I'm about 100% sure that this is supposed to be happening, but I bought a corn snake today This kind... He is about 5 weeks old. Anyway when I was in the store he was the only one that looks fiesty soo I picked him up and he kept trying to run away from me...Normal? I got him home and I put him in his cage and he just kinda sat there for a while and then began to try to find a way out (unsuccessfully)...Normal? I called the pet store and asked when the last time they fed him and they said that they hadnt fed him sense 8/20 (oh no, a non eater!!!) but I put him in the feeding cage with a pinky and he chowed down so no problem with that... Ok so the real questions are, What should I expect from the snake, for the rest of the day he sat in the desk lamp i bought to emulate the sun and then about 10pm he crawled into his hide. Will he lighten up and begin to let me hold him. Im pretty sure that hes just scared to death so how long before he should get comfortable with his surroundings and me?
is this your first snake? it may take him a few weeks to settle in to his aurroundings and get used to you and he may even strike at you a few times but at that age they cant do any damage and it feels like being poked by someone lol 1st thing i have 9 of these little beautys, they are bloodred hets for hypo and the parents were probably a miami and an albino (as this was the parentage of mine). 2nd is the desk lamp in the enclosure, can the snake get at the bulb? if it is and if it can you really need to place it where the snake cant get at the bulb as it might get burnt on it, do you have an undertank heat mat at 1 end, if not you really should have and it should cover about 1/3rd of the enclosure. 3rd you really should be handling him now, hatchlings are fast, flighty and do try to get away but if you go hand over hand or spread your fingers and let him weave in and out of them ive found that usually after about 5-10 mins they have decided that they aint getting away and have settled down and just sat there,but be aware they will try to go again lol. the main thingto remember is short regular handling sessions (15 - 20 mins). DONT HANDLE HIM FOR 48HRS AFTER FEEDING have fun and let the snake grow with you
ok, I'll definetly remember the feeding rule, I was so scared when they said that they tried to feed him and he didnt eat I thought that he was going to die. But watching him chow down on that pinkie was the most awesome thing ever. I figured that he just had to get used to me holding him but I bet hes scared as hell, I kept waking up every 2 hours to check the tank temp (it stayed at a constant 70 until about 6ish at which it dropped to 65-? I dont control the room temprature where I live and the thermometer is towards the top of the cage, I should move it lower) anyway, one of the times he was clinging to the top corner of the cage looking for a way out (unsucessfully) and It struck me as odd that snakes could climb like that (I didnt know they could cling to glass) But I guess it make sense, I'm going to devise a rope system to lock down the top instead of the duct tape I'm currently using (funds ran out, I sprung for the more expensive snake and I got 5 weeks worth of food)
Im with susyq on what she said about the handling...my girls have changed so much due to me trying to hold them every day!! Good Luck!!
