Corn Snake thread!

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Phil_Giordana_FCD
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Corn Snake thread!

#1

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Because we all love them, don't we?

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#2

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Sooo....


Mine is called Dexter, he's 3 years old, 1.40m long, with a wonderful fire pattern. He's very docile, curious, shy at times, but enjoys being handled (mostly because he gets out of his pen, I suspect).

I use a feeding box, giving him thawed frozen white mice, and he only bit me once. Did the same to Ali first time she fed him. Learning, I guess...

Ali and Dex:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo35 ... ianDex.jpg

And just Dex:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo35 ... Dexter.jpg

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#3

Post by Useless Guest »

I've never kept (or even seen) a corn snake. However, it looks a bit like a gopher snake and I've kept those. I've kept a good many other snakes over the years and have found they are quite variable in response to dead food (even within a species) -- some individuals will only respond to live prey. Rosy boas (at least those I've had) show no interest in dead mice, but put a live one into the terrarium and those quiet and docile snakes suddenly become fast and aggressive (except for the ones that won't eat all). Of course, snakes are quite variable in what they consider food too. I once had a blue racer that was only interested in grasshoppers and katydids -- live jumping ones.

These days, I just observe snakes in the wild. But, you can learn a lot from having them under close observation and trying to get them to eat, etc. Some are so "shy" that I never could get them to eat in captivity and I had to release them back into the wild.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#4

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Useless Guest wrote:I've never kept (or even seen) a corn snake. However, it looks a bit like a gopher snake and I've kept those. I've kept a good many other snakes over the years and have found they are quite variable in response to dead food (even within a species) -- some individuals will only respond to live prey. Rosy boas (at least those I've had) show no interest in dead mice, but put a live one into the terrarium and those quiet and docile snakes suddenly become fast and aggressive (except for the ones that won't eat all). Of course, snakes are quite variable in what they consider food too. I once had a blue racer that was only interested in grasshoppers and katydids -- live jumping ones.

These days, I just observe snakes in the wild. But, you can learn a lot from having them under close observation and trying to get them to eat, etc. Some are so "shy" that I never could get them to eat in captivity and I had to release them back into the wild.
Sadly, wild snakes are getting rarer in my area. We still have Grass Snakes and Echelon Snakes from time to time, and the occasional Aspic, but they're very hard to observe with the sprawling urbanism.

Last time I saw an Echelon:

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo35 ... to0135.jpg

I've read somewhere they're not supposed to be dead in their natural state...

About feeding: if we put a thawed frozen mouse within 5cm of Dexter, he will lash out imediatly. Our mistake that led to the bites was to have our hand close to the prey. He was probably just confused. Now we have tweezers, and no more bites.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#5

Post by Useless Guest »

I had to look up what an aspic is -- I'd thought it was just a disgusting jello-like substance. Along snake aspic lines, we have several species of rattlesnake around here, some of which can get impressively large (to 2.5 m, some claim 3). But, many people kill them on sight so the big ones are particularly scarce. I saw a fairly large red rattler this past spring -- nearly 2 m, and very thick.

I live in California and snakes are still quite common here in the rural/wild areas, but not like in the old days apparently. In the late 19th century snakes were so common around here that herpetologists could find a good number by walking through the hills at night with a lantern. Today that only works in isolated canyons that cars can't get up. As your picture of the Echelon shows, snakes and roads are not compatible. The spreading road grid is probably one of the greatest threats to snakes (and much other wildlife). Though, I've had snakes turn up in my suburban yard, and have seen others in the neighborhood while out walking. I had a good sized gopher snake get tangled in garden netting a couple of years ago and I had to cut him free and take him up into the hills where the threats would be less. Lucky he got caught in my yard, and not one of the neighbors.

I'm sorry I can't say anything about corn snakes, but at least I can say something about other species. Any use?

