All information in this care sheet is developed from
personal experience and/or information acquired from other
sources. All information is a basic introduction to corn snake
care. I strongly suggest you purchase
Corn Snakes: The
Comprehensive Owner's Guide, by Kathy and Bill Love,
http://www.corn-utopia.com/, it
is the 'bible' on all things corn snake. Rich Zukowski’s forum
for corn snake owners,
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/ is an invaluable sources for information.
The Corn Snake
(Pantherophis guttatus, formerly Elaphe Gutatta Gutatta, Group
Colubridae)
Native range
Corn snakes are found in the southeastern United
States from Florida, west to Louisiana and north to the
Carolina’s.
These snakes are commonly found inhabiting forests, farmland, and are
increasingly found in urban areas. They are primarily ground
dwellers, but are also very adept at climbing.
Size and Age
Corn snakes hatch at approximately 9-14 inches with
adults attaining an average length of 3.5-4.5 feet. Corns will
reach an average length of 36 inches within the first two years, but
depends heavily on the amount of food they receive. Males are
generally longer/larger than females, but rarely will reach 6 feet in
length. I like to refer to them being the size of a garden hose
in girth.
Corn snakes shed their skin (ecdysis) as they
grow. Their eyes turn milky blue as they begin this process, and
can be pretty irritable during this time. Several days after
their eyes turn milky, they will turn back to normal, and then within
days they will shed their old skin revealing a brighter ‘new’
skin. Hatchlings and yearlings will
shed approximately every month to two months, and adults less often as
their
growth slows down.
Corn snakes will live an average of 12 years, with
documented life spans reaching into the 20’s.
Temperament and Handling
Corn snakes are not venomous, nor are they
aggressive. I have, to this point, never been bitten by a corn
snake, and rarely will you find a corn snake that bites. Even
wild caught animals are generally mild-mannered and docile. Corns
will generally be defensive in situations where there is a lot of
excitement and/or fast motions. They will go into a predator/prey
mode if they feel threatened. Also be sure you are free of any
rodent, bird, or lizard scents as these may trigger a
feeding response in the snake.
Corns do not wrap around your arms and limbs, like
the pythons and boids, but prefer to crawl around your body exploring
the environment. When picking up any snake, use slow motions, and
come at the snake from underneath as much as possible. Support
the upper and lower portions of the body, and do not allow them to hang
freely. Always handle them gently, but firmly, allowing them to
crawl through your hand. Hatchlings can be especially quick in
their movements, and
extra care needs to be taken when handling them. Be sure to
supervise
young children handling any snake, as their excitement can lead to
squeezing
or mishandling of the animal.
Food
Corn snakes are carnivores and their diet in the
wild is limited to prey items including rodents, small birds, and
lizards. Crickets, or other insect foods, are NOT part of their
diet. Captive born snakes generally feed on mice and small
rats. Corns adapt readily to frozen food (which is obviously
thawed to room temperature before feeding), and is a strongly
recommended way to feed by many hobbyists. I believe it can be
beneficial to feed a combination of both live/pre-killed food items as
well as frozen/thawed.
The size of the snake dictates the size of the prey
item. A general rule is the prey item can be 1-1½ times
the size of the snakes widest part. Another general rule is that
any lump created by a food item in the snake should disappear within
approximately 48 hours. Hatchlings are fed day old mice called
pinkies (due to the lack of hair), yearlings are generally fed fuzzies
(hair is beginning to grow) to hoppers (weanling mice beginning to
walk/hop), and adult corns do well on adult mice or up to weanling
rats. If feeding live, hopper size
and larger should definitely be pre-killed before introducing the food
to
the snake to avoid injury to your pet.
Hatchling corns do well when fed every 5-7 days for
the first 6-10 months. Yearlings and sub-adults do well on a
schedule of every 7 days, and adult corns can be fed every 7-14
days. It is a good idea to keep records of all your feedings and
sheddings. In the event of health problems, you can look back at
this record for clues. Snakes generally do not need supplements,
but it does not hurt to dust the food item with a reptile vitamin on an
occasional basis.
Corn snakes can become stressed after feeding if
they are handled too much, or other reasons, and may regurgitate their
meal. Allow 10-14 days after a regurgitation before feeding a
smaller
prey item. It would also be a good idea to take in either a stool
sample or the regurgitated meal to a qualified veterinarian to discount
any medical reasons for the regurgitation, i.e. Parasites.
