Corn Snake Care Sheet Written by Anthony Notridge
Basic Information
The Corn Snake is a moderately sized snake that comes in a variety of colours and patterns and originates from the USA. It is among the easiest to maintain in captivity, which is probably why it is the most commonly kept captive snake.
Their natural environment consists of agricultural/farm land, grasslands, shrublands, woods, rocky crevices, caves, around swamps and rivers. The name "corn snake" was given by the farmers who commonly found them in their cornfields and corn storage barns believing they were feeding on the corn. Whilst the corn snakes were there, they were purely looking for food; it was the rodents the corn snakes were feeding on that were actually feeding on the corn.
They are primarily a terrestrial (ground dwelling) species, which is active mainly at dawn and dusk (crepuscular).
Corn snakes are constrictors and a member of the largest family of snakes, colubrids.
Temperament
Generally most specimens are very placid however their temperament is different with each individual and can vary considerably from docile to defensive. Sunkissed’s, for example, are considered to be the most feisty of all corn snakes.
Corn snakes do make a good choice for beginners since they are easy to handle and care for. However, they are also favourites with experienced keepers due to the vast array of beautiful colours and patterns selective breeding has produced.
Corn Snakes make great pets, as they are highly unlikely to bite and have pleasant personalities. If threatened their first response is to hide, rather than strike and they will occasionally warn off predators with a little tail rattling. If your Corn Snake rattles it's tail this is nothing to worry about, just take steps to ensure that your Corn Snake feels secure and continue with regular handling until they become used to you and know that you are not a threat to them.
Hatchlings can be nervous and may nip in an attempt to flee, but usually tame down with gentle and regular handling.
Snakes, much like cats and dogs, can be conditioned; if a young snake does nip then continue to hold the snake until it calms down before placing it back inside its enclosure. Putting the snake back immediately after such actions may cause the snake to associate such actions as a way of being put back into its enclosure and so it may develop this as a persistent behaviour when attempting to be handled.
In the wild, Corn Snakes are individualists and in the main lead a solitary life. There is an ongoing debate as to whether captive Corn Snakes should be housed together. Some keepers can keep multiple specimens within one Vivarium with no problems, but others have found out the hard way not to keep Corn Snakes together as they become stressed. In general, some people would say that captive females can be kept together with no problems, but males have been known to harass each other particularly in the breeding season, so should be kept singly.
It is recommended that adult animals of opposite sex should be kept apart unless you want to breed from them. If you do wish to keep multiple snakes of different sexes together I advise 1 male to at least 2 females.
If you do house your Corn Snakes together, make sure you check on them regularly so any problems can be sorted out immediately and note that only snakes of similar sizes should be housed together. They should also be fed separately outside the vivarium, to ensure they do not compete for food.
Length
Normally 120 to 180cm, although larger specimens are not uncommon.
Note: In my experience Anery Corn Snakes appear to obtain greater lengths in general than other morphs.
Age
In the wild corn snakes would normally live not much more than 10 years, however, in captivity they could easily be expected to reach 20 years.
Recommended Housing
Vivarium or plastic tubs of relevant size based on the number and size of snakes being kept. I use the following guidelines (L x D x H): -
1No. Hatchling = Plastic tubs are best at approx. 27cm x 15cm x 9cm
1-2No Juveniles = Plastic tubs are best at approx. 46cm x 30cm x 18cm
1-2No Yearling = Plastic Tubs or Vivariums at approx. 58cm x 47cm x 52cm
1-2No Adults = Vivariums at approx. 91cm x 37cm x 40cm
2-3No Adults = Vivariums at approx. 122cm x 47cm x 52cm
Other housing requirements include:
- Suitably large water bowl for them to drink and bathe in (the snake should be able to fully submerge its body)
- A minimum of 2 hides (1 in the cool end and 1 in the warm end)
- Climbing branches and other decorations are advantageous but not essential.
- Ensure that you do not allow the humidity to reach too high a level as this may cause your Corn Snake to develop an R.I (Respiratory Infection).
