Do corn snakes have actual fangs?

[bugger]

My okeetee struck me last night, twice, and it felt like he just grabbed me with his mouth, no puncture feeling at all, so
I wonder if they actually have fangs, or just small teeth?

[Chu'Wuti]

All he has are little teeth, no fangs. However, they will use their teeth to hold on if they feel they are falling, so try not to jerk away when that happens, as you'll likely pull out teeth. Now that you've been bitten and it wasn't a big deal, you're probably less likely to jerk anyway.

How long is your okeetee? If it's a baby, the teeth will hardly be noticeable. Of course, the teeth will grow as the snake grows, but they'll always be small compared to some snakes, and definitely compared to fangs.

Just got reminded--be sure to wash & disinfect any wounds carefully, as the bacteria in their mouths can be nasty.

[bugger]

I washed, but didn't note any punctures or anything like that.
He's small, maybe a foot or so, and less diameter than my pinky.

[Chu'Wuti]

Yeah, that's typical; sometimes even when they reach 3 feet or so, the bite draws little or no blood. I had a milk snake bite me when it was around 3 feet, and it barely drew blood.

The main reasons they bite:

We moved too fast & startled them into a defensive reaction, or
We smell like food.

So, if you've been handling mice before reaching toward him, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly (I double-wash) to remove any prey smell before reaching towards him.

Then, when you do reach out to pick him up, move slowly. Remember, you are a giant scary predator to him. Make sure he sees your hand coming, but don't aim for his head--aim for the middle part of his body from the side. That will help reduce the tendency for defensive strikes. That is, of course, if you can do it that way without him zooming away! If he's one of those snakes that runs as soon as he sees you coming, that adds to the challenge, doesn't it?! LOL

Over time, he'll learn (most likely) that you're not going to eat him.

[Smilts]

Like Chu siad tiny teeth even when grown. I do have a pastel who is just a butt head the rest of my corns are pretty chill.

[bugger]

The okee is the anti social one. I have a snow corn and a amelanistic, I think its called, the orange booger, and they were bred by a guy that keep them 4 in a ten gallon tank. The okee was kept in a small round tub just big enough for him to coil up into, alone, and he has an attitude, but I sense fear with his anger.
The snow and amel are cautious, but more social and don't strike, yet :)
My snow corn is probably the smartest one, and seems to realize that I'm the one with the food and that I'm cool.
The snow and amel will eat the pinkie when I put them in their feeding containers, 32 oz deli tubs, but the okee acts like he's afraid I'll get him while he's eating and won't eat till later.

I thought the okee was the nicest looking one, but it's the least social, so he's getting to be my least favorite. They ain't kids, so I do have my favored ones.

[Smilts]

my butter motley is my favorite one:). Take it slow but though its tempting as your least favorite to stay away from the okeetee, you need to get him out not for long but a few minutes every day and show him you wont hurt it. Regular safe handling will probably calm it down, Again I wouldnt keep it out long at a time. Also as Chu said dont get in a rush to grab it up, but you need to pick it up with confidence. Reaching forward then withdrawing then reaching ouyt again quicker, which Ive seen people do can cause a defensive strike.

[bugger]

I think I jumped some when I first started feeding the okee, but I settled down, and now that I know the strike isn't jack I don't worry at all, except getting them around my face.

Local guy here that I started buying pinkies from said basically the same, to handle them more frequently, and he'll realize I'm not nasty.

When I went to feed them tonight the okee struck at me several times again, but after I fed him I dumped him out of the 32 oz deli tub into my hand, to put him back in the tank, and he was very docile and seemed really happy and slid really slowly out of my hand into the tank... funny what food will do for a relationship :) I guess that's why alot of dates used to be to restaurants :Wow: sorry girls :) just sayin' , now ya know why I've never been married :yes:

[Chu'Wuti]

after I fed him I dumped him out of the 32 oz deli tub into my hand, to put him back in the tank

You probably don't actually need to remove him from his enclosure to feed. Also, handling immediately after a feed causes some snakes to regurgitate, so do it as little as possible. Give him a couple of days to digest his meal before handling him again, then try Coy's suggestion of a few minutes a day to help him get used to the idea (except for about 48 hours after every meal).

And I'll just ignore your comments about feeding girls and relationships . . . except to point out that a very old saying is, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." LOL

[Kmef07]

if you feed him in the deli cup just put the cup in the enclosure if you can and let the snake crawl out on it's own time. that why it doesn't get stressed.

[zazzygrlrbi]

This is good to know, especially being a potential owner. Is this for corn snakes only? Or for most snakes?? As in, do most snakes have such a gentle bite? Or is this characteristic of corns? I want a lavendar corn!

