How to Care for a Corn Snake
Get the right sized tank for your snake., Give your corn snake enough heat., Give your snake some hiding places: You should provide some places for you snake to hide in to feel secure., Cover your tank or vivarium with substrate., Never catch a wild...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get the right sized tank for your snake.
Corn snake adults can get to be as big as 5 feet (1.4m) long.
You may not need a 20 gallon (75.7 L) enclosure at start, but eventually you will.
The enclosure can be either a tank or vivarium.
When the snake is small, it is ok to start your pet off in a smaller tank such as a Living World Faunarium or similar product.
For a large snake, the vivarium should be around 30–50 inches (76.2–127.0 cm) long but there's not real limit on size, just make sure it's big enough. -
Step 2: Give your corn snake enough heat.
Provide a heat mat that covers about 1/3 of the tank floor to provide a proper heat gradient.
The heat mat must be thermostatically controlled because they reach in excess of 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) which will severely burn the snake.
Position the heat mat over one side to get that gradient.
Temperatures should be about 75-85 degrees F, 23-29 degrees C, with the higher temperature on the warm area of the tank at one side.
Corn snakes are nocturnal and use the heat from the ground, not heat from the sun so heat lamps are not suitable.
Hot rocks are never suitable for any pet as they provide a localized source of heat that is too hot.
A cold snake may curl around it, seriously burning itself. , Try to provide a hiding place in the hot side for sure, others are optional.
The hide should be placed in the warm area of the tank over the heat mat.
Hides can be anything from shop-bought ones to Lego pieces.
Be creative here but make sure you materials are non-toxic. , There are many, many different floor coverings commercially available for corn snakes but you best options are aspen chips and newspaper.
Newspaper is the best as it is very absorbent and easy to replace.
While practical, newspaper is not very aesthetically pleasing.
If you want a decorative substrate, use aspen.
Other good options are bark or cypress mulch.
Do not use cedar shavings in a snake habitat as it is toxic to reptiles. , Corn snakes are becoming more and more easy to obtain, but that doesn't mean you should seek them out.
Wild ones do not adjust well to captivity and have a low survival rate.
Captive bred ones have been in captivity for many generations and have become very domesticated.
Find a good breeder, either through a forum or other source.
Pet shops are not good as you cannot be sure if the snake comes from a reputable source.
Once you have your snake, leave it 5 days before feeding or handling it so it can settle in. , You should provide a bowl of water for your snake, big enough for it to soak if it wishes.
Change the water twice a week.
The bowl can be on either the cool or warm side.
Be aware that a bowl on the warm side will increase the humidity. , You do not need UV lights or calcium supplements like you do in other reptiles that eat insects.
Snakes DO in fact use UV to synthesize vitamin D3 but in captivity they don't need it because they receive vitamin D3 from the mice They eat.
They also get calcium too.
Vitamin D is in the liver of mice and calcium is in the bones., They are a solitary species.
Keeping two snakes together can increase their stress.
Corn snakes in captivity (especially hatchlings) have been known on occasion to eat one another, with both snakes involved dying.
The only exception is a breeding pair.
If you wish to breed, check that your female is 300g, 3 feet (0.9 m) long and 3 years old (333 rule) and consult a good book.
Do not cohabit your breeding pair until you know that they and you are ready.
Inbreeding is best avoided. , Baby corn snakes are started on pinkie size mice and progress up the sizes of: pinkie mice, fuzzy mice, small mice (hoppers), medium mice (weaned), large mice (adult) and extra large (jumbo adult) as they grow.
Here is a rough guide of what to feed a snake.Note that names vary regionally.
The slashes in the size guide work like this:
American English/British English.
Snake: 4-15g — Mouse:
Pinkie; Snake: 16-30g — Mouse:
Pinkie x2; Snake: 30-50g — Fuzzy; Snake: 51-90g — Mouse:
Hopper/Small; Snake: 90-170g — Mouse: weaned/medium; Snake: 170-400g — Mouse:
Adult/large; Snake: 400g+ — Mouse: jumbo adult/large.
It is best to feed your snake on frozen/thawed mice as they will not injure your snake and it's much more humane.
You can also keep frozen mice for longer as they will not grow or die.
To feed, hold the prey item in the tweezers and wiggle it in front of your snake.
It will strike and possibly constrict then swallow it's food whole.
Do not feed on loose substrate as this can cause a fatal gut block if the substrate is digested.
Feeding your snake out of it's tank is an easy solution to this and also it means that the snake does not associate feeding with its tank but be careful because if you handle your snake after a feed then it can regurgitate its meal so wait 48 hours before holding your snake again! , Snake droppings aren’t very big so cage cleaning doesn’t need to happen often.
It will need to be cleaned about every 3 or so weeks but scoop out fresh excrement where possible.
Feed your snake weekly and give it a change of scene once in a while and it will be happy in it’s new home. , Pick your snake up by the middle of the body and support it with both hands.
When holding your snake, hold it away from your face.
Pet it in the way the scales go; they don't like it the other way around.
Do not handle a snake after it’s eaten for 48 hours.
Wash your hands before and after handling your snake.
If it struggles, do not put it back but persevere or it will never learn to be friendly. , When your snake’s eyes glass over it’s time for it to shed.
Your snake should not be handled at this stage; as they may resort to self defense, wait until after the shed.
To aid in shedding, all you have to do is provide a moist hide.
This is a plastic container either lined with moist paper towel or filled with damp moss.
The container should have a lid and a hole cut out so they can go inside.
Although the water dish should be on the cold side most of the time, you should put it on the hot side when your snake is in pre-shed.
Mist 2-3 times daily in this time also.
After a few days, your snake's eyes will return to normal and a few days after that the shed will happen.
You may want to measure and laminate the shed as a record. -
Step 3: Give your snake some hiding places: You should provide some places for you snake to hide in to feel secure.
-
Step 4: Cover your tank or vivarium with substrate.
-
Step 5: Never catch a wild corn snake.
-
Step 6: Give your snake enough water.
-
Step 7: Provide adequate lighting.
-
Step 8: Do not keep a pair of corn snakes together.
-
Step 9: Feed your snake one mouse per week.
-
Step 10: Keep your snake happy in its home.
-
Step 11: Handle your snake with care.
-
Step 12: Know when snakes shed.
Detailed Guide
Corn snake adults can get to be as big as 5 feet (1.4m) long.
You may not need a 20 gallon (75.7 L) enclosure at start, but eventually you will.
The enclosure can be either a tank or vivarium.
When the snake is small, it is ok to start your pet off in a smaller tank such as a Living World Faunarium or similar product.
For a large snake, the vivarium should be around 30–50 inches (76.2–127.0 cm) long but there's not real limit on size, just make sure it's big enough.
Provide a heat mat that covers about 1/3 of the tank floor to provide a proper heat gradient.
The heat mat must be thermostatically controlled because they reach in excess of 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) which will severely burn the snake.
Position the heat mat over one side to get that gradient.
Temperatures should be about 75-85 degrees F, 23-29 degrees C, with the higher temperature on the warm area of the tank at one side.
Corn snakes are nocturnal and use the heat from the ground, not heat from the sun so heat lamps are not suitable.
Hot rocks are never suitable for any pet as they provide a localized source of heat that is too hot.
A cold snake may curl around it, seriously burning itself. , Try to provide a hiding place in the hot side for sure, others are optional.
The hide should be placed in the warm area of the tank over the heat mat.
Hides can be anything from shop-bought ones to Lego pieces.
Be creative here but make sure you materials are non-toxic. , There are many, many different floor coverings commercially available for corn snakes but you best options are aspen chips and newspaper.
Newspaper is the best as it is very absorbent and easy to replace.
While practical, newspaper is not very aesthetically pleasing.
If you want a decorative substrate, use aspen.
Other good options are bark or cypress mulch.
