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Newbie guidence please?

M

Mr. Burns

New member
Hello,

Just entered the world of snakes, with my little amel mr. burns. Infact my first ever pet in my 20 years. Dad never liked animals 8-( boo hoo i know.

Anyway, just wondering about some general advice on keeping the,. I'm reading a book and all but practical advice from real people helps best i would think.

Areas i'm interested in are feeding, and behaviour.

I know you cant handle them after feeding, but for how long after? And also, is it normal for him to hide in his house all the time?

Thanks

Mr. Burns
 
Hey Mr. Burns,

Welcome to the forum. It's great to see new people with snakes!

First bit of advice that could answer all your questions is buy the Cornsnake Manual but Bill & Kathy Love. Great book, lots of pics and great info!

Advice on feeding... hmmm... for hatchlings feed them one pinky about twice a week. If they're not eating I find it helps to dim the lighting a lot and cut the pinky's head open when feeding. Also take it out of the enclosure to feed it, maybe use a separate container with no substrate to feed it in. I do just use the floor though, some baby's like to be in small spaces while eating. The open floor can be overwhelming for a baby.

As far as handleing after eating. I don't know if I would suggest handling after eating for the first few feeds, but I handle my corns everyday, if it's eaten, if it's shedding, regardless. you just have to be very gentle and slow and careful. If they seem to be getting a bit skittish then put them back, that's when they're starting to get really stressed. Handling them is how they get used to you and the more you handle it the more it'll be at eas when you handle it.

Advice on behavior... Well, they're super gentle creatures. Very calm... they do seem to keep to themselves though in the cage. I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that your corn know's how to take care of itself better than you do. As long as you provide it with the things it needs (good heating gradient, fresh water, food, clean cage, hides...) it will do the rest.

Don't worry if it doesn't come out durring the day, they come out at dawn and dusk and chances are it will be up while you're sleeping. Your corn will drink it's water and just because you don't see it doesn't mean that it's not drinking it. Don't worry if your corn spends too much time on one side of the cage. It knows what it's doing as far as heating/cooling itself. If you pick it up and you think it feels cool (temp), then it's probably just cooling itself off. If it needs to be warmer, it'll head over to the undertank heater side.

If you're holding it and it poos on you or if it nips at you, don't put it back right away. If it thinks that all it has to do is poo or bite you to get put back in its cage, then it will learn to do that to get you to put it down. If it does this, just hold it for a few more minutes and then put it back.

Well, I hope this helps, corns are great to care for. I love them so much! Good luck with your new corn!
 
hi

thanks very much for yuor advice :)

i fed him today, and there was no problem, in fact he knew what it was before i even put it in, it was funny he just stalked it for a few seconds then pounced, he must ahve been hungry - however i read to not feed them until they have gotten used to the new suroundings 3-4 days.

He is lively, and doesn't really wanna be handled, which is slightly concerning. I dont want to stress him out, but i also wanna get him used to me. Although as of yet he hasn't nipped or got mad. He just runs when he sees my hand coming! :( I guess it will just take time.

Thanks again, and thanks for the welcome

Mr Burns
 
Hey!

It's true about waiting for 3-4 days to let them settle in. I'm glad you're corn is settled and eating! Sounds like you've got a good feeder!

As far as being handled, most babys are jumpy in your hands for the first bunch of times. They get used to it, Don't let it get you down. Just be patient and handle for about 10 mins max daily for the first while.
 
Hey!
Well I don't handle mine for 2 days after feeding. I don't normally see my cornsnake out in the day, she comes out at around 10pm.

If you haven't seen your snake drink and you're worried about it, pick it up and hold it above the water bowl to see if it drinks, I did that for mine and she drank. If it doesnt drink, try it the next day or somethin.
 
Mr Burns

Don't worry! I know what you are saying about wanting him to get used to you, and you handling him since at this point I am sure he is far less that a "best buddy" *L*

But dont worry!! I actually prefer not to start "holding" any of my snakes until 3-4 months. No special reason other than I find them really whippy and some do get stressed. And even though I hold only for cleaning during this time, some of grown to become very very friendly when I did start their handling. Thats not to say its not perfectly fine to start handling whenever you wish! :)

I also recently bought a 2 year old female corn who had never been handled except for cleaning, fed in tank....so no handling for that either. And she is quite reasonable. A little more flighty than my other corns but she has certainly never struck at me or bitten or even hissed. The most I get is a rattle of the tail if she has a mouse!

Just a couple scenarios to make you feel at ease with giving him the time he needs to rest :)

bmm
 
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