the cage but 1 gallon size is very small. He is probably used to something bigger.... so you might want to think about that too. If you can afford to do it, I would get him a larger tank... the hides, water and temps sound good, just need that in something bigger then every 5 days start to feed him something about hopper size... from the length it sounds like he should be able to... but as lenny said... 1 to 1.5 the size of where the snake is the biggest is kinda the rule of thumb... I am kinda getting the feeling it was used to getting more or bigger food and that is where the aggression is coming from.... once you are feeding him abit more like he should be then I am sure that the aggresive part will start to go away

You seem very worried about getting bitten.... I can hear you there. I was too.... til it happened.... then I was like "thats it?" so... yes, they do have teeth.... very small needle type teeth. If he is really pissed you will feel it but... will feel like being poked by a little pin and a pinch... being you work hard with your hands you may not even feel it other than feeling like someone scraped across your skin with a peice of velcro.. or you might not even feel it at all. Its kinda scarey to think about but once it happens.. then you will see its not really a huge deal... til they get much bigger anyway

 

[Lennycorn]

:-offtopic

Cat_Eyed_Lady I just notice....

You got a Zoo!!!

12.25.corn snakes,0.1.columbian redtail boa,1.1 mbk, 0.2. bearded dragons, 0.2. leapard gechos, 0.0.1 uromastix, 20+ exotic birds, 2 tanks rats, 3 tanks mice, male ferret, male cat, bf and son

 

[susang]

HI, I'm not going to offer much more, at first I read your snake 1-1 1/2 and read it as years not inches. So first feed evey 4-5 days as it is probably a hatchling at the size. Corns are not arboreal, so putting him in a gallon cylinder to live would be like putting you in a coffin to live. The only place he will use is the space on the bottom. I don't see how you could get a temp gradient in that space. All that being said get a sterilite shoe size box, drill holes very small holes, I use a dremil drill some use wood burning tool. just keep in mind the holes have to be small. Get a couple empty toilet paper roles in there one on warm side one on cool, small water dish on or near cool side. Paper towel or aspen sub-strate. Put the little one in there and leave him alone for about 5 days, he will not starve. It sounds a bit like stress and shed phase. You can forgo all the sterilite stuff if you can get a 10 gallon viv with a secure lid. If you use sterilite be sure to put stones or something on lid to avoid the snake getting out even if shut tightly. good luck, susang

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

:-offtopic

Cat_Eyed_Lady I just notice....

You got a Zoo!!!

12.25.corn snakes,0.1.columbian redtail boa,1.1 mbk, 0.2. bearded dragons, 0.2. leapard gechos, 0.0.1 uromastix, 20+ exotic birds, 2 tanks rats, 3 tanks mice, male ferret, male cat, bf and son

LOL ya, and live in a mobile home too LOL funny you should say that though because the place I go to chat once in awhile ... they call me the resident zookeeper LOL I do have quite a few animals but the best thing?? coming to forums and learning from others I have learned so much since coming here ... I still consider myself abit of a newbie but its nice to once in awhile be able to return the favor and try to help someone like others have helped me

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

whoa!! Thanks susan... I have to say in my one post I said something abit wrong sorry to the OP you said ft not years so sorry... my fault... pinkies may be the correct size but maybe try to give him 2?? I said hoppers before and that is just wrong and I am so sorry for saying that

 

[susang]

whoa!! Thanks susan... I have to say in my one post I said something abit wrong sorry to the OP you said ft not years so sorry... my fault... pinkies may be the correct size but maybe try to give him 2?? I said hoppers before and that is just wrong and I am so sorry for saying that

At first I was thinking tis guy should be eating hoppers at least feeders. Then when 'lenny' pointed out the gal. all I could think of was those big jars of pickels. susang

 

[Rich in KY]

erbzzz pics of the snake and viv would be very helpful to help answer some of your questions.

But to answer one, cornsnakes have very small teeth. If you handle lumber a bite from a cornsnake is not gonna hurt. I promise you get splinters that hurt much worse. Also it would do good for him to bite you and see it doesn't stop you. And you need to handle him to let him see you are not gonna hurt him.

