Hey, so I have a problem with my little corn snake. I've got her for about two weeks now. She's eating just fine and she also got used to her new enclosure. The problem is just that I can't handle her at all. Every time I try, she strikes and hisses at me. I just can't seem to calm her down somehow. Do you maybe have some advices? 😅
Hello! :) At first glance, your little corn snake appears to behave perfectly normal for a young individual. Do you know how old she exactly is? Young corn snakes are almost always unsettled and quick with aggression, it’s because they’re also preyed upon in the wild (also by mammals - and you are one), and their personality hasn’t developed yet. Most corn snakes mellow out when they grow older, so my first advice is that you just need to give her a bit more time. It takes more than two weeks for her to really settle in (it’s a tiny reptile, after all - we can’t project our giant, hot mammalian brains onto them). If she’s eating, she’s not stressed out beyond all hope, but her aggression shows that she needs more retreat. I suggest handling her less, maybe once in one or two weeks until she grows calmer. Also provide her with lots of big and small hides (they feel secure when they can feel the walls of their hide!) in both the cool and warm areas of her enclosure. The more secure she feels, the higher the chances that she calms down. I also recommend a smaller enclosure than what’s used for adults, and gradually expanding it while she grows. A young snake is more likely to be anxious in a too-vast enclosure.
Does this information help you further? Feel free to ask more if you have more questions, I’m glad you asked! :)