This is the FAQ I send out to people who email me for info. It may not all be applicable to you, since you have had yours for awhile, but may have some useful info for you. Hope it helps.



Taming and Handling Baby Corns



Go really easy on the handling during the first month after you acquire the corn - that is one of the most stressful times in his entire life, and he needs to concentrate on adjusting to his new home. I would suggest starting to handle him when he has had 2 - 3 days to digest his meal and you can't see any bulges at all. Once he is well adjusted to his new home, handling your baby for about 10 - 30 minutes, even more than once on those days just before the next feeding, is even better. Usually, he will be pretty wild for the first several minutes while he thinks you are getting ready to eat him. Hold the little guy over the cage or a garbage can for the first few minutes. Both the exercise and the excitement combine to make him "go" when you first start handling him. When they get older, babies will only be eating once per week and won't be so excitable, so you won't get the same reaction. After several minutes, they are usually emptied out.



If you are worried that the baby might escape when you are unfamiliar with handling him, then just handle him over the top of the cage (or some kind of box that it can't get out of) the first few times. Then if he wriggles away or you accidentally drop him, he will be right in the cage. After the first few times, you will begin to understand how he moves and you won't need to handle him over the safety of the cage any longer.



If you pick babies up at all, it is important to keep holding them long enough for them to stop struggling and to relax. It is important that each session end on a positive note. That is, the snake has relaxed for several minutes and is not struggling or trying to bite. After the snake has emptied itself over the cage or over a garbage can, then sit down for a few minutes with him. Hold fairly tightly when he struggles, but relax your grip when he relaxes, tightening again if he starts to get a little crazy. They are not the smartest animals, but if you are consistent, they will learn:

1. They won't get eaten.

2. They won't get to go back home until they "behave" themselves.

3. The more calm they are, the looser your grip will be.



If you have ever kept and trained dogs, the principles are the same. Snakes just don't learn quite as quickly as dogs, but they DO learn.



Good luck!

Kathy Love

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