Origin/Habitat:
Corn snakes are found in many places in the U.S, mostly in the southern states, but they are found northwards into states like New Jersey.
Size:
Corns are a generally smaller snake at about 3’-5’ in length at full. Babies are about 10”-14” and about as thick as a pencil. They don’t get very fat and like many other species of snakes, the females tend to be larger.
Is a Corn Snake Right For Me?:
You bet your sweet aspercreme! Corns are ideal first-time snake owners for anyone. The majority of them aren’t finicky eaters, they have easy care guidelines to be healthy, and there are hundreds of cool morphs! I would highly suggest a corn for any beginner or just for anyone because they are great snakes. But before you purchase, be sure you have the enclosure up and ready, are ready for a life-time commitment (Corns can live up to and beyond 20 years), and you know enough!
Selecting and Purchasing Your Corn:
For those of you who read the Ball Python caresheet, I’m sorry to have to repeat some of the information. If you read the BP one you can skip this section.
Alright, here is the very big controversy: Breeder vs. Pet store? If you want my opinion, then I will tell you to buy from a breeder. Most pet store snakes and lizards are imported from their original countries of origin as eggs and raised in reptile ‘farms’. But, I know some people who have had no problems whatsoever with their store bought reptiles. So I will give you info on both options.
I may use some abbreviations so I will tell you what they mean. C.B.B means Captive Born and Bred, so the reptile was bred in captivity and born in it as well. C.B means Captive Born, whether or not it was bred in captivity is an issue. W.C means Wild Caught, which pretty much speaks for itself.
Pet Store
If you buy from a pet store you must be very careful. Ask the person if you can see the snake eat. They should let you, but if they give some excuse that is okay. Ask to see the snake. Look at the scales closely. If you see any small red or black dots anywhere, that would be mites. Any more visible white dots are ticks. I have info on them on this care sheet. But as you can guess, they are parasites and can ultimately kill your snake if not make it extremely sick.
Look at the scales again, are there any visible injuries, odd patterns, or cuts? Most importantly, look at the head and mouth. If the mouth seems ajar, if there is white cheesy substance, or even saliva around the mouth than the Corn may have Mouth Rot. At this point I would highly suggest you tell the pet store person off and leave the store. Another thing to look for is retained eye caps. Check out the health section for info on that. In summary, it’s when the snake doesn’t shed the scales over its eyes. If they are there, they won’t be easy to miss.
Breeder
If you buy from a breeder, the thing you need to make sure of is that he/she is reputable and trustworthy. There are many ways to do this but first you need to find a breeder. You can either deal with one online, search for one near you, or go to a Reptile Show. Go to my links section and check out Kingsnakes. They have a list of breeders and reptile shows.
Many of you may know of Mike Greathouse of Reptilian Dreams, maybe because you have seen his name on my site or you just know him. I bought my first Corn from Mike back in February. Mike is very professional, fair, and his animals are stunning. I’m not saying he is the only good breeder, but to my personal experience he is wonderful.
If you want to look around still I can tell you this: Go to Fauna Classifieds and check there. Go to my links section and scroll down until you see the info on them. You can find breeders/dealers there AND find out whether or not they are good or not. By good I mean that their snakes were properly packaged, healthy, and sexed correctly. The pro of buying from a breeder is that 90% of the time they know the gender of your Corn and the snake will almost always be C.B.B unless otherwise stated. If you find a good breeder then I can almost guarantee that you will receive a healthy Corn.
Caging:
Types and Sizes
Caging is an important aspect to any reptile. Too little or too big of a cage could stress your snake out. But you must make sure that your cage is properly secure to prevent escapes. There are two different methods I would take when choosing a house for your Corn: glass tanks and plastic Rubbermaid enclosures.
I use a 54 qt. Rubbermaid enclosure for my yearling Corn. Corns are small snakes, they don’t need HUGE enclosures, but they should be able to stretch out in it and have room for two hides. A hatchling can have a "shoebox" rubbermaid.
But a word of caution…you must have a very secure lid on the enclosure. Corn Snakes are infamous escape artists. The lid must provide ventilation. I took a standard tipped soldering iron and burned holes into the plastic. It gives you perfectly round and smoothed holes. Be sure to allow ample time for the tank to air out after soldering holes. I would suggest against drilling holes. For one it can cause cracking to the plastic and for two it makes rough edges that could harm your snake. Heating options are a little different for plastic enclosures, be sure to pay special attention to it in my heating and lighting section.
I just use the plastic lid that came with the enclosure (a lot of good that did me), but eventually your Corn will be strong enough to push through it. When this occurs you must make a new cover or secure the one you have. You can use binder clips to hold it together better. I did this and haven't had an escape since!
