HELP... LAST RESORT!!!

Question
I have a 10 month old male candy cane corn snake. Ever since i brought him he doesn't like to be handled, he strikes repeatedly and vibrates his tail even though i try to handle him for an hour every other day, when he was younger his bites wouldn't hurt but now hes got older he gets really aggressive even when changing the water in his viv. I've tried wearing gloves but it still makes no difference, I'm getting rather worried as hes always been like this and shows no signs of improvement. I feed him a small adult mouse every 5 days and this leaves a noticeable bulge for about 2 days. His viv temperature always ranges between 65 - 75 degrees. I've considered selling him due to his aggressive behaviour but i cant bear to part with him, this is my last resort I'm willing to try anything but I'm really at my wits end. Any advice???

Answer
Hi Kayleigh,

Your temperatures are a bit low. this might not account for his behaviour but it does need to be sorted out or he wont be able to digest food properly and will become unwell. your temperatures need to be around 82-84F in the middle of the tank, with a hotspot of up to 95F at one end.

it sounds like you may be handling him too much. some snakes just dont do well if you handle them for long periods of time to try and tame them, it can actually have an opposite effect. when you get him out, only do it for 5 mins at a time, gradually increasing it each time if his behaviour improves.

i would try leaving him completely alone except for water changes for 1-2 weeks. that means no feeding, no handling and no cleaning- unless absolutely necessary. also, if you can, cover the tank with a towel or something and only lift it to check up on him and the state of his tank. after the 1-2 weeks, try and get him out for no more than 5 mins. if he is agressive, dont handle him for another week - during this time you can resume feeding and cleaning. after the extra week, try him again, if hes still agressive, leave him one more week and try again. if he doesnt become all agressive get him out for about 5 mins the 1st time. you can gradually increase the time you keep him out as his behaviour improves.

if he still persists with his agression you can try using a snake hook to get him out. this usually allows you to lift the snake out of the tank at the lest. once your snake is out the tank, and isnt striking at everything you can try and lift him off the snake hook with your hands. you can combine this technique with the one above if neither work on their own.

apart from that there isnt much you can do. persistence and patience are key to taming a snake down.

i hope this helps you to get your corn snake tame. Good Luck!

Andy