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Corn snakes are one of the most popular snakes for beginners for a reason. With a calm temperament, easily handle-able size, and willingness to eat, they make great pets that almost anyone will enjoy. As with all pets, giving them the proper care is very important in making sure that your new friend will stick around for years to come. So keep reading to learn how to care for a corn snake!
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Quick Facts – Corn Snake
Life Span: 15 – 20+ Years
Enclosure Size: 20+ Gallons
Temperature: 85° on warm end, low 70’s on cool end.
Diet: Carnivores
Sleep Pattern: Nocturnal
Care Sheet – Corn Snake
1. Tank Mates
Like many snakes, corn snakes are not social animals. Therefor, it is important you only keep one snake per enclosure. If you keep more than one in a tank you can end up with bullying/fighting that can end in serious injuries, sickness, and death for one or both of the snakes. Breeders may temporarily put snakes together for breeding purposes, but for the average keeper, keep your snakes separate. They won’t get lonely or need a friend, I promise!
2. How Big Your Corn Snake Will Get
Corn snakes are great for people just getting into snakes, as they are not too large to safely handle. The average corn snake’s full size can range from around 4 – 5.5 feet in length, however of course some may be a bit smaller or even larger. Corn snakes that have just hatched are around 8 – 12 inches long, so depending on the age, your corn snake may be anywhere in between those two lengths when you first get them. They aren’t a particularly thick or “chunky” snake like ball pythons can be, making them the perfect medium size snake.
3. Temperament, Handling, and Behavior
Adult corn snakes are generally very calm, manageable snakes. Very rarely are they aggressive or bite-y, generally allowing for a very easy handling experience. This is great for beginners who want a nice easy introduction to snakes.
Baby corn snakes can be a little bit more feisty, as they are still quite small and can get defensive when a large human just picks them up out of no where. But with time your corn snake should soon calm down as it grows, learning to trust you and turning into a lovely calm snake.
It’s important to note though that every individual animal will have it’s own personality, and some may need more work and time getting used to you than others.
4. Heating & Lighting
Heating for your corn snake should be around 85 degrees F on the warm end, and can gradually decrease to the low 70’s on the cool side. This temperature gradient is important as it allows your snake to regulate their body temperature and find a spot that’s comfortable for them.
You can achieve this heat gradient through a few different options. The first is a heat lamp. There are many different bulbs to choose from, including ones that do and do not give off light, like ceramic heat bulbs. The second option is through an under tank heater like this one. These can be stuck onto the side or underneath one side of your tank to help keep the heat up. Heat tape is similar to under tank heaters, it just comes in rope or tape form instead. Make sure to read the individual instructions for whatever product you choose to make sure it is correctly set up.
Safety Measures
As always, it is necessary to use a thermostat and a proper thermometer. Thermostats connect to your heating device, and will turn it off if the temperature gets too hot, and back on when additional heat is needed. This will help account for temperature fluctuations during the day, and should help stop any malfunctions and overheating from your heating device. A temperature gun like this is an inexpensive and accurate way to make sure the temperature in your snakes tank is correct.
Lighting
Extra lighting for your snake is not needed, and you can let natural sunlight coming into the room help regulate your snake’s day night cycle. Make sure that any sunlight coming through the window does not shine directly on the tank, as this can cause the tank to become much too warm for your snake.
Caution
As always, DO NOT use a heat rock for your pet. They are not easily regulated and can seriously injure/burn your snake. Even though they sell them in most pet stores, they are not recommended and it is best to avoid them. You can find many rock decorations to use that do not heat up.
5. What To Feed Your Corn Snake
Corn snakes are carnivores, meaning they eat meat, and only meat. In particular, corn snakes in captivity are fed frozen-thawed mice or rats. If that is something you are uncomfortable with doing, unfortunately a snake may not be the pet for you. However, a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, or crested gecko may be the perfect pet reptile for you!
The size of your corn snake will determine how often, and what size rodent you feed to your corn snake. Since each snake is different and grows at different rates, it’s hard to give an exact estimate of what size rat/mouse they should be eating at 6 months, 8 months, etc. The best way to determine what size mouse or rat you should feed your snake is to measure the widest part of their body, and get a feeder roughly that size or slightly larger. You don’t want to go much larger than that, as that can lead to regurgitation and issues if the snake is unable to properly swallow their meal. Make sure to check regularly that you are feeding the right size prey as your snake grows.
Younger/growing snakes should be fed every week or so to help maintain their growth, while adults can be fed every 10 – 14 days. You’ll be able to determine the best feeding schedule for your own snake. You want young snakes to keep a steady growth, but not become overweight. Adults should be fed enough to maintain their weight. If your snake is gaining or losing weight once fully grown, adjust how often you are feeding them, and make sure weight loss does not continue. If it does continue, it may be time to see a vet.
Weight
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An underweight corn snake will have a triangular appearance to it, with the top being quite thin, sloping down to the sides of the snake. An overweight snake will be almost completely round, even on the belly of the snake, and may possibly have rolls or misshapen scales. A normal weight snake will be nice and round at the top, and flat at the bottom, giving the snake a good amount of traction to move around easily.
Frozen Thawed
Feeding frozen thawed rodents is the easiest and safest option for most corn snakes. Make sure that the rodent is FULLY defrosted before you feed it to your snake. To gain your snakes interest, grabbing onto the tail of the thawed mouse/rat and wiggling it around (using feeding tongs is best/safest) will usually get your snake’s attention.
While it is usually best to feed your snake frozen thawed prey items, if you absolutely have to feed your snake live, do not leave the rodent alone in the cage with your snake, unattended. If the snake is unable or unwilling to eat the mouse/rat right away, the rodent may bite, claw at, or chew on your snake, causing serious damage, infection, and sometimes death. Make sure to always watch your snake until the prey item has been consumed, or take the rodent out if your snake is not interested. Frozen thawed mice or rats pose no threat to your snake, as they are no longer alive, just make sure that it is removed if uneaten after a while as you don’t want your snake to eat rotten food.
6. Substrate
Choosing what substrate to use in your tank is up to you, however there are some precautions you should take when deciding. Substrates like aspen shavings, reptichip, and cypress mulch are all great substrates for your corn snake. They can help with humidity and odor control, and are a nice substrate that your corn snake will enjoy. Bioactive set-ups that mimic the natural environment of your corn snake is also a fantastic option, and is even fairly self cleaning! All of these options allow for burrowing, which your corn snake will enjoy.
Reptile carpet and newspaper is acceptable for younger corn snakes to makes sure that you can monitor them and make sure they don’t eat anything they shouldn’t. However, adult corn snakes usually prefer the options listed above.
What To Avoid
Substrates like gravel and sand are not good for your corn snake. They can be abrasive to the snakes skin, as well as do damage to your snakes insides if accidentally ingested. Pine or cedar wood/wood chips of any kind can be harmful to your snake’s health and should be avoided at all costs. Wood bark or wood chips, which can cause damage to your snake’s insides if accidentally ingested, should also be avoided.
7. Setting Up The Perfect Enclosure For Your Corn Snake
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As far as what you keep your snake in, there are a few different options. You could go for an easy to clean plastic tub (make sure you add holes to the sides and top for proper ventilation, or a glass enclosure. A tank like this with front opening doors can make it easy to take your snake in and out/clean things. However, one with a lid on the top is completely acceptable as well. You can also get custom cages to be made that are the size, look, and color that you want. The choice is up to you and your budget. Whatever you choose, make sure that your tank is secure so that your snake can not escape. Getting a screen reptile cage is not advised, as it can make it very hard to try to control the humidity.
Enclosure Size
No matter what type of enclosure you go with, it needs to be big enough for your snake. Depending on how large your corn snake grows, you’ll need either a 20 or 30 gallon long tank. Of course, if you want your snake to really thrive, bigger is always better, and you can go as big as you’d like to – and have space for.
Fill Up The Tank!
The main things that your snake’s enclosure will need are: a warm and cold hide (something like this), a water bowl, a heating device with a thermostat, and proper substrate. The rest is up to you and whether you prefer something clean and easy to maintain, bio-active with live plants, or somewhere in between with fake plants, rocks, etc. Just make sure that whatever you put in your snake’s tank is not small enough that it can easily be swallowed, sharp and/or could injure your snake, or is toxic or has any chemicals on it.
8. Humidity & Water
As with basically any animal, snakes need water to survive. Therefore, having a nice sized water bowl for your snake to drink from is important (and will help with humidity as well.)
Using a hygrometer like this one can help make sure that your corn snake’s humidity is where it should be. Corn snakes do best with 40% – 50% humidity. Normally, using the proper substrate listed above, as well as having a bowl of water for your snake on the cool side of their tank should be enough to sustain the proper humidity. If you live in a rather dry climate, you may have to experiment by moving the water bowl to the warm side of the tank to help evaporate more water, as well as additional misting as needed. Avoid over misting as this can cause mold to grow. If you notice your snake is having a hard time shedding, you can add in some damp moss while your snake is in shed to help aid in this process. Remember to remove the moss afterwards. Again, a hygrometer will be your best friend in figuring out the proper set up and routine for your snake!
9. Determining the Sex of Your Corn Snake
Unlike other reptiles, like geckos, determining whether your new snake is a boy or girl isn’t something you can just take a peek at and determine. Either your breeder, a trained reptile vet, or any other trained herpetologist will be able to “probe” your snake and tell you the gender. Please do not attempt to probe your new snake yourself, as you could serious injury your snake while doing so – leave it to the professionals!
10. Corn Snake Morphs
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Corn snakes come in a multitude of morphs for you to pick from. From red to white and even lavenders and pinks, you’re sure to find the perfect snake for you! The only factor in determining which morph you go with will be the price and availability, as some morphs are much cheaper and more readily available than others. However, don’t forget to take a look at “normal” corn snakes. They also look gorgeous and are just as healthy as the designer morphs. Just do your research into a good breeder, and you’ll have a happy snake for years to come!
You can see more corn snake morphs in our other articles here and here.
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