Corn snake questions... and don't laugh!

[Cirith Ungol]

Hi...


Why the "don't laugh" comment? Well, these questions, seen in relation to issues about copperhead snakes, spitting cobras or boas can seem pretty comical. But the question has arisen and I have no way to make it go away by ignoring it so I have to jump in the fire now and ask 'em:

First tho I wanna say where the q's have their origin. I am a rather new corn owner, got 2 adults a few months ago and am very happy about them. They are both in the same tank, about 6-7 years old and have lived that way all along (so I think there is no risk of "accidental" cannibalism, especially as they always get enough food on a regular basis.)

Now to the story: Some weeks ago I took one of them out, it was hungry (we were about 3 days away from feeding) and it tried to eat one of my fingers. Before that I've not handled them with any worry about being bit. The previous owner was only bit once in 4 years, by the same individual. Same problem there, it was hungry and did mistake him for a starter or something.
Now when I pick them up (one at a time) I always worry. Ok, it didn't hurt much and bled only very little and all that and I could have been more hurt hitting my toes against a table - but I think it is unnessessary since it stresses me out a bit and makes me a bit unsure of the procedures, if you know what I mean. I wanna feel as safe as possible when handling them so that I can think of the snakes well being instead of mine!

So here we go with question nr one: Are there any typical things you shouldn't do when handling a snake, even if it is only a corn? When it bit my finger I had my fingers separated. That obviously made them look like a little family of mice or something. But would I always be in danger of being bit if holding my fingers separated infront of the snakes head??

I always wash my hands before handling them (and the one time I didn't do it was when I got bit) and I havn't seen them showing any kind of interest in my fingers besides that one time, presumably because of the soapy smell. I try not to handle them when they have just eaten or when they are only a few days from feeding (unless I separate them prior to feeding ofcourse).

What is the best way to get the snakes jaws off your fingers? At the time of the bite I had no hands free, both were occupied by the snake (one hand with one end of the snake, the other with the other end, the feeding end). So I had to pull the finger right out of it's mouth to get away. Is there a chance the snake would eventually have understood it can't possibly swollow me or would it have tried to turn towards the stump end and swollow it? Would it have let go eventually if I hadn't done anything?

Do corns get very stressed if you gently but firmly hold them by the neck to secure them? I have never tried it, but I've seen enough nature programs to understand that that could be done to hold a snake safely. But if it stresses my corns out too much I don't wanna do it.

Whatever I have asked and whatever the answers may be I will certainly need some time to trust them again. But that doesn't stop me from handling them. Tho now it is only if nessessary, not anymore to experience the feeling of them climbing up and down my arms. Eventually I will trust again tho and this was just another experience I can learn from - and I have.

Snakes are wonderful elegant creatures...
The end.

 

[MilkmanWes]

Are there any typical things you shouldn't do when handling a snake, even if it is only a corn?

But would I always be in danger of being bit if holding my fingers separated infront of the snakes head??

To the first question - the Macarena comes to mind but then that applies when not holding snakes too. Wrapping it around your neck could cause it to stress and hld on tight and keep the feeders in the other room while they are out and possibly other pets too. Smoking should probably be out as well as heavy drinking.

As to the second question probably has to do with the individual snake.

What is the best way to get the snakes jaws off your fingers?

Never had this happen to me, but as it was explained to me bacardi or other high proof booze tipped into the mouth carefully (only enough to ruin their appetite) can do the trick. I think I would opt for briefly putting the snakes head running under cold water which I am told is equally effective. If the running water works I would wonder if a squirt bottle would be as effective and safer.

Is there a chance the snake would eventually have understood it can't possibly swollow me or would it have tried to turn towards the stump end and swollow it? Would it have let go eventually if I hadn't done anything?

To add my own question to this - What is the point of no return for a snake swallowing something? At what point can they not let go without risking mouth damage?

 

[danread]

Hi Cirith Ungol,

I'm guessing the reason you were bit is that the smake mistook your fingers for food. I used to have a problem getting my corn out of his tank in the evenings as his first response was to look alert and try and track my fingers. Thge trick is to try and touch the tail or another part of the body first. I found that if you do this the snake immediately realises that you are not food and will stop looking so alert. So in answer to your question, try not to hold your fingers in front of the snake, approach it form the side or behind with your hand. You'll find that once out of the tank there is almost zero percent chance of being bit, corns are one of the least aggrssive snakes and will very very rarely bite in defence.

