Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here to visit Classifieds
Click for ZooMed
Click here to visit Classifieds

People preference in corns? Just a fluke?

jennrosefx Sep 26, 2005 03:31 AM

My corn is a female, just over a year old.

I've noticed that when I hold her, she's constantly on the move, looking for a dark place to hide...unless I am near my boyfriend. Then she is trying to get to him. The second he's holding her, she seems to calm right down.

Now, I have more experience with reptiles than he does (his only interactions has been because of me) and I am the one who takes care of her and handles her on a daily basis. What would be the reason for her "fondness" for my boyfriend? Maybe she associates me with stress since I'm the one who takes her out of her cage, not him? Could it be a smell? A body temp difference? A crush? LOL

Has anyone witnessed this in their snakes? Perhaps if I get a second snake, I should get a male?? Hehehe.

Just curious. My ego is bruised... :P

Replies (6)

goregrind Sep 26, 2005 05:31 AM

my snakes are always more calm for me than my sister who doesnt know how to hold a speedy hatchling, maybe is the way you hold her.

also ive noticed that my corn isnt squirmy with my friend brandon, maybe snakes feel more comfortable in big hands.
-----
jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

jennrosefx Sep 26, 2005 09:30 AM

I'm extremely careful when I hold her...always make sure that she's fully supported...so, I dunno. I do have rather tiny hands though compared to my boyfriend's...and mine are usually much colder. So, that could be it. A couple people have thought maybe that's the case. I think maybe she gets stressed out with being taken out of the tank, and since I'm the one who takes her out, she is nervous in my hands. I don't know what to do there though...it can be a struggle getting her out sometimes, but everyone tells me to make sure to handle her every day whether she likes it or not, to get her used to handling (except after she's eaten and when she's in shed, of course). She's an extremely gentle snake, except for a few tail rattles I would get when I first got her three months ago, she's never shown any signs of aggression...but she's still shy. In her tank, any outside movement will make her recoil and hide, and she almost always tries to retreat when you try to take her out of her tank. And I am careful not to go at her directly from above and all that. Oh well.

We are in the process of building her a wood enclosure that opens from the front...I know that will carry less noise and vibration then the all glass, top opening tank she is in now. Maybe that will help her relax a bit.

*Or I can tell my boyfriend who knows nothing about snakes that it's because she's female, and so he should let me get a second snake that is male...lol*

draybar Sep 26, 2005 04:22 PM

I don't really have an answer for you but I do know that my snakes seem to be more comfortable with me then my wife but It is just the opposite of your situation. I think it is because they recognise my smell and they are used to me.
I did have a funny thing happen at work the other day, though.
I caught a two foot garter snake under a sheet of steel and while I held it, it never tried to bite me, it just tried to escape. One of the guys at work asked what I was going to do with it an asked if he could have it.
I don't keep garters so I was more then happy to give it to him.
The funny part was as soon as I handed him the snake it started biting the hell out of him. It didn't hurt him but it startled him enough for him to drop the snake.
I picked it back up and it was fine. It didn't bite just tried to wriggle free.
I handed it back to him and it immediately started biting him again. I was cracking up.
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

_____

stinkypinky Sep 26, 2005 11:09 AM

Some snakes dont give a dam some are more picky.
Have you got clamy hands when you hold your snake ? nearly all snakes iv kept and keep dont like it as they cant move right in clamy hands and you may be restricting movement.
none of my snakes like my wifes hairspray, and a couple freak out in my sons hands but nobody elses.
there are so many factors that a snake would have to be able to talk for us to know exactly what they want.

Dont restrict your snake be gentle and dont worry.

Paul..
-----
Pinky's taste nice,only if there fresh..

phwyvern Sep 26, 2005 05:40 PM

Maybe it's like the cat thing. When you have guests over, some cats always seem to want to hide out with the one person visiting who is allergic (or just doesn't like cats) because they are the one person not trying to pet/harass the cat.
-----
_____

PHWyvern

jennrosefx Sep 26, 2005 06:16 PM

Hahahaha...when I have company over, my cat is silently plotting their doom.

I dunno. Maybe that's right though...it's crummy then though, because she is my snake, and he's not going to take her out of the tank, you know? He doesn't really care. So, I'm supposed to handle her every day to get her used to handling, but at the same time, it might be making her nervous around me. Bah! Hehehehe....Oh well...hopefully she'll just get used to things over time...I have only had her 3 months after all.

Site Tools