| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jakek1989 |
Posted - 06/09/2012 : 22:32:12
hi i just got my first snake he is a ten month old amelanistic male corn i got him this tuesday from someone who did not have the time to care for him he said that he tried to handle him 3 times a week but im not sure that he actually did and his viv was also placed in a living room with 3 loud childred in the house
when i got him i took him home set up his viv and placed the box he traveled inside and let him make his own way out then removed it all seems fine
i was told when i picked him up that it was feeding day and that he appeared to be comming up for a shed
i fed him that night once he seemed settled which he took well out of my hand i held the pinky by its tale and he popped up and took it straight away and has not regurgetated
today i decided i might give handeling him a go he spends all his time in his hide but as soon as i lift his hide off him and put my hand anywere near him he curles up ready to strike and as soon as i get close he strikes at me and i am unable to pick him up i have held snakes plenty of times as my freinds have them but they are larger and very calm and this is worrying me because i would like to be able to handle him
there are a few things that are making me wonder why he is doing this and they are
the previous owner said that to feed him he allways just put the pinky inside the viv and left him to it which makes me wander if he associates my hand with feeding
secondly if it is because its only been 3 days if he is not fully sellted in his surroundings and still nervous as he spends all his time in his hide
and last if he is preparing to shed his colour is slightly dull but his eyes have not really become glazed
the viv is set up how it should be and the temperature is fairly constant around 25c with a warm hide and a cold one and a decent size water dish
any help would be greatly appreciated as i would like to handle him but i dont want to stress him or end up with a snake that just constantly stikes at my hand |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| williamwallsend |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 19:56:52
glad he has stopped striking. ive just had 8 hatchlings come out of their eggs between 2-4th september, strike like mad at first, but it doesnt take long for them to settle down when they realise you arnt a threat or food. |
| jakek1989 |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 17:25:30
hey would just like to say thanks for all the advice
got home from work today and got gonzo out for about ten mins and he didnt try to strike me once!! held him untill he had calmed down a bit then let him back in his viv very happy with the results from all the advice iv had no i can enjoy handeling and not worry about getting cuts from being bitten as this doesnt go down to well at work !!
thanks very much |
| Ell |
Posted - 08/09/2012 : 20:16:52
Welcome to the forum :) All good advice above! |
| Callazagy |
Posted - 08/09/2012 : 19:12:37
Hi & Welcome |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 21:21:31
Hi and welcome Its up to you if youd feel more confident with a glove, but really you wouldnt get hurt, even if a bit of blood was drawn, the sock thing has worked with a lot of people, just remember when he is out not to put back if he is showing bad behavior, will learn he gets left alone and will do it all the time, short handling, you will get there! |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 18:25:21
hi and welcome, if he is coming into blue i'd be tempted to leave him untill after he's shed, as their eye sight isn't all that good during the sheding process and that combined with new home could make him more defensive. some people have used gloves at first to help their confidence. would defintly give the scented sock trick a go while he setles in as even though your not being hands on he can still get used to your scent |
| jakek1989 |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 12:56:57
hey thanks for all the advice
i have raised the temperature to 28 on the heated side of the tank although he seems to stay in the hide on the cold side
think im just going to leave him till next monday and then give handeling another go
fingers crossed
also i have heard about using a glove to pic him up untill i am more confident with him is this good or is that going to just make him used to a glove and not my hand ? |
| Dudeskin |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 10:55:55
Hiya, welcome to the forum |
| coxymk2 |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 10:26:13
Hello and welcome |
| Okeetee Mick |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 09:10:07
Welcome to the forum |
| Isoldael |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 08:47:23
I had the same with Jake - I bought him, was told that he was handled daily. After getting him home and letting him settle, he would rattle his tail and strike at me whenever I got my hands near. It took me a while to realize that leaving him the viv like that was really counterproductive - he feels he succeeds in keeping you away every time you don't pick him up when he strikes.
I've tried several things that really helped over time. The first is putting an item that has your smell on it (e.g. a glove, a worn t-shirt, etc) in the viv so the snake gets used to your smell. Another thing I did was put my hand in the viv at a distance where he couldn't bite me. I'd just leave my hand there until he stopped being so anxious, then removed it again. "If you're calm, I'll leave you alone". After he stopped getting into a striking position every time I put my hand in the viv, I started picking him up and taking him out of the viv, only to put him back after he would calm down.
Did I ever get bitten? Yes, once or twice. Once you've been bitten and realize it doesn't really hurt much, though, it's a lot easier to be secure around the snake which makes him a lot calmer too :)
Good luck with your new snakey! :) |
| serena_08 |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 07:17:28
It could just be 'attitude' of the snake, I have 2 that are 1, that aren't handled much at all. One is very shy, and I rarely see her. The other is always out flaunting herself! Yet they are both soft as. Whereas my Mother, has a 3-4yr old who's attitude is quite frightening! He 'S's up and lunges at you, attacks the glass if you're near it! I'm not scared of snakes but even he makes me nervous! But regardless we have to get him out for taming/exercising/check overs etc, and although he is defensive you just gotta go in and grab him! No hesitation cuz that makes it all worse. He shows no signs of changing, he's not getting calmer, we are just getting used to it lol.
His temps need to be up as Moppet said, and is a pinkie enough for him? My two at 10 months were on fluffs. They're 1 now and on doubles, just a tad small for smalls! |
| Moppet |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 06:49:10
Welcome to the forum It is a great place to ask questions.
Most people suggest that you leave a snake for 7 days after it arrives in a new home without handling or feeding as that gives them a chance to settle in properly. This could be making him more nervous when you try to handle him.
How are you measuring your temperatures? Do you have a digital thermometer with the probe on the floor of the warm end? If so, 25degrees is not warm enough for a snake to digest properly, it should be around 28degrees.
Not everyone agrees that putting the pinky inside the viv can cause a snake to associate your hand with feeding, this is just one theory. However if you feed inside the viv the snake can eat some of the substrate which gets stuck to the mouse as they eat it and this can cause problems as it can cause a blockage. Personally, I feed out of the viv, in a separate container which has no substrate in and I use feeding tongs in case the snakes decide to strike at the food and miss by accident but this is really down to the owner's preference and there are different ways of doing it.
When your snake has had a week to settle into his new home, I would suggest regular handling (I handle my snakes daily but only for 5 minutes to begin with and not for 48 hours after the have fed). If he strikes at you, just ignore him and he will realise that it doesn't make the 'scary predator' go away. A bite from a 10months old corn snake shouldn't hurt very much, if at all, depending on how big he is. Also, if you pretend to be confident when picking him up, he is less likely to be nervous and try to strike you anyway as you will seem to be less like a predator to him.
Good luck
|
