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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
 Posted - 31/08/2012 : 15:43:50
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Hello! It's been a while since my last post :0
I've had fluffy the almost 6 week old corn snake for just over two weeks now! She bit me the first time I picked her up.
I've done the whole leaving her to rest thing for a week. And I have only got her out three times to feed (With gloves, Yes im a scardy cat!)
Yesterday was our first day '' getting to know eachother '' which went absolutely wrong... I got her out and she swang her tail around and swung poop all over the room haha :P I let her crawl over my gloves and inbetween my fingers which went alright and after fifteen minutes of that I put her back. Earlier today I got her out and she did not poop nor bite. I got her out just now and she was okay with it. I took one of the gloves of so she could get to know the texture of my skin. As soon as I touched her with my naked hand she opened her mouth and got quite bitey. Then she bit the glove and got one of her fangs stuck. I didnt try to pull her off or anything like that because her jaw looks kind of fragile especially when it's just one fang stuck in the glove. She managed to get herself loose after a while and kept trying to bite me...
Now my question to you guys is:
What is REALLY the best way to 'tame' your snake without hurting her and getting hurt yourself?
I've tried the whole socksmelly thing.
I have tried washing all smells of your hands so she doesnt think im one of my cats/guinea pig..
What else is there to do?  |
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Thorne Walker
Yearling
Canada
642 Posts |
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 31/08/2012 : 17:20:48
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Baaaahhhhh. Im rly worried bout her behaviour. :<
Im seriousley thinking bout taking her back :< |
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Moppet
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3315 Posts |
Posted - 31/08/2012 : 17:30:19
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Just keep trying and ignore her attempts to 'scare you away' like Thorne said. Little and often is the key to winning her over  I did 5 minutes a day to begin with and gradually increased it when they stopped being bothered about it anymore. My two are soft as anything and actually try to refuse to go back into their vivs when handling time is over |
2.4.0 Corn snakes
1.0.0 horse
0.1.0 Golden retriever
1.4.0 Guinea pigs |
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Isoldael
Yearling
Netherlands
999 Posts |
Posted - 31/08/2012 : 17:31:40
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| All the hatchies I had this year were biters. Non of them bite anymore, and only one is still jumpy. The method I prefer best is to handle them regularly and only put them back in the viv once they are calm. It's time consuming, but worth it. I've also noticed that one of my biting non-feeders didn't settle down until I fed him while holding him for some reason. Maybe he needed a positive association (food) with being handled. Haven't had problems with him since. |
1.0 anery stripe (Nash)
1.0 hypo pewter (Loki)
1.0 bloodred het amel, charcoal, hypo, stripe 50% phet anery, lavender (Kasumi)
0.1 grey background normal het amel (Saphira)
0.1 tessera het amel, anery, stripe (Lilith)
0.1 amel (Aurora)
0.1 hypo bloodred het anery, charcoal, stripe 50% phet amel, lavender (Mara)
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 31/08/2012 : 18:01:35
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| I'm a bit nervous with handling while they have eaten. Im so worried she's going to throw up her pinkie :x |
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Thorne Walker
Yearling
Canada
642 Posts |
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Auld Baldy
Ikea's Pimp
United Kingdom
1619 Posts |
Posted - 31/08/2012 : 21:39:59
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Persevere and be patient as everyone has already said.
A little hatchie is just scared and defending itself in the only way it can. A nip from one is just that, it can't tear you apart. Often it is just a 'head slap' or false strike. After all, it only wants to scare you away not keep you close by clamping its teeth into you.
Stick to 5 minutes handling sessions to begin with and gradually build up the time. If you must use a glove, hold your other hand close but not touching and let it make the move onto your palm. Don't try to stroke it, instead let it get to know your scent. Eventually it will trust you but you must also learn to trust it as well.
Plucking your eyebrows is more painful than a baby Corn nip. Don't give up.  |
1.0.0: Miami Normal: Taggart
0.0.1: Carolina Normal: Wee Woody
0.0.1: Grey Rat Snake: Mirkey
0.0.1: Amel Corn: Blaze
1.0.0: Carpet Python: Vambo
0.0.1: MBK: Fester
0.0.1: Florida King Snake : Rattler (Rattle & Hum)
0.0.1. California King Snake: El Diablo Diego
0.2.0 Tarantulas : Ermintrude & Euphemia. |
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2012 : 19:02:08
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Hey Auld! ^^
The thing is.. When she bites me she doesn't let go.
Especially on the glove. Yesterday I had to wait three minutes before she let go of it :<
I think I know why she's been bitey though. I looked in her viv this morning and I found a shedded skin!
I have no ideaaa how long it had been there i know it can't be longer then 3-4 days. I have been picking her up every day for the last week and I did not notice her eyes/skin going blurry before she shedded. So maybe that's why she was grumpy and bit me. I've started doing the whole one glove and one bare hand thing today and it seems to be going 'ok'... There's still the occasional mouth opening going on :/
Her feeding is going great. She eats a pinkie without thinking twice every 3-4 days now.
I'm a bit worried though! I have just started vet school in Holland and I'm touching loaaadss of different animals everyday. I do wash my hands everytime I handle her but there will always be certain smells lurking around which might scare her off. I don't think she's enjoying being handled yet as she swings her head and tail around everytime I pick her up... I really really REALLY do hope she will calm down.