- Corn snakes are very inquisitive animals and like to explore new surroundings. Once in a while change the layout of the vivarium, as this will keep your Corn Snake from becoming bored. You will notice once you put your Corn Snake back in the tank it will start to re-explore its new surroundings.
Corn Snakes are excellent escape artists, so care must be taken when planning their housing. Make sure your vivarium or tub has a tight fitting lid, which can be clamped down. Corn snakes are very strong and can push a loose fitting lid from a vivarium.
Corn Snakes are relatively easy to care for, as they defecate rarely, so with regular spot cleaning a full vivarium clean out should only be necessary every 3-5 weeks. When you clean out the housing, disinfect the cage furniture and the inside of the vivarium with a weak disinfectant solution or a reptile safe product, we use and highly recommend F10. In general, if a disinfectant is safe to use for disinfecting baby bottles, then it is weak enough to use with snakes. Completely dry the contents before replacing in the vivarium with fresh substrate. For hygiene reasons it is advised to use separate towels and cleaning cloths for your snakes.
Water
All Corn Snakes need fresh water to drink daily. Water should be given in a reasonable sized bowl, which is fairly heavy, to stop your snake tipping it over.
The water should be changed every other day and should be checked daily to ensure a sufficient amount of water is available.
If the snake defecates in its water bowl, the bowl must be cleaned and disinfected immediately.
Temperature Requirements
Minimum 22C (72F) to Maximum 30C (86F)
Please remember that one end must remain cooler than the other, so as to enable the snake to thermo-regulate its own body temperature.
Recommended Heating
Vivarium - Guarded Ceramic heater or bulb, or a suitably sized heat mat
Tub - Heat mat placed underneath (covering approximately 1/3 of the enclosure)
Whichever method is used, the temperature should be monitored using a thermometer and should ideally be controlled by a thermostat.
Recommended Substrate
I prefer to use Aspen due to its natural appearance, but newspaper or kitchen roll will suffice, and I also provide a moist hide of vermiculite and/or sphagnum moss when the snake is shedding. Small hatchlings are ideally placed on plain white kitchen roll or newspaper until feeding and defecating regularly, so that these can be monitored more easily.
NEVER use sand as this can get between the snakes' scales and cause infections.
Sand can also cause impactions if swallowed. I also tend to stay away from wood chips and bark for this same reason.
Natural Diet
Rodents, Bats, Birds, Lizards
Captive Diet
Rodents. I prefer to feed my snakes mice rather than rats as I have found rats to be a little too fatty. These should be reserved for individuals that have not been feeding for a while or have just laid eggs, to help them to put weight back on.
NEVER feed you snakes live food; it is cruel to the mouse, can cause severe injuries to the snake and is ILLEGAL in the UK.
As already mentioned when several snakes are housed together these must be separated and fed separately to ensure that they do not injure each other.
The best way I have found to feed snakes is to defrost the mice in a cup of warm water and then leave it inside the vivarium in the evenings. This should enable all snakes to feed in peace, including nervous individuals. (Please make sure that if you have a loose substrate, like aspen, that they are placed off of the floor so that the substrate does not stick to the mouse and is not then swallowed.) Leave the mouse in overnight and remove and discard if uneaten in the morning.
More adventurous snakes will begin to associate the smell of the mouse defrosting with a meal and may strike as soon as the mouse enters the enclosure. I therefore recommend always using feeding tongs when handling the mice and placing it inside the enclosure.
Feeding Frequency
The recommended feeding schedule for hatchlings is every 5 to 7 days. One pinkie should be used to begin with and this may build up to two at a time and then fuzzies etc as the snake grows. Never feed the snake a meal that is more than 1.5 times the width of the snakes body. Overfeeding could cause the snake to regurgitate the meal and/or lead to obesity.
Yearlings and young/small adults should normally be fed every 6 to 8 days, I tend to change the period between this range to give the snake a more natural feeding pattern.
Older adults are usually fed every 7 to 10 days but this can be extended to 10 to 14 days for some larger corns, especially if they have a tendency to be lazy and/or put on weight easily.