 

[erbzzz]

yea, i handled him every day before this like nothing. I would hold him and rub my finger down his back and we would just rest his head on the edge of my palm and do nothing but stare at stuff. And the cage is 1.5 gal. I was just guessing before but I went ahead and calculated. It's 10.5" in diameter and is 5" high. And Lennycorn, a cylindrical cage may not be the correct term for it to you but you do know what a cylinder is right? Like a can of soup or a tub of butter. Anyway the cage is in the shape of a cylinder so I'm no pro on cage terms but I just call it a cylindrical cage. At my local pet store it's what they keep these snakes in. And for feeding it rodents 1 to 1.5 times the size of the thickest point on it's body, I'm guessing I'll try to feed him 2 pinkies but I don't think he would be able to get his jaws around anything bigger honestly (but im no pro). Right now the pinkie is about as big as the biggest part on his body, mabey a bit smaller. And susang, I have a feeling you are thinking of a cylinder like the type you would store posters in or like a paper towl roll. The bottom of the tank is 10.5" accross and it's 5" high. It's not very big and I do think he needs a bigger cage but anything that's the size of a shoe box isn't really much improvement if that's indeed what is causing the problem. And the reason I asked about the bite so much is because when I first got him he was a bit snappy for about 4 days and then calmed down for a little over a week and ever since he got snappy again I yank my hand away when he snaps. I did this when I first got him so I don't know if he thinks that he can avoid me picking him up by snapping at me or something now. And I'm still not used to the concept of a snake striking at me and not pulling my hand away (yea, im afraid, so what) and if it were to hurt when he bit and I threw him accross the room or yanked my hand back and he got out of the cage, chances are good my dad would kill him if I couldn't find him. That's all. But if they just have baby teeth I'm going to try and let him go at my hand on tuesday and see what happens. That was my real question. If any of these suggestions help I'll let y'all know. Thanks for all the help everybody. I appreciate it.

 

[Jessicat]

One of my young male snakes is pretty agressive. Seems like every time I take him out of his viv he rattles and strikes at me.
The bites do not feel like anything. Once he gets older his bites may start to hurt, but the nice thing is, once corns put some weight on they are a lot less nervous and calm down a lot.

I think you need to spend some time in the Husbandry and Basic care forum. The cage you are keeping your snake in is NOT adequate. He doesn't have any room to move around, when you take him out this is his main chance to exercise. He probably has a lot of pent up energy that he cannot release in his home. Also, it doesn't sound like he has a hide. He needs a hide (even a toilet paper roll will do) so that he can feel safe. To him you are a predator he can not escape from. I think it would be EXTREMELY hard to maintain a heat gradient in a cage as small as you're describing as well. If your snake cannot maintain his body temperature he could become sick.

 

[MerlinsPop]

It's not very big and I do think he needs a bigger cage but anything that's the size of a shoe box isn't really much improvement if that's indeed what is causing the problem.

Erbzzz... sometimes people get confused by using common terms with non-common meanings. Take "Deli cup" for example. You've seen advice to feed your snake in a 'deli cup.' In one of my earliest messages, I referred to the vessel I initially fed Vern in as a 'chinese soup' cup and got chastised for it. I don't go to deli's much, and the 'deli cups that I have gone come in multiple sizes so I had no idea what was meant by 'deli cup' in this context. But you know what... I found a 'deli cup' and it was the exact same size and shape as my local chinese food place uses for soup!

Anyway, my point is really going to the use of the term "shoebox." I'm a guy, and I own, at any given time, maybe 4 pairs of shoes (not including sneakers and boots, of course!). The 'shoebox' they come in is cardboard and barely fits the pair of shoes and only then if you put them back in a '69' position. But I wouldn't really know, because the shoe box gets tossed in the trash and the shoes get tossed into the closet floor till I need them.

What SNAKE people call a "Shoe Box" is what I would call a "Clear Plastic Bin." The term must have been coined by someone far my organized than I am, with small closets, who needed a BIN to put several pairs at a time for storage. Go to Wal*Mart or Target or some other 'big box' store. Look in the closet organizer section. There'll you'll find more kinds of plastic bins and tubs than you can shake a stick at or knew existed. Two major manufacturers, RubberMaid and Sterilite. Sterilite seems to have the better selection and prices and tends to be the favorite. Find a PLASTIC BIN that's oh, 24x12 inches, or really whatever size you have room for on the table/dresser/counter where you keep your snake. Make sure it has a tight fitting lid that either mechanically latches on or has a good solid lip that you can get some squeeze clamps on in at lest 4 places. Your snake WILL be able to push the lid up, even if it feels tight to you.

Next, go to the automotive section at the same store (I use Wally World) and buy the cheap black soldering iron hanging next to the fuses for $5 and some change. It has a removeable tip about as thick as a pencil lead (leave it in) and the base that it fits into is flat, and about er... 5/8 inches in diameter. Or so. Anyway, take the soldering iron and melt a row or two of holes every 2 inches or so around the perimeter of the bin (aka shoebox). As the tip of iron pokes through, the flat base will smash into the side and leave a circular impression, spreading out the melted plastic (poke from outside in). Do this where there's plenty of breeze, or you'll end up with a headache from the smell. Your holes will be somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8 inches (if that). Plenty big for airflow and small enough to keep your snake in. If they get too big, you can always glue squares of screen door mesh to the outside.

For heat, you can go to the plumbing section and get heating cable, or order Flexwatt online, or go to your nearest pet shop and get a heating pad. Some folks stick the heading pad onto a piece of tile or glass instead of sticking it to the bottom of the bin. I don't know what's best...hopefully someone will pick up where I left off here. Either way, you'll need to regulate the electricity going through the heating element because it'll be too much. Wire a dimmer into the cord (there's plenty of examples of that on this forum) or while you're at the petshop pick up a thermostat (or, like everything else imaginable, you can buy it online). Oh... while you were at Wal*Mart, zip over to the garden center and buy an indoor/outdoor thermometer that runs off of a watch battery. My local Wal*Mart has them on the same isle as the mailboxes, although I still have to actually buy a few. This model has two temperature probes that you can use to monitor both the hot and cool sides at the same time. Just leave the whole mess inside the bin/tub/shoebox and you're good to go in the monitoring department.

That setup will hold you until your snake reaches near adulthood, at which time you should do the same thing, except with a "Plastic Tub" (bigger than 'bins' in my world) that's a good 3 feet long and 18 or more inches wide. Or wait for a sale at your pet store (I find that PetSmart has better prices when they have things on sale) and get a 30 or 40 gallon terrarium. Go for the "long" version instead of standard. You're snake needs 'crawl space' more than 'headroom.'

Reference biting...Yeah, it funny how such a little critter can be so intimidating! But they've had millions of years to perfect the bluff. Vern has yet to tag me, but the only times it seems like she might is in the enclosure. Once I have her out, she's either in 'get away' mode or does the 'weave' through my fingers. So if she does tag me, it'll probably be inside where I can't over react.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Kokopelli]

Just a speculation here... but first, are you positive that your specimen is not WC(Wild caught)? They usually display far more aggressiveness then CB... though I have no idea how common it is to occur at your country...

Here we still do get WC from time to time because the breeding couples aren't that common sadly. I am guessing your snake's a CB anyways.

As for his behavior... I own a Texas Ratsnake, which is kind of notorious for his attitude. Mine's a real kitten but when I feed him and immediately afterwards it is -really- wise to just let him be. The taste and scent of blood does trigger feeding so striking makes sense. On the one hand there's a less than perfect eye-sight. Than you have a scent of a pray accompanied by your hand which can be perceived as both a threat and a competitor for the food.

Again, it's just a guess... but I think the best thing you can do is handle your snake more. Not immediately after being fed and not when he's blue.

Slowly but surely he'll come around I imagine.