Do not use cedar shavings in a snake habitat as it is toxic to reptiles. , Corn snakes are becoming more and more easy to obtain, but that doesn't mean you should seek them out.
Wild ones do not adjust well to captivity and have a low survival rate.
Captive bred ones have been in captivity for many generations and have become very domesticated.
Find a good breeder, either through a forum or other source.
Pet shops are not good as you cannot be sure if the snake comes from a reputable source.
Once you have your snake, leave it 5 days before feeding or handling it so it can settle in. , You should provide a bowl of water for your snake, big enough for it to soak if it wishes.
Change the water twice a week.
The bowl can be on either the cool or warm side.
Be aware that a bowl on the warm side will increase the humidity. , You do not need UV lights or calcium supplements like you do in other reptiles that eat insects.
Snakes DO in fact use UV to synthesize vitamin D3 but in captivity they don't need it because they receive vitamin D3 from the mice They eat.
They also get calcium too.
Vitamin D is in the liver of mice and calcium is in the bones., They are a solitary species.
Keeping two snakes together can increase their stress.
Corn snakes in captivity (especially hatchlings) have been known on occasion to eat one another, with both snakes involved dying.
The only exception is a breeding pair.
If you wish to breed, check that your female is 300g, 3 feet (0.9 m) long and 3 years old (333 rule) and consult a good book.
Do not cohabit your breeding pair until you know that they and you are ready.
Inbreeding is best avoided. , Baby corn snakes are started on pinkie size mice and progress up the sizes of: pinkie mice, fuzzy mice, small mice (hoppers), medium mice (weaned), large mice (adult) and extra large (jumbo adult) as they grow.
Here is a rough guide of what to feed a snake.Note that names vary regionally.
The slashes in the size guide work like this:
American English/British English.
Snake: 4-15g — Mouse:
Pinkie; Snake: 16-30g — Mouse:
Pinkie x2; Snake: 30-50g — Fuzzy; Snake: 51-90g — Mouse:
Hopper/Small; Snake: 90-170g — Mouse: weaned/medium; Snake: 170-400g — Mouse:
Adult/large; Snake: 400g+ — Mouse: jumbo adult/large.
It is best to feed your snake on frozen/thawed mice as they will not injure your snake and it's much more humane.
You can also keep frozen mice for longer as they will not grow or die.
To feed, hold the prey item in the tweezers and wiggle it in front of your snake.
It will strike and possibly constrict then swallow it's food whole.
Do not feed on loose substrate as this can cause a fatal gut block if the substrate is digested.
Feeding your snake out of it's tank is an easy solution to this and also it means that the snake does not associate feeding with its tank but be careful because if you handle your snake after a feed then it can regurgitate its meal so wait 48 hours before holding your snake again! , Snake droppings aren’t very big so cage cleaning doesn’t need to happen often.
It will need to be cleaned about every 3 or so weeks but scoop out fresh excrement where possible.
Feed your snake weekly and give it a change of scene once in a while and it will be happy in it’s new home. , Pick your snake up by the middle of the body and support it with both hands.
When holding your snake, hold it away from your face.
Pet it in the way the scales go; they don't like it the other way around.
Do not handle a snake after it’s eaten for 48 hours.
Wash your hands before and after handling your snake.
If it struggles, do not put it back but persevere or it will never learn to be friendly. , When your snake’s eyes glass over it’s time for it to shed.
Your snake should not be handled at this stage; as they may resort to self defense, wait until after the shed.
To aid in shedding, all you have to do is provide a moist hide.
This is a plastic container either lined with moist paper towel or filled with damp moss.
The container should have a lid and a hole cut out so they can go inside.
Although the water dish should be on the cold side most of the time, you should put it on the hot side when your snake is in pre-shed.
Mist 2-3 times daily in this time also.
After a few days, your snake's eyes will return to normal and a few days after that the shed will happen.
You may want to measure and laminate the shed as a record.
About the Author
Daniel Martinez
Experienced content creator specializing in pet care guides and tutorials.
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