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My first snake

S

sonofbry13

New member
I purchased my first snake. I've had lizards and all sorts of pets. Was just a matter of time till I got a snake. After doing a ton of research I settled on a corn snake. Researched breeders and picked one I liked. They were great to work with and a ton of help. Snake (female snow) arrived healthy and ate her first pinkie with me just a few days after arrival. Currently I have her in a 10gal tank with aspen shavings and a UTH. She has two hides one over the heat pad and one on the opposite side of the tank.

I'm a little concerned. She spends a lot of time hiding and I haven't seen her since Saturday. It's been nine days since her last feeding and not sure when I need to be concerned. She took her first pinkie with no problem. I've attempted two feedings Saturday and yesterday with no luck. She still wont let me handle her so reluctant to dig her up from her burrow and put her in a dish.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would like to get her more social so she's out more and I can handle her. It would also be great if she ate with no fuss all the time but that is probably a long shot. Seems most snakes don't stay regular from what I've read.
 
First of all, welcome! :)
I'm guessing that you got a baby, since it's eating pinkies, correct?
The general recommendation is to let them be, for a week, to give them time to adjust to being in a new home. It's great that she ate for you a few days after you got her.
Wait 5 days in between attempting to feed. You don't want to stress her out by offering to much, that could make her more reluctant to eat.
Do a search on problem feeders, there's various ways to try to get them to eat.
Some people have better luck at some ways than others.
Babies generaly are pretty squirmy. They think everything/everyone is going to eat them, so they either try to get away, or they get defensive, & try to bite (which doesn't hurt at all, btw).
Give her time to settle in, & in time, she will get used to being handled. It may take a while, babies can be like that, so don't worry. :)
 
Oops left that out. Yup she is just a baby hatched mind June. I'll hold off a few more days before trying to feed again. Thank you for the advice!
 
It's also possible that she is going into shed. I have a few that won't eat at certain times of the shed cycle & one that won't eat for about the whole 10 days of his shed. They also tend to be more skittish when in shed.
 
I have a baby corn as well and it's my first snake and sometimes it's shy, but starting to come around. On a good day it'll come right to me when i open the cage and reach in. Most times i have to put my hand toward it slowly and wait till it either tries to escape or finally decides it will let me take it out. when it tries to escape i just put my other hand on the side it's escaping from allowing it to slither right out of the cage and onto my hand. Then there are days that it just wants to be left alone and it will go hide till the screen is latched. lol.
 
Welcome! :wavey:

It's AWESOME to see someone who has done adequate research before buying their new Corn!! Congratulations!

It's pretty common for new babies to hide a lot at first.. especially if they are in a large open tank. Increase the amount of hides, even if they are just toilet paper rolls, add some fake vines and leaves, maybe another layer of aspen. Also, cover the top and sides with a cloth or fabric of some sort. The baby will feel much more secure and you'll most likley see her out and about more often.

10gal is a good starter size, but without a lot of "ground cover" babies feel shy and hide a lot during the day. I NEVER saw my first snake, and I kept him in a somewhat bare 10gal tank.

Now I keep babies in tubs, or smaller kritter keepers. Here's a link to one of my recent set ups for a baby I felt was too small to go into my rack right away. I see my babies MUCH MORE in smaller containers that have more hides.
http://s368.photobucket.com/albums/oo124/J3554C47/Olive/?action=view&current=20080101_05.jpg

I think you'll be fine if you stick with your 10gal set up and just add more hides and cover to it!

Another trick is to pay more attention to your snake's enclosure in the evenings. They have a tendency to become more active and dusk and dawn.

Yet another thing to consider is how much traffic there is near your snake's set up. If the tank is in the living room, or a loud area, try moving your snake to your room, or somewhere a little more quiet.

As far as the feeding goes, sometimes when I have a reluctant feeder I put a paper towel down right in front of one of their hides (in their tank), and place the pinkie there. If I'm successful I do this a few more times before attempting a feeding out of the tank again. Sometimes babies get freaked out when you move them to a separate tank. They feel more comfortable in the dark and familiar areas.
Also, wait about 10 days in between food offerings for every refusal. Seems extreme, but offering food too often can create a negative association with food for the snake and can actually prolong the time period that they refuse. Hopefully you'll have a great eater soon considering that your snake ate for you right away!

Alright, that's all I can think of for now! Good luck, and lets see some pictures! Also, who did you get your snake from?
 
Jessicat said:
Welcome! :wavey:

It's AWESOME to see someone who has done adequate research before buying their new Corn!! Congratulations!