[Kmef07]

Well most baby snakes i would say have an easy bite but as they get older some snakes get really big teeth. GTP's and ATB's seem to have pretty big teeth to catch birds and hold the birds in the trees where they live. and obviously a big burm is going to hurt like hell. every snake is a little different but most babies i would say have a relitively small bite.

[bugger]

I was told to feed them in a seperate container so no bedding is swallowed and cause impacting in their intestines/guts. They'll curl their tails out of the cup and just pull the pinky into the tank, and the bedding, if I don't put the lid on the cup. I've watched them almost do it, so I cap the cup.
Also he said that they wouldn't steal each others food and maybe start on one end and start swallowing the snake that's on the other end of the pinky. The okee stole a pinky right out of the snow corns mouth about the second time I fed them, and I wasn't gonna let that happen again.
I wasn't playing with the okee when I put him in my hand from the deli cup.
I was just checking to see if he was still hostile or scared enough to strike.
I also slid him onto my palm, and didn't come at him from over his body at any time when I slid him into my palm. That may have something to do with his disposition at that time also, or not, or a combination being fed and happy with the more peace full bottom pick up and not the intimidating 'from the top' pickup method.
He was very docile and seemed happy, so hopefully he's figuring out that I'm not his enemy, that or somebody gut loaded the pinky with something intoxicating :)
I am thinking about the hook thing mentioned above, to get him to a level so he doesn't feel like I'm trying to pounce on him.


I was told 24 hours after they feed not to handle, and so far everything that breeder has said and done has yielded good mannered and healthy snakes.
I gotta give him credit on breeding and culturing more desirable traits in the snakes I got, but maybe I was just lucky.

For the future corn owner, My two other corns have never struck me, so this one snake is the only semi-aggressive guy in the bunch.
He used to be nice also, but I tried to make him strike a pinky that I was holding with forceps after reading about others doing it on here. I won't do that again. I pulled the pinky out of his mouth with the forceps and that may have injured his mouth, and he may have a chip on his shoulder for that one incident. I was trying to lure him out of a structure in the tank he's in cause I didn't want him dragging the pinky into the bedding and swallowing any, and I tried pulling him from the ceramic house with the pinky. I won't try that again. I'll just let him come out on his own, and then put him in the feed container.

[Kmef07]

They'll curl their tails out of the cup and just pull the pinky into the tank, and the bedding, if I don't put the lid on the cup.

Because they feel comfortable in their tank...and i was talking about after they feed to put them with the cup in the tank and let they crawl out on their own.

Also he said that they wouldn't steal each others food and maybe start on one end and start swallowing the snake that's on the other end of the pinky. The okee stole a pinky right out of the snow corns mouth about the second time I fed them, and I wasn't gonna let that happen again.


Good you aren't going to let that happen. but that is a key reason why you don't house snakes together and why you defiantly don't feed them together!! there are probably thousands of threads at this point on not housing your snakes together so im not going to get into it here but im sure that some people on here that feel really strongly about this will say something.

[Chu'Wuti]

Also he said that they wouldn't steal each others food and maybe start on one end and start swallowing the snake that's on the other end of the pinky.

So my understanding of this is that you're housing them together. Glad you're feeding them separately if that's so. However, they would be much better off in the long run if you housed them separately as well. For one thing, after feeding, they all need belly heat to aid digestion, but if one snake has the best warm spot, the others either can't use it or they all get stressed because they're all trying to use it. Second, snakes are not social animals; they get stressed being kept together. Keeping them separately reduces their stress and improves their health in the long run.

I tried to make him strike a pinky that I was holding with forceps after reading about others doing it on here. I won't do that again. I pulled the pinky out of his mouth with the forceps and that may have injured his mouth, and he may have a chip on his shoulder for that one incident.

Yeah, sounds like you may have it figured out. You're a bigger predator--you won the battle for the mouse, so he knows you could eat him, too, if you wanted. Just keep being easy with him. He'll forget to be wary/defensive after awhile.

Zazzygirl, you don't have to feed snakes in a feeding enclosure. Some people do--and if you're keeping snakes together, it's necessary to prevent one from eating another as they both try to swallow the same prey item. However, it's better not to keep them together at all, unless you're trying to breed them.

Also, the info about the teeth--the corns and kingsnake family members (includes milk snakes) have small teeth. Some of the others, as noted, have bigger teeth, and definitely as they grow, the teeth grow, too. Also, as Kyle said, some species have bigger teeth (even though they don't have fangs--the fanged snakes are the venomous species), and some species have a reputation for being biters (GTPs, for example, and some of the kingsnakes, usually just some individuals, though). Hence, something like a GTP (green tree python) is considered a display snake, not a handling snake.

Corns are among the most handleable of the snakes and generally don't bite (though obviously there's an occasional individual who does). If you have never owned snakes before, corns are a great beginner's snake, and the colors available are fantastic. They are generally easy to feed as well.