Name:

Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata)

Length:

2-4 feet on average. Some have been recorded up in the 5-6 foot range.

Longevity:

10-16 years old with the record standing at 32 years and 3 months old.

Breeding Size and Age:

Females: 2-3 years, 200 grams
Males: 1-3 years, 150 grams
Females need more time to mature and develop properly. Breeding the female to soon could lead to becoming egg-bound (see Egg-Laying). It can also stunt her growth and cause her to lay smaller clutches with poor fertility rates.

Corn Snake Care:

Housing - Housing for corn snake depends on what you plan to do with it or them. If you are just looking for a pet, a 20L tank will be a great cage for corn snakes of all ages. Make sure that your tank is escape proof. Snakes in general are great escape artists and will not hesitate to go on a field trip. If you plan on having more than one corn, you probably should go the easiest way. I keep all my corn snakes in sterilite containers of various sizes, which can be found at your local Wal-mart or K-mart. For hatchlings, the 4-qt. shoebox size container works wonders. Make sure that you have plenty of ventilation holes drilled into the container. I usually put four on each end and then 4-8 on the sides. Once my hatchlings reach about 2-3 feet in length and about 100 grams, I move them up into the 16-qt sweaterbox container. Of course, it is really all up to the owner and what he/she feels comfortable in doing. As adults, corn snakes do great in the 28-qt containers. Once again, make sure that you have proper ventilation. Never keep the cage or cages in direct sunlight and never put heat rocks in with your snakes. The temperature should range between 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and can drop into the lower 70's during the night. Corn snakes need plenty of hide boxes. Standard toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls work great for hatchlings up to sub-adults. Plastic eating bowls, found at a dollar store, works great for adults. Just cut a hole into one of the sides and turn upside-down. Make sure you supply a water dish large enough for the snake to soak in. Check water daily and replace old water every week. Keeping the water dish, substrate, and enclosure clean will insure that you snake stays happy and healthy. AVOID CEDAR SHAVINGS, OTHER OILY WOODS, AND SANDS. CEDAR CHIPS CONTAIN CHEMICALS AND FUMES THAT ARE HARMFUL TO CORN SNAKES AND CAN PROVE FATAL TO YOUR SNAKE. NEVER USE CORNCOB BEDDING BECAUSE IT CAN CAUSE EXCESSIVE DRYING OF THE DERMAL TISSUES AND CAN BLOCK THE INTESTINAL TRACT IF SWALLOWED. Substrate comes in many forms, such as, pine shavings, aspen shavings, Astroturf, newspaper, paper towels, or butcher paper. For my hatchlings and sub-adults, I use Desert Blend Lizard Litter. It is bigger than sand and will pass through a reptile's digestive system easily. It is non-toxic and less abrasive than other types of substrate. For my adults, I use newspaper because it is cheap and easy to come by.

Temperature - Cornsnakes rely on thermoregulation to control their body temperature. Since they don't produce their own body heat, you must supply them with a warm and cool spots in their environment. Access to warms areas or a basking spot is very important to your snakes' health. To maintain health, cornsnakes must be kept at 75-85 F, using the higher temperatures to digest their food. If you decided to go with a tank and a screen lid, you can use a dome light on one side of the cage. I use a 75-watt bulb, which works fine but you may want to pick a light bulb specially made for snakes. Another method would be using a under tank heater on one side of the tank. They are adhesive on one side to stick to the tank. If you are going to have multiple snakes and build a rack, you can use flexwatt heat tape to create a warm side for your snakes.