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#6

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

I had a good sized gopher snake get tangled in garden netting a couple of years ago and I had to cut him free and take him up into the hills where the threats would be less
Ah! A person after my own heart. Gophers and Corns are quite similar in terms of size and behavior, so you might know more about Corns than you think :)
I'm sorry I can't say anything about corn snakes, but at least I can say something about other species. Any use?
I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns, as there seems to be a few snake enthusiasts around here. You should register and post some pics, I enjoy snake pics...

So yep, some good use.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#7

Post by GenerallyFading »

Your corn snake is very pretty, I wish we could meet! I saw two corn snakes this weekend at a country fair (which also boasted a skunk and a tarantula) but they weren't allowing people to handle them. I think it's because the snakes might have escaped. I love "Deadly 60" and shows like that when they show off striking snakes, and spitting cobras, but we don't really get many poisonous snakes around me....we've got adders and er....well, that's it. And I've never seen an alive one of them either.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#8

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

GenerallyFading wrote:Your corn snake is very pretty, I wish we could meet! I saw two corn snakes this weekend at a country fair (which also boasted a skunk and a tarantula) but they weren't allowing people to handle them. I think it's because the snakes might have escaped. I love "Deadly 60" and shows like that when they show off striking snakes, and spitting cobras, but we don't really get many poisonous snakes around me....we've got adders and er....well, that's it. And I've never seen an alive one of them either.
Thanks for the compliment, I'll be sure to tell him :)

Corns are non-venomous, and usually very mild mannered (they would be the Brits of snakedom if they lived on the other side of the pond). But just yesterday I recovered one of Dex's teeth out of my palm from the only time he bit me (t'was 2 months ago, but I have a Woleverine-like immune system, so no infection). Let me tell you, my cat inflicts way more damage and pain than he can.

Oh, and Corns are splemderous escape artists. Lots of character in these fellows...

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#9

Post by Zhu Wuneng »

I've caught two big gopher snakes recently and re-released them in my yard. Need to get a kingsnake to keep rattlers out, too.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#10

Post by Useless Guest »

Phil, I quit taking pictures about the time digital cameras came in -- so I have a lot of slides I've never converted and nothing I can directly use here. But, it occurs to me that there are a lot of snake pictures on the web and maybe I can take this as an opportunity/excuse to explore those and then show off and discuss some of my local creatures even if I didn't take the pictures myself. That is, I'll link to the work of others and supplement it with my observations about the species.

Let's see how this works.

This first picture was taken in northern Los Angeles County, California. The photographer was apparently shooting south from the vicinity Hwy 138 in the westernmost part of the Mojave Desert, NW of the town of Lancaster. I recognize the hills in the background. The flowers all over the place are, of course, California poppies and they really are that abundant out there in a year that had good winter rains. That general area is famous for its poppies, and the California Poppy Preserve is nearby. If the picture has been manipulated, it at least displays the real look of the place.

Anyway, the snake is apparently the San Diegean race of the gopher snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) one of the most common and widespread snake species of southern California. This race, characteristic of the coastal slope of the S CA, is to my eyes about the most beautiful one -- the colors are a rich mixture of brown, black, orange and other shades. Farther out in the desert, a paler race takes over.

This animal was clearly posed on the rock slab -- you'd never find one sitting exposed like that in broad daylight. They're very vulnerable to attack by hawks and eagles, and they apparently know it, in some sense.

These are mostly mild-mannered snakes and can usually be handled with impunity on the wild, but a few are quite mean and will remain that way even in captivity. Some will attempt to bite when first grabbed, but soon calm down.


/www.google.com/imgres?q=gopher+snake&st ... :276,i:309

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#11

Post by Useless Guest »

Well, I messed that up. I found a more direct link that should work better. We'll see.


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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#12

Post by windy »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns
Blatant discrimination against non-corn snakes and other herpetofauna!

here's a sand boa trying to strangle my thumb in protest:
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj5 ... 0faf73.jpg

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#13

Post by Useless Guest »

Windy, why the gloved hand? Does this species bite or does it for some reason need to be protected from direct contact?