Housing
Cage Requirements
Any cage used for a corn snake needs to be escape
proof! Corns are very adept at finding an escape route in a cage,
and can squeeze through a surprisingly small crack or hole. Be
sure the cage is secure. Their environment needs to have a heat
gradient from warm to cool. Possible heat sources are discussed
next. Also, corns are a secretive snake by nature, and require
hide boxes in order to be comfortable and stress free in their
environment. It is recommended to have a hide at both ends of the
heat gradient, and they should be small enough that the snake’s body
can touch the sides and top for the most security.
I have had the best luck housing hatchlings in small
plastic critter cages. I usually purchase both a ten gallon tank
with screen top and a plastic critter cage. Hatchlings are kept
in
the critter cage until approximately 3 months old, and then housed in
the
ten gallon tank. A ten gallon tank is usually adequate for their
first
year to year and half. Adults should be housed minimally in a 20
gallon
long tank (30”L x 12”W x 12”H). Larger tanks are encouraged in
order
to provide a larger area for exercise. The tank can be decorated
as
desired with attention being paid to security and exercise.
Other sources for cages can include Rubbermaid type
containers, plastic shoeboxes, and homemade enclosures. Attention
needs to be paid to size, ventilation, heating, and security.
Heating and Lighting
Corn snakes need to be provided with a substrate heat gradient of
70°-75°F on the cool end of the cage, and 80°-85°F on
the warm end. Hatchlings need the gradient to be on the warmer
end for the first few months. This gradient is extremely
necessary for the health of the snake, especially to aid in proper
digestion and shedding. I recommend having a digital thermometer
located on the hot end of the tank. Radio Shack has
indoor/outdoor units with a temperature probe that are reasonably
priced around $15. Sticky type thermometers do not accurately
measure the temperature of the substrate, and are virtually
useless. It is also recommended that you have a rheostat or
thermostat attached to your heat source, as many under-tank heaters can
quickly raise the temperatures to over 100°F.
Heat can be provided most easily using under-tank heaters (UTH) which
attach to the bottom of glass tanks. You must be careful using
these as they can overheat the cage environment. Be sure the
heater is
attached to only one end of the cage to provide the heat
gradient.
Lights can also be used for heat, but a red bulb is recommended as it
should
be kept on continually to provide the temperature gradient night and
day. Do NOT use a heat rock. They are mediocre at best in
providing heat gradients, and are dangerous at worst, overheating and
burning snakes. Snakes do not necessarily need UVB light similar
to lizards, but it can definitely
be beneficial for the day/night cycle of your pet.
Substrate
In deciding on which type of substrate to use, you
should pay attention to ease of use, ease of cleaning, abrasiveness,
and sanitary conditions for your snake. The two most common
substrates used are aspen bedding and paper forms (i.e. Newspaper or
paper towels). Other substrates used include reptile bark,
carpet, cypress mulch, and Care Fresh litter (a recycled newspaper
pellet). You should definitely avoid
cedar, pine, sand and gravel substrates. Resin fumes can be
deadly
from certain types of wood. Sand and gravel can harbor bacteria more
readily
and irritate a snake’s scales. Reptile carpet can be used, but is
difficult to clean, and should be dried completely before
re-introducing
it to the cage. When using aspen shavings, or other loose
beddings,
be sure that food is provided either in a separate container or on
something
separate from the substrate like a paper towel or plastic cup. Ingestion
of substrates stuck to their food can lead to compactions or
regurgitations
in the snake and ultimately kill your snake.
Water and Humidity
Contrary to popular belief, snakes do not receive
their water content from food, and need a water source. Corn
snakes should be provided a clean dish of fresh drinking water. I
recommend placing the water dish away from the heat source to slow down
evaporation and decrease humidity levels. Any time the water is
soiled by feces and/or cage bedding, it should be cleaned and
refilled. A separate soaking dish can/should be provided during
times of extreme heat (soaking helps to cool down) and during the
shedding cycle to aid in softening and sloughing their skin completely.
Corn snakes prefer a low to moderate humidity. Increased humidity can cause skin blistering or complicate respiratory
infections, and low humidity can cause problems with shedding.
Cleaning
Routine spot cleaning is necessary for feces,
etc. An entire cage cleaning is recommended monthly or as
necessary. Cleaning of the cage and equipment should be completed
using a non-toxic dishwashing soap, preferably anti-bacterial. A
weak Clorox bleach solution can, and should, be used to disinfect cages
and decorations. Be sure to rinse everything completely. Do
NOT use any phenol based cleaning agent (Pine-sol, etc.) as they are
very toxic. Be sure all materials are
dried completely before introducing the snake back into them.
Breeding
All questions regarding sexing snakes and breeding
of corn snakes are referred to The Corn Snake Manual by Bill and Kathy
Love.
