Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My gosh! I got Angel, a baby Striped Albino Amel Corn Snake when he was a new born, he's good and happy with me... but since I got him (no offense to anyone by my language) HE HAS BEEN THE SPAWN OF SATAN! he has been the most aggressive Corn Snake I have ever seen in my life. I know that babies can tend to get mean until they become adult's, but I mean common, he's bitten me twice (get's repemanded for it) and strikes non stop like he will eat me. Will he ends up as an adult like this???.. I don't know what to do. I do EVERY TRICK in the book to get him to stop, with feeding, handling.. EVERYTHING! he just doesn't want to be nice. Got any tips? (I feel like I got it all) if not, then will he stop being to aggressive in the future? thanks!.
-Maddz

Exactly what do you mean by "gets reprimanded"? No matter what you mean, it sounds like a bad idea, and that might be causing the extra aggression. A snake isn't like a dog. It isn't going to see you as something to which it has to be loyal - they don't have a brain capable of emotions that complex. Basically, they feel fear, hunger, temperature, and sex drive. If you're aggressive with it, it'll see you as a predator - something it has to fear - no matter what the circumstances. When it bites you, first, don't put the snake down. That'll show it that it gets left alone when it bites, and it'll continue to use that strategy. Second, don't "reprimand" it. Just hold it until it calms down, then put it back.

Absolutely agree with previous post.

If you scare or hurt the hatchling, it will be afraid of you. If it's afraid of you, it'll try and get rid of you when you go near it by biting. If you then do something to scare or hurt it because it bit you... well, you can see the loop you're in. Now you've lost his trust, he perceives you as something dangerous and it's going to take some hard work on your part to turn that round.

The only way you're going to calm a hatchling down is by being kind, gentle and persistant. You understand what's going on because you can link cause and effect. He doesn't have the capacity to to that - all he's doing is reacting instinctively to what he sees as a dangerous situation. You have to persuade him that you aren't dangerous after all.

What sort of tricks have you tried so far? We might be able to recommend more.

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

Sometimes Snakes have a hard time understanding what you want from them when they are getting reprimanded. Maybe if you scream louder, and speak English more clearly he will know exactly what you want. Make sure it is in English, that's the only language snakes understand. Hope this works.

Posted by: skyfire_1 at Mon Mar 7 11:05:15 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

Sometimes Snakes have a hard time understanding what you want from them when they are getting reprimanded. Maybe if you scream louder, and speak English more clearly he will know exactly what you want. Make sure it is in English, that's the only language snakes understand. Hope this works.

Great post thanks. I am having trouble with a baby corn that nips going to scream a bit louder tho I am speaking English . Perhaps need to be clearer.
Thank you

One thing that you can try is to wear a t-shirt around all day long, then, without washing it, place the t-shirt in the tank with your baby. The folds will offer a lot of places to hide and crawl about, and the scent off of the shirt will soon be associated in the mind of the snake with safety rather than fearfulness. It really works, given enough time.
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742