Feeding - Hatchling corns start off eating pinkie (newborn mice), and progress up adult mice, rats, or even chicks. I wouldn't suggest feeding your corns chicks because they are harder to come by and more expensive. Rule of thumb in feeding your corn snake, of any age, is to feed the snake a food item that is the same size, or close to, the diameter of the snake. If you feed your corn a food item too large, most likely it will regurgitate it. Make sure that you refrain from handling your snake 24-48 hours after you have fed it, except to return it back to its cage. As for the time between feedings, it depends on the size of the snake. As hatchlings, I feed them every 3-4 days and increase, as they get bigger. When they reach about a year old, I would suggest feeding them every week to every two weeks. As adults, they don’t' need to feed as often since they are going through the major growth stage. I feed my adults every 2-4 weeks depending on size. The bigger the snake the less they need to eat. I strongly recommend getting your snake on f/t (frozen/thawed) mice as soon as possible. With f/t prey, you do not have worry about the snake getting hurt by the prey. It is also cheaper to buy f/t in bulk than to produce or even buy live prey. Remove the prey item from the freezer and let it defrost at room temperature. Many snakes will eat the prey if just placed in the cage but some choose to be picky and must be teased fed. To tease feed, use forceps to hold the prey by the tail and wiggle it in front of the snake. You can release the prey as soon as the snake strikes and starts to coil. Very few corns require this and are very well eaters if they have the proper heat and enclosure. Make sure that you set aside a container only for feeding purposes. If you feed the snake in its cage, it will associate you opening the cage with food and mistake your hand for a mouse. *If bitten, DO NOT PANIC, it will only make it worse. Usually the snake will release once it realizes the mistake it has made but if not, keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton balls around. If the snake refuses to detach on its own, apply some around the mouth. This should make the snake release immediately. Trust me, it works.

This is by no means scientific, and not all corns will cooperate 100% with the schedule. The weight ranges I gave for the prey and snakes are approximate. I'm very consistent in my feedings. Some people feed every Saturday, for example. If they get a refusal, the snake has to wait for the next Saturday to get another shot. I don't do this. If a snake refuses today, he'll get another shot in two days.

I used to drag all prey items' back ends through a supplement mix before every feeding. I've cut it back to every 5-6 feedings. The mix is a 2:2:1 ratio of Rep-Cal Herptivite (vitamin/mineral/amino), Tetra-Fauna ReptoCal (calcium + vit D), and Nutri-Bac (probiotic).

But I also give a lot of credit for my results to The Mouse Factory. I think they put out a superior product. The importance of the nutritional value of the prey items can't be emphasized enough.

Sample Feeding Schedule Courtesy of Dean Arnold:

- When they're on single pinks (2-3g) every 3-4 days. (Snake = 4-15g)
- Double pinks (3g x 2) every 4 days. (Snake = 16-23g)
- Small fuzzies (5-7g) every 5 days. (Snake = 24-30g)
- Regular fuzzies (7-9g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 30-50g)
- Hoppers (9-12g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 51-90g)
- Weaned (14-20g) every 5-7 days (Snake = 91-170g)
- Adult (24-30g) every 7-x days (Snake = 170+)

Shedding - Shedding is a normal process in a snake's life. It may shed every month depending on how much it is feed to 4-8 times a year. Shedding usually starts with a refusal to eat; followed with the eyes becoming milky blue. After the eyes change, the snake will nearly return to its normal color for a few days. The snake will start to rub its nose all around its cage to loosen the skin up. It will appear as the snake is "crawling" out of its skin. Many snakes love to soak for hours in their water dished during this time. It is best not to handle your snake during shedding unless you are assisting it. Sometimes snakes have trouble shedding due to not enough humidity. If you notice that your snake is having a lot of trouble with shedding, take the snake out of its cage and place it in a container with warm, damp paper towels. Check on your snake several times and remove when skin is completely off. Sometimes snakes don't shed the tips of their tails or belly skin. Make sure you examine these areas closely. If the snake doesn't get these areas off, soak them for a while. You can slowly pull any unshed belly scales or tail tips with relative ease. Any unshed skin left on, especially tails, will eventually die and come off in the next shed.

Handling - Hatchling corns should be handled every day to get comfortable with people and to show that you are not a threat. Until the snake becomes comfortable with you, it may hiss, strike, latch on, or musk and poop on you. All these are natural behaviors use to drive away predators. Most snakes will cease to do these once they become comfortable with you. Until then, you just have to bear it. Make sure you wash your hands before and after you hold your snake and in between holding multiple snakes. This insures that you are not passing infections and sicknesses on from one snake to another. Snakes feel most comfortable when their bodies are supported and their heads are free.