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Young corn behavior

M

mugenjin

New member
Just wanted to share my experiences as a new corn owner and have a question or two.

So I've been a corn owner for about 2 weeks now and I have to say i'm really pleased. I imagine my experiences aren't uncommon since corns are so often recommended as a great 1st snake for anyone contemplating buying one.

So I got him from a pet store , supposedly about 2 months old 2 weeks ago. I say "him" but I'm not sure of it's sex and I haven't really given it a name yet.

I followed the advice of forum members regarding handling and a settling in period. The 1st couple of times I handled him he was flighty , and trying to pick him up from the viv was a bit tricky but he made no attempt to bite me , if he did , I didn't notice. In the 2 weeks I've had him this already seems to be improving. Brightening the lights in my room and opening the viv didn't
get him to budge at all when so far it's sent him running for cover. I just got a scale and wanted to handle him and weigh him , and I actually managed to pick him up quickly when every other time had been a chore.

I was considering not handling him for a few months since i'm inexperienced and he's quite fast and the whole act of trying to remove him from his viv seemed traumatic , but he seems to be adapting quite well and quite fast. Almost immediately he settled down and was a lot more calm in my hands than he had ever been. And this was probably only the 5th time I had handled him.

My corn seems to be especially active as well, doing lots of climbing and constantly exploring at night. Don't know how many corns turn out to be "hiders" who aren't seen very often so i'm not sure how lucky I am. Even 24 hrs after after feeding he seems to be exploring again.

One thing I was slightly concerned about. He seems to enjoy climbing straight up the glass as far as his body can support him , and will occasionally fall. From what I've read here this behavior is fairly common and nothing to worry about ?

I can't wait till he's larger so I can handle him with more confidence and feel more secure in letting him roam around. Right now I can't let him do much since he's very fast and i'm scare of him finding his way under my bed or into my closet.

So far I'm just really pleased at the changes I've seen in such a short time frame. I hope he continues to progress to the point where he's completely relaxed as i'm retreiving him from his viv. How common is this for corn owners who handle their's 3-4 times a week ?

Thanks for taking the time to read this long post.
 
My corns do that sometimes. Just enjoy the stupidity. Nothing's wrong and if you're using aspen bedding, it won't hurt 'im to fall. :D
 
I'm always hearing a soft 'Thump' from the rack that has my little ones. I usualyy notice they climb around the inside lip of the tanks when feeding day gets near. Glad you and your new little corn are getting to know one another! They grow up pretty calm when handled regularly from babies. Now if former owners of some of mine woulda did that... haha
 
Young corns are always trying to climb the glass for some reason. It's nothing to worry about since they can't really fall that far anyway. Handling your snake several times a week is a good thing if you want a calm and docile adult later on down the road.
 
Certainly keep holding him, even if you only have a few minutes. There are so many times when you can't hold him already. It may seem like he becomes docile at first, but don't hold it against him if he backslides and gives you a nose bump or rattles his tail.

I'd only be worried about him falling if there is something hard in his tank. Since he likes to climb, give him vines and silk flowers to play on. They're nice and soft and will break his falls.
 
I managed to open his viv and change his water bowl and he didn't even move from his spot on top of his warm hide the other day. Thought he'd already completely mellowed out but the next day , opening his viv sent him hiding.

I'm just worried that taking him out of his viv is a bit more traumatic than it needs to be. B/c of his size , picking him up on the 1st attempt is almost impossible. And I have to remove all his hides or else I'll never be able to get him. On one occasion I gave up b/c he had burrowed and I didn't want to toss all the aspen trying to find him.
 
I wouldn't worry about traumatizing him as long as you are calm and gentle. My corn was about 3 months old when I bought her. After a settling in period and a meal I started handling her every day to every other day for a few minutes (except when she was digesting of course). I would say it took at least a month before I didn't have to chase her around to catch her, and about two months before she became as docile as she is now. I can reach into the cage and pet her and she might react by perking up and flicking her tongue, but she never shows fear or attempts to flee.
 
Even though I know personalities in corns differ , reassuring to know you've reached that level after only 6 months of age. I was starting to think I'd have to rely on his growing larger to make picking him up a lot easier. It really is amazing how a creature with no legs can be so fast. When I'd first try and grab him it would seem like he'd teleport a foot away instantly.

My guy seems well adjusted and is already less flighty in my hands. Hopefully I can expect similar progress since I'll be handling him 4-5 times a week as well.
 

Just...
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Just to show you that being on the glass is normal and comical.
Good luck with the handling. It's a very interesting process.
 
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