I've just looked sand boas up in Wikipedia and it turns out they're closely related to the rosy & rubber boas that we have here in California. Ours are both (or all three if one counts the rubber boas as 2 full species) very gentle creatures that NEVER try to bite people. I'd assumed our boas were somehow related to the various tropical Mexican boas, but apparently not -- closest relatives are Old World. New information for the day!

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#14

Post by windy »

Useless Guest wrote:Windy, why the gloved hand? Does this species bite or does it for some reason need to be protected from direct contact?
Nah, this individual just doesn't aim well when feeding (as you can see in the photo), otherwise it's very docile. Its more to protect the snake since it's easier to pry it loose from a glove than from bare skin. Another option is to use tweezers for feeding, like Phil said.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#15

Post by GenerallyFading »

Yay! Do we get more piccies of snakes? I love Spitting Cobras, bad ass snake - actually aiming for the easist way to disable a person/prey. When I saw "Day of the Triffids" and one of the characters talks about the plants having rudimentry sentience, I was sceptical. But it happens in nature. Excellent.

BTW Phil, I'd love to drop by, but I'm afraid I'm rather far away as well! And whilst you'd be more than welcome to stay at my place if ever in England, there'd be room for your corn snake and no one else!

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#16

Post by GenerallyFading »

Oh, any pictures of your cat? Maybe we could have a cat thread (except I can't have one myself). I know what you mean, my mum had a tri-colour who she had to give medcine to once. I think she still has the scars. You kind of clamped onto her, she' struggle so hard you'd be afraid of breaking a limb, and let go a bit. And then......welcome to a world of pain...

Then again, would we end up like Greta..... :oops: ?


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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#18

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

windy wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns
Blatant discrimination against non-corn snakes and other herpetofauna!

here's a sand boa trying to strangle my thumb in protest:
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj5 ... 0faf73.jpg
Protest for you giving him a pinky? How ungrateful!

Beautiful, though. More!!!

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#19

Post by windy »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: Protest for you giving him a pinky? How ungrateful!
As the saying goes, "give him a pinky, and he'll take the whole hand"!

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#20

Post by sacha »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns, as there seems to be a few snake enthusiasts around here. You should register and post some pics, I enjoy snake pics...
Your wish is my command. I'm ONLY changing the name of the thread.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#21

Post by sacha »

sacha wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns, as there seems to be a few snake enthusiasts around here. You should register and post some pics, I enjoy snake pics...
Your wish is my command. I'm ONLY changing the name of the thread.
I LIE! I only see where changing the name of the forum is permitted, not changing thread names. sorry.

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#22

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

sacha wrote:
sacha wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I should have named this thread "Snakes Thread". I don't know why I limited it to Corns, as there seems to be a few snake enthusiasts around here. You should register and post some pics, I enjoy snake pics...
Your wish is my command. I'm ONLY changing the name of the thread.
I LIE! I only see where changing the name of the forum is permitted, not changing thread names. sorry.
That's fine, thanks for trying. But I think people "get it" (see what I did there?)

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#23

Post by BaconNutellaFiend »

Elaphe guttata, what a wonderful phrase!
Elaphe guttata, ain't no passin' craze...

I have a 1.3m corn snake named Smaug. Not a fancy morph, though I've had a snow, some motley stripeds, a charcoal, and an okeetee in the past. I need to get a good pic of the big fellah.

*relurks*

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Re: Corn Snake thread!

#24

Post by Gumby »

BaconNutellaFiend wrote:Elaphe guttata, what a wonderful phrase!
Elaphe guttata, ain't no passin' craze...

I have a 1.3m corn snake named Smaug. Not a fancy morph, though I've had a snow, some motley stripeds, a charcoal, and an okeetee in the past. I need to get a good pic of the big fellah.

*relurks*
Love that avatar!

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