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Please ask me your corn snake questions...:)

Cegninedorf

Cegninedorf

Twang'em into trees!
All I want to do is write up a short FAQ document to hand out to the kids tomorrow (I've been soooooooooooo busy...!) of just basic questions -- on the other side will be a word search of all the morphs. :)

(The other sheet that I'm going to hand out will be a snake coloring sheet w/caretaking info on the back...)

The questions that I have so far are...
1) Do corn snakes eat crickets?
2) Can two snakes live together?
3) Will it bite me?

Any other ideas? I'm doing searches, but my brain is super-sapped & pressed for time right now...:p

Thanks! :wavey:
 
The brain isn't thinking in questions, but what about temps to be kept at and what kind of things do they need in their cages? How big do they get? What colors do they come in? How much can I handle one?

Guess I did come up with a couple, even if they aren't very good :)
 
Here are some questions I get during demos:
Can it blink?
Where are its ears?
Why does the tongue flick out like that?
Where does it poop from?
Can it squeeze me to death?
How does a hatchling eat a thing as big as a pinkie?
Why are the eggs soft?
Does it hurt them to shed?
Why do they rattle their tails?
Do they make sounds?
Why are they called "corn"snakes?
OR Do they eat corn?
Where do they live?
JUST TO NAME A FEW...:spinner:
Hope that helps.
Terri
 
Oh and when they ask, "Does it bite?" My stock answer is, "Everything with a mouth full of teeth can bite, including me, if the circumstances are right!"
That usually either puts them at ease or they back away from me.:rofl:
Terri
 
crackerhead said:
Oh and when they ask, "Does it bite?" My stock answer is, "Everything with a mouth full of teeth can bite, including me, if the circumstances are right!"
That usually either puts them at ease or they back away from me.:rofl:
Terri
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I said! :) Here's my written response thus far..."Any animal – even you! – will bite if you have a reason to bite. Snakes “bite” when striking prey (food) or when trying to escape from danger. As long as your hands are clean and don’t smell like mice, the snake shouldn’t mistake you for dinner!"

How's that sound? :)

Thanks to everyone for the questions! I appreciate it!
 
Please excuse if these questions have been asked already:
Why does it shed its skin?
Where do they live in the wild?
Do snakes have feelings?
 
Or the classic....


Are they poisonous?


Allowing you not only to point out that they're not, but that you've never eaten one to find out (poisonous = stuff that's ingested, venomous = stuff that's injected).
 
Here's my written response thus far..."Any animal – even you! – will bite if you have a reason to bite. Snakes “bite” when striking prey (food) or when trying to escape from danger. As long as your hands are clean and don’t smell like mice, the snake shouldn’t mistake you for dinner!"

Great response! I'd like to, at this time, also point out that there is an enormous size difference between them and the snake. And this information is not lost on the snake!

Allowing you not only to point out that they're not, but that you've never eaten one to find out (poisonous = stuff that's ingested, venomous = stuff that's injected).

I love this, well put! If you don't mind Bitsy, I'm borrowing it!

I thought of another one last night while trying to get to sleep. They are egg layers; oviporous, a great word! Boosting vocab for when they take those yucky standardized tests.
Terri
 
Do snakes drink water?

I've actually talked to people who didn't think snakes drink (at all) because they don't have a wide / flat tongue for lapping up water like a dog or cat.

Why do snakes eyes get cloudy?

Do snakes have ears?
 
This is what I came up with last night -- and wouldn't you know it? I got asked the cricket question three times today. I just said as a response, "Please refer to question 1." One guy even wanted to argue with me on it when I stated that snakes are carnivores, not insectivores. He replied, "Well, carnivores eat everything." I said, "No, that's omnivores. Carnivores need meat, not insects." He started to "...but...but...but..."-me & I said, "They eat mice & rats. Period." No wonder the kids of today are so messed-up with parents like that...:p

And, I did include a reference to the venom/poison issue, as well...stole it straight off of Wikipedia before I saw Bitsy's response just now. Whoops...but hey, all in the name of education. ;)


FAQ*s of Corn Snakes

1. Do corn snakes eat crickets?
No, no, and NO! Snakes are carnivores (meat eaters), not insectivores (insect eaters). In particular, corn snakes only enjoy mice and rats.

2. Is a corn snake venomous?
NO! Absolutely not! A corn snake constricts (tightly squeezes) its prey. Corn snakes do not have fangs. (By the way…the term poisonous snake is mostly incorrect - poison is inhaled or ingested, whereas venom is injected.)

