Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just brought home my first snake last night - a normal corn - and I'm starting to get somewhat concerned about it. Last night I only had paper towels for substrate, and about 11 at night, it slithered under the paper towel and stayed there. It was there when I got up this morning, too, and then again when I got home about 2PM. I went out and got some aspen substrate, and a branch for it to climb on. I figured it had been stressed enough, so I didn't even take the snake out - I just took the water dish and its hide and the towels out, and poured the substrate in. It moved around for a while til it was comfortable or whatever, then didn't move again for some hours. Eventually, I got nervous, and moved the substrate from over top of it to see if it was breathing, and it moved away, and curled up in a corner, and has been there ever since.

When I got it, it was alert and its tongue was flicking, and it was climbing on my shirt, and on my girlfriend, and trying to climb the walls of the terrarium, and the whole bit. Now it just sits there. Is this normal? I mean, I don't expect it to move endlessly, but the fact that it isn't moving at all seems odd. Is it just stress, or should I be concerned?

One more thing. . . Present temp, 83 degrees.

This is normal. At first you put it in the container and it explored to try and see how safe it was, and also to see if it could get out...lol. leave it alone iwth the water bowl and the two hides in there for at least 4 days. dont touch. thats the hardest thing to do being a new snake owner. you have it only 83 degrees on one side, right? You need one warm and one cooler side, and put the water dish on the cooler side. make sure the water dish is big enough for the snake to soak in. (i use a little pyrex bowl for hatchlings)

Good luck!
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

Yeah, only 83 on one side, and the water dish is on the opposite side. But I only have one hide, so I'm going to start looking around for something else to use.

Thanks, I didn't know about the four day waiting period of sorts. I appreciate the help. I was getting concerned because I love these snakes to death, and didn't want anything to happen to my first one. I wish I had a digital camera so I could post a pic. Not that the people here haven't seen a normal corn. . .

There perfect as is.Your new bubby is just suffering from a little stress from being moved.It's normal and letting him settle in for a week before you mess with him would be a good idea.I would also wait a week before you try to feed.Stress can cause regurging.It will make it easier for him if you put him in a quite place with as little vibration as possible and resist the normal urges to handle him.I have a new arrival myself suffering from a shipping/new enviroment stress.

snakes, esp babies, like a hide they can touch with their bodies on all sides. when mine were babies they loved paper towel rolls. i also have a bandaid box in with my baby gopher. my bigger corn has a bottom to a planter. i turned it upside down and cut a opening in it. i gave up buying those expensive hides.

Also, make sure that after you feed him, you leave him alone for at least 2 days (no handling). This is especially important for a new snake and sometimes difficult for a new snake owner. You usually want to go "looking for him" every time you don't see him. And he will most likely hide after his meal.
Sounds like you have a good setup. Yes, a hide on both sides would be ideal. Does not have to be anything fancy, I use empty toilet-paper rolls for my babies, cut in half lengthwise for the hatchlings. Good luck with your new snake. Duffy
PS...I agree with Gargoyle: Normal corns are awesome!

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Turns out I was kind of over reacting. Last night it came out and looked around for a bit, and now is in hiding again, but I'm leaving it alone as advised.

God, I thought I was the only one who preferred normals to the morphs. I was set on getting a ghost or anerythristic, and the woman at the store seemed to think I should get an Okeetee or candy cane, but even though I thought I had made a firm decision insofar as ghost/anerythristic, I couldn't go through with it and had to get the normal instead.

>>Thanks for the advice, everyone. Turns out I was kind of over reacting. Last night it came out and looked around for a bit, and now is in hiding again, but I'm leaving it alone as advised.
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>>God, I thought I was the only one who preferred normals to the morphs. I was set on getting a ghost or anerythristic, and the woman at the store seemed to think I should get an Okeetee or candy cane, but even though I thought I had made a firm decision insofar as ghost/anerythristic, I couldn't go through with it and had to get the normal instead.

That was something that wasn't menrioned, they are much more nocturnal.
It probably does quite a bit of exploring after the lights go out.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

My favorite "hides" for corns are empty paper towl rolls. I have seven hatchlings that love to roll up in those. I'm sure toilet paper rolls work well too, but something about the length of paper towl rolls seems to work awesome. Just a thought, it's cheap and handy.
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1.0 Hypo Okeetee - Wesley (Princess Bride)
0.1 Ghost - Sydney (Scream)
2.0 Striped Amel - Jay and Aiden (Kevin Smith movies)
1.0 Snow - Silent Bob (Kevin Smith movies)
0.1 Anery - Columbia (Rocky Horror)
1.0 Creamcicle - Brandon (Mallrats)
0.1 Zig Zag Anery - Pepper (didn't name her)
0.1 Normal - Bindy (Croc. Hunter)
0.1 Motley - Craven (Underworld)