Corn Snake Care Sheet

Heat and Humidity
Cornsnakes originate from North America, and because of this they need little humidity normally 30-50%, and a hot spot of about 85 - 88f however Cornsnakes are sturdy animals and can easily stand temperatures of 90 or even 92 farenheit, and can go days without sufficient heat source, however i dont reccomend it. So you dont have to be to scared if a light blows in your vivarium.

Housing
As Hatchlings Cornsnakes can be happily housed in a 4 or 6qt tub living happily in their until about the age of 8 months. After that you may want to increase the size of the tub or even consider switching into a vivarium. A 3ft vivarium will be perfect for an adult Cornsnake, however if you want to a 4ft will do the job aswell. Cornsnake's are a semi-arboreal species meaning that they sometimes climb. therefore a climbing spot should always be provided, whether its a branch, some vines or even a boring plastic pole, aslong as its safe it should do. Cornsnakes can live together and if so they need more room. So a 4 - 5ft vivarium should be an adequate size for two adult Cornsnakes. When housing two or more Cornsnakes together, that all snakes get the needs they require, heating spot, cool down spot, fresh water etc. As snakes can sometimes be terratorial.

Substrate
Cornsnakes require low humidity and so because of this, they dont need a good moisture holding substrate in order to shed properly, Shredded aspen or sani - chips are perfect for cornsnakes as its cheap, safe and easy to spot clean. Paper towels are fine to use in a rack aswell aslong as they are changed every couple of days. Cornsnakes will do fine on cypress mulch or coco husk, if thats all you have access to, however its not needed and its more expensive for you.

Inside the enclosure
Within the enclosure there are a few things that should be provided, much like Royal pythons. Two hides one at either end, a water dish. large enough to soak in and basic decoration and things to climb on. Decoration can range from fake plants to pieces of wood (which help with breaking sheds) and things just to make it look nicer, statues etc. There are a huge variety of decoration and making your vivarium look nicer will only benefit your snake. Thermometers and Hygrometers should be used to read the temperature and humidity. [See Royal Pythons section for more info its very much the same].

Feeding
As hatchlings Baby Cornsnakes will be eating small pinky mice or even pinky heads. Most baby Cornsnakes will not have to be fed for the first 1-2 weeks after hatching as they are still living off the yolk of their egg. As thesnake grows the food items grow however Cornsnakes will never usually reach Rat size most Adults will eat adult or Jumbo mice. If you are confused about what you should be feeding your snake take a look at this! This is the Munsons feeding plan for Cornsnakes and it only requires a set of scales. So, if your snake is 56g you look for its catergory, 51 - 80 grams, look across, Regular fuzzy 5-6 grams every 7 days. Simple!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illnesses and behaviour
Corn snakes are susceptible to very much the same illnesses as any other snakes, things like upper respiratory infection and scale rot. However noticeable differences between colubrids and other snake families when they are sick are things such as lack of movement or inactivity. Corn snakes tend to be a very active familie so a prolonged time without activity could be an indication to some illness. Corn snakes also over all appear to be more resistant to illnesses than other species, possibly making them a better pet choice. Stuck sheds are also something they rarely encounter as they require such a low living humidity, and although unlikely, it is sometimes possible. If it doesn happen, a few sprays of the enclosure or a few baths in luke warm water should suffice.

Around breeding season male corn snakes become extremely active and stop feeding, this is because they are searching for a mate. It is important to remeber that they DO NOT NEED to be bred. During this time a male will become very restless and will burrow, climb and glass surface for what appears to be all hours of the day, sometimes long handling sessions can reduce this behaviour.