Two New Snakes .. [6]

[ramanth]

Congrats on the new additions. You're not keeping them in the same tank are you? Snakes aren't really social critters and can turn cannabalistic.

[sandragonfly]

thank you everyone for the welcome and compliments.

kim, no they're not really social critters but they won't kill each other unless one is bigger than the other. both are friendly though, they have been wrapping each other warm sleeping but I do not plan to keep them both in the same tank when they grow big - they're just tiny right now.

[ramanth]

These two hatchlings were the same size:


Talk to just about any snake breeder and they'll tell you cannabalism is found more often with hatchlings than adults.

Just FYI.

[Cinder & Smoke]

These two hatchlings were the same size ...

I can't see the "second one" ... or was that the *point*??

Maybe those lumps & bumps on #1 define the location of #2?

How unfriendly!

[ramanth]

Yeah. Sadly baby snakes eat other baby snakes.

And then typically the baby snake that did the eating ends up dying too because the "meal" was too large. So then you end up not losing only one but two snakes.

[KittyGurl]

Congrats on the new additions. They are so beautiful. I love Candelight's color, but Falloweena's markings are gorgous!

[sandragonfly]

oh that picture is sad.. isn't that a king snake? I'd like the link of that picture you got from please. I love to learn something new about animals everyday.

my friend who gave me them is a breeder, she told me what I said in my previous post. I talked with her again to be sure, she never had this happened to her 100+ hatchlings and have always kept the babies altogether until adopted out - though said "cannabalism is possible but is extremely rare," especially with friendly corns. I showed her that picture, we agreed this could happen to anyone who aren't fed seperately or wasn't being fed, taken care of well.

but you have stressed me enough - my heart cannot afford losing another one or the worst, two - so I called the snake breeder I know (with a federal license) for second opinion first thing this morning. I filled him in with my two corns and the concern, he then said "that's totally erroneous. they don't eat each other under normal circumstances." and then mentioned about kings, "the corn snakes don't normally eat each other like king snakes - the only exemption should be under fed." again, said the same thing, rarely happens.

so.. my corn kiddies are fed 5-7 days with medium pinkies, seperately of course, and are in new large tank with right temperature. all I am doing is following the instructions lol. I've had them for about week now, they seem great together. thanks though, I appreciate your concern.

thank you kittygurl!

[shais_mom]

These two hatchlings were the same size:


Talk to just about any snake breeder and they'll tell you cannabalism is found more often with hatchlings than adults.

Just FYI.

oh that picture is sad.. isn't that a king snake?

Ramanth knows you have corn snakes she wouldn't post a pic of a different snake to confuse you.
I just don't understand why you get so bent when people try to give you advice.

[shais_mom]

The Scorpion and the Frog
One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Self destruction - "Its my Nature", said the Scorpion...
An Interesting article regarding this fable

[buttercup132]

After I lost my corn snake (that was exactly like Hobbes and went missing like Hobbes) I got another but I did the same as you and oddly enough I got the exact same ones. A ghost and another Albino. I kept them together too (always fed seperate) and there were no problems. Now I had a huge tank and they had tons of their own hiding spots. The place I got them from (a huge reptile store) always had the babies and young corns in the same tank. Not saying it's right but I guess alot of people just don't know.

I would listen to Ramantha though as she seems to know ALOT about her reptiles and you are new to owning them.
I also want to say the place I got mine from the guy was very very knowlagable and bred corn snakes too and never sperated them so doesn't mean your breeder friends exactly know what they are talking about.

These were my guys