• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

New Member - 6 year old son wants a corn for Christmas

B

bobtu

New member
Hello,

I'm new to the forum... doing research. We'd like to get my son a corn snake for Christmas.. My son has been in love with everything "snake" for over 2 years(he's about 6 1/2 now)... His 4 year old sister also loves them... we've never had snakes... In fact both my wife and I were not fond of them at all until we started learning more about them (didn't want our son picking up anything dangerous... so we had to learn :) ) Now I think I'm almost as interested in them as my son and my wife, a biology teacher taking a hiatus, is fascinated by the genetic aspect of the corns.

Both my kids have handled snakes (we've been the KS herp field trip - caught, handled and let go a couple of king snakes, handled at pet stores, etc.) and both USUALLY do very well.

However, the 4 year old is 4... and sometimes gets grabby and excited. The local pet store guy advised against buying baby snakes for children for that very reason. We will, of course, be supervising... but anyone who's ever had kids know that even when you are standing right there reminding them to be good... well... every once in a while they forget :)

So... shall I get a baby or get one a few years old?

Thanks for all the advice in the forum... I think, once I make the snake decision, I'll be ready to go with everything else (enclosure, heat, food, etc.)
 

Attachments

  • h-snake.jpg
    h-snake.jpg
    42.3 KB · Views: 98
  • b-snake.jpg
    b-snake.jpg
    61.5 KB · Views: 98
awww! Babys are more wigley as they haven't had a lot of handling vs. adults-usually more mellow and slow-moving type. Babys are much smaller, harder to control/hold vs. adults -round,wide body. If it were me, I would go for 2,3 yrs. old. remember they live for 15+ yrs. so..... They will grow with the kids. Good luck and hopes this helps
 
Those photos are precious!

My first was an adult corn, and my kids were 6 and 5 at the time. Within a short time, we got a young cali king and since I'd taught them to be very gentle with the adult, they did very well with the king. Then came a couple hatchlings. Again, no problems, but the youngest would get distracted and decide it was fine to put the snake on the floor "for a minute" and walk away. I was washing out water bowls and turned around to see my snake heading for the pantry. I learned quickly not to step away from them for even a moment while they were handling. I have seven now and the kids do great with them. I personally think either way you go, they'll be fine under your supervision. My hardest issue is them getting into the tanks when I'm not around, so you might want to have a long, hard talk wth them about that beforehand. ;)

Good luck with your decision. Looking forward to hearing what you decide, and seeing your little ones with their new pet!
 
I would definitely recommend an adult first. An adult is less likely to have some of the issues a hatchling might have, and will probably not get as stressed out by handling as a tiny baby would.

Welcome to the forum!
 
I actually have one of my corns stay at the Elementary School. They LOVE whichever one I put there!!!

HOWEVER, I have noticed that the younger corns that I put there are harder to feed every week... but the adults that I have there don't have that issue. I suspect that the yearlings stress out a bit more and that translates into feeding issues. So, I've decided to put my older corns at the school instead of the yearlings.

I guess, in a round-about kind of way, I'd recommend getting that slightly older snake as mentioned above (2-3 years old). Then, as your kids get used to it and grow with it, you'll have the option of getting younger ones.

Good luck!!! Make sure to post picks of your kids and snakes in the "Kids & Snakes" thread when you get the chance!
 
I don't have kids, but I think if I were you I'd start with an adult. For not having to worry quite so much about any injury to the snake caused by momentary rough handling, for not having to worry quite so much about it getting lost in a careless child-related handling moment, AND because you'll be able to choose a snake that's good with handling. Most cornsnakes are very good with handling, but I've had a couple adults that are just a little harder to handle because they will never sit still for even a second. I enjoy handling snakes that are a little more laid back. Most hatchlings are of the very active type and some settle down more than others. Once they're adults you know better whether they're the calm type or the active type.
 
I have two kids ages 5 and 8 now, but we've had reptiles of all sizes since they were born. Each snake is different and not all wee hatchlings are super active, and some are more nippy when young anyway. I say get what you like and hndle them first before buying to get a feel for how active, shy, or nippy the snake is. Hatchling bites hurt less and with all my snakes except two crazies after be handled a few times they are calm anyway. When the snakes were small I would plug the tub so they couldn't go down the drain and let the kids hold them in there so they would not escape if they got away from them. Its up to you buying adults you know the final coloration which is a bonus, but other than that buy what you like the kids will be over the moon either way!!
 
Hi,

I'm new here also and I also have kids, two girls. An Almost 7 year old and an almost 5 year old. We have been reading up on corn snakes and getting supplies and such for about a year now. My daughter who is almost 7 has been asking for a Corn snake for about 3 years now, but our family rule is that they cannot pick a pet until they are 7 that way they will at least be old enough to provide some of the basic care (with help of course). We are planning to get our snake around January or February. I am new and have never had a snake so I am not really qualified yet to give advice, but since our situations are similar I figured I would just tell you what we are planning. We are seriously thinking about getting a snake that is about 1-2 years old rather than a hatching, for all of the reasons you mentioned about the kids being young.

Anyways I wanted to say Hi (especially since we seem to have a similar situation) and welcome. I received a lovely welcome from everyone just a few days ago so I am sure they will all make you feel welcome as well.

Dinah
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top