Corn aggression

I got my corn about 9 months ago as a baby, and ever since ive had him hes been very cage aggressive. once he is out he is fine. is it common for them to be aggressive after owning for a while? I know as a baby they generally can be nippy, is there anything I can do to calm him down? he is held very frequently and is an EXCELLENT eater. thanks!

I have a male that is now 3 years old, and is still cage aggressive. I got him as a baby, and assumed that he would calm down with regular handling. It didn't happen! I have found that it is just an act, for the most part. For three years now, they have all been false strikes with no actual bite. He is well fed, and husbandry is perfect, so I guess it is just his personality. I have his female clutch mate, and she is the sweetest snake I have ever met. She has never hissed or struck at anything other than food.

Hmm, maybe ill have to live with it! lol

it doesn't bother me to much, obviously coming from a super tame ball id like the same from him but it sucks when people ask about corns(i have little siblings and their friends moms ask about good starter snakes) and I generally recommend corns, but it sucks being like "Oh they are generally the nicest most calm and hardy snakes ever, excellent for beginners, except for mine ignore mine hes a jerk" lol

Also, I love you AVI! lol

Your corn's name is fantastic :D I work with dogs at a boarding and training facility (and have socialized many snakes and chameleons for people over the years), so I can happily tell you that barrier aggression (or "cage aggression" in your corn's case) is super common but it's also very easy to train out! Obviously training this behavior out of snakes is a bit more tricky than training it out of dogs (a shame they don't make snake training treats!), but I was able to turn my recently adopted (adult) rat snake from a striking terror to a docile thing in two weeks by:

1. I spent 10-15 minutes every couple of hours or so each day just sitting next to his enclosure, reading a book or something. I still do this. They like to watch you without you "noticing" them ;)
2. Once he stopped rattling his tail and hissing at my presence I started opening the enclosure while I sat by him (without taking him out, I let him just chill in there and come out on his own).
3. My rat snake isn't used to being handled, so in order to keep him from being stressed out while training the barrier aggression out of him my next step was just to rest my hand in his enclosure, eventually petting him after he's had a chance to relax from my hand's sudden intrusion into his space.
4. Over the course of two weeks it's gotten to the point where the only thing he does when I pull him out is cling to me for dear life :) He'll get better about being held/carried around once he gets used to it.

A lot of working out behavior problems is getting to know your pet to the point where you can accurately read their body language 100% of the time. It just comes with practice, consistency, and dedication!

I wish you the best of luck with your little guy~ I'm kind of bummed my rat snake doesn't hiss at me anymore :( It was really adorable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by birdiebot

Your corn's name is fantastic :D I work with dogs at a boarding and training facility (and have socialized many snakes and chameleons for people over the years), so I can happily tell you that barrier aggression (or "cage aggression" in your corn's case) is super common but it's also very easy to train out! Obviously training this behavior out of snakes is a bit more tricky than training it out of dogs (a shame they don't make snake training treats!), but I was able to turn my recently adopted (adult) rat snake from a striking terror to a docile thing in two weeks by:

1. I spent 10-15 minutes every couple of hours or so each day just sitting next to his enclosure, reading a book or something. I still do this. They like to watch you without you "noticing" them ;)
2. Once he stopped rattling his tail and hissing at my presence I started opening the enclosure while I sat by him (without taking him out, I let him just chill in there and come out on his own).
3. My rat snake isn't used to being handled, so in order to keep him from being stressed out while training the barrier aggression out of him my next step was just to rest my hand in his enclosure, eventually petting him after he's had a chance to relax from my hand's sudden intrusion into his space.
4. Over the course of two weeks it's gotten to the point where the only thing he does when I pull him out is cling to me for dear life :) He'll get better about being held/carried around once he gets used to it.

A lot of working out behavior problems is getting to know your pet to the point where you can accurately read their body language 100% of the time. It just comes with practice, consistency, and dedication!

I wish you the best of luck with your little guy~ I'm kind of bummed my rat snake doesn't hiss at me anymore :( It was really adorable.

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Wow, thank you very much! I will definitely try that I greatly appreciate it!

I had black rat snake for about 2 days a while back (caught him in my back yard) he was really aggressive and would musk a lot, it was kind of funny.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BFT12890

Wow, thank you very much! I will definitely try that I greatly appreciate it!

I had black rat snake for about 2 days a while back (caught him in my back yard) he was really aggressive and would musk a lot, it was kind of funny.

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The first time I let one of my housemates hold my rat he musked on her arm, she handed him back saying "Coley, your snake farts a lot" :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by birdiebot

Your corn's name is fantastic :D I work with dogs at a boarding and training facility (and have socialized many snakes and chameleons for people over the years), so I can happily tell you that barrier aggression (or "cage aggression" in your corn's case) is super common but it's also very easy to train out! Obviously training this behavior out of snakes is a bit more tricky than training it out of dogs (a shame they don't make snake training treats!), but I was able to turn my recently adopted (adult) rat snake from a striking terror to a docile thing in two weeks by:

1. I spent 10-15 minutes every couple of hours or so each day just sitting next to his enclosure, reading a book or something. I still do this. They like to watch you without you "noticing" them ;)
2. Once he stopped rattling his tail and hissing at my presence I started opening the enclosure while I sat by him (without taking him out, I let him just chill in there and come out on his own).
3. My rat snake isn't used to being handled, so in order to keep him from being stressed out while training the barrier aggression out of him my next step was just to rest my hand in his enclosure, eventually petting him after he's had a chance to relax from my hand's sudden intrusion into his space.
4. Over the course of two weeks it's gotten to the point where the only thing he does when I pull him out is cling to me for dear life :) He'll get better about being held/carried around once he gets used to it.

A lot of working out behavior problems is getting to know your pet to the point where you can accurately read their body language 100% of the time. It just comes with practice, consistency, and dedication!

I wish you the best of luck with your little guy~ I'm kind of bummed my rat snake doesn't hiss at me anymore :( It was really adorable.

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That's really good info! Most of my corns are pretty laid back and aren't aggressive. However, I did have a female normal who was aggressive after she ate. I ended up selling her because she didn't fit in my breeding plans, so I have no idea if she got any better.