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Corn Snake Care

Corn snakes are a very popular pet snake. Beginners do well with corn snakes because of their eagerness to eat, gental nature and relatively small size. They are insteresting and calm, so they are good for kids.

Corn Snake Basics

Corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus), also known as red rat snakes, are native to the U.S. They are most commonly found in forest regions of the southeastern and central United States. They come in a huge variety of color and pattern morphs, some vibrantly colored. It is said that they live to about 20 years, but I had a corn snake who lived to 25+ years old. I raised him from a hatchling and as he was my first snake, I kept a diary of all of his sheds, feedings and other important dates.

Widely Available

Corn snakes are found at most pet stores and through breeders. I recommend purchasing captive bred animals directly from a breeder. Before you buy, make sure the snake is healthy, active and has clear eyes and skin.

Diet and Feeding

Corn snakes eat generally once every 7-10 days. They may refuse food in the colder months even though you have the cage warm.

I do not recommend using live prey items. Frozen mice are readily available in pet stores and online. Thaw the food to room temperature before feeding them. They eat pinky mice as hatchlings and as they grow, their prey should get larger with them. Eventually, the corn snake will be eating adult mice.

After they eat, they feel more vulnerable. It probably won’t be very active after eating. Make sure the snake has a hide box where it can hang out after eating for a few days.

Habitat and Tank Setup

The standard for a snake tank is 1.5 times the length of the snake and .75 times the length of the snake in width. Most people keep snakes in cages that are too small. The snake doesn’t have a chance to exercise the way it should and can become obese (and die of fatty liver disease).

Kathy Love, who is the authority on corn snake breeding in the US says, “Well-established corns can withstand chilly temperatures of 50°F, or even less, when brumating without food or during shipping.  But active, feeding corns should have a warm spot of the mid 80s°F available to help digest food.  It doesn’t matter if the warm spot is provided by a basking light (turn it off at night to provide day and night intervals) or an under-tank heating pad.  

The important thing is to use a thermometer to measure the temperature INSIDE the warm hide box – not on the glass sides of the cage!  A thermometer with a probe will allow you to check the temperature where the snake actually spends its time.  It is not important to check 24 / 7.  New set-ups should be checked frequently – perhaps a couple of times per day.  Once well established, checking at different times of the day once per week should be sufficient.  The rest of the cage can be normal room temperature  –  usually in the 70s Fahrenheit.”

Temperature gun

Get a Temp Gun today!

Kathy Love and Bill Love's Corn Snake care book.

Get Kathy Love and Bill Love’s “Corn Snakes” Book.

Corn snakes don’t need a lot of humidity, but a humidity chamber will help them have a good shed. You can put damp sphagnum moss in a container with a hole big enough for the snake to go in and out when they need humidity.

Your snake should have a water bowl large enough for soaking. Sometimes they will sit in water before shedding.

Bedding can be a variety of things including aspen bedding, artificial turf or even newspaper. It depends on how natural you want the enclosure to look. Clean it weekly to keep your snake happy.

Climbing branches give your snake more room to exercise.

Health Concerns

If the humidity is correct, your snake should shed in one piece. Check the shed to make sure the tail tip and eye caps have shed. If not, you can use a Q-tip with a little warm water on it and light pressure to remove the unshed skin. Be sure to get that skin off, layers of skin can build up and the snake will lose the tip of its tail or in the case of retained eye caps, it could lose its vision.

If your snake refuses food for multiple weeks (never re-freeze a rodent once it’s defrosted) you may need to raise the temperature. If that doesn’t help, a trip to the vet is in order. Not all veterinarians see reptiles so you will have to check in your area to find someone who sees snakes.

Handling Your Corn Snake

I recommend handling your corn snake during the day. They are more likely to bite at night when they eat in the wild and are looking for movement. Some people feed their snake in a different container. The snake will get used to you putting your hand in the cage without having any food. Do not put your hand in the cage when a mouse is defrosting. Always feed with tongs and not with your fingers to avoid getting bitten. I recommend the rubber-tipped tongs, especially for small snakes so if they bite the tongs it won’t hurt them.

Most corn snakes don’t mind handling. But if you rarely handle your snake, don’t expect to just reach in and grab it without it showing interest in you.

Reptile feeding tongs, feeding a lizard an insect.

Get a set of two pairs of feeding tongs here.

Other Info of Note

Wash your hands every time after handling your snake or anything in the enclosure. All reptiles can carry salmonella, so be safe. Keep some hand sanitizer near the enclosure and immediately clean your hands. Then wash them with soap and water as soon as possible to avoid exposure to the bacteria.

    Always check to make sure you are legally allowed to own a corn snake in your state. Find out whether or not a permit is required.

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