Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
My girlfriend’s daughter just brought home a corn snake from a friend of friend that was just going to let it go!!!!!! Anyway, I am pretty sure that want to keep it. My dilemma is that I do not know anything about snakes.!!! And for the pets listed in my signature, I pretty much thoroughly researched them before getting them.

From reading on here I think I have the substrate, food, heating and caging down, but my girlfriend and I are curious about handling them. Are they “easy” to handle and do they bite? I know that they are not poisons, but I like to be prepared when I get “hit” lol. How about just handling snakes in general? How to pick them up? Is there a good way or a bad way to pick them up? Over the years I have handled a couple of friends snakes and always enjoyed it, but I have never picked one up and have no idea how nice this guy is.

Any help would be great. Thank You!
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
0.2.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs

Well I guess a good starting point would be letting us know if it was wild caught or captive bred..... if it is wild caught it may be a little nippy. Depending on how long it had been kept before you inherited it and how often they handled it. Some corn snakes can be a little nippy but for the most part they are perfect angels. The most important part is let it get settled into its new home. Give it about a week just be be sure it feels secure. Make sure the temps are around the mid 80's in the day and mid-high 70's at night. make sure you have a good gradient (warm and cool side) and have at least one hide on either side so that the snake doesn't have to sacrifice comfort for security. if the snake is young the water dish can count as a hide too but it's best to have one real hide on either side. if you have an under the tank heater (uth) place a hide over it. Most importantly find out what feeding schedule they had it on. Just curious..... How big is the snake?
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Redtail "Kilo"
1.0 Ball Python "Road Hog"

Hey,
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

For starters I have already handled it ( my next post is after yours, but I was in the process of writing it when you did........lol). It was a complete angle.

Second it was a teenager that had it and now he is gone so I have no idea of the background on the snake and neither does my girlfriends daughter. So...... I am winging it sort of speak.

Next, from all the reading on the "net" that I have done tonight, I think the hiding places that he has have been in there for a long time, maybe since he was younger. They are small places, so tommorrow I am going to buy/fabricate some better places for him.

I was pretty amped when I picked him up. It seemed nice as hell and i loved having it slither on me. i have mmore learning to do on these guys so I will....learn.

Thank YOU
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
0.2.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs

well,
after reading more and more I decided to go ahead and pick him/her up. Very pleasant. I am hooked on him /her. I started by picking it up about mid-body (maybe 2 - 2.5 foot long) and in the cage. It didn't mess with me at all, so I I picked him up and let him slither (?)/crawl (?) all over my hands and arms. it is pretty cool. I think I am now going to get hooked on snakes as well as everything else I have.

Ok, next question which I have not found...How do I sex it??

Ok never mind, just got the answer on that one too.

thank you everyone
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
0.2.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs

Most predators attack from above. I have found that snakes are a lot more calm when approached from eye level. You would be surprised how much easier they are to photograph when you are down on their level instead of hovering above. Hope this helps, and welcome to the wonderfull world of corns.
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1,0 snow
1,0 amel
1,0 texas corn
1,0 aney stripe motley
0,1 normal
0,1 charcoal
0,1 motley
1,1 oketee
0,1 tx rat
1,0 diadem
4,5 ball python
1,1 dumerils boa
1,1 columbian red tail boa
1,1 green iguana
1,0 leopard gecko
1,2 dogs
freezer full of mice & rats

Agree with cowtown. It made a difference in my animals behavior when I quit using fish tanks to keep them in. I got herp cages that open from the side instead of from the top. When you reach in from above it is natural for snakes to have a defensive response. From the side mine (esp my hog) are a lot calmer. I got mine at herpcages.com....... anyway...

Also cowtown, I an in Granbury, just south of cowtown I noticed you have a Texas Corn. Is it wild caught? I would really like to have a local species. If you bought it somewhere would you mind telling me where? Thanks.
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0.1 Western Hognose
0.1 Common Corn

congrats on the snake. they can be addicting, i have naaza my first corn i got in march. everyone here can be of great help.... it seems there are people here who know the best way to get a snake to feed, handling, shedding, and cage design, there are even alot of people here who go out and find wild caught corns. and alot of people here who can direct you to sites with great info. another good source of help would be cathy loves book.

just thought i would throw that in

2.0.2 green iguanas
1.0. sugar glider
0.1. chow chow
0.2 cats
0.1 rose hair tarantula
1.3 ferrets
1.0 corn snake
2.4 rats (the charmed ones )
1.1.5 white mice

"no matter how hard you try, you can never baptize a cat"

Just thought I would throw in a pic of hopes tank in case you need ideas....

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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Redtail "Kilo"
1.0 Ball Python "Road Hog"

i didn't see anyone mention feeding. if you can get it to eat frozen thawed that would be great. most everyone here recommends feeding f/t. much safer for the snake. all my snakes eat f/t from my 6 foot python who eats x-large rats to my baby corn that eats pinkies.
also they do like small hiding places they can 'feel' the sides with their bodies. mine love paper towel rolls. so if the snake can squeese into the hides you have he may still be able to use them.
just some thoughts for ya...yea, once i got my first snake i got hooked too! most everyone here doesn't have just one snake.:0)

Thank you to everyone that has replied.

Sry to reply this late, but I just checked back in to the board, i do really appreciate all the replies.

Well this guy that I have "inherited" is very tame. He does not seem to "like" being held, but on the other hand does not seem to matter either. He is always slithering to get away, but VERY nice. I held him for about an hour last night and he kind of just curled up in my shirt sleeve....about half of him and chilled.

I love the toliet paper roll or paper towel roll idea. I think that i will try that. (for hiding)

I was amazed when I saw that joker eat for the first time. He ate a thawed (i think it was still have frozen) fuzzy and it just blew my mind away how big the mouth can become. And when he was done, how it moved down into his body. It was neat (listen to me, I must be knew to snakes). But then he "yawned" and stretched his jaw when he was done. It was neat.

Anyway, thanks again for all the replies. I really dig this guy (and yes, I BELIEVE it is a guy).

Thank You,
Mike
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
0.2.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs