Corn snake Care Sheet.

All the information on this page may not be true to every corn snake.  It contains everything I have learnt through books, the internet, and my own personal experience with them.   I have done my best to make sure everything on this page is acceptable to experienced owners and breeders.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to e-mail me and I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible.  Thank you and enjoy.

Origin:
Found across the United States.
 

Is A Corn snake For You?:
If you are looking for a snake that is very docile, friendly, and hand able, and doesn't get extremely large a corn snake may be the reptile for you. They are medium sized snakes (even considered small to some herpers) which makes it easy for even young children to handle so long as there is the right supervision.  Hatchling and very young snakes should not be held by young children because if they are squeezed to tightly their bones can break. Hatchlings will start off eating f/t (frozen/thawed) pinkies and work their way up to larger mice as they grow.
Note: You should never kiss your snake or any  reptile and make sure to wash your hands before and after every handling to be safe of any salmonella type sicknesses.
 

Housing a Corn snake:
A hatchling or juvenile corn snake can be housed in a 10 gallon tank or a shoe box Rubbermaid. This enables them to feel more secure, some hatchlings will get stressed out in a larger cage and stop eating. A secure lid, locking preferably, with very small air holes is recommended. Corn snakes are great escape artists and will try their darndest to get out of any enclosure. The tank is fairly easy to set up. Paper towel as a substrate, a water dish and a hide. An adult Corn snake should be housed in no smaller than a 30 gallon tank or 20 breeder which is longer than the average 20 gallon. Bigger is ALWAYS better.  For two it is recommended to go not smaller than a 55 gallon, but of course bigger is always better. You can also use Rubbermaid's for adults. Height is not important to corn snakes, floor spacing is what counts.  I use a hollowed out log for a hide and a Rubbermaid container that the snake can get it's entire body in for a water dish. The water dish must be changed at least every other day, daily is ideal.  Corn snakes do not need any special lighting but they need an ambient temperature of around 75 and a warm side of the cage can range anywhere from 80-90 degrees. Corn snakes are very easy to keep because they are more tolerant of temperature fluctuations than most other snakes. DO NOT USE A HEAT ROCK, THEY BURN AND KILL, so please stay away from heat rocks for any reptiles. You can get an under tank heater to give your snake the extra heat on the one side of the tank or use an over head light bulb but uth are better.  The heat should only be on about 1/3 of the tank, or Rubbermaid's floor.
 

Diet of a Corn Snake:
Corn snakes are strictly rodent feeders. They work their way up from a pinkie sized mouse to an adult mouse and some will even take small rat pups.
 

Corn snake's Character:
As said before most corn snakes are very docile and almost never bite. You must however always wash your hands before and after handling your snake so that they do not smell anything that might be considered food on your hands. They tend to be a bit more shy and skittish as hatchlings and juveniles but tame down very nicely with regular handling. However one thing you will learn about corn snakes is that they will not wrap around you like some other snakes and hold themselves up. You must learn to support their body and not let them drop or flop around. Corn snakes are very curious and love to explore, they are always looking to investigate their surroundings. You should never squeeze your snake and hold it so it can not more, let the snake maneuver through your hands supporting her body and she will calm down and handle well.

 

Life span and Size:
A corn snake can live about 15 years, some have been known to live as long as 20. So please remember this when you purchase your snake.  

One or More?:
This all depends on the room you have for your snake(s) and the time you have to invest in your pet(s). You must also think about the future, are you going to be going into college or university, will you be allowed to have more than one animal, or any for that matter? Personally I feel it is best to start out with one and see how you like it from there. Then you will realize if you have enough time for more in the future.
 

Male or Female?:
This is entirely up to you. Although in many cases if you purchase from the pet store you may not know if it is male or female. Some breeders can not guarantee sex as well and some do not probe so they do not know when they sell the snakes. Both males and females make exceptional pets.
 

Young or Old?:
I feel it is definitely better to get an older snake, especially if you are a first time owner. 3-6 months is a great age to get your corn snake. They will be stable and hardy at this age if properly cared for and they will have a ready routine for feeding as well as not needing as much care, attention, and food as a hatchling. However if you are purchasing from a pet store it is often difficult to know for sure what age the snake is, so just try and get the largest out of the group. Make sure there are no mites on the snake and that the scales are smooth and the eyes are bright and alert.
 

Should you breed?:
This too is entirely up to you. But if you decide you want to breed please look into it more and read all that you can on it. You will also need to think of all the room you will need to house your babies, an incubator to hatch them in, and the fact that you will be keeping them if no one wants to buy them or take them off your hands. A female can lay a clutch of 5-30 eggs. All these babies need constant supervision for the first few days and should not be given to new owners until they are at least 2 months old.
 

Where to Purchase a Corn snake:
I suggest if you can find a good, reputable breeder that is the best place to purchase a corn snake and this way you will know that it will be healthy. Some breeders even give a health guarantee with the reptile. If this is not possible find a well known, clean pet store, possibly get a breeder to recommend one to you. Make sure that the reptiles are cared for properly (right temps and  conditions) Check out all their babies and pick the best looking, largest, most active one.
 

 Conclusion:
If you have decided to go ahead and purchase a corn snake then I wish you all the best of luck. They are wonderful pets. If you have read all about them and decided that this is not the pet for you I hope I was of some help. I Hope you enjoyed your visit and come again soon.