It's pretty common for new babies to hide a lot at first.. especially if they are in a large open tank. Increase the amount of hides, even if they are just toilet paper rolls, add some fake vines and leaves, maybe another layer of aspen. Also, cover the top and sides with a cloth or fabric of some sort. The baby will feel much more secure and you'll most likley see her out and about more often.

10gal is a good starter size, but without a lot of "ground cover" babies feel shy and hide a lot during the day. I NEVER saw my first snake, and I kept him in a somewhat bare 10gal tank.

Now I keep babies in tubs, or smaller kritter keepers. Here's a link to one of my recent set ups for a baby I felt was too small to go into my rack right away. I see my babies MUCH MORE in smaller containers that have more hides.
http://s368.photobucket.com/albums/oo124/J3554C47/Olive/?action=view&current=20080101_05.jpg

I think you'll be fine if you stick with your 10gal set up and just add more hides and cover to it!

Another trick is to pay more attention to your snake's enclosure in the evenings. They have a tendency to become more active and dusk and dawn.

Yet another thing to consider is how much traffic there is near your snake's set up. If the tank is in the living room, or a loud area, try moving your snake to your room, or somewhere a little more quiet.

As far as the feeding goes, sometimes when I have a reluctant feeder I put a paper towel down right in front of one of their hides (in their tank), and place the pinkie there. If I'm successful I do this a few more times before attempting a feeding out of the tank again. Sometimes babies get freaked out when you move them to a separate tank. They feel more comfortable in the dark and familiar areas.
Also, wait about 10 days in between food offerings for every refusal. Seems extreme, but offering food too often can create a negative association with food for the snake and can actually prolong the time period that they refuse. Hopefully you'll have a great eater soon considering that your snake ate for you right away!

Alright, that's all I can think of for now! Good luck, and lets see some pictures! Also, who did you get your snake from?
Click to expand...

I'm a first time corn owner as well. Thanks for the great tips about providing extra hides for security and waiting 10 days after meal refusal. I got my 3-month old corn last Sunday and have tried feeding him twice unsuccessfully. After that second attempt, i was going to hold off until Sunday, but now i think i'll wait longer. He probably doesn't feel safe and comfortable yet, so i should give him a lot more alone time.
 
collrak said:
I'm a first time corn owner as well. Thanks for the great tips about providing extra hides for security and waiting 10 days after meal refusal. I got my 3-month old corn last Sunday and have tried feeding him twice unsuccessfully. After that second attempt, i was going to hold off until Sunday, but now i think i'll wait longer. He probably doesn't feel safe and comfortable yet, so i should give him a lot more alone time.
Click to expand...

Great idea! When you do attempt to feed him if you do want to feed him in a separate enclosure, cover the feeding tub with a shirt or towel.. anything that will make the area dark. Or even put the feeding tub in a closet or dark space. If that doesn't work (which I really hope it does!), there are tons of great tips in Kathy Love and Don Soderberg's books. Even though this site is full of wonderful information, they are GREAT books to own.

Here are a few links to them, they can be ordered online, or even sometimes found at some Pet Stores (my local PetCo has a surprising amount of reptile literature in stock).

Kathy Love's Corn Snake bible:
(scroll down to the bottom of the page. Also, this link has Don's book as well as many other greats)
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utop...or sale Cornutopia corn snakes cornsnakes.htm

If you want a signed copy of Don's Book:
http://www.cornsnake.net/cornsnakesincaptivity.php3
 
Jessicat said:
Great idea! When you do attempt to feed him if you do want to feed him in a separate enclosure, cover the feeding tub with a shirt or towel.. anything that will make the area dark. Or even put the feeding tub in a closet or dark space. If that doesn't work (which I really hope it does!), there are tons of great tips in Kathy Love and Don Soderberg's books. Even though this site is full of wonderful information, they are GREAT books to own.

Here are a few links to them, they can be ordered online, or even sometimes found at some Pet Stores (my local PetCo has a surprising amount of reptile literature in stock).

Kathy Love's Corn Snake bible:
(scroll down to the bottom of the page. Also, this link has Don's book as well as many other greats)
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utop...or sale Cornutopia corn snakes cornsnakes.htm

If you want a signed copy of Don's Book:
http://www.cornsnake.net/cornsnakesincaptivity.php3
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links. I'll try to feed him in his enclosure first and if that doesn't work out, then i'll try the separate enclosure method.

