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Q:
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Taming a Recaputred Cornsnake?
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Okay, so my 6 month old corn got out about three months ago (he's now 10 months) from the cage he shared with my female of the same age. I won't go into details about how much and how hard I tried to find him, but as he is found, I need help. Before he's escape, Indran was a curious and very active corn. He would wander all over my hand, wrist, and arm. Now he lays in a coil, unless I come near his cage. As it was my younger brother who found him, I don't know if my corn had been that violent (hissing and shaking his tail) when he was caught. How do I go about retaming him?
He is currently in a seperate tank than my female, as I was afraid of him harming her. He's also over two feet long now, though he won't let me close enough to handling him long enough to accurately measure him. He has accepted one mean of frozen pinkie, and has had one shed in the two weeks I've had him back.
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Assisted Answer
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9/28/2009 10:53:42 PM
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MrCoyote
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Try putting it in a pillow case and handle him like that for a couple of minutes per day until he calms back down. I havent tried it but i've heard it has worked for some people.
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Assisted Answer
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9/28/2009 10:58:27 PM
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FyreFocks
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Your snake has had time to be on its own and its going to take a little bit of time to suck the freedom life from its bones. Once he gets back into the swing of eating, defecating, and shedding in his cage, then i think he will come about. When you think hes ready, just pick him up and handle him. Whats the worst that can happen? Its only a corn snake after all. Oh and i wouldnt put him back with the female unless you have breeding intentions.
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Assisted Answer
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9/29/2009 12:12:56 AM
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Carusima
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Yeah, you shouldn't house two corns together anyways. If he decides to breed with her then she could easily get hurt, she needs to be atleast 3 feet, 3 years, and 300 grams to breed safetly and you'll risk egg-binding. At 6 months they need to be separated if housed together.
As for the handling, go to Wal-Mart and pick up a pair of thick gloves (The gray and blue ones) for $2.50 (my Anaconda couldn't bite through these) and handle him daily with those. He will get used to being held again and you won't need to worry about getting bit. You have to imagine with him being escaped for that long, how many times he's had feet run by him, fallen off of things, or came into close calls with you and you didn't even know it. The pillowcase is also a good idea, because it gets them used to being manuevered, but it doesn't really help on the visual, because as soon as he's back out of the pillowcase and able to see what's holding him he might still be fiesty.
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Assisted Answer
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9/29/2009 12:30:22 AM
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Lashman
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A mean baby corn snake! I shouldn't make fun of situation but yes, what's the worst that can happen. You get bit, maybe break the skin and bleed a few drops!
It's a natural defense, he's been on his own for months and it's how they survive. They have to appear big and bad and intimidate you to leaving them alone and it appears to be working. Also why many snake musk when picked up, now they're trying to make you think they're to gross to mess with. I have babies striking while still in egg, it's nature.
Now feed the poor hungry guy, if you haven't, let him relax a few days then pick him up until he calms down. Don't put him back if he's striking as it teaches that action let's him be left alone.
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Assisted Answer
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9/29/2009 8:53:56 AM
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JohnJohn
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I agree with everyone else. Just handle him regularly, in whatever way you are comfortable, and he will tame down and get used to it. I don't think it will take long for him to settle down. Don't worry much about getting bitten. It might happen, but if it does, just relax, it won't hurt much. I think it's very important to be calm and self-confident when handling any snake. Just keep reminding yourself to be calm and confident.
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Assisted Answer
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9/29/2009 11:07:27 AM
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dalvers63
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The most important thing to do is to NOT put him back when he bites you or tries to get away. Also, if you go into his cage to handle him, don't let his posturing and trying to bite deter you. If you do, all you end up doing is training him that biting and being mean works.
I'd also suggest not housing them together. Snakes really are solitary creatures and do best when kept separately.
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Accepted Answer
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9/29/2009 11:53:10 AM
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bwaffa
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Ditto, Deb. Your snake has reverted to its "wild" psychology, and you need to break him of that. Instinct tells him when he's threatened he should lash out aggressively; if you give him space and reward his striking when he acts out you'll reinforce the behavior. If my snakes strike at me aggressively from within the cage (mistaken feeding strikes are forgiven), they're on the end of a hook and quickly in my arms faster than they can hiss. They may puff and strike and bite all they want, but they're not allowed back into the safety of their hides until they've calmed down. In that way they learn to associate "good" behavior with the ends they seek.
As others have said, you're probably going to get bit a few times, and if you haven't been nailed before I know that's a little hard to accept and wrap your mind around. Two suggestions to help you get past this: 1. With a corn snake, you may avoid the bite altogether using an open palm technique (note: this does NOT work on all species!). When you go to handle the snake, don't approach hesitantly; instead, throw a confident open palm gently over the coiled snake's head and body. Strikes are typically a visual threat more than anything else. Once under and then in your hand, most snakes accept that they've been "bested," so to speak, and will stop trying to bite. 2. If you have one of the outlier animals that insists on striking and biting while in your hands (like my water python, "Honey"), do yourself a favor and DON'T WATCH. Manipulate the snake in your hands without looking at it. It forces you to become more "in tune" with the animal in a tactile sense, and it calms your nerves so that you can handle him confidently, a security your snake will undoubtedly feel, which will ll help him calm down too! You're likely to feel some weird tugging sensations, kind of like being pinched with coarse sand paper. Guess what dude -- you just got bit and didn't even know it. Now keep handling until he shapes up. Good luck!
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Author Comment
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9/29/2009 12:50:01 PM
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erawlings
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Thank you all for your replies. He has been fed twice, since being recaptured and only took about ten minutes to realized the pinkie was food. He's also recently shed. But no, I had no intentions of breeding the two corns any time soon. Not only do I know the risks, I just don't have the equipment to handle a breeding pair right now. My onrey little male will be kept in his seperate tank.
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Member Comment
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9/29/2009 1:00:23 PM
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dalvers63
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Glad to hear he's doing well!
From the sounds of it though, I am betting he could be eating arger prey than pinkies. Do they still leave a lump in his belly? Most 2ft corns that I know of are eating fuzzy or hopper mice by that size.
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