who's this lil guy?

Discussion in 'General Snakes' started by Geekoo, Jun 10, 2009.

  1. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    im more of a lizard/gecko person but ive always been curious of snakes and i just so happend to of found one this morning in the garden.
    he/she isnt aggressive nor is he/she too skittish.
    i found him/her under the rocks in the rock bed.
    ive added some water bugs and crickets to its kennel allong with a shallow water dish and heat pad to one side and cardbourd tube with rocks to go under.

    from what ive been told poisinous snake usualy have arrow shaped heads...?

    ill set it free if it shows sighns of dislike to its suroundings,he/she is still quite young and corious.

    heres a pick of her/him if you can please help me adintify em :blink: ...i think its a cornsnake..or milksnake.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Looks like a corn snake to me.
    Get some frozen mice a little larger than the width of it's head, thaw one out to feed with tweezers or tongs. Need to be warm when you feed, they are attracted to heat.
    Temperatures need to be around 88F on warm side a little cooler at other. he will do fine at that.
    Should be fed once a week.
    They are very docile snakes and make great pets.
    Very nice looking snake there, worth keeping.

    Make sure his cage is well ventilated but very secure, they are great escape artists.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Shanna66

    Shanna66 Well-Known Member

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    looks like a corn snake. i keep mine at 90F, same as my leos. i also keep a humid hide in my boy's tank and he seems to like it.
    you found him outside? he soenst look like a normal morph so maybe someone set him loose or something?
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    thanks i just read up on our states wildlife chart and it sead that these guys are rare to WV :D
    http://www.marshall.edu/herp/Snakes/Cornsnake.htm

    hes a special critter to the state.

    also awesome that he can eat frozen mise,i used to have pet rats and im affraid ide get attached to his food :blink:
    now to warm up the pinkies do i just thaw them and hold till heat is trasmited to the mouse?

    ..funny part is my mom dont know i have him :) i like all sorts of critters sadly some i like mom dont :lol:
    but i may end up telling her somtimes and hopfully she will trust me with him.

    thanks for the help sound reasonibly easy
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    it sorta seems that way now i think about it considering there sometimes/only found in way eastern WV and i live in way west of WV.
    makes him all the more rarer er :blink:

    ill add a humid also sence as u can see in the phote hes about ready to shed.

    thanks for the tip
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Hi Geekoo,
    That lil guy is not a wild one, the colours suggest he was someone pet, who has either escaped or been let loose, escaped being more likely. Other factors include that he was not frightened or skittish when you picked him up.
    A large water bowl big enough for him to get into to soak, would do as well, apart from a moist hide.
    Best way to thaw frozen mice out fairly quickly is, a jug of hot water, hot enough so you couldn't put hand in but not boiling, Place mouse in that and leave for about 20-30 mins till it is warmed right through and you cant feel any cold ice lumps, simply pat it dry in a towel or something and feed him.
    I would also feed him outside that tank you have, any container will do with a lid, that way he wont be able to ingest any substrate you have down.
    If he is about to shed, dont handle him, wait till he's finished, then feed him.

    A "normal" corn snake colours in the wild would look something like this.
    [​IMG]
     
  12. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    wow thats amazing that i found him then,also how small do pinkies get becouse dispite my photo hes REALY small..i mean like head is smaller than a dime small.
    whould his jaw be able to streach enough to eat a Xsmall pinkie---> http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp?prod=3#44

    *to be exact his head is pretty much the size of a penc eraser.

    other than that if hes able to eat somthing he's good to go then. ill buy some XXsmall frozen pinkies today if i can find them that small.
     
  13. Shanna66

    Shanna66 Well-Known Member

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    when my corn was six weeks we had to give him one day old pinkies and they were almost too big. just buy a pinky or 2 and compare the size to him, they are pretty cheap.
    and i know what you mean about not wanting to get attatched to the food. im going to try breeding natal rats for my snakes so i can make suyre they are treated humanely and i know ill probably keep quite a few as just pets lol
     
  14. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    1,677
    Does sound like an escapee if hes that small.
    Size of food.
    Try measure the widest part of head, then the width of pinkie can be one+half times that.
    They have an amazing capacity to stretch their jaws, they basically have elastic legaments where the upper and lower jaw meet, these stretch, they can also open the front of lower jaw in same way, giving them access to fairly large prey with no problems. It's fascinating to watch as they eat, they can move each side of jaw independantly and "walk" each side down the mouse.
    I would also feed him every 4 or 5 days if he's that small. You wont get much poo as they will absorb the whole mouse, bones, skin everything. You will mainly get the white urate to start with until they start eating mice with fur on.
    Keep us posted :lol:
     
  15. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85

    lol yes more than likely,i used to raise a couple back a few years ago and there just like small dogs once they get used to you.
    thats great your gonna raise them yourself to be sure of there treatment,thatle be diffacult but more humane none the less :lol:
     
  16. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85
    thats great,yes ill definetly keep posted on this one.
     
  17. teiryklav

    teiryklav Member

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    793
    if this is an escapee i guess i'll look for the owner first. there must be someone living near you who keeps snakes?
     