Glass enclosures work well too. For a baby or yearling corn a 10 gallon tank will suffice. A 20 gallon tank will definitely be needed in the future and maybe even a 30 gallon depending on the size of your snake. 20 gallons are the bare minimum for fully adult corns.
Lids seem to be a tough thing for a lot of people on glass tanks that don’t come standard with one. Because you usually don’t drill holes in glass, the ventilation comes from the top of the tank. The lid should be secure so your snake can’t escape, but also safe from becoming too hot or having rough surfaces. I use a soft mesh wire-like thingy for my BP. It provides ventilation and is safe. Snoop around Home Depot or Value, they should have some good stuff.
One other thing, you can build your enclosure as well! Hop on to Google and search away! People have excellent ideas that won’t drain your wallet!
Needed Cage Materials
Now that you’ve got the size of the enclosure down, there are things you MUST have in it.
Obviously you must have a water bowl, one that is spill proof and big enough for your Corn to soak in if need be. I would suggest putting it in the center of your enclosure. Be careful though. Some hatchlings have been known to accidentally drown in their water bowls because they can not get out once they get in!
Another thing you must have, which might be the most important, is hide boxes. Snakes love to be in dark places where they feel secure. Hide boxes can be anything from a Kleenex box to an upside down flowerpot to a fancy store bought one. Anything where your snake can get in and curl up into, works. For corn snakes I use smaller boxes like *very aired out* cigarette packs. Kathy Love has a really good way of using paper towel tubes. If you use a rubbermaid shoebox put the tube to stretch along the length of the shoebox and cut an entrance hold in the middle. This provides a hide for the warm side and the cool side and the snake can even move there in privacy.
Although it is not needed, you can put various fake plants in there for them to climb on or to just make your tank look better. But to quote another care sheet (NERD), “The more things you have the more things you have to clean!” The subject of heat and light will be discussed later.
You also need thermometers. Don't let the little stick on thermometers fool you. They can be close to 10 degrees off! You can get a digital thermometer/hygrometer at WalMart for $9 with a probe to measure both sides. These will be your lifeline to determine many things about your Corn snake.
Humidity:
I would also suggest buying a hygrometer to measure humidity (unless you have the dual one!). You can get them cheap at Wal-Mart or any pet store. For corns humidity should be about 50%-60%. You can keep it closer to 60% if they are in shed, but no higher because of the risk of an RI. Misting lightly, once a day can help raise the humidity as needed.
Substrate:
Substrate is what is on the bottom of your snake’s aquarium to pick up poo and such. If you don’t really care what the tank looks like, then you can use newspaper. It is cheap, easy to clean, and safe. But if you just NEED to have the tank look nice and pretty there are other things you can use such as aspen (used by professionals and thousands of hobbyists alike), various reptile-made woods (ReptiBark, this I'd suggest as a last resort) and cypress mulch (good for humidity). The downside is that you have to be sure the snake doesn’t ingest any of it when feeding. So, if you're using a loose substrate, feed out of the enclosure.
Here is my list of things NEVER to use: cedar (it is highly toxic to your snake), gravel or rocks (of any kind), and sand.
When using substrate like aspen etc. you need to carefully monitor the humidity of your snake’s tank. Substrates like aspen and cypress mulch are awesome humidity holders, but if they hold too much then you could end up with a not-so-fun Respiratory Infection.
Heating:
This is a very important section, so I wouldn’t skip any aspect of it. Let me just say this right now…NEVER USE A HEAT ROCK. It will burn the crap out of your snake. You think that your snake would move off of it, but it won’t. There is no exception, just get it out of your head right now.
Heating is a big factor in any snake’s health. It helps them digest food and keep their body at a comfortable temperature. Reptiles cannot thermo regulate their bodies like we can. Their bodies remain the temperature of whatever the room is. Because of this they have to have a choice of a warmer section and a cooler section in their enclosure.
During the day, at the “hot” end of you aquarium, temperatures should range from 85°-88°. The cooler end should be 80°-85°. At night, temperatures should drop to about 80° throughout the enclosure. Corns don’t need as much heat as say a Ball Python, but you should never let the temperature drop below 75° because it can lead to regurgitated food and Respiratory Infections. There are a couple ways you can do this so pay attention.
UTH
‘UTH’ stands for ‘Under Tank Heater’. This can be a Reptile-made one (FlexWatt) or what we call a ‘Human’ one. They can be found at pet stores or at any other store. This option is open to both glass and plastic aquariums, but is different for each. For both you need to make sure the heat doesn’t get trapped between the tank and whatever you place the tank on. Some people elevate their tanks from where they sit or they just elevate it from the UTH itself. This prevents fire or any other hazards.
For glass tanks you need to be sure the glass on the inside floor of the aquarium isn’t accessible to your snake. This is the point stated earlier about heat rocks. If the snake has access to the hot glass it will stay there and essentially cook itself.
For plastic tanks it is the same, except you can use the ‘Human’ heating pad to avoid the melting of the plastic. Just be careful of wattages. I use a 5 watt Exo-Terra UTH for one of my BPs and it does not melt or burn the plastic. For the others I use human heating pads. Be sure to find one with 3 settings: low, medium, high. I set mine on medium, because it is in a cooler room. But at first I would suggest setting it on low and doing what I call the "hot spot" test. Some cheaper human heating pads can have areas that get incredibly hot compared to others i.e hot spots. I send these back and get others that have a normal and constant temp. gradient.
Light
Another effective method of heating is by using a bulb clamped above, in front, or below the tank. Like BPs, Corns do not need any special kind of lighting such as UV. Alls they need is regular old light. So the use of a normal light bulb is plausible. However, if you live in a cold place like me and turning the light off at night isn’t an option…you can use a red light bulb. A red light bulb allows it feel like night at night and day during the day! Mine pumps out some serious heat, so that is good for me as well. But here is warning…do not let your snake be able to come in contact with the light or any surface around it they may become too hot. This will lead to serious burns to your snake.
A ceramic heater can also be used. This does not give off any light, but does give off heat. The downside is that the largest I've seen are 150 watts and they are somewhat expensive to a low budget person. But if you use one, the fixture you place it in must have a ceramic socket. Otherwise you could have a meltdown, or worse, a fire!
Be sure to check your temps. often. Poor heating can lead to problems your snake may be having such as not eating, Respiratory infections, digestive problems, and behavioral problems. Thermostats allow you to keep your temps. at a set level at all times of the day. To me thermostats are an absolute necessity if you have temp. problems and even if you don't. Please consider investing in one.
Feeding:
Corn Snakes are lovely eaters! What I mean by that is they most of them aren’t picky and are quite ‘fat’ as I’d say. They love to eat. Although that’s not to say that you may run into some problems along the road, so here are some tips.
F/T vs. Live
A big issue is this: live mice or f/t mice? F/t stands for frozen/thawed in which you buy the mouse frozen and thaw it out for your Corn to eat. Most snake owners, as well as I, will tell you this: feed f/t mice. Why? Let’s go over it shall we?
Picture this…you are a cute, small little mouse. Someone drops you inside a giant glass box. At first you get your bearings and sniff around when OH MY GOD. There is your natural enemy, sitting in the corner, staring at you. You panic. He’s coming closer…closer…crap! You lose your bearings and go buck wild on the thing. I mean who in their right mind would sit there and wait to be eaten, without a fight?! Biting, scratching, anything. End of scenario.
That should be enough reason. Mice can sometimes be vicious little buggers. They can and sometimes will attack your snake, scratching its eyes and scales. This can lead to serious injuries and many times, death. Another reason not to feed live mice is this: they can carry parasites which they can pass to your snake’s enclosure or directly to him internally. F/t mice are cheaper and easier to buy in bulk. They won’t hurt your snake physically and won’t pass parasites.
But just to not be one-sided, some people still do feed live. However, they know they must be responsible about it. If your corn doesn't take the live prey item about 15-20 minutes after you drop it in, take the prey item out. NEVER leave live prey overnight or unattended because accidents can happen.
Size
The size of mice and rats goes as follows: pinkie (just born mouse about the size of a nickel), fuzzy (baby mouse, usually size of a quarter), hopper (just weaned, has fur), adult mouse, pinkie rat (quarter-size), fuzzy rat, hopper rat, small rat, medium rat, large rat, jumbo rat. You should feed your Corn an appropriately sized mouse in comparison with the widest part of its body. The biggest mouse that fits is what you feed. Corns by nature will never be able to take the bigger rats, it’s just impossible and not safe. Hatchling Corns should start on pinky mice and eventually move up to fuzzy and so on and so forth.
When and How To Feed
Younger Corns eat every 5-7 days on average. Adults tend to eat every 7-10 days. It is true that any snake can go a very long time without eating. Don’t panic if yours won’t eat, as long as it isn’t losing any weight. Eating tricks will be discussed later.
Preparing an f/t is simple. I put mine in a Ziploc bag and place it in a bowl of hot water. This way you won’t have to have a wet mouse. After about 15 minutes it should be thawed. If you have loose substrate, consider feeding outside the enclosure to eliminate the risk of impaction.