Shedding
Corn snakes, like all other snakes, shed their outer layer of skin periodically throughout their lives. Young snakes may shed more frequently than adult snakes, but in general the shedding process occurs several times a year. This is nothing to worry about as a keeper, but there are a few things you can do to help your snake through this process.
Preecdysis is the name given to the changes your snake will go through whilst preparing to shed its skin. This will include a dulling of your snake's skin colour; general inactivity and their eyes will turn a bluish grey colour. At this time your Corn Snake may refuse a feed or shy away from being handled, but this depends on the individual snake and how they handle preecdysis. While your snake is 'in blue' it is advisable to handle with care or avoid handling as their vision is obscured by the membrane covering it's eyes and they may feel more insecure than usual, therefore more likely to be defensive.
Most Corn snakes will handle a shed without any need for extra help, but if you want to assist your snake during this time you should try to raise the humidity in your Vivarium to help your snake loosen it's skin. You can do this by placing a larger water bowl in the vivarium so that your snake has the opportunity to soak itself if desired. You can also lightly mist the tank with water to help raise the humidity. Another useful tactic is to place a humidity box in the Vivarium. This can be a sandwich box with a hole cut in the top filled with damp sphagnum moss. Your Corn snake should appreciate the extra humidity and it will make the next stage in the process easier for it.
Ecdysis is the act of shedding, which is usually started by your snake rubbing its head on rocks or decor to loosen the skin around its head. Once it has worked it's head free it will continue to crawl its way out of the old skin by rolling it inside out has it moves. Once your snake has shed it's skin it should be removed from the vivarium along with any faeces that usually accompanies Ecdysis. Check your snake to ensure that the shed skin has successfully been removed, taking particular notice that the eye caps, vent area and tail end have not been retained. If necessary bathe your snake and remove any patches of skin that have not been shed with a warm towel or flannel, to avoid infection or death of the tissue below it.
Breeding
Breeding section to follow shortly
Handling
When handling snakes there are a few simple rules to stick too that will enable you and your new pet to enjoy this time: -
- Always handle the snake gently but firmly. By doing this you will not be holding the snake so hard that you may harm it, but you will have a good enough grip to enable you to support the snake.
- Always support the snake’s body. As the snake moves you must move your hands with it. If necessary support the snake with one hand and gently guide its head with the other.
- Sitting down is good practice as if the snake were to be dropped then it would not be dropped far and so should not incur an injury.
- Using anti-bacterial hand wash prior to handling will enable the snake to associate the smell with being handled and not with feeding and so should learn to not attack during this period.
- Always use anti-bacterial hand wash or soap after handling your reptiles. You should also use this between handling different snakes to help avoid the transfer of any infections etc between individuals.
- When about to handle a snake always make it is aware you are there before picking it up. As snakes sleep with their eyes open you can never be sure when the snake is asleep. Picking up a sleeping snake can startle it and cause it to act aggressively. To avoid this, always touch the snakes lower body and sides gently prior to picking it up.
- Always approach the snake from the side and not from above as this can cause more stress to the snake.
- Snakes should never be handled for more than 10-15mins at a time and no more than 2 times a day.
- Avoid handling snakes outdoors as the temperature is often too low for the snake.
- Never handle the snake it areas of high activity as this can cause stress to the snake.
- Remember, tobacco is poisonous to snakes, so make sure you or anyone around you is not smoking when you handle the snake.
- NEVER handle your snake for at least 48 hours after feeding. If the snake defecates in this period it may then be handled. Otherwise, you must wait for the snake to defecate before handling it.
Keeping Notes
Record keeping is a good way of monitoring your Corn Snake as it grows and develops. It is advisable to keep a written record of when your snake feeds, defecates and sheds its skin, so that you have a resource to refer to if there becomes a problem. Regular weight and length checks are also useful as you can monitor the growth of your corn, which helps to ensure that your corn is healthy.
