Corn snake baby - advice please

[Sh3wulf]

We are known for our love of reptiles and all living things in our neighbourhood, so I wasn't too surprised when a neighbour showed up at the door with this little guy and asked if we could make sure it didn't get into his backyard again lol

I have set him up in our tiny terrarium for now. From what I am reading online they need little room and like tight hiding spaces as babies. He's very tiny, not even as thick as a standard pencil, and about eight inches long.
What's do I feed? Is he ok on soil with live plants and a large cave? My sons room is 86 degrees, do I need to add additional heat source? What do I feed such a tiny mouth?
Thanks all in advance for advice. This forum has been great for raising our tort, hoping for the same helpful advice with this tiny snake

 

[Tom]

Conditions sound fine. Feed it newborn pinkie mice at that size. You might have to scent it with a local lizard, but give it a go plain first.

 

[wellington]

So cute. Looks big in the pic though. Good luck and here's a bump

 

[lisa127]

Where are you located?

I ask because it looks very much like a hatchling eastern milksnake to me. I could be wrong....

 

[rayneygirl]

pinkie mice should be fed

Sent from my SGH-T959V using TortForum mobile app

 

[AnnV]

I dont know snake keeping, but just wanted to say it sure is beautiful!

Ann from CT

 

[Sh3wulf]

Conditions sound fine. Feed it newborn pinkie mice at that size. You might have to scent it with a local lizard, but give it a go plain first.

Thanks Tom. What do you mean by scent it with local lizard?

---

Where are you located?

I ask because it looks very much like a hatchling eastern milksnake to me. I could be wrong....

We're in southern Ontario. Close to Toronto. Definitely would like to correctly identify. He's an aggressive little bugger. Has tried to bite me twice already. And that was just getting him into his terrarium.

Gonna give him a couple days to settle and figure out what he is then decide how we proceed.

Advice greatly appreciated ya'll

 

[Tom]

You get a live wild lizard and literally rub it all over the pinkie mouse just before you feed it to the snake. Or you could rub the pinkie all over the lizard, I suppose. Scent transfer is the idea. You might not need to do this.

 

[Sh3wulf]

You get a live wild lizard and literally rub it all over the pinkie mouse just before you feed it to the snake. Or you could rub the pinkie all over the lizard, I suppose. Scent transfer is the idea. You might not need to do this.

We don't have wild lizards here, so I'm gonna have to come to one of you southerners lol

So these guys, even small, only eat warm blooded creatures?

 

[lisa127]

You might want to start with a live pinkie the first couple of feedings, and then transition to f/t.

 

[Sh3wulf]

You might want to start with a live pinkie the first couple of feedings, and then transition to f/t.

Thanks Lisa,

Guess we are going to find out how much live pinkies cost and go from there.

 

[Lancecham]

Nice cornsnake. You don't see that exact pattern very frequently. As mentioned, try to feed him live pinky mice from the beginning. If you don't have to scent the food, don't do it. See if it will eat the pinky first. If not, you can try scenting it.
If the idea of feeding live food freaks you out, you can try frozen/thawed pinkies. But try the live ones first. The movement of the pinky often stimulates there feeding behavior.

 

[lisa127]

Nice cornsnake. You don't see that exact pattern very frequently. As mentioned, try to feed him live pinky mice from the beginning. If you don't have to scent the food, don't do it. See if it will eat the pinky first. If not, you can try scenting it.
If the idea of feeding live food freaks you out, you can try frozen/thawed pinkies. But try the live ones first. The movement of the pinky often stimulates there feeding behavior.

I still believe this may be a hatchling eastern milksnake. I'm not positive it is a cornsnake. Especially since it was found in Toronto? Are there cornsnakes in the wild in Toronto?
Eastern milksnake baby:
http://www.jkcassady.com/images/2milksnake.jpg

 

[Lancecham]

I think you may be right after closer inspection. I have really never seen that exact pattern in a corn snake, but I just did search some hatchling milksnakes online and some are identical to the one posted.

 

[lisa127]

Yes, this baby does not look like a cornsnake to me. In fact, a few years back my husband brought me a baby he found in the wild. It looked exactly like this one and the only other snakes we have around here are garter snakes and black ratsnakes. So I concluded it was an eastern milksnake. I made my husband put him back.

 

[Sh3wulf]

Thanks guys. Glad to have a name for it. Think we are gonna take him to our woods where he probably originated from and let him free.
I took a couple vids I thought y'all might like seeing
http://youtu.be/8m67OWYmBwY

 

[Tom]

I still believe this may be a hatchling eastern milksnake. I'm not positive it is a cornsnake. Especially since it was found in Toronto? Are there cornsnakes in the wild in Toronto?
Eastern milksnake baby:
http://www.jkcassady.com/images/2milksnake.jpg

Good eye Lisa. I think you are right. This is not a species I'm familiar with and at first glance on my little screen, it does resemble a corn snake, but after looking at some more pics, I think you called it right.

 

[Sh3wulf]

We looked up more info tonight while my son enjoyed some slither-time with our little friend.
According to what we have found on a number of sights as a result of Lisa's suggestion that this is a milksnake, we have also deduced that this is correct and these little guys can grow to over a meter and have a significant life expectancy (not lots known but an adult that was captured lived 21 additional years in captivity). They are also on the protected species list, so keeping him is illegal here in Ontario. I'm a little sad cause I almost want to keep him so he can grow big and healthy and then go out and reproduce, but I need to set an example for my kids about setting wild animals free

 

[Sh3wulf]

my son enjoyed a little slither time last night and today we will be releasing our little friend in a field by the forest. Off to mole hunt and munch on some mice.

 

[Raymo2477]

I'm glad you let the little guy go. I know I kept all the reptiles I found as a kid, but now I realize that I was probably I'm the wrong, especially when I collected endangered things like eastern box turtles.