I found a wild corn!

[Lillyponygirl]

Well, yep. Just in my yard today I found a small snake devouring another. When it was done, I watched it for a while. Then picked it up with a stick and brought it into a tank to watch and take some pixxx.

After research I found out she was in fact a cornsnake! And a girl It turns out she isn't so common where I found her, but has been found before. She's definitely a hatchling and devoured an even younger hatchling.

After a few hours, I handled her and she wasn't snappy or even that quick! She did scoot a little, flicking her tongue, and slithering around. I gave her some water in a rock bowl and she drank it up and bathed in it. then she buried under some bedding (wood chips. Recommended, my BP uses it).

I'll upload some pics to try to find out if she's anything special. At this point, I really actually want to keep her. Are wild snakes worth keeping? Can they be "tamed" if handled from a (very) young age? I'm probably going to release her anyways, but I was considering it considering I've always wanted a cornsnake, and heres one with a somewhat perfect temperment. She's not even breathing hard like my BP does when he's scared.

I'm even calling her Rosita now. Luckily I'm not attached quite yet and will of course be willing to look out for her future and release her if neccesary.

[joepythons]

Well, yep. Just in my yard today I found a small snake devouring another. When it was done, I watched it for a while. Then picked it up with a stick and brought it into a tank to watch and take some pixxx.

After research I found out she was in fact a cornsnake! And a girl It turns out she isn't so common where I found her, but has been found before. She's definitely a hatchling and devoured an even younger hatchling.

After a few hours, I handled her and she wasn't snappy or even that quick! She did scoot a little, flicking her tongue, and slithering around. I gave her some water in a rock bowl and she drank it up and bathed in it. then she buried under some bedding (wood chips. Recommended, my BP uses it).

I'll upload some pics to try to find out if she's anything special. At this point, I really actually want to keep her. Are wild snakes worth keeping? Can they be "tamed" if handled from a (very) young age? I'm probably going to release her anyways, but I was considering it considering I've always wanted a cornsnake, and heres one with a somewhat perfect temperment. She's not even breathing hard like my BP does when he's scared.

I'm even calling her Rosita now. Luckily I'm not attached quite yet and will of course be willing to look out for her future and release her if neccesary.

Well i hope you do not have her in the same area as your ball python.I say this because she could be harboring bugs or other nasties.

[Seru1]

I don't see a problem with keep a WC just keep her in a seperate room from your BP, reed the caresheet, and maybe take it to the vet to check for parasites. Treating it for mites might not hurt either.

[Lillyponygirl]

I almost did until today she gave me 3 nasty nips.
lol was to be expected. I did keep her in a separate room but she's off. She did hiss and shake her tail like a rattler just before nipping me..i'm not sure if that's habit for a corn of if she's not. I'll have to research, he bit just pierced the skin.

[Seru1]

I almost did until today she gave me 3 nasty nips.
lol was to be expected. I did keep her in a separate room but she's off. She did hiss and shake her tail like a rattler just before nipping me..i'm not sure if that's habit for a corn of if she's not. I'll have to research, he bit just pierced the skin.

I have seen corns do that on videos.


TEchnically they are Ratsnakes and ratsnakes also do that.

[luckycharm318]

I'm slightly better educated about corns than I am about BP's, but yes they can be little rattlesnake-like buggers when they're scared! If you plan on keeping her, just scoop her up and hold her until she calms down. If you don't want to be bitten any more, don a pair of gloves, though hatchling bites are notoriously akin to velcro. You probably picked up a snake born last year, especially if it was eating a smaller snake. And that being said, you probably shouldn't handle her anymore until she either digests the smaller snake she ate, or possibly regurgitates it.

If she regurgitates the smaller snake, it could potentially kill her, mostly depending on how much smaller the snake she ate was than she is. If she does regurgitate, and survives, pick up some Nutribac (from Kathy Love's Website), wait 10 days before attempting to feed her again, feed a smaller prey item, make slits in the back of the mouse, and dust it in the Nutribac.

If you're really interested in keeping her, and looking for more information I'd suggest popping over to cornsnakes.com and taking a peek around. Lots of information and helpful people there! (More specific to corns that is!)

[Raptor]

I'd advise wearing some gloves until she learns not to nip (usually about two weeks), but when imitially picking her up I'd recommend keeping the gloves on. I've had a few native wc snakes that I kept briefly. They'll actuallyy tame up fairly quickly. Once she finishes digesting her meal, I'd recommend handling her for a few minutes a day. She'll probably move fast, so be careful. You'd probably want to get her on mice asap.

[loonunit]

She did hiss and shake her tail like a rattler just before nipping me..i'm not sure if that's habit for a corn of if she's not. I'll have to research, he bit just pierced the skin.

I've had hatchling ball pythons do the tail shake at me immediately after shipping across the country in a cardboard box in February--I think it means she's extremely stressed and lashing out. Take her to the vet to check for parasites, but otherwise let her alone for a week to settle in, just like you'd with a new bp...

[CoolioTiffany]

Listen to all the advice people are giving, there's been some great advice on these posts.

Try buying a can of PAM (Provent-A-Mite) online and use that to get rid of any mites the snake may have. Just follow the directions on the can for proper use.

You can also go to a Petsmart or Petco and pick up a bottle of Jurassi•Mite. I used that for my male normal BP when he had mites and it definitely got rid of it all. With this product you can actually wipe the stuff on the snake with a rag (allow the snake to slither through the rag to get the product on it) and that can get rid of the mites on the snake.

Taking the snake to the vet isn't a bad idea either, you can get a fecal done and see if it has any internal parasites.

After handling the little snake over a period of time it'll become quite nice and like any other Corn kept as a pet.

I have a WC Common Kingsnake that my cousins' aunt gave me over a month ago. Surprisingly she is really tame and never has once attempted to bite, strike, or even musk on me. She's also eaten every mouse I offered to her which is great news to me, especially since she's a WC snake too.

[Tim Mead]

Pictures please..