Time will tell!
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Auld Baldy
Ikea's Pimp
United Kingdom
1619 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2012 : 19:35:12
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Hi Leasha, The only thing is to do is remain still, play dead and she will soon spit you out. That goes for either glove or skin. Be careful with the gloves if she gets her teeth hooked in the material as it is easy to cause damage. Can you get some smooth fake leatherette type of glove?
The fact that she has shed by itself shouldn't make her nervous, it is really a case of building up the trust between yourselves and you have to let her decide the pace.
You can only get rid of so much of the other animal smells but she will become used to them as being the normal part of your scent. So keep at it and you will soon be pals. Please don't be so worried about a nip from a hatchie, it really is not as bad as you imagine. The teeth are really tiny. |
1.0.0: Miami Normal: Taggart
0.0.1: Carolina Normal: Wee Woody
0.0.1: Grey Rat Snake: Mirkey
0.0.1: Amel Corn: Blaze
1.0.0: Carpet Python: Vambo
0.0.1: MBK: Fester
0.0.1: Florida King Snake : Rattler (Rattle & Hum)
0.0.1. California King Snake: El Diablo Diego
0.2.0 Tarantulas : Ermintrude & Euphemia. |
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Thorne Walker
Yearling
Canada
642 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2012 : 19:42:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Leasha
When she bites me she doesn't let go.
Especially on the glove. Yesterday I had to wait three minutes before she let go of it :<
She eats a pinkie without thinking twice every 3-4 days now.
If she's not letting go then something is triggering a feeding response. Do you feed in her viv or are you pulling her out? Do you use tongs or hand her her pinks?
3-4 days is way to short an interval. It's power feeding and you'll cause growth and long term health issues. Even Munson recommends 5 days and some even consider that to be too frequently.
Once a week is fine, corns like all snakes are opportunistic feeders so just because she's taking them doesn't mean she's hungry. Wild corns also don't eat from 3-6 months of the year while they are bruminating (wintertime) and looking for a mate (spring) so there is some balance. |
1.0.0 CB'11 Volcano Corn 'Kitty'
0.0.1 CB'11 Russian Rat Snake 'Monster'
2.0.0 CB'04 Roof Rabbits 'Baka Neko-San' and 'Usagi Neko-San'
My Setup :http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=27228
The Kids: http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26248 |
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 17:29:45
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Whenever I feed her I take her out and put her in a special feeding tank.
I give her the pinkie with tongs.
That's it. She hates me ; - ; |
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Lozzy
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1556 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 17:45:46
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| Try the feeding every 5 days tho as Thorne said 3 days really is too much and doesn't giver much time between meals to digest meaning your not getting much handling time assuming your giving her the 48hrs to digest she is only a baby and scared just keep it up, she will calm down it just takes consistency and patience ;) |
0.1 CB10 Snow Cornsnake - Galaxy ~(Currently MIA)
1.0 CB11 Ultramel Anery Consnake -Orion
0.1 CB11 Lavender Cornsnake - Star
0.1 Leopard Gecko-Simo
1.1 Jack Russell-T.J and Harley (Minature)
1.1 Cats-Rascal and Dizzee
1.0 TB Horse-Mickey |
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 18:05:07
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Alright. Well the pinkie I tried to give her today only got bitten by her but not eaten...
will wait 5 days from now... Handling her for 10min a day. Sometimes with gloves and sometimes with only one glove so she can feel my hands.. x |
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Thorne Walker
Yearling
Canada
642 Posts |
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Leasha
Hatchling
Netherlands
246 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2012 : 15:40:28
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I supose so...
She's not threatened to bite me in a while now.
I might hold her without gloves tomorrow...
Also the weather in holland has improved so it's not 34*C outside anymore.
The tank is between 25/28 *C now. She's recently shed and looks all shiney and new now haha...
Though whenever I pick her up she hates it still and tries to get away and makes weird headmovements |
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Isoldael
Yearling
Netherlands
999 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 08:51:34
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Don't give up and it will pay off in the end!
Sterkte ermee :) |
1.0 anery stripe (Nash)
1.0 hypo pewter (Loki)
1.0 bloodred het amel, charcoal, hypo, stripe 50% phet anery, lavender (Kasumi)
0.1 grey background normal het amel (Saphira)
0.1 tessera het amel, anery, stripe (Lilith)
0.1 amel (Aurora)
0.1 hypo bloodred het anery, charcoal, stripe 50% phet amel, lavender (Mara)
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scorpyshake
Egg
United Kingdom
87 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2012 : 11:53:13
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| I know you wash your hands before handling her, but do you use alcohol rub/sanitiser too ? If not maybe try using that, but leave it dry off properly before picking her up, and be calm and confident :) |
0.0.1 Amel
0.0.1 Snow
1.1.0 Bloodred/diffussed
1.0.0 English Mastiff x Rottweiller |
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2012 : 11:38:38
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| It may well be that the 'bitey day' was when she was just about to shed, especially if you hadn't noticed the shed previously. I doubt it had been there all that long, more likely you noticed it soon after shedding. The only time Corno ever gets really grumpy and tail rattles like mad at me is if I go to get her out and she is heading into blue. |
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Bite, Bite, Bite!
