Corn snakes eat rodents in the wild. Occasionally they would eat birds eggs or lizards. In captivity corn snakes should be fed captive bred rodents only. These will provide all the nutrients your corn snake needs, they do not require any supplements. Wild lizards, birds and rodents should be avoided as they can transfer parasites to your snake. Hatchling corn snakes will eat one pinkie (newborn mouse) once or twice a week. They will often accept more, but intense feeding is not beneficial and the snake could get overweight or grow too fast. Snakes that have been fed to reach breeding weight too quickly generally have a lower life expectancy. A rule of thumb regarding the size you feed is that the "lump" from the prey item should be visible for 12 to 24 hours after feeding. If it is not visible during this time, you may need to move up to the next size rodent. If the "lump" is still visible after this time, it might be advisable to reduce the size of the prey. This rule doesn't really apply to large adults, where the lump is barely visible with prey size. Adults usually get fed every 10 days or so, with a large or jumbo mouse. After newborn mice (pinkies) the sizes are generally as follows - fuzzies, small adult, large adult and sometimes jumbo mice. Prey items that are too large can result in regurgitation as the prey decomposes before it can be digested. This can be quite serious and it’s best to do a lot of research to get advice if you experience one. After regurgitation do not attempt a feed for 10 days, and attempt a smaller prey item next time. Also find the cause of the regurgitation so it doesn't happen again (likely to be prey size, stress or temperature). I advise feeding f/t (frozen & thawed) by defrosting the prey in warm water until it is thoroughly thawed before offering. Don't feed in the snake's housing. Not only is there a risk of the snake ingesting loose substrate, it may associate the tank being opened and your hand with food. Place the snake in a feeding box (a simple cardboard box will do if you can watch to make sure it doesn't escape) The feeding box is usually smaller than the tank. Dangle your prey item in with a pair of tongs and wait for the snake to strike at it. It may grab the prey and constrict it, before eating. Some snakes do not like to be watched, will not strike or constrict, and some will only accept warm prey. Some snakes need left overnight in a feeding box with their prey (usually young hatchling snakes)
Occasionally snakes seem to just be problem or fussy eaters. There is a lot of advice online about fussy eaters; with young snakes I find tease feeding to be very efficient or anole scenting. 'Braining' the prey or soaking in chicken broth are other suggestions.
Occasionally snakes seem to just be problem or fussy eaters. There is a lot of advice online about fussy eaters; with young snakes I find tease feeding to be very efficient or anole scenting. 'Braining' the prey or soaking in chicken broth are other suggestions.
The actual 'house' for a corn snake can vary greatly. Whether you want to use a wooden vivarium, a plastic tub or a glass tank for housing your corn snake is entirely down to personal choice, and budget. The most important feature of your vivarium is that it is escape proof. Never underestimate the ability of a corn to fit through impossibly small gaps or lift impossibly heavy lids! A vivarium can be anything from a plastic 'critter keeper' style tank, an all glass fish tank, storage box, or wooden sided vivarium. The glass fish tanks usually need a well ventilated lid added to them, which locks on to stop escapes. Wooden vivariums are usually wooden on 3 sides, and the front has sliding glass which you can buy locks for. The cheapest type of vivarium to go for is probably a storage box style, and the most expensive is the wooden.
Storage boxes usually aren't that big, easy to see through, ventilated or secure. If using a storage box try to find ones with clip on tops. Wooden vivariums are easy to get into and easy to see the snake through, as well as making an attractive addition to a room. In my experience I think it is definitely worth getting at least a glass tank, unless you are planning to do large scale breeding with many snakes. Having a tank 12" x 8" is the minimum size for a hatchling or young corn snake up to 24" long. There are upper limits too, as young snakes won't feel very secure if there is a lot of big open space. For adults a tank 36" x 24" I would say was a minimum but a 48” vivarium is even better. Try to provide some height too, as corn snakes love to climb. If looking at volume, a 20 gallon would be the bare minimum size for adults but again I would recommend larger. The ideal you want to work towards in your set-up is to make it spacious, lots of plants and hides, secure and correct temperatures.
