• 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.

Ugh..I know I said I was leaving but I need you guys...(LONG)

T

TaraRose

New member
Ok..some of you might remember me...and I know I said I was leaving but I am sucking it up and crawling back because I KNOW there are some knowledgable people here and I respect their opinions very much. And..something happened and I need you!!!! :eek1:

Ok, so when I left we kind of had a huge debate about cohabbing snakes. For those of you who dont remember, I had adopted two snakes from a friend of mine who were approx 1 1/2 years old and had lived together since they were 2 weeks. Well, long story short I seperated them and found the creamsicle another home with someone who seemed to be a very knowledgable corn snake dude. He had several already, and brought his 8 year old male cornsnake over to show me. He was REALLY HUGE!!! and looked very healthy and happy. So I sent him home with my little baby snake, and didnt hear anything from him. Today he emailed me and said that he is MEAN and he tries to bite him everytime he goes in the tank! WTF?

Why would the other snake act like that? I NEVER had that problem with either of them, and the snake I kept hasn't shown any type of behavior like that. And I know for a fact the previous owners never had that problem and they have had them since they were 2 weeks old. Granted he is in a new tank and by himself for the first time in his life, but do you think he is afraid? I also noticed that he handled the snakes a little rough..like he would squish their heads kind of and manipulate them instead of letting them do their own thing. He has never even OFFERED to bite anyone, though?? I mean, he wouldn't really even strike at his prey when he was eating..he would kinda just slowly open his mouth and take it. Ho hum. And now to be honest I am a little apprehensive about picking up the snake I kept! Should I expect this type of behavior from him, too? Did I do the wrong thing? :shrugs:

Ugh..I know I am kind of freaking out, but to be honest with you I just got really confident handling the stupid snake to begin with!
 
Welcome back. No need to stay away because of silly flame wars.

There have been many times that I have recently gotten snakes that had previously been angels and turned evil once in my care. And I've also gotten snakes that were supposed to have horrible attitude problems, and they were nothing but sweet the whole time that I've had them. I've also sold snakes that had good attitudes and turned mean and other snakes that were horrible to me but were total sweethearts to their new owners.

The point I'm trying to make is, that a change of home can change a snakes (or any other creatures really) attitude. There is nothing that you did wrong. Perhaps the new owner didn't let the snake settle in for long enough. Sometimes, individual snakes need a little bit longer to get used to their new homes than others. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

And anyone who has been keeping Corn Snakes for years shouldn't be afraid of an aggressive Corn of any size. Tell the new owner to cowboy up. :grin01:
 
I would bite too, if somebody squeezed my head, lol! Are you saying he holds them as you might hold a venomous snake, holding the head and neck area so it can't bite? If he handles the snake roughly, or in a way it doesn't like, he may be teaching it to bite.

If that is the case, you might have to retrain him (the snake, not the guy) by gentle handling. Use lightwieght gloves if you are nervous, and don't put him away when he "misbehaves".
 
Welcome back, TaraRose. It's really nice to see you here.

I tend to agree wth kathy. If the new owner is not allowing the snake free range of movement, and is handling rather roughly, it seems that this could be the root of the problem.
 
Tara,
I feel the snake picks it's owner. I have snakes here who are gentle and friendly with me and strike at my girlfriend who leaves with me. Some of her snakes are more comfortable with her and instead of me as well. This is why I never ever buy an animal that I haven't sat with or looked at for a period of time.
We have a very aggressive Cal King that bites everyone else and has only tried to grab me once. He is more calm around me than other people.
 
So, it sounds like the guy is afraid of your snake. He's probably scaring it by holding it by the neck. Does he want to give it back?

I have a biter, and I really, really, really don't want to get bit by him, but I still pick him up by the middle of the body, not by the neck.

Nanci
 
No..he didnt mention wanting to give it back. I actually replied to an add he placed on craigslist for a few tank decorations that I wanted for MY snakes tank, and didnt know it was him. So..he didnt email me just to tell me the snake was biting. He doesn't like restrict the head like a venomous snake..it's more like he just makes them do what he wants. It's hard to describe..when I hold my snake I let him crawl around and I don't (usually) force him to go anywhere..I let him crawl from hand to hand..does that make sense? This guy would take the snake, stretch it out to look at it, grab his face and manipulate it around..that kind of thing. I more got the sense that he was handling them like that because he was confident and not afraid. Do you think the poor snake is unhappy? Maybe I should try to get him back...