  18. Shanna66

    Shanna66 Well-Known Member

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    i would probably get my boyfriend to do the killing part at the end. a friend on a rat forum i go to raises her own natal rats for her snakes so she is teaching me alot about it right now and the best ways to kill them painlessly

    ive got 4 rat boys and i love them to death ^.^ they are my little babies and i adore spoiling them rotten lol. but your right, they are just like tiny dogs, only quieter and easier to trian.

    and i love watching my snakes eat just for that jaw walking thing
     
  19. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85
    heres the size of the only pinkies that were avalible...im not sure he can eat it--->
    [​IMG]

    it seems like a day old but its still verry big coparing.
    i seperated him from the other tank and he began showinng his defence pose and was shaking his tail...hes really skittish with the move...
    he had no intrest with the food in the empty kennel untill i put him back in his noraml one than he began feeling and sniffing with his toungue but just as quikly scurried away from it.

    is it to big for him to eat?or is there just a better way to get him to liking it?


    my mother found out about him early today when i went to feed him then we went on a big ol debate whether or not hes a copper head :lol:
    so i went to google and every picture she saw she was like "OMFGJ<GUJMV thats him they look alike". (i mean this compared to abouve)-->[​IMG]
    then it eventuly got through to her it wasnt once i showed her the corns :)

    but anywho the price of the pinkies were 99c each witch to me can realy add up :) .
    also i may put him up for sale on our pet stores bulliten bourd,more experianced snake handler.

    its undecided realy ive always liked snakes but i want him to good life with ppl that are cofertable around him.not having to worry mom might toss him out the window everytime i open the lid to his tank :)
     
  20. bruno

    bruno Moderator

    Messages:
    1,677
    I still say it's a corn, the copperhead has a flatter triangular shape to head where as corns are more pointed.
    Try using tweezers or small tongs to feed, make sure pinkie is warm, dip in hot water just before you feed, they go for heat. Then with tongs/tweezers wriggle in front of head or even tap side of head to get him "worked up" till he strikes. If he has been outside for sometime his wild instinct will have kicked in.
    He should be able to take that size and at 99c you have been "ripped off", they shouldn't cost than around 25c

    If you or your Mom is not happy then try and sell him.
     
  21. Shanna66

    Shanna66 Well-Known Member

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    2,749
    i would take him but i think we live a bit too far away. give him some more time to settle in then try feeding him again. if he still wont eat even after what bruno told you you may want to try a live pinky just to get him to eat. live food seems to smell different than frozen and he may be used to live. you can work him over to prekilled later if you decide to keep him. i wouldnt rush into trying a live feeding though, i save those for a last resort since im not too keen on them.
    lol at the copperhead thing though. my family is a bit like that. my dad didnt even know my ellie was a python until last week and ive had her for almost a year. we have been to 3 reptile expos too so its not like he had never seen a ball python before :lol:
     
  22. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85
    ill take bronos advise and try a new stratigy in the morning with the pinkie.

    Yea my moms one of those ppl who thought a leopard gecko was poisinus becouse there colorfull :)
    i told her hes abouta toxic as her pet shiztu "dog" LOL

    but yea i think he'll eat once he gets hungery and has a craving,he was somewhat interested anyways but was to nervious over the panic mom was making when i put my hand near him.
    its unlikely ill put him up for addoption unless mom feels realy uncoumfertable with it.
    then i may consider it.

    I KNEW IT the price on those pinkies were way off because before i went to the petstore i did some reserch and found them as cheap as 15c each...if i keep him im definently ordering online for now on :lol:
    thanks for the tips :)

    "also are you from virginia Shanna66?if so i live in the state right abouve yours and if it gets to the point of addoption i whoulg gladly give him to you.it whould be more reasuring knowing he'd be in good hands."
     
  23. Shanna66

    Shanna66 Well-Known Member

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    well if it comes to that then keep me in mind, maybe we could ship him or meet up halfway. though i hope you get to keep him. corn snakes are great. i was amazed how different our corn acted compared to the lazyness of my ball python.
     
  24. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85
    i whould more than likely have to ship him to you my mom and i car aint in the best of shape and she allows me only so far to drive with my friend s :lol:
    uhhhgg my moms such a worrywort! :)

    but if it gotto that point i think he whould be okay if it was a overnight shipping,the weather has been moist and hot the last few weeks.
    hes a buetiful snake i whould love to beable to see him grow here on the forum with somone who knows there reptiles.

    im gonna see if he'll eat for me today to make sure hes full incase i do give him up for addoption.

    thanks for the sapport! :)
     
  25. Geekoo

    Geekoo New Member

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    85
    WOOT he finaly ate!

    it wasnt till he saw the pinkie as enemy that he finaly started giving it strikes.every now and then it whould look as if he was gonna swallowit but after the 6th attempt i had do do the somthing verry unpleasant...i flattend out the pinkie a bit :) and he began getting a better grip on it...but still failed to swallow the whole thing.
    so we reached an agreement and i gave him just the head :lol: he finnaly manage to work the thing down and afterwords im disinfecting everything...to say none the least it was one of the most gruesome things ive had to work with (the mutilated mouse that is)

    the hot water made its skin peel and ...i cant even go there it was messy situation..... U;

    im probibly gonna give him to you Shanna66 not only is my mom morefreaked out every time she hears a kennel lid i myself am to soft to handle feeding time ^____^
    ill note you once hes settled his food in and i get info on shipping live mail.

    "also i gave what was left of the pinkie to Neomi "leopard gecko" there was nothing left but skin and feet"
    ugg im about to toss my cookies!
     

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