Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, I just got my first corn snake today and I noticed that (at least while he is young) he is a huge burrower. He's on aspen now so burrowing isn't a problem, I just have to feed him tomorrow. Since he doesn't know me or anything I was just wondering if he may be a bit aggressive or stressed if I try to take him out of the substrate while he is burrowed. Should I just wait for him to come up or something? It seems like he's been under the substrate for a good 75% of the time I've had him so far... I don't know if this is a stupid question but I'm a newbie so give me a break =P

If you want to know where it is most of the time, and not have to frighten it by churning around for it all the time, and also make it feel good and secure, which is EXTREMELY important to the well being of small hatchlings, house it in a SMALL shoebox sized plastic container with plenty of air holes(1/8th" diameter) that is VERY secure, and I do mean VERY secure!, then put only approx. 1/4" to 3/8" max. of aspen bedding, or even just newspaper. Then put a small hide box or two(anything small, shallow, and dark) with notches cut at the rim, and put upside down for it to crawl in and out of, i.e. tiny cardboard, or plastic container's work fine.

Be sure to keep the temp at around 80-84 degrees, this will aid in properly digesting the pinkies and won't make the tiny hatchling regurgitate from the prey putrifying(rotting) in it's stomach. One reminder,...DO NOT guess at the temps!, put a reliable thermometer down on the substrate, and even check the hide box temps to ensure it is right, or else the snake will not stay in them, and will end up cruising the cage looking for a place to go, and will make them more reluctant to eat as well.

I cannot stress enough how important proper temperature is to a hatchling, and these other things too for that matter. A small fragile hatchling that is allowed to regurgitate from being kept to cool can easily lead to it's death, as the regurging has a "domino" effect, and the previous regurge keeps the following meals from ever getting digested either, and it can have a BAD oucome in VERY short order, so the best thing is to NEVER let this happen.

good luck with your new snake!

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

In the wild and in captivity, corn snakes spend most of their time hiding. This would be especially true with a new snake. So your snake's behavior is not surprising. Also, I would not feed a snake the day after arrival, I'd let it snake "settle in" for 3 or 4 days. In order to prevent the snake from injesting aspen chips, it would be a good idea to remove it from the cage and feed it in a seperate container (like a deli cup).

Tim

Third Eye