how do you disiplin a corn?

ydnic · 09-19-04, 05:16 PM

I am so0o upset ..............but mostly just stoopid. I HAD 6 2and a half month old baby corns -
So I was cleaning up two days ago and decided they could go in with some yearlyings because there is a small - oh maybe 6-8month old in with them that seems to be doing fine. I put them in and seriously watched for 2-3hours and everything was going fine.
Then next day I checked and some were sleeping with the bigger ones so I thought everything will be fine for sure.

The day after that I came home and my bf said he was cleaning out the poop when he could only find two babies. Surey, I thought, Everything must be fine - They are probably just hiding in the branches.

After a quick look to prove my that my bf was just far more interested in his vids that the snakes turned into a frantic tear down of the living room - an idea hit me

......Maybe....nooo........Corn snakes don`t eat other snakes.....but where....oh gawd

I pick up my male (who once again has always been a little fiesty)
and found thay he was exceptionally fatter than usual. Upon closer examanation I realized, no sorry, FELT the three snakes in his belly - in fact they were moving - at least 2 were.

My first instinct was to cut the sucker open - but quickly realized I can`t do that - Feeding them mice is hard enough
I also suddenly thought of a picture I came across on the internet where one snake ate another and it came out all rotted away from the acids in its belly

My second indiction was to spank it - yes spank it *shakes head*

Thats what I do to my dogs and cats anyways - one firm tap on the bum.....yeah thats gonna work with a snake right (besides I think its prolly me who needs that for being so careless)

Anyways that was my day -

The misadventures of breeding - I don`t think I have ever learned as much in a year

Anyone else lost any snakes this way?

marisa · 09-19-04, 05:21 PM

I am sorry for your lose but the reason for it is right here:

"Corn snakes don`t eat other snakes"

Yes. Corn snakes DO eat other snakes, and cannabilism is not THAT rare, especially amongst younger speciemens. Again I am sorry for your loss, but most people do not house snakes together even for a few minutes to avoid this exact same problem. I hope you have better luck next year.

Marisa

ydnic · 09-19-04, 05:42 PM

YEah thats weird because I know a lot of people that keep corns together. I have 5 together is a 250gl tank with all kinds of hides and branches and stuff and they are ranging from 8 mnths to 1 1/2 and they all seem to be fine too - Then I have two others in a 150 gal tank that are 3 yr olds. I never had any problems before. Are you sugesting that I seperate them all. I have enough tanks to do it I have just always seen them housed together and only taken apart for feeding.

sassmuffin · 09-19-04, 05:57 PM

I'm sorry for your loss and at least you know now not to trust those guys just because they aren't commonly said to be cannibals...

But I'm still laughing at the fact that your second instinct was to spank it. The visual is just too much...oh man.

marisa · 09-19-04, 08:03 PM

I would DEFINITLY seperate all your snakes.

Snakes have no reason to be housed together. Not only have you already lost some to the risk of cannabilisim, there are MANY other reasons to get each it's own enclosure. It's the PROPER way to keep snakes.

When housing together you can pass sickness, loose snakes to other snakes, never know if one regurgs, etc etc.

When housing seperate, all those risks are gone.

Marisa

seann · 09-20-04, 03:12 AM

Ydnic Corn Babys are crazy do not keep them together as babies!!
I have read alot of posts and everyone makes this mistake for the first time, you might as well label baby corns as canniblistic but alot of people will say no you can keep them together bla bla but theirs lots of proof and pictures that often come up! I just wish one day i can put a kingsnake in my corns aqaurium and let the corn eat it so i can rub it in to all the kingsnake milk snake fans i declare war !!!! muhahaha

Simon · 09-20-04, 08:29 AM

Sorry to hear about your loss
but I have posted pictures of corns eating one an other.

Even hatchling with hatchlings.

This is NOT THAT UMCOMMON.....and this is also another reason why I have always adviced people not to keep corns or any snakes together. They can eat each other.......

I have posted lots of these pictures too~

Oh well....hope that its a lesson learned.....even though the hard way~~

gonesnakee · 09-20-04, 12:24 PM

School of hard knocks isn't fun. All snakes irreguardless of species should be housed seperately except for breeding purposes. As stated individual housing prevents cannibalism & cross contamination of specimens as well as unwanted breedings (possibly leading to eggbinding of young females). You can't tell who is deficating regularily or who my have regurged etc. etc. plus the fact that despite appearing fine the snakes are living in constant stress as all animals develop a "pecking order" when kept in groups & the dominant ones will dominate. I guess you know who the dominant one is now eh? Good Luck in the future, Mark

hooter · 09-20-04, 12:34 PM

Sorry for your loss.

This would not have happened if you would have just researched the proper care of cornsnakes or any snake in the case of housing together. I'm not going to say anymore because it seems you have already learned the hard way. Just remember in the future to READ everything you can about anything you plan to care for.

~ Hooter

Colonel_SB · 09-20-04, 01:49 PM

Ha ha ha ha you don't its that simple!

dia · 09-20-04, 11:15 PM

spank it?
Oh my.

Brent Strande · 09-21-04, 11:27 AM

excuse me while I go and spank my snake...

Lrptls · 09-21-04, 11:55 AM

one time i bought a garter snake, 3 days later she had about 8 babies, i gave most of them away and kept 2. one repeatedly escaped while some how the other did not. i believe it was the 3rd time the one got away i put it back with its sybling and the next day one was again missing but i knew the one that was in the cage was the one that kept escaping and boy was he fat. i ended up geting rid of him. i dont even want to try to house snakes together that MIGHT try and do that.

ydnic · 09-23-04, 09:38 AM

Hooter:
I appreciate the information you have offered up - but just so you know I did plenty of research into these things. Many people I know and many enclosures I`ve seen keep snakes together and since most of mine have been living in one type of a community atmosphere or another for well over a year now I saw no problems. Yes I did figure out the hard way. I don`t think you should assume that I do not know or take "proper care" of my reptiles because that would be an unfair assumption...how ever thank you for your concern

ydnic · 09-23-04, 09:49 AM

Gonesnake:
"0.1 Anery Corn & 0.1 Amel Corn these are 2002's that were sold as pets & kept in a community setup & both are now proven as a result "

JUst with what you mensioned in your above post - I am wondering how you would know it is okay with these snake to have them in a community.

You see it is so confusing - because I see and read so much about keeping them together and building a community - then you all tell me thats the worst thing you can do
SO now I am placing them all back in seperate tanks (luckily I have the tanks for it)
So now I have 11 different aquariums in my dining room even though 8 are going into cooling in a month anyways.

And now I see that you do keep them in a community setting and in fact state that "both are now proven as a result "

Please can you explain to me why or how you can tell these things because I had thought every thing was going fine until I admittidly did some tthing as stoopid as throwing the babies in to the mix.