I offer the mouse on tongs or some other kind of tool that will keep your hand away from the mouse and snake. This prevents you from being bitten. All Corns are different. Some will strike at the mouse, some won’t. Mine goes like a bat out of hell and strikes the thing the second he sees it.
If you are having troubles with getting your Corn to eat, please check the other section for help.
Shedding:
Shedding is something that all snakes (and owners) must go through. It can be quite stressful, believe me.
An indicator that a snake is going to shed is that its eyes will turn a milky blue color, its belly scales may turn somewhat pinkish, and the scales will dull. The eyes are the best indicator. They will turn blue and then fade. Usually about 3 or 4 days later your Corn will find something tough to rub against and shed.
A good shed would be in one whole piece, but it can be difficult to achieve. Scars from feeding live mice and parasites can lead to a shedding disaster. By this I mean shedding in bits and pieces. To help your snake out, be sure to keep the humidity levels higher than normal, but not above the limit.
A common and helpful thing to aid shedding is to put your Corn in the bathtub or sink for a soak. You can also put him in a bucket with a top that has holes punched in it for air. The water should be warm, but NOT hot and NOT cool. Let your snake soak for about 15 minutes before taking him or her out and drying them off. My Corn sheds perfect without using any of these methods, but my BP must be soaked in order to have a good shed.
Retained Eye Caps
One thing to look for after a shed is retained eye caps. Yes, snakes have scales over their eyes. Sometimes they do not properly come off. You should be able to tell they are there, especially if the old skin didn’t show them. There are a couple of ways to deal with it. You can take a Q-Tip and dab it with mineral oil, then proceed to wipe it on the snake’s eyes. This may cause it to come off, it may not. Another thing to do is take a piece of tape around your finger with the sticky side out and gently rock back and forth on the eye cap. Usually this will cause it to come off. Be careful with the tape method and be sure that the eye cap is truly retained. Otherwise you may injure your snake's eyes. If none of these methods work and you are 100% sure your corn has retained caps, consult a vet.
Cleaning:
I do spot cleaning in which I clean up what I have to when I see it. I change substrate every time I have to spot clean. Every 2 weeks I take my Corns enclosure into my bathtub and give it a good scrub down with hot, unscented Dial soapy water. Plastic enclosures are very easy to clean! Some people use a 1:10 water-bleach solution, but whatever gets it clean without harming the snake is good. If you have any plants or various decorations, they must be clean thoroughly as well.
If you have a mite problem, you MUST clean the cage thoroughly every week until all traces of mites are gone. I suggest using a vacuum cleaner when drying, to suck around the corners and edges. This gets the mite eggs, any lingering mites, or dead mites. Check out the mite section for more info.
Breeding/Morphs:
I am not a Corn Snake breeder nor do I have an extensive knowledge on the matter. So with that I suggest you buy Kathy Love’s book on the matter. She is the Queen of Corns!
Despite the breeding thing, I do know a little about morphs. Corn Snakes probably have the largest array of morphs in the snake world. Breeders like Rich Z. (cornsnakes.com) and Kathy Love have made many new and beautiful morphs over the years. Just a couple of these morphs are: amelanistic (my Corn), motley, bloodred, okeetee, sunglow, stripe, butter, anery, miami, snow, blizzard, lavender, opal, hypo, bubblegum, candy cane, creamsicle, jungle, charcoal, opal, motley, aztec…etc. etc.
The list goes on and on and continues to grow! This is one reason why Corn Snakes have become so popular.
Health Problems:
There are many problems a snake can face if not cared for properly. I will exclude parasites from that statement because it isn’t your fault usually. I am not a reptile vet and I don’t claim to know everything. I can give short summaries and any knowledge that I have on the matter. If you require further information then I am going to link you to an incredible page on redtailboa.net on all snake ailments. Good luck!
http://redtailboa.net/modules.php?name=Content&file=viewarticle&id=19
Mites
Mites are small black, red, or white dots on your snake. They get under the scales, in the eye sockets, and mouth of your snake. They are annoying spawn of Satan parasites that drain your snake’s health. If your snake has mites, act fast! My BP had mites and this is what I did. I put him in a warm bath with straight Betadine solution. Make the water a coffee color. This will kill many of the mites by drowning and should help small injuries they may have caused. But mites are tricky. They will congregate on your snake’s head to avoid the water. Dip a Q-Tip into the water and wipe away any visible mites. After taking your snake out of the water and drying it, put a small coat of mineral oil on it. Pay close attention to the eyes when doing this, dab a mineral oiled Q-Tip on the eyes.