So far my snake is not biting me?? And you are saying there is no reason to suspect that he may start just because the other snake it, right? I made myself pick him up last night (I was gonna handle him anyway, but then this biting thing spooked me!), and he kind of freaked when I picked him up. But..I dont think he got a look at me before I tried to pull him out of the substrate. He settled down once I picked him up. I am going to try and handle him daily until his next feeding..he hasnt been out in a while because I was waiting for him to shed.
 
Welcome Back!!

(and don't you ever leave again)

Your snake may have 'sensed' your apprehesion when you picked him up. Just relax and be confident when handling him.

I wouldn't try to get the other snake back until you have another setup (but we won't go there). Also, if the new owner is a bit rough with the other snake, it may be jumpy. And I'm not sure if you'd be comfortable with that snake right now.

Good Luck.
 
"Your snake may have 'sensed' your apprehesion when you picked him up. Just relax and be confident when handling him."

Exactly! If you handle him differently because you expect him to bite (even if you don't realize you are handling him differently), then he might start behaving differently, and bite because of it.
 
Well..we hung out again today (me and the snake. LoL) and he was just fine. Although, he has developed this weird affliction for my hair..I usually wear my hair up when I am home, and he likes to go stick his little head right through my ponytail and just hang there..what a weirdo!

You are right that I would not be comfortable handling a snake that was biting. I am hardly comfortable handling my snake that acts like a limp noodle when I hold him to be honest. I do see how much happier (errr..less stressed?) my snake is since he has his own space, and I definitely wouldn't put them back together. I just feel bad because I really tried to find him a good home, and it sounds like I may not have done such a great job at it :(

PS..thanks for the warm welcome back ;) I wasnt expecting it...
 
You do the best you can and hope for the best result. You can't be responsible for the rest of the world.


If you start to feel nervous, be sure to do whatever it takes to NOT be nervous, including wearing a light glove, if that's what it takes. Otherwise, it can be the start of a downhill slide - you are nervous, causing him to be nervous and maybe bite, making you more nervous, etc, etc. So you can see why it is so important to avoid that trap.
 
:cheers: Welcome back! Sounds like you're doing a great job with the snake you kept. Maybe the other guy has got used to his bigger snake and has forgotten how nervous and squirmy small ones can be. :shrugs: Having said that if he's raised one snake to adulthood maybe he'll get used to the new little one and vice versa
 
Weclome back Tara. Just keep up the good work with your snake, and PLEASE try not to stress yourself over the one you found a home for. Sounds like your doing a good job just letting your snake hang out with you and letting him go where he wants while with you. Keep up the good work!
 
Tara,

Maybe you should try watching a movie with your snake! I find that really relaxing, and I think it's a good bonding time. The snake gets to be out and be held, but isn't the center of attention. I practically can't sit down and watch TV without a snake to keep me company. It's Inez's normal handling time- she is usually out for 30 minutes or so. Choco can make it through an entire movie or several Gray's Anatomy episodes. Addy tried to watch Snakes On A Plane with me, but was scared by the thunderstorm and ended up with her head buried. Maizey, my adult corn, is the first snake that learned to watch TV. She will lay out along my arm and just sit there, not moving. You should try it!

Nanci
 
I wonder why I have one snake named Addy, and want to name the next one Izzy??

Nanci

I'm changing Chocs' name to McDreamy!!
 
Haha..I actually rented Snakes on a Plane for this weekend because, after having my snake it seemed absolutely ludicris to me how aggressive the snakes on that movie seem. It seems to me that if there were actually snakes on a plane, they would probably hide in someone luggage or whichever dark, warm spot they could find instead of seeking out humans to attack??

So my snake and I (who I have lovingly renamed Noodle, because he is like a big old limp noodle when I hold him) will have to watch that one together! lol
 
I thought SOAP was going to be really hokey and I would hate it, but in fact I really, really liked it. The snakes go crazy because of pheromones in the leis!! It's perfectly logical!

I really liked the part in the special features where you get to meet the snakes- I watched that before the movie. And how they did all the special effects.

Nanci
 
Actually, it's not perfectly logical. Even the snake experts said it's....pooosible, but highly unlikely. The snakes did exactly what normal snakes would do when on the set. They headed for the dark spots under the seats. Not one wanted to come out! I thought it was a stupid concept with yet more negative messages about snakes! Anyway Tara. Welcom back and if you feel really uncomfortable with the guy having the snake, see if you can get him back. Get a cheap rubbermaid container to house him in for now and he'll be fine. As Kathy said. We can't be responsible for the world! We do the best we can for the animals in our care.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top