every time i go to pick up my snake it curls up in and starts staring at me like its going to bite me what should i do?!?!?!?!?!?!?
more info about the snake its only about 12 inches just got him about 1 week ago i dont know his age hes my first snake and i dont really know mutch about snakes
They can be jumpy and nippy at that age, imagine how scary it must be for them to have your massive hand coming into the cage! If you are nervous about getting bit you can use something to pick him up, i have used coat hangers to fashion "snake hooks", you can use anything really, use it to loop under the snake and pick him up, then you can gently drape him over your hand and its less scary for him. Since this is your first snake - could you go over your husbandry techniques? - what size tank? - what substrate? - how many hides? - how is it heated? - what are the temps? If something is wrong with the husbandry that can make them more agitated as well. Since he is so new to you, you shouldnt handle him much until he has had time to settle in. My rule of thumb is to not handle a snake until its eating consistantly (has eaten 3-5 times) this allows you to be certain that he is feeling pretty stress free in his new home.
has it eaten? if it hasnt you really shouldnt handle it. then if you want to tame your snake, first you should put your clothes that has been worn (the longer the better and better if with your sweat) in its cage for 3 days, after that the snake will pick the scent as something safe, the try touching your snake, if its still aggresive, put another clothes that have been worn again, but, i think you should let it settle for a while (at least until it eat) thats it teiry
thanks for you help to answer your question i have a ten gallon tank the substrate is aspen wood chips only a red log for a hide but im geting a new one today its heated by a heating pad and a desk lamp and i dont know the tempurature also would he ever warm up to me? if so when?
Its crucial you know the temps! Temps are the most important aspect of keeping reptiles. You need to have a digital thermometer with a probe (available at walmart, home depot, petco etc) that is placed inside the hide, on top of the heat pad. These temps need to be 85-88 degrees. You also need more hides, for a snake that small to have a 10gallonw ith just one hide is probably very stressful as he feels very exposed. I make sure to have 2-3 hides in with all my young corns. Has he eaten for you yet? He probably will, its still early - most corns are pretty mellow. Once he is eating well for you then you can work on using a "hook" to remove him from the tank and work on holding him.
ye she has eaten once when i got home with him and then yesterday and im going later today to get hides and a thermomiter also how long should i wait after feeding him to pick him up?
Hi, I agree with what MimC has said but would like to add a little more input. I just wish to clear this up, you say aspen wood chip Aspen is strands of fine wood and "wood chip" are very small individual pieces, can you clarify this. If it is woodchip then I would discard it, there is a great risk of him swallowing some to it get stuck in his throat and choke him and possibly kill him. Personally I would keep him on paper towel, one it's easier to clean and two there is no risk of him swallowing the substrate. If you use the aspen always feed him outside the tank, no risk of problems then. The heat pad should only cover no more than half the tank. Snakes regulate their temperature by moving from warm to cool so they need a variation in temps. You should also have a dish or small container with water in, so he can drink and bathe. This should be changed daily. Once you get thermometer and have checked the temps above the mat, this will then determine if the desklamp is needed or not. Check the temps with and without the lamp, this way you will get a more accurate reading. In any case the lamp should be turned off at night, they like to sleep in dark just like us humans. A good rule of thumb is 12hrs on, 12 hrs off. Small hides are better, they feel more secure in tiny spaces. He is very young and will take a couple of weeks or so to settle in, as you have only had him a week. Always move your hand slowly as you approach him, if possible at ground level rather than from above, it's less scary for him. He should be fed every 5 or 6 days, and NOT handled for at least 24/36 hrs after feeding. Hope this helps you.
actually the supstrate is more of a wood shavings the temp rihgt now is 80 heres a pic of the cagecage
Great - the picture helps so much :lol: Its great that you got the digital thermometr, but you want to place the probe down on the floor of the tank on top of the heat pad, not up in the corner - this way you are actually measuring the temps where the snake is. You want the temps on the floor of the tank, on the heat pad to be 85-88 degrees. Im not sure where the heat pad is on the tank - but it should ideally be on one end of the tank, the opposite end as the water dish. You also want to have a hide directly over the heat pad. Is the hide over the heat pad?
Also, for future reference, make sure you do your research before buying, then you have less problems, and know how much the set-up is going to cost etc.
my snake is still being really agresive with me when i try to pick him up im starting to think to not try to pick him up anymore shoutd I?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Dont stop trying to pick him up, this will only make things worse when you do have to pick him up. I note in the picture it is a very tall tank unfortunately and your hand approaching from that height is like a preditor to him. Two other possibilities. Forgive me here, I'm not being personal. 1) Do you use perfume or deodorants, even if not on your hands, he will pick up the smell, it is known that some cosmetics do have a bad effect of reptiles. 2) We all give off pheromones from our bodies, sometimes these are negative and cause the reptile to react badly, there's nothing you can do about that sadly. Something you may wish to try, take a small piece of cloth, such as a hankerchief and keep it next to your skin, preferably 24 hrs, then place this in corner of tank and see how he reacts to it. He may realize it's not going to hurt him and when you put hand in tank he may accept it better. There's no guarantee this will work, he may react badly, is so it's looks like the pheromone thing :blink: Be very positive in your approach to him as well, if you hesitate, he will pick up on this as fear on your part. Reptiles are very sensitive to this sort of thing. Just keep trying.
Yes keep trying to handle it. Another trick I use for my burm that IS agressive is a piece of cloth that I drape over its head. As I put my hand in the tank My burm is territorial, so I use a hankerchif to cover his head so not to get bit. One my hand is no the snake just scoop it up, useally there are no problem once the snake is in hand.
no i dont usually wear any perfum or any of that ive also heard that i could use a hook kind of thing to pick him up could i do that?
MimC suggested you fashion an "L" shaped hook out of wire in her first reply. There's no reason why you shouldn't get him out if he's in hide, just lift it very slowly, then move hand at ground level towards him, again very slowly, you should the be able to pick him up. You say he's about 12 " long, even if he does bite it wont hurt you and wont even break the skin but whatever you do dont pull hand back keep still, he will let go very quickly, pulling hand back can and will cause damage to his teeth as they point backwards. A bite from a hampster is far worse than a baby snake. He will soon learn you mean him no harm.
bruno is right, a 12" snake would mean no harm. just keep putting your piece of clothes so it will pick your non-harmful snake. maybe not, but as for mine (shes now always in her hide, so i sometimes take the hide and lift her. she never tries biting me, even being an aggresive girl. shes very calm :blink: ) as your corn, i think baby snake are usually very easily provoked and scared (we're very big to him, so he's maybe lil scared. a bite or two is alright isnt it?)just handle him pick him up gently and let him wanders ^^
