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New snake

kayjaypah

kayjaypah

New member
I just brought home a baby albino corn. I was reading that I should leave him be and not handle him for 5-7 days until he is used to his new home. Is that true? I would think it would be better to hold him at least once a day so he is used to me. Thoughts...


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Welcome kayjaypah! You heard right. Don't worry, the baby will start to get used to you soon enough. The little one needs some time to settle in. Though some people have a different opinion I think the vast majority of us leave our snakes strictly alone for at least 4 days after a move.

Why you ask (well you didn't but most of us do)? One is to let the snake rest from the stress of transport. Another is to let the snake explore and get used its new home in peace. Another is in case it was fed and is still digesting (especially possible from a pet store). Another is if the snake is in shed and you can't tell because they have cleared. (I have three snakes and two of them shed during the "rest" period.) Another is that if it is in error, it is better to err in giving your snake less stress than more.

As to handling, as soon as the rest period is over you can handle briefly each day your snake is not digesting or in shed. Small babies are skittish and both get used to handling and outgrow it. At a year your snake will be much more confident. Don't be surprised if your snake is rather skittish for months in spite of your gentle handling. This doesn't bother people who have experienced it before, but can be disconcerting to a new snake parent. Hiding is a baby's only defense so it is very deeply ingrained. Don't take it personally. Your snake will get used to you in time and will eventually know you mean no harm.

Most of us take a brief moment to examine the snake, hold it and take a picture or two when we first bring it home and then we strictly leave it alone for that rest period except for cleaning poop, shed, or supplying fresh water.

Best wishes. The rest period will go by quickly and when you look back years later it will seem like nothing at all.
 
Hi DollysMom, thanks for all of the information it was very helpful. I had read up a little and asked a ton of questions before bringing my snake home, so it surprised me to read that I shouldn't handle him really get away. The reptile sites owner, who seemed very knowledgeable, didn't mention that part. I appreciate any tips I can get. Thanks again! KJ


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Glad I could help. You can have lots of fun watching the first few days. Many snakes are more active than usual and do a lot of exploring the first few days. I've seen this in baby and adult corn snakes. But don't be worried if they go into a hide and stay there. That is more likely to happen if they are in shed unbeknownst to you at this point, but can just be the individual. They are usually more active just around dusk, especially just after.
 
Yes he/she was very active last night. It was fun to watch him explore. He seems to like his new forever home [emoji3]


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DollysMom said:
Awesome! Sounds like you are your new baby snake are off to a great start!
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Here is a pic of the little guy from last nights explorations.
7a2f260238535822b9ccbb910739a365.jpg



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What a lovely headstamp. You have a beautiful baby there! Welcome to the forum.
 
What a cute baby snake! That's a wonderful picture.

I am a little concerned about the office paper bedding. No one that I know of uses it and I've heard that the ink may be unsafe and that small animals can get paper cuts. I wish I had someone to ask. I do know that plain paper towels are safe. There are other paper alternatives as well. I use aspen so I hope that someone with more experience with paper will weigh in with information. I don't know for a fact that it's bad for your snake, but I did want to voice a concern.
 
DollysMom said:
What a cute baby snake! That's a wonderful picture.



I am a little concerned about the office paper bedding. No one that I know of uses it and I've heard that the ink may be unsafe and that small animals can get paper cuts. I wish I had someone to ask. I do know that plain paper towels are safe. There are other paper alternatives as well. I use aspen so I hope that someone with more experience with paper will weigh in with information. I don't know for a fact that it's bad for your snake, but I did want to voice a concern.
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Thank you for bringing this up. I did ask the people at The reptile store before doing this. I would love for others to weigh in. I can definitely go pick up some aspen snake bedding if it is a necessity.


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I use Aspen for my corns even though it's annoying to clean up from the floor. It's cheap, absorbs well, is super easy to spot clean. Reptichip seemed too moist/made the cage too humid overall. Care Fresh proved too undependable dust-wise. Toner ink has been shown to cause cancer in people with constant exposure, so I didn't want to risk a little snakelet crawling around in it. I've heard there is another brand out there like Care Fresh that is consistently less dusty, but I don't know what brand it is. Anyone know? I want to try it.
 
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DLena said:
I've heard there is another brand out there like Care Fresh that is consistently less dusty, but I don't know what brand it is. Anyone know? I want to try it.
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Kaytee Clean & Cozy. My hamster enthusiast friends swear by the stuff, as do some in my fancy mouse groups.
 
Thank you. I'm going to try it out in a couple of weeks when I do my deep cleaning.
 
I get my aspen from Amazon, btw. Its much cheaper there than in a pet store, and if you have Prime the shipping is free. If you live near a Tractor Supply store you can get a huge bag of aspen there even cheaper.

There are pros and cons to any substrate and there are many known safe alternatives to the shredded office paper. Never use pine or cedar. Those are definitely dangerous and can be fatal.
 
I did go and get some aspen and changed out the shredded paper, just to err on the side of caution. Thanks for all the advice every one!


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I have another question for the group, I wanted to put a stick or something for him ( I have no name yet) to climb and slither around on. Do I have to buy one? Or can I use one from the yard?


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Don't use one from the yard. It could have bugs or spores on it. If you purchase some from a pet store, you need to make sure it doesn't have any sharp parts or crevasses where your snake could get pinched or stuck. Some people make jungle gyms out of pvc or repurpose other things for their snakes to climb on.
 
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