Corn Snake Care Sheet.

Care of the Corn Snake.

Corn snakes are the most common ‘first snake’ because they are hardy, generally non aggressive, they are not cannibalistic and they come in a wide variety of different colours. They are a slim bodied snake and can grow upto 5ft in length. If kept correctly they can live upto 20 years.

They originate from the United States of America and are found in deciduous forests, pine barrens, rocky hillsides and farm areas. In the wild they will feed on small mammals so they help to control rodent populations. They are non venomous.

In captivity, a snake requires a vivarium that is 2 thirds the length of it’s body, so an adult corn would need a 3ftx2ftx2ft viv. If you buy a hatchling corn this would need a much smaller space, in too big a space the animal will feel insecure and this will affect their health and it will probably stop eating.

Vivarium set up

The floor of the viv should be nicely covered with substrate (bedding), this can be aspen which looks nice, absorbs smells, is easy to keep clean and the snake can bury itself in it. Some people use newspaper but that doesn’t absorb smell, it doesn’t look nice and if the water bowl is spilled it won’t soak up the moisture. You can use repti turf or towels, whatever is easiest for you, looks best in your opinion and is harmless to the snake. Avoid using cedar or pine as they are toxic. We do not advise the use of Beech chip either.

The viv should have a hot end and a cool end, the water bowl should be placed at the cool end to prevent evaporation and the snake won’t over heat if he wants a soak. Hides should be placed at both ends so the snake can decide if he wants to hide and cool off or hide and warm up. Never make the snake choose between his body temperature and his security.

Plastic or real plants and branches are a good addition to the vivarium, not only do they look nice but corn snakes do like to climb.

What temperature should I keep my snake at?

A snake’s body temperature relies completely on their environment, they cannot cool down or warm up like we do. In order to keep them healthy they need a cool end and they need a hot end. The hot end is to allow them to bask and digest their food. The temperatures should range from 70?F at the cool end to 85?F at the hot end. The temperatures should drop by 5-10° at night. This can be achieved by the use of heating equipment such as ceramic or the cheaper option a heat mat. Whichever you choose, both should be regulated by a thermostat to avoid overheating or malfunction. If using bulbs or ceramics, they should be covered by a guard to avoid the snake climbing on top of and burning himself.

Do they need UV?

Corn snakes are ‘crepuscular’ which means they are most active at dusk and dawn. They do not require UV, but we suggest a weak 2.0%, mainly because without any light at all you won’t see your snake!

What do I feed my snake?

Corn snakes in captivity should eat rodents. The size required is dependant on the size of the snake, generally the snake can eat a rodent that is 1.5 times the width of it’s body! A hatchling would need a ‘pinky’ mouse, that is a day old mouse, once or twice a week. As the snake grows so will his apetite, if when you have fed your snake it continues to search around (hunt) or looks like he wants more the chances are you are feeding him a food item that is too small, so try giving him another same sized item. After doing this a few times then try the next size up. If he refuses to eat this then go back to multiple smaller items.

The snake should ideally be removed from it’s vivarium and placed in a smaller, empty tub to feed. This avoids the snake anticipating food every time the viv is opened and more importantly it stops the snake from ingesting bedding which could get stuck on to the food item. A vitamin supplement should be sprinkled on to the food item every 2-3 feeds.

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