Corn Snake Caresheet

Introduction

Corn Snakes, scientific name Pantherophis guttata, are very popular and easy to care-for snakes. They come in many, many pattern & color variations but all of them are the same as far as their care goes. Find a morph you like and go for it! We you look at hatchlings for sale, they are usually less than a foot in length and weigh 10-15 grams. As adults, most top out at around 5 feet in length and a little less than a kilogram in weight. Corns are not generally aggressive snakes. A bite by an adult corn is pretty rare and relatively painless, though they can draw a little blood. Hatchlings are often a little more feisty and may attempt to nip at first, until they get used to you. Don't be scared! It doesn't hurt a bit. Cornsnakes eat mice! If you don't see yourself being able to feed a mouse to a snake, you might want to rethink your choice of pet. One thing to consider: most corns will take previously frozen and thawed mice, so you don't need to fool with live ones. You can buy frozen mice online in bulk.

Acquisition/Acclimation

First, have your snake's new home (see below) ready before you buy it! Buy from a breeder, we love what we do. Once you have acquired your snake leave it alone for a few days while it settles into its new home. Give it a bowl of fresh water and a hide or two. Don't attempt to feed right away. Your snake is likely a bit stressed and may not eat right away. Give him some time to settle in (I recommend 3 days) before you handle him and stuff him with a mouse.

Housing

Corns are very easy to house. First, all corns should be housed singly, not in pairs or groups, (cohabitation or cohabbing). This is done for many reasons. 1. It's easier to tell if a snake is pooping (good) or puking (bad) if they are by themselves. 2. Snakes aren't pack animals, they would just as soon be alone. 3. Stress over having to compete for the best temperature or hiding spot can cause illness. 4. Corns have been known to occasionally eat each other.

Hatchlings may be kept in small Ziplock or Gladware containers, plastic shoe-boxes, or small aquariums. If kept in plastic containers make sure to make some air-holes! A soldering iron with a small tip is perfect for melting holes into containers. Adults will eventually require an enclosure about the size of a 20 gallon "long" aquarium or a 28-32 quart Sterilite or Rubbermaid sweater-type box. The main thing to consider is that their home needs to be completely escape-proof. Snakes also need places to hide! Give them a couple of hides. I use appropriately sized gladware with an entrance cut into the side, loosely filled with moistened "frog" moss or sphagnum.

Substrate

Most professional keepers use paper-towels or newspaper for the bottom of their snake enclosures. Doesn't look real nice, but it is easy to keep clean! Cleanliness is very important, both for your snake's well being and to keep the smell down. If you choose to use a commercially available pet substrate most people recommend shredded aspen. It looks pretty nice and is easy to spot clean, just pull out the dirty bits as you see them and clean the entire cage out occasionally.

Temperature Requirements

Being ectothermic, cornsnakes need a way to regulate their body temperature. The ideal situation would be to keep their container with a gradient of 75° on the cool side and 85° on the warm side. This can be achieved via an under tank heater (UTH) or Flex-Watt heat tape. Either way, you should use a thermostat to control the heat output of your chosen heat source, so you don't cook your snakes! Don't use a heat lamp. Your snake won't appreciate the extra light and would really rather have heat from below (belly heat).

Feeding

Cornsnakes don't eat crickets! Most keepers feed their snakes frozen and thawed (F/T) mice. Cornsnakes should be fed an appropriately sized food item at least once a week. A good rule of thumb is a F/T mouse 1.5 times the diameter of the snake. You may also choose to feed your snake based on its weight. (I recommend buying an electronic scale capable of weighing up to at least a couple of kilograms. I use a My Weigh 7001DX.) Most keepers recommend removing the snake from its home and putting it into a smaller container so that it is sure to see its food and eat it in a timely manner. Snakes that feel secure usually eat better and they feel better in a snug area. This also helps to avoid having your snake consume any of the substrate from its tank. This can cause impaction of the snake's intestinal tract. Once your snake has eaten, put it back into its tank and then leave it alone for at least 48 hours so it can digest the mouse. By the way, cornsnakes should always have access to a clean bowl of fresh water.

I feed using "The Munson Plan"!

-Single pinks (2-3g) every 4-5 days. (Snake = 4-15g)
-Double pinks (3g x 2) every 4-5 days. (Snake = 16-23g)
-Small fuzzies (5-7g) every 5-6 days. (Snake = 24-30g)
-Regular fuzzies (7-9g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 30-50g)
-Hoppers (9-12g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 51-90g)
-Weaned (14-20g) every 7 days (Snake = 91-170g)
-Adult (24-30g) every 7-x days (Snake = 170+)
-Jumbo Adults (40-50g) every 7-x days (Snake = 400g+)

Shedding

Your new hatchling corn will shed about once a month if fed using the plan detailed above. The snake's skin will become dull looking and its eyes will become an opaque blue. (This is called "being in blue".) Make sure you have provided a moist hide container as detailed in the Housing section: your snake will need the added humidity at this time. After the snake's eyes go blue, they will clear up and a few days later the snake will shed. The entire process can take up to a week or so.

Breeding

A general rule of thumb: 3 feet, 300 grams, 3 years old. People generally agree this is the minimum to safely breed a female. Corns are generally sexually mature at 2 years of age, but it is probably not a good idea to breed them this young, as you will get a small clutch of eggs and could risk the health of your female. Want to know more? Pick up a book or two and visit the forums listed below.

Useful Cornsnake Links

Reptile Basics - www.reptilebasics.com - Good source for equipment like scales, heating and thermostats.

Cornsnakes.com Forums - cornsnakes.com/forums/ - Good source of info!

American Cornsnake Registry - www.herpregistry.com/acr/index.php - Kind of the AKC of cornsnakes.

The Mouse Factory - www.themousefactory.com - The BEST source of frozen bulk quantity mice.

Books

Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide by Kathy Love at Cornutopia (www.cornutopia.com).

Corn Snakes In Captivity by Don Soderberg at South Mountain Reptiles (www.cornsnakes.net/).

The Cornsnake Morph Guide by Charles Pritzel at Cedar Creek Corns (www.cccorns.com/).