Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a little baby snow corn who i brought home a few weeks ago...i have waited to handle him and have let him get comfy and ive got two meals in him...well its 3 days after his last meal so i decided to start handling him in small sessions to get him tame...wow...he is a spaz...hes scared of me which i cant blame him...but i CANNOT catch him in his tank...hes too fast.i go to scoop him up and he slithers out like lightning...i dont want to just grip him and force him hes very small and fragile...i guess my question is what is a good technique for getting him to calm down...also would he calm down in my hand if i actually got him out?the way he is now im afraid hed slither right out and be gone forever heh

Even the little "spaz" corns almost always calm down in your hand after just a few moments of handling. If not the very first time, soon after.. I know the little ones seem awful fragile. Just pick him up with confidence, grip him firmly enough so that he can't run off TOO fast (I always allow them some motion, but with the wigglers, hold them tight enough to slow 'em down a bit), and keep moving your hands to support wherever the heck he's going. Since you are fearful of dropping him right now, start by just holding him low over his tank or an open container that can catch him. Good luck. He'll almost surely calm down for you.

and found that if I cupped my two hands together, the snake felt much more secure. Of course, as the snake gets bigger and feels safer, this cupping action won't be needed. But I found that it made "taming" them down much easier than trying to hold 'quicksilver'.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host

Well, there are several things you might try. I know many just reach their hand in to pick up; however, I would suggest using some object to pick him up such as a pencil, screwdriver, etc. There has been some discussion on personal scent; it may not help, but would not hurt: I always wear a certain long sleeve shirt and leave that shirt laying on top of the cage. Hatchlings and to some extent juvies are just scare because in the wild being touched means being eaten but they will calm down in time. lol, Dave

I agree with the advice of ALL the previous posters as well.

I would also suggest a VERY small container, such as plastic shoe box with TINY holes melted in the lid and/or sides(soldering gun) for air circulation. Also, a little "hide box" is EXTREMELY important to make a hatchling feel secure!!
Just cut a small notch in the upper lip portion of a small yogurt container, or something similar.

Whatever you do,.......make ASOLUTELY CERTAIN that the lid will stay nice and SECURE!!!!!!!....if not, the little dude will most likely be gone forever, never to be seen again!, I cannot stress this point enough!........just ask some other long time snake keepers!......in forty years of owning/breeding countless hundreds of snakes, I know this all too well. Fortunately, I learned from my own mistakes many years ago.

I also forgot to mention, that if a small snake is put into an aquarium, no matter how tall,....thinking the cute little snake is way too small to get up there,......surprise!!, they will, they will crawl up the silicone in the corners!!! it grips their ventral scales like glue!!! and if the lid is not tight, and with no gaps at all,.....again, it will escape!....most lids for aquariums don't fit tight at all!, and definitely are NOT meant to contain a very small snake. Larger snakes will do fine in them, as long as they don't rub their noses raw on the screen,.......but that usually means something isn't right with it's environment.

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

thanks for all the great advice ill try all of them.i have him in a 10 gallon tank with two hides one on the warm one on the cool.thanks for warning me about the lid because i have had my worrys but at first thought he was way too small to get to the top...the lid has some books on top of it now heh.

n/p
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Another thing you can do if it is a lift off lid is to secure it using adhesive velcro tape. This makes opening the tank a little more time consuming(but maybe not if your using books) but I've never had an escapee with this method.

Basically aply the velcro tape to the top of upper rim of the tank(facing up). Then aply the same type of tape to the outer side of the rim(facing outward from the tank). Then apply the opposite type/side velcro tape to theinternal edges of the lid facing down and inward on the tank.

When, after letting the tapes glue set, you press the lid fully down on the tank it will form a velcro seal over a 90 degree angle all the way arround the tank. This means to get it off you'll have to either peel the velcroed lid off with a little work or use a butter knife to seperate the two sides of velcro. Also great for classroom snakes as you can hear the students getting the snake out lol.

Just thought I'd mention it as if you already have the tank and lid it is a cheap effective way of securing it.

Sean.

usualy once its out they calm allitle, but if it doesnt want to be held dont hold it, the more you try the more stressed you snake will be

try holding it as little as possible untilmit grows
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jake

my addiction:
0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
1.0 albino cal king (zeus)
0.0.1 wc garter (zim)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven

>>usualy once its out they calm allitle, but if it doesnt want to be held dont hold it, the more you try the more stressed you snake will be
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>>try holding it as little as possible untilmit grows
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>>jake
>>

I just saw this
I disagree. I say handle it. Maybe not every ten minutes or anything like that but handle it on a regular basis. Start a day or two after feeding and handle it for five or ten minutes a day.
You will notice it getting calmer and more used to handling fairly quickly.
Not only will it get used to being handled, you will get used to handling it. This can make a big difference. Once you get used to how it reacts and the best way to control it without restricting it, the better off you both will be.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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