As for bedding, there are many options here too. Bedding is usually referred to as substrate with corn snakes. Using paper-towels or newspaper is perfectly sufficient for your snake, and are very cheap & easily replaced. They are not very appealing to look at though. One of the most commonly used substrate with corn snakes is aspen shavings. It absorbs damp and odour, smells quite pleasant itself, is dust & toxin free and is reasonably cheap and easy to clean. Loose substrates like aspen can be cleaned simply by lifting any faeces and the substrate directly around it. The entire substrate only needs replaced every 3 months or so. Other loose substrates suitable for snakes include cyprus mulch, coconut shavings and a few bark chips e.g. beech. There are many barks and wood substrates not suitable for corns that you may see in shops still: Pine, fir and cedar are all toxic to corn snakes if they get wet. Also, sand is not a suitable substrate for corn snakes even though this is used in many pet shops. Astroturf/reptile carpet is nice, but quite expensive & hard to clean. Other than bedding, there are a couple other vital things you need for a corn snake. A water dish, preferably large enough for the corn to soak in, is a must have. The water should be changed at least every other day. Water conditioners are available but tap water should be fine most of the time. Corn snakes will drink often but you might not actually see this. They also might soak in the water dish to cool down, or aid skin shedding. If your corn snake spends a lot of time in the water dish it could be a sign of mites, or a much too high temperature.
At least 2 hides should be provided. One on the warmer side and one on the cooler side of the tank (explained in heating section) A hide can be something simple like a cardboard box, or an upturned flower pot with a hole cut in it. As long as the hide is big enough to fit your corn snake, but small enough to provide security it doesn't matter to the snake what it looks like.If you would like something natural looking and attractive though there are many nice hides available. I use exo-terra’s ones as they are good and not too expensive. There should be no sharp edges on your hide and it should be disinfected. To disinfect things before I put them into the vivarium I soak them in a sink full of hot water with a small amount of bleach poured in (around 1-2 tablespoons) for 15 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Shop bought disinfectants are also available .Plants also look great in a vivarium. I would advise against real plants generally as they are less sterile, and take a lot of work. If you get a real plant make sure it is one that likes high temperatures, change all the soil to new compost, and then put a layer of disinfected gravel over the top soil. This should prevent bacteria growth. Remember to water it at least twice a week to keep it alive! False plants are easier to keep sterile and more flexible in where they can go. Other than plants; stones, driftwood & branches can be added to a vivarium. (Remember to disinfect first) All these decorations make it a more interesting and natural habitat for you and your corn snake, and provides shelter and climbing material which you help keep your corn amused and exercised.
Storage boxes usually aren't that big, easy to see through, ventilated or secure. If using a storage box try to find ones with clip on tops. Wooden vivariums are easy to get into and easy to see the snake through, as well as making an attractive addition to a room. In my experience I think it is definitely worth getting at least a glass tank, unless you are planning to do large scale breeding with many snakes. Having a tank 12" x 8" is the minimum size for a hatchling or young corn snake up to 24" long. There are upper limits too, as young snakes won't feel very secure if there is a lot of big open space. For adults a tank 36" x 24" I would say was a minimum but a 48” vivarium is even better. Try to provide some height too, as corn snakes love to climb. If looking at volume, a 20 gallon would be the bare minimum size for adults but again I would recommend larger. The ideal you want to work towards in your set-up is to make it spacious, lots of plants and hides, secure and correct temperatures.
As for bedding, there are many options here too. Bedding is usually referred to as substrate with corn snakes. Using paper-towels or newspaper is perfectly sufficient for your snake, and are very cheap & easily replaced. They are not very appealing to look at though. One of the most commonly used substrate with corn snakes is aspen shavings. It absorbs damp and odour, smells quite pleasant itself, is dust & toxin free and is reasonably cheap and easy to clean. Loose substrates like aspen can be cleaned simply by lifting any faeces and the substrate directly around it. The entire substrate only needs replaced every 3 months or so. Other loose substrates suitable for snakes include cyprus mulch, coconut shavings and a few bark chips e.g. beech. There are many barks and wood substrates not suitable for corns that you may see in shops still: Pine, fir and cedar are all toxic to corn snakes if they get wet. Also, sand is not a suitable substrate for corn snakes even though this is used in many pet shops. Astroturf/reptile carpet is nice, but quite expensive & hard to clean. Other than bedding, there are a couple other vital things you need for a corn snake. A water dish, preferably large enough for the corn to soak in, is a must have. The water should be changed at least every other day. Water conditioners are available but tap water should be fine most of the time. Corn snakes will drink often but you might not actually see this. They also might soak in the water dish to cool down, or aid skin shedding. If your corn snake spends a lot of time in the water dish it could be a sign of mites, or a much too high temperature.