I just wanted to run another thing by you.... He's in a 15-qt tub right now with 2 hides and a paper towel roll, but he likes to stay underneath the paper towel substrate. Ambient temp is 75-80 and the uth side is 85. Humidity is 40-50. I know that corns are burrowing snakes, so is it normal for them to prefer being under the substrate instead of being inside a hide?
 
Thank you for all the great advice. I'll definitely get something to cover the top and sides of the enclosure. I only have two hides right now so I'll add in a few more. Small PVC or ABS would work as well as a paper roll wouldn't it? I'd sand the edges so they aren't sharp (and wash). I am going to attempt feeding again tonight. Its been four days since my last attempt. I have a towel I am going to cover the enclosure in after I put the washed pinkie in a small dish inside the cage.

Thanks again for all the advice. I was getting worried since I rarely see her out and generally go days with out even a head poking out. It great getting feedback and definitely helps me stress less. I think I stress more than the snake haha.
 
Yes, small PVC or ABS would be fine if it has been washed & has no sharp edges.

Edit: small brown pill bottles work great! tiny flower pots work if you have a dremel or similar to make the opening a little bigger & smoother for safety. Nanci's babies like styrofoam pieces from egg cartons.
 
I am totally sorry if someone else said this... for my smallest of corns that I have had, I have used our toliet paper rolls and totally waited seven days in between feeding days. I think it is important for those snakes that have a little more anxiety at first to let them have some darkness and some quiet. They come around in time. I have had those I received that I just felt needed more time and I waited ten to fourteen days to let them settle. Luckily for me I have been successful everytime either waiting those 14 days or those seven days for first feed and five days in between unsuccessful days. So you fed yours rather quickly, let it hunker down and settle in for few. Like two weeks a few, it should be fine. What is the weight of your little one btw?
 
I didn't even think about pill bottles that is a great idea. I snag some small ABS tubing and make a few more hides. I believe I have a tiny flower pot or two around as well. Thank you!

I gave her a pinkie earlier tonight. I have yet to check on her I didn't want to disturb her just in case she fed. If she doesn't take it I'll give her a week before I try again. I'm not sure on weight. I have a scale but she is timid and always hiding. I'm hesitant to dig her up and pull her from the cage.
 
Update:

So I went and got a ABC small bent tube and an ABS cap that I drilled a 1" hole into. Plus a new smaller rock hide. The previous one will work great when she is much bigger. When I got home I took the towel off the cage and peeked in. It looks like she was shedding. There is skin in her favorite hide. I can't tell if it came off in one piece. I put damp paper towels in the ABS cap just in case she needs a humid hide. How long do I wait to remove the shed skin?

Learn as I go I guess haha. At least I'll know whats up for any future baby corn snakes I may get.
 
You can remove it right away. You'll especially want to check the shed for the eye caps, they look like little contacts. There can be problems if they didn't come off. Also check for the tip of the tail, lots of times that last little bit won't come off & can cause some issues, especially young snakes often don't get it off.
 
Jessicat said:
Great idea! When you do attempt to feed him if you do want to feed him in a separate enclosure, cover the feeding tub with a shirt or towel.. anything that will make the area dark. Or even put the feeding tub in a closet or dark space. If that doesn't work (which I really hope it does!), there are tons of great tips in Kathy Love and Don Soderberg's books. Even though this site is full of wonderful information, they are GREAT books to own.
Click to expand...


After 3 unsuccessful feeding attempts in my baby corn's tub within the past 2 weeks, i decided to try your suggestion and feed him in a separate feeding tub (4x7). I heated the pinky under a ceramic heat emitter for a little bit and then placed it inside the tub. Then i took the baby corn out, put him inside the feeding tub, and closed the lid. At first, i didn't think it was going to work because he seemed even more skittish than he normally was, but i covered the tub with a pair of shorts, and checked back on him in around 30 minutes. And to my surprise, the pinky was gone and there was a little bitty lump half way in his body. Thank you!
 
I got my first 1 a month ago tomorrow. I have her in a 10 gal with 7 hides Ill have to admit i played with her a little to much and did not leave her alone for a week when I first got her. Shes ate 4 times and shed once. So far she did not like being held at first but after her first meal I gave her a few days and she started doing pretty good. Ive been letting a few people hold her now and shes not all ways hiding as much. She loves little kids and she gets a little bit nervous with adults. So the only advice i can give is you is what most all rdy have give her more hides and time.(mine may hate adults because my mom all most killed her the night I got her)
 
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