Once a corn has bit on to your hand, they will almost defintiely let go almost instanty, as they will realise you are not food very quickly. You don't need ot worry about how to try and remove a snake from your fingers, it wont try and eat them!

i don't think holding a corn by the neck is necessary at all, as it will only stress it. The TV programs you see where they are holding the snake by the neck usually involve hots or particuarly aggressive wild snakes. It is best to let your corn move aorund of it's own accord, gently redirecting it's head with your hands to make it go where you want.

P.s they are beauties! I hope you begin to feel comfortable holding them again soon. They really are great starter snakes, never refuse food and have a great temprement.

Cheers,

 

[mimic58]

My corn snakes never tried to eat me (as yet) But i will say this it is very very determined once it has started to swallow something even it is way to big the snake is unlickly to give up i have to specificaly size the prey to prevent it eating something way to big

How did it try to eat you? i didnt think corns even had teeth? did it just open wide an take ur finger in one go or what?

Btw how did you get it back off just incase i ever need this knowledge lol

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Thanks a LOT for your answers!

Pouring water over the head is a very clever idea. I was about to say that I'm gonna try that next time ... but I hope there won't be one!

That I held my fingers separated in front of the snakes head was during handling when I helt it with my hands/between my fingers. I don't leave my fingers exposed at the moment when I pick them up because I understand that they are most likely to have a food response then. What I do instead is that I clutch my fist and hold it infront of them so that they can smell and see it. I hope every time that they realize it's "just that guy again!" After that I touch their bodies at the mid section. I don't like touching the tail because they seem to get most nervous about that bodypart and might twitch violently. I don't want them to hit something with the back end tail when they have that twitch response.

Luckily I don't smoke, and I never handle my pets when I've had some alcohol. Alcohol doesn't make me braver when it comes to my animals but rather more concerned because I might f something up when drunk. So I never do that.

My flat has only one room and I have a cat. The cat is absolutly bored by the snakes and doesn't react to them other than glancing at them for a few seconds. I would be more concerned about the snake getting freaked out by the cat so I always keep them at safe distance from one another. That poses no problem, since the snake is in my hands and the cat doesn't care and stays put whereever it is. If by chance the cat descides to walk past I usually turn arround so the snake can't see the cat until it's moved away again.

danread:
You'll find that once out of the tank there is almost zero percent chance of being bit...

I was bit out of tank after about 5 minutes of handling. But I saw it turn into feeding mode and realized what was gonna happen about a second before she struck. I guess it is a bit my own fault that it ended up like that because I had just about the time to move the fingers out of the way. But I believed nothing was gonna happen so I didn't move. As I said, neither was damage done, nor offense taken, just a bit of dinted trust so to speak and that will heal in time I am sure. I like them too much to be kinda angry (which I'm not anyway since it's my own fault).

You are right about the neck holding - it was all hot species ofcourse and shouldn't be nessessary here.

I guess I have to get the bitey one out tonight and reform "the relationship". The other has to stay in, he's a bit too hungry at the moment. He had a delay in his feeding scheme due to moulting.

Thanks again guys!
Cirith

 

[Cirith Ungol]

mimic58 My corn snakes never tried to eat me (as yet) But i will say this it is very very determined once it has started to swallow something even it is way to big the snake is unlickly to give up i have to specificaly size the prey to prevent it eating something way to big

How did it try to eat you? i didnt think corns even had teeth? did it just open wide an take ur finger in one go or what?

Btw how did you get it back off just incase i ever need this knowledge lol

The female corn that bit me took the fourth finger from the side, right behind the nail - just as if it was holding on to the neck of a mouse or something. It just held on to it for a second and I didn't hesitate long at all to pull the finger away, by that scratching myself even more ofcourse. I hope I didn't pull too many of the snakes teeth out in the process. I had never thought it would come to this and had not spent a thought at any "what if" scenarios. So pulling my finger away forcefully enough to free myself was the only option I had at that time. I didn't either know what the snake was gonna do next and just in case, I didn't want it to go on eating. Comming here to the forum and ask how to remove it while having the snake dangling from my finger wasn't really anything I considered . Good thing tho that the teeth get replaced every so often. They have a double row of teeth in top and bottom jaw (I think - it was that clearly visible) and they are just like the very tips of very sharp needles.