At least 2 hides should be provided. One on the warmer side and one on the cooler side of the tank (explained in heating section) A hide can be something simple like a cardboard box, or an upturned flower pot with a hole cut in it. As long as the hide is big enough to fit your corn snake, but small enough to provide security it doesn't matter to the snake what it looks like.If you would like something natural looking and attractive though there are many nice hides available. I use exo-terra’s ones as they are good and not too expensive. There should be no sharp edges on your hide and it should be disinfected. To disinfect things before I put them into the vivarium I soak them in a sink full of hot water with a small amount of bleach poured in (around 1-2 tablespoons) for 15 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Shop bought disinfectants are also available .Plants also look great in a vivarium. I would advise against real plants generally as they are less sterile, and take a lot of work. If you get a real plant make sure it is one that likes high temperatures, change all the soil to new compost, and then put a layer of disinfected gravel over the top soil. This should prevent bacteria growth. Remember to water it at least twice a week to keep it alive! False plants are easier to keep sterile and more flexible in where they can go. Other than plants; stones, driftwood & branches can be added to a vivarium. (Remember to disinfect first) All these decorations make it a more interesting and natural habitat for you and your corn snake, and provides shelter and climbing material which you help keep your corn amused and exercised.
Caring for Corn Snakes
Corn snakes require a temperature gradient in their housing to enable them to thermo-regulate. The best way in my opinion of achieving these is by using a heat mat, or UTH as they are often called. The heat mat can be placed underneath one end of the housing (if using plastic or glass tank) and inside on the bottom of one end if using a wooden vivarium. It should cover about 1/3 of the floor space. The heat mat should be connected to a thermostat. This will enable you to set a temperature for the heat mat and ensure it doesn’t get too hot. Usually heat mats not connected to a thermostat reach temperatures that could seriously affect, if not kill, your reptile. The thermostat probe should be placed on the bottom of the housing directly above the heat mat. Ceramic bulbs are an alternative to heat mats, they emit heat without light. As they get very hot and corns can get very high up they must have a lamp guard around them to prevent your snake from getting burnt. These, like the heating mats, should be connected to a thermostat and the probe should go below the bulb at the hottest point that your reptile could be sitting. A digital thermometer should be used at the same place the thermostat probe goes to double check the temperatures. The hot end of your housing should be in the range of 28-31 degrees celcius. The cooler end, and ambient air temperature should be in the range 22-25 degrees. Some people have special thermostats that turn down the heating at night, I find the natural drop in temperature is sufficient. Although they are cheap light bulbs should generally not be used for corns, or any other reptile in my opinion, because they cannot be connected to a thermostat thus it is very difficult to prevent them overheating. The light can also disturb your corn, especially if it the only source of heat and needs left on all night. Corn snakes are nocturnal. Corn snakes do not need UV or artificial lighting, but their housing should be placed in a room with good natural light coming in through the day. I use fluorescent bulbs in my vivarium stacks as ‘viewing’ lights. They don’t get hot and are a nice way to light up the vivarium during the evenings. One method of heating that is not suitable is ‘hot rocks’ they should be avoided at all costs and are very dangerous to your corn snake! It is important you get the temperatures just right as too hot can lead to stress and burns, and too cold can lead to undigested food and loss of appetite.
How much you handle your snake is up to you. I try to handle mine at least once a week. (Do not handle after eating for 48 hours, or when about to shed.) Lift your snake gently, your hands approaching from the side and hold one hand about 1/3 down its body, and the other 2/3 down. Keep handling sessions short, 5 - 10 minutes is plenty. Nervous snakes may rattle their tails or even try to strike at you. Try to ignore this; it will only encourage these habits if you put the snake back every time he gets aggressive. Tail rattling is only a warning, and on the rare chance your snake strikes at you, it is much more startling than sore. Gloves could always be worn if you are scared of being bitten of course. Handling snakes over a bed or sofa is a good idea; it is nice & soft if they fall.
How often a snake will shed its skin depends on many factors, mostly age. Hatchling corn snakes will shed every month or so, and some fully grown adults only shed a few times a year. About a week before a snake sheds it will go 'blue' where it will look dull coloured and have cloudy eyes. This 'blue' look clears after a few days and then within the next few days the snake will shed. Once the snake has shed check the shed skin to see if it is complete, looking especially for the tail tip and eye caps. If the shed is in many pieces try increasing humidity by misting tank with warm water when your snake is 'blue.' Shedding much more often than expected could be a sign of mites or skin conditions.
If there is anything else regarding caring for your corn snake you would like to know please feel free to email me using the contact link :)
If there is anything else regarding caring for your corn snake you would like to know please feel free to email me using the contact link :)
Corn snakes are one of the most easily kept and bred snakes in captivity, yet one of the most rewarding. With a little time and effort, and a small budget, a corn snake could live happily for up to 20 years. I highly reccommend buying a corn snake as a first or beginner reptile.