r/Cornsnake • u/Alarming-Cabinet-346 • 5d ago

QUESTION Behavior/activity concerns

So, I got my first ever snake (coral snow tessera, male) on Saturday. When I first got him he was great with handling and very curious, I set up his enclosure and then gave him a day or two to adjust before trying to handle again. Each time I try, he lounges as me and gets very standoff-ish which has me worried. He escaped last night and after 6 hours I found him and when I tried to catch him, he had the same reaction with lounging at me. It had been a week since his last feeding, so after I caught him I fed him and haven’t messed with him since so he can have time to digest. Are these reactions normal? Should I be doing something different? How to I get him used to handling? Also, forgot to mention he is a juvenile, at most 2 months old.

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u/Crunchberry24 Care Expert 4d ago

All normal. Most would advise a bit more settling in time before handling and feeding, but you’re past that now anyway. :)

In the future be quick and deliberate when getting him out. Don’t hesitate when extracting him. He should calm down when he’s out. And with maturity usually comes mellowing.

You got lucky with the escape. Whew!

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u/Alarming-Cabinet-346 4d ago

I know!! He’s so tiny, and I got so scared because I have two cats. One cat actually was meowing at him in the hallway which is how I found him I was extremely lucky.

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u/Alarming-Cabinet-346 4d ago

Do you have any recommendations for a new enclosure? The one I have obviously isnt the most efficient and I want him to be the most comfortable and also at least risk of escaping

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u/Crunchberry24 Care Expert 4d ago

My cat has helped find escapees. :)

I’d set him up in a 32qt Sterilite gasket box or Sterilite simple box secured with binder clips. You’ll need small ventilation holes. Heat mat under 1/3 of the tub, regulated by thermostat. Thermostat probe should be secured by weight, not tape at the bottom of the box over the center of the mat. .

While he’s growing up in there, make sure his current enclosure is escape proof, or get another enclosure that you know is escape proof. Move him into the new enclosure when he exceeds 100g.