The next step is to clean the aquarium. Refer to my cleaning section. But for mite occasions, you can buy Prevent-a-Mite at the stores. Be sure to read the label of how to use it. Look out for white dusty material as it can be mite eggs! Destroy!!! Also, be sure to clean the tank after so your snake does not ingest anything bad for it. I would suggest a trip to the vet after any de-miting experience to be sure you have gotten them all. Your vet may also provide you with de-mite medicine.
If you have multiple reptiles, you should put the former mite-infested snake on quarantine for at least 30 days. You should wash your hands after handling them anyways, but esp. do it if you handle one and then another. The worst thing besides having mites is having them spread to your entire collection!
Ticks
They are easily visible white dots on your snake and are more dangerous than mites. Remove as many as possible and follow the same instructions stated above for the mites. I have no experience with ticks so check the link above.
Respiratory Infection
Also known as RI, is a common problem in many snakes. It is due to low temperatures and too high of humidity. Some indicators of an RI are if you can easily hear your snake wheezing or popping as it breathes. This is caused by a build up of fluid in the lungs. If this is occurring you need to take a gander inside your Corn’s mouth. To do this, hold him/her gently at the base of the head and massage the corners of the mouth. Be sure to have something to place his/her bottom end on, or someone else to help you hold them. If you see a mucous-like substance that seems bubbly, than you have an RI on your hand.
There are a couple of things you can do. For one raise the temperatures in the enclosure 2-3 degrees and lower the humidity. If you are using a loose substrate, switch to paper towel or newspaper. Monitor your corn for a week and see if he/she improves. If not, take him/her to the vet for some antibiotics. Some RIs can be treated at home, while others are better remedied by medication. Do not wait, RIs can be fatal if not treated.
Mouth/Scale Rot
A bacterial infection caused by an unclean cage, lodged rotting wood in the mouth from substrate, or an infected rodent bite. Indicator is if your Corn seems to have his mouth ajar for an extended amount of time. Also, check to see if there is any cheesy-like substance around the mouth. Best deal is to take him to the vet.
Scale rot is much like mouth rot as a bacterial infection. Symptoms include discolored belly scales (grey or brown) or chipped belly scales. From here go to the link I gave you and look what to do. I don’t want to try and act like I have had a case before because luckily I haven’t. Please take immediate action your Corn Snake’s life IS in danger.
There are many other ailments that you may face that I’m not going to list, but merely push you towards that link. I suggest reading up on IBD, a fatal and untreatable disease that I hope you will never experience. If your snake is sick I hope the best for it and you. Don’t give up!
http://redtailboa.net/modules.php?name=Content&file=viewarticle&id=19
Escaped Corn Snake!:
Okay, don’t panic. Easily said than done right? Most snakes are found within 10 feet of their enclosure. I found my Bp under my dresser about 6 feet from his tank. Second time I found him in my closet. Look everywhere! Under every dresser, in every pile of clothes, anywhere! Also look up! They are good climbers as well. Remember: anything they can fit their head into, they can fit the rest of them into.
Some things you can do are set up some heat lamps and hide boxes. But plastic bags near them so if your snake passes by you can hear it. Leave a thawed mouse under one of the lights with a hide box. Leave anything you think the snake might want to go near.
Don’t get discouraged. I personally know people who have found their Corn Snakes weeks, months, and even years after they escaped.
My Corn Won’t Eat!:
Corns usually aren’t finicky eaters, but there are the occasional ones. Not eating is not a threat to your Corn as long as it isn’t losing any weight. First you need to determine why your Corn isn’t eating. Are your temperatures correct? Are you handling your Corn too much? Does your Corn have internal or external parasites? Does he have an RI or any other sickness? Correct any of these problems and try again.
If that doesn’t work, you may need to do something called braining. Yes, you bust open the poor mice’s head and let the brain seep out. Many Corn keepers have done this with theirs and said it was a success.
There are different things it can be, but keep trying. Wait several days after a failed feeding attempt to try and feed again. However, if he/she starts to lose weight you should take him/her to a vet because it could be internal parasites that can easily be treated with medication. DO NOT LET ANYONE FORCE FEED YOUR SNAKE! It is very stressful on them and just isn’t a good idea.
Patience is a virtue ;)
Thank you for taking the time to read my Corn Snake Care sheet. A lot of the information is the same as the other sheets because snakes, although different types, are still cared for in the same manner. As I said before, Corns are an awesome beginner snake and make lovely additions to any current or future collection.
I wrote this myself, none of it was taken from anywhere else unless I quoted it. I would appreciate if you asked me if you could use my material, if not you are a thieving bastard and I will find you.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding my care sheet or Corn snakes in particular, feel free to e-mail me or catch me on AIM.
Thank you!