 

[mimic58]

Yikes lol , did it hurt much ? i will bear this in mind when i next handle mine I had never considered it to be a risk till now

 

[Cirith Ungol]

did it hurt much?

Hm... dunno. How much is much? If you know what it feels like if you hold your cat and it doesn't wanna be held anymore and it jumps out of your grip by kicking away with its hind legs against your chest, claws out, then you could say you scream louder when the cat jumps than when the snake bites.

The difference between snake and cat in this regard is that the cat is allready gone when you realize your injury. The snake on the other hand will have it's mouth full and looks forward to meal, so there is the secondary problem of making it let go.

So... nope. It didn't hurt that much. Just like a bunch of tiny needles that pierce through your skin. I'd actually be more willing to have my snakes bite me than my cat claw me like that. It's just that I am still rather unexperienced and unsure of what to do with the snakes once they ejoy your taste That's the only reason that makes me think twice whom I want to be injured by

 

[mimic58]

I am still rather unexperienced and unsure of what to do with the snakes once they ejoy your taste That's the only reason that makes me think twice whom I want to be injured by

I tell you what id do , Id cover my hand in chillie source and get it to bite me again , I bet after that it wont be so keen on eating your hand , and will certanly remember that hot taste,,, i have used this method a few times it definatly works very well

 

[Cirith Ungol]

i have used this method a few times it definatly works very well

Do you mean you've had your snake bite you with chilli sauce on your finger? Or do you mean it didn't wanna bite you because you had that on your finger?

Because when I've washed my hands with lots of soap and hold them right in front of the snakes they turn away their heads rather quickly, which is a sign to me that they don't like that smell at all. And if you try it yourself you can see why - just take a bar of soap, hold it right under your nose and take a big whiff. It's a bit unpleasant if you ask me So don't you go waste any more good chilli sauce young man!!

 

[danread]

I am suprised that it decided to try and bite you once it was being handled! I hope that it was just an one-off and wont happen again. I think the best thing to do is handle them daily and let them get used to you. Maybe it was a new smell on your hands, but since you said you wash your hands before and after handling, maybe not.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

danread:

The time she bit me was the first and last time ever that I hadn't washed my hands prior to handling... So it's not hard to figure out really why it happened, plus that she was hungry and I held my finger right infront of her. So a lot of things came together, including the snakes mouth with my finger

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Just remembered a curiosity question. It will be a bit silly because I'm 99.99999% sure what the answer will be (-> No <-), but I wanna know

Unless in self defense there will be no reason why the snake would ever bite my arm, right?

 

[mimic58]

Do you mean you've had your snake bite you with chilli sauce on your finger? Or do you mean it didn't wanna bite you because you had that on your finger?

Its a learned responce Reptiles birds and mamals remember when something tastes bad so the idea is to get biten whilst there is something Foul tasting on your skin, They will remember for along time that your hand tasted Bad

Iv not used this method for a snake yet, But other reptiles and animals There is one expetion and that is a parot DO NOT use chillie for one of them trust me its a Truely bad idea Parots love Chillie!!! ,For thoughs u must use mustard powder or black peper Ususlay once the animal has bitten you it remembers and doesnt do it again

 

[Cirith Ungol]

When I was bit I had just prepared tea earlier. Not washed my hands after that. That sounds a bit lika parrot vs chilli to me

 

[mimic58]

indead if it smelt something meaty and tasty on your fingers,,,, as i say if it persists to try an eat your hand cover it in tabasco or chille waggel it in there and let it bite you (trust me it will let go this time quickly) and i bet you anything after that it wont ever bite/try eat your hand again

 

[pategirl]

I've had a few corns that were bitey, one was a wildcaught male miami corn that would "chew" on my arm when I held it, didn't even have to do anything. He didn't assume any sort of strike pose either, he'd just nuzzle my arm and latch on. I don't think most will try biting for no reason, mine was just an oddball. I miss that snake

 

[Cirith Ungol]

pategirl... I guess I sound a bit deranged when I say your bitey corn sounds almost cute...

Did it die?

 

[pategirl]

pategirl... I guess I sound a bit deranged when I say your bitey corn sounds almost cute...

Did it die?

Yeah, he died due to an accident that was my own fault, I'd rather not go into it. I don't know what his issue with biting was, but here's what he looked like:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=23372

 

[Cirith Ungol]

I'm sorry for your loss!

A beautiful snake it was! Especially the grey zig-zag pattern. Is that a trademark of the miami corn?