For an adult corn snake you will require a 3-4 foot vivarium, a heat mat, a water bowl, at least 2 hides and substrate and a supply of mice for feeding.

Your vivarium will need to be secure as Corn Snakes are escape artists!

I prefer the vivariums with the sliding doors. With these they open at the front and either a lock or a wedge can be placed on the doors to prevent the snake from pushing them open.

You must always ensure that there is sufficient ventilation it the vivarium, most vivariums will have vents in them already.

A snake friendly substrate needs to be placed on the bottom of the vivarium. I use Beech Chips but you can also use newspaper although this looks less attractive. There are other products available but do make sure they are Corn Snake Safe. Any type of sand is a big No No!! This will dehydrate the corn and prevent a good shed and can also lead to breathing problems and infections. If possible put about 1 inch of substrate in the vivarium as Corns sometimes like to burrow underneath.

A heat mat will need to be placed at one end of the vivarium covering about 1/3 of the viv. This is essential as snakes need to have a cold part and warm part of the vivarium to regulate their boby temperature.The tepmerature of the warm end should be between 82-86 F and the cool end should stay around the 65-75 F mark.

There is no requirement for lighting but I personally use it just for effect. It is best to use a light that doesnt give off much heat, mine is a 1.5foot strip light which is covered with a plastic guard so the snake cannot be burnt. All lights must be covered with either plastic or mesh guards at all times. It is also best to turn them off at night.

A water bowl must be present at all times and water changed on a daily basis. The bowl should be big enough for youre snake to fit inside as they sometimes like to bathe. You will be lucky to catch them doing this though! I have yet to see it.

You will need to hides, one in each end of your vivarium and these should be big enough for your snake to fully fit in.

You can also add plastic plants (these are best as youre snake will probably dig up real ones and they can cause bateria and bugs), branches for climbing (again plastic are best but if you decide to use real ones the fruit trees are the best and fully clean with salt water and leave to dry).

Any soiled areas must be removed as soon as you notice them. Apart from that a full clean out every 2-3 months is sufficient. You should clean all the hides etc at this time. You can get a reptile cleaning spray/solution usually from the pet shop. Do not use strong household products as this my cause breathing or other problems.

One of my favorate cleaning products is a simple home made solution of 10% bleach and 90% water. You can soak everything in this and then just rinse it off.

For any natural wood that you place in the viv it is best to soak it in the bleach solution and then place it in the oven on a medium heat to dry out. This will kill any bugs or bacteria which is present on most natural wood.

Corn snakes will require feeding once a week. They feed on mice only (in most cases).

You should feed only frozen mice. These will need to be defrosted in a cup of warm (not hot) water for about 15 mins prior to feeding. It is best to put your Corn in a seperate container for feeding (a shoe box will do). Dangle the mouse infront of the snake using tongs. The snake should go for the mouse and eat it whole. This usually takes only a few minutes.

In the UK Corns will sometimes go off their food in the winter months. I decided to tell you about this as I was really worried when I encountered these problems myself. In the wild the snake will usually hibernate during the winter which is why they sometimes refuse food at these times. If your snake does refuse just continue to offer it once a week. You can also try leaving the mouse in with the snake overnight or covering the vivarium/feeder cage with a towel for a few hours. If you notice weight loss or the snake refused continually for a long period it may be best to consult a vet.

You may also notice that a male corn will go off their food during the breeding season. This may be from the end of  January right through to July. Most snake will not go off their food for the whole of this periof though.
 
NOTE: If at any time you notice excessive weight loss or any other causes for concern please consult you vet.

Always make sure the temp of the tank is warm enough as this may also cause feeding problems as Corns will need warmth in order to digest.

If you have more than one Corn snake in the same vivarium, always feed seperately. Put each one in a different feed box and leave for at least 15mins after the snakes have eaten before putting them back in the vivarium together.

Corn snakes can be handled on a daily basis. For an adult usually up to an hour at a time. This is again due to the fact that the need to move to warmer/cooler places to regulate their temperature.

Corn snakes will often try to hide when handled, like going up youre sleave! If you and youre snake are new to each other they try and coil it around youre wrist as this will make them feel more secure and trusting. They also like to climb and will have great fun exploring youre home. But do make sure you keep an eye on them as they can fit their whole body through a gap as small as their head!

NOTE

Do not handle your Corn for 48 hours after feeding.

Most Corn Snakes will be tolerant enough to live with another Corn Snake. Male/Male combinations are not advised as they may fight especially during the breeding season. I was told that if you do need to house 2 males together then seperate them during breeding seasons. Female/female and female/male should be ok to house together.

If the snakes are adults then the size difference is not too important. If you have young snakes however then it is best to make sure they are simalar sizes before housing them together.

If snakes are not going to get on with each other then this will usually become apparent within the first 48 hours. However with more than one Corn Snake in any vivarium you should always moniter the behavior if the animals and note any changes in feeding/personality/shedding patterns. This should be even more important during season changes. It is rare that they will fight but they may become depressed if they dont get on and should then be seperated.

Note: Not all corns will get on, so do be careful!

If you would like information on the methods of introducing corns and how i introduced my two adult corns then I will be happy to reply to any e-mail.