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Post by littlequeen on Oct 3, 2006 21:46:54 GMT -5
Hi. I currently have one female Cornsnake and one male Kingsnake who are both normally very docile and easy to handle, however lately they've both become very aggitated and don't want to be handled.Since they're not going into shed i was wondering what else it could be.
Also i was gone for a couple of days and my brother bought some frozen mice for the snakes and accidentally left them out. Will they still be okay to use if we refreeze them or is there a chance of making the snakes sick by doing this(like food poisioning)?
~Michelle~
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Post by kaley on Oct 3, 2006 22:28:39 GMT -5
Just a thought, but do you house them close together or not wash your hands between handling them?? Perhaps this is a predator and prey type response? The corn is showing fear, and the king is showing prey drive??
Anyone else think this is a possibility? or am I out to lunch??
Kaley
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 3, 2006 23:58:53 GMT -5
I keep them across the room from eachother(its a fairly big room) and they've never ever had any contact with one another and hands have always been washed inbetween handling as well as anytime they touch a cage. Any other ideas what it could be. I'm completly at a loss on this one. At first i thought maybe the milksnake was just agressive and doesnt want to be handled because his previous owner bred him around this time and i thought that maybe it had something to do with that. But that doesnt explain why the corn would become aggressive. I was thinking maybe there were too many vibrations that they weren't used to because i started using the tv in the bedroom but they are fairly far away and i keep the volume down usually....anyone???
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Post by kaley on Oct 4, 2006 8:40:40 GMT -5
OK - one more idea - do you feed them in their cages, or in a separate container... I never really thought it mattered, but our previously very tame bull snake has gotten fairly nasty after just a few months of eating in his tank...
Kaley
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 4, 2006 17:22:24 GMT -5
I've always fed them in seperate containers and never in their tanks ever. The milksnake doesnt even want to be picked up, if you try he kind of flails around which is unusal. They're both still eating well and they seem to be in good condition health wise but any other ideas? or any ideas on how to calm them down? Right now i'm trying to get them to calm down when being handled. The corn seems more receptive to this idea than the milksnake does.
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Post by kaley on Oct 4, 2006 19:36:09 GMT -5
Hmmm....Have you changed anything at all about their setups or your reptile area? Any slight increases in temperature, or different substrate in the cages, or new air freshener somewhere in the house? Or a new kitten? ANYTHING?? It could be the slightest thing that you wouldn't normally think would have an effect....
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 4, 2006 21:25:32 GMT -5
I haven't changed anything that i know of. Everything has satyed the same. no new pets in the house not until the end of the month when i move. other than that the set ups have stayed the same in their terrariums and they've never come into contact with one another. i was wondering if maybe the milksnakes behaviour change was due to breeding. as i said before his previous owner bred him a few times all of which fall about this time of year. is there anyway that its sort of like an instict for him?? the corn has started to settle down but the milk seems to be about the same in the handling department. ~michelle~
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Post by Ryan Wunsch on Oct 9, 2006 18:27:34 GMT -5
One other possibility is that they have mites, and it has made them irritable.
Mites are hard to see. Look for small black flecks in the water dish. Also, you can you put them in a rubbermade with wet papertowel, and then look for small black flecks or blood smears after a few hours.
If you find some, report back and I'll let you know a safe and easy method to get rid of them.
Ryan
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Post by vanderkm on Oct 10, 2006 16:11:59 GMT -5
This is not typical breeding season for corns or milksnakes - they are usually winding down this time of year getting ready from winter cooling and then breeding in the spring when they come out of brumation. Ryan's suggestion of mites is a good possiblity - anything that irritates them could make them harder to handle. It is also possible that they are hungry - trying to get in the last few meals before they prep for the winter - many of my guys are really keen for food this time of year. How old are yours and what is their feeding schedule like. We also found our bullsnake (when we still had him) would respond to decreasing day length by wanting to go into brumation and would refuse food and become more active - I believe searching for a place to hibernate. Just a few more ideas for you,
mary v.
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 12, 2006 1:30:15 GMT -5
The cornsnake is just about a year old and the milksnake is 5 years old. Both the corn and milk both get fed every friday. The corn won't eat more than once a week and the milk is iffy. sometimes he'll eat twice otherwise he wont eat until the next week. so i found that feeding them once a week seems to work best. The corn only eats one fuzzie at each feeding where as the milk will usually eat 2 or 3 hoppers so im switching him over to rats.
~michelle~
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Post by vanderkm on Oct 12, 2006 11:48:37 GMT -5
Just re-reading this thread and wanted clarification on whether it is a kingsnake or a milksnake and what species it is. There is a lot of variation in temperment among the different species of kings and milks - so that might be a factor.
The change in temperment may just be a time of year thing for both - shorter days and slightly cooler temperatures can result in some species seeking hibernation conditions and this may make them a bit less tolerant of handling. Continued gentle handling will work to keep the corn tame. I would also suggest increasing the prey size for the corn - a fuzzy a week for a yearling is quite a small meal - moving up to a single hopper size mouse may be more filling for him.
Milksnakes are typically much more flightly than corns or kings and we find that they are very active to handle normally, so it may be that your guy is just becoming more confident and comfortable and so is more strongly active than he was before. It is hard to know for sure and knowing what species it is may help - but again, consistent gentle but firm handling will keep them tame. Just avoid handling for a couple days after feeding and when in shed. Again, depending on the species, you may want to adjust the meal size. While a couple hoppers would be adequate for a Mexican milksnake it would be a very small meal for a 5 year old Honduran - and a hungry Hondo is an irritated Hondo!
mary v.
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 13, 2006 0:10:37 GMT -5
It's a hondo milksnake. I've noticed that he's been eating more so i've switched him over to larger prey. As for the corn she seems happy just eating her fuzzie once a week. I don't think she would be able to eat anything bigger than that as is right now but I am thinking about switching her over to eating twice a week instead of only once. They both seem to be a bit more docile once again. Maybe it was just the combination of being hungry since it wasnt their feeding day and the temperature we experienced these past few weeks.
~Michelle~
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Post by vanderkm on Oct 13, 2006 13:05:54 GMT -5
Glad to hear they are settling down - would be great to see pics of them! Hondos are my favorites!
mary v.
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Post by littlequeen on Oct 14, 2006 22:47:27 GMT -5
I'll definitly post some pics of them as soon as I get my camera hooked up to my computer so that should be very soon...possibly tonight or tomorrow...monday for sure depending on how tired I am by the end of work.
~michelle~
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