3. Will the corn snake bite?
Any animal – even you! – will bite if you have a reason to bite. Snakes “bite” when striking prey (food) or when trying to escape from danger. Be sure to hold the snake gently, and as long as your hands are clean and don’t smell like mice, the snake shouldn’t mistake you for dinner!

4. Why are they called “corn” snakes?
Corn snakes have been called “corn” snakes because farmers who grow corn had often found the snakes in their fields and around the silos that stored the corn. Corn snakes quickly became the “farmer’s friend” because they took care of the rats and mice that were trying to eat all of the farmer’s corn.

5. Where do corn snakes come from/originate?
Corn snakes are found mostly in the southeastern part of the United States, often around farms where lots of tasty mice can be found munching on corn.

6. How long do corn snakes live?
Corn snakes raised in captivity (taken out of the wild) can live between 15-20 years.

7. How long do corn snakes grow as adults?
Adult corn snakes can grow to a length of 3’-5’.

8. Where can I get a corn snake?
First, do your research! Read all that you can about them and how to properly take care of them. Corn snakes can live a long time, so be prepared for the responsibility! Be sure to talk to breeders or hobbyists or join a herpetological society to get as much information as you can. That is the best way to find a corn snake for you! Also ask lots of questions to find a healthy pet for you.

9. Can two snakes live together (co-habitate) in the same tank?
It’s not recommended that two snakes live together, even if they do look like they’re lonely. In the wild, snakes live on their own from birth, and they don’t “make friends” with other animals. Problems that could arise if two snakes live together are accidental mating (if you don’t know the gender or make a mistake about it), fighting or even death.

How's that? Fair enough? :) I also printed up another sheet with this info on it:

So You Want to Get a Corn Snake Now, Huh? :)

Things to Consider…
Research: the more you know, the better quality of life that you can give your beloved pet! (Check the resources list.)
Size: corn snakes reach a mature size of 3-5 feet (occasionally up to 6 feet)
Life span: around 15-20 years, sometimes longer.
Cost: the snakes are relatively inexpensive, but remember: there is a significant cost to invest in the proper equipment.
Feeding: snakes are carnivores, which means owners must be prepared to provide prey (in this case, mice) to feed the snake.
Cages: corn snakes do not have elaborate housing needs, but must be in an escape-proof enclosure. Adult corn snakes need at least a 20-gallon tank.
Legal issues: be sure to check the legality of exotic pets in your area. (It is legal to own and breed corn snakes in Illinois.)


I also printed up a "morph word search" and a corn snake coloring page. All were immensely popular today. :) Now, onto tomorrow!
 
I'm more interested in the colouring page, haha. Do you have a link to it? I'm curious.

(all the good questions have been asked, I also get "how to do you tell girl snakes from boy snakes" but I don't know if you want to get into that).
 
v_various said:
I'm more interested in the colouring page, haha. Do you have a link to it? I'm curious.

(all the good questions have been asked, I also get "how to do you tell girl snakes from boy snakes" but I don't know if you want to get into that).
Click to expand...

I did get that question -- none are sacred! -- and I discussed how someone experienced can pop &/or probe, and why a person shouldn't just randomly try those methods on his/her own. I also discussed looking at tail length/thickness, and how deceiving to the eye it can be...

Hmmm, maybe I can attach it...lemme try...

Actually, it's too large of a file to upload, so if you want, I could email it to you...:)

It's very cute; it comes from a former corn snake newsletter archive. I felt that since it was for educational purposes, like the good teacher that I am, I felt ok snagging it...:)
 
Corny Noob said:
THANKS!
I am totally printing the word search out to do :D
Click to expand...

I can't take the credit -- www.puzzlemaker.com is a fantastic website at which you can make word searches for free. I adore it. Awesome way for reviewing vocab & spelling for any subject area. Kids love the mazes, too. :)

And by no means is the morph/pattern list complete...I just typed in as many words as I could think of -- and then could find on morph lists here & there. :)

Enjoy!

And, if anyone is interested, I posted photos from this weekend on my other thread about Reptilefest...I'm really thrilled with my amateur photos so I'm kinda sad that no one has just said "Nice!" yet...:(

Ok, enough of that...:sobstory: But, Reptilefest broke all of its previous record -- over 6000 people over 2 days. Pretty amazing. :)

Thanks again!
 
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