Common Problems
Corn Snakes are a hardy snake that should rarely become ill with appropriate care, but here is a quick introduction to a few disorders that need to be looked out for: -
Mites: Mites are little black parasites that live on your Corn Snake and feed on their blood. If your Corn Snake catches mites they can usually be found around the eyes, mouth, vent and under scales. Your snake will seem lethargic and may go off it's food during a mite infestation. If you discover mites on your corn snake, immediately bathe your snake in warm water and fully disinfect the entire tank and contents. Refill your vivarium with white kitchen roll and leave the cage furniture to a minimum. This helps stops the mites being able to breed as they need substrate to lay eggs and also allows you to see them more clearly while you monitor your snake. Repeated bathing and disinfecting of the vivarium helps, but it is unlikely that you will remove a mite infestation without some sort of treatment. Reptile shops sell various treatments to help kill off the mites, but some vets may prescribe a weak dose of Frontline if they feel it is necessary.
Respiratory Infections (R.Is): R.Is are a bacterial infection that is usually caused by poor cage conditions, low temperatures or too much humidity, but can be passed from snake to snake too. Corn Snakes may sound wheezy with excessive saliva and nasal discharge. Their mouths may also gape open as your corn struggles to breathe. Very mild R.Is may go away themselves if the conditions that the snake are living in are corrected, but serious infections need to be seen to by a vet immediately to avoid Mouth Rot or even death of your Corn Snake. The vet may prescribe an anti-biotic called Baytril, which is safe enough to be given to your snake.
Regurgitation: When a snake regurgitates it's meal, it may not necessarily be down to illness, but as regurgitation is a symptom of many digestive problems, illnesses and stress it is recommended that if your Corn Snake does regurgitate it's meal that you monitor your snake very closely for further symptoms. Sometimes a Corn Snake may regurgitate it's meal if it is handled too soon after a feeding or if it has been fed an item that is too large for it. In this case, you should leave the snake to settle back down for a week before trying to feed again. If your Corn Snake repeatedly regurgitates it's meal, loses excessive weight or shows any other signs that are worrying you, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Further Information
This care sheet is a simple step-by-step guide to successful Corn Snake keeping, but if you have any more questions or need more specific information about the keeping of Corn snakes, please contact myself, or otherwise, I fully recommend the book ‘Corn Snakes – The Comprehensive Owner’s Guide’ which is written by Kathy Love and Bill Love.
The Corn Snake is a moderately sized snake that comes in a variety of colours and patterns and originates from the USA. It is among the easiest to maintain in captivity, which is probably why it is the most commonly kept captive snake.
Their natural environment consists of agricultural/farm land, grasslands, shrublands, woods, rocky crevices, caves, around swamps and rivers. The name "corn snake" was given by the farmers who commonly found them in their cornfields and corn storage barns believing they were feeding on the corn. Whilst the corn snakes were there, they were purely looking for food; it was the rodents the corn snakes were feeding on that were actually feeding on the corn.
They are primarily a terrestrial (ground dwelling) species, which is active mainly at dawn and dusk (crepuscular).
Corn snakes are constrictors and a member of the largest family of snakes, colubrids.
Temperament
Generally most specimens are very placid however their temperament is different with each individual and can vary considerably from docile to defensive. Sunkissed’s, for example, are considered to be the most feisty of all corn snakes.
Corn snakes do make a good choice for beginners since they are easy to handle and care for. However, they are also favourites with experienced keepers due to the vast array of beautiful colours and patterns selective breeding has produced.
Corn Snakes make great pets, as they are highly unlikely to bite and have pleasant personalities. If threatened their first response is to hide, rather than strike and they will occasionally warn off predators with a little tail rattling. If your Corn Snake rattles it's tail this is nothing to worry about, just take steps to ensure that your Corn Snake feels secure and continue with regular handling until they become used to you and know that you are not a threat to them.
Hatchlings can be nervous and may nip in an attempt to flee, but usually tame down with gentle and regular handling.
Snakes, much like cats and dogs, can be conditioned; if a young snake does nip then continue to hold the snake until it calms down before placing it back inside its enclosure. Putting the snake back immediately after such actions may cause the snake to associate such actions as a way of being put back into its enclosure and so it may develop this as a persistent behaviour when attempting to be handled.
In the wild, Corn Snakes are individualists and in the main lead a solitary life. There is an ongoing debate as to whether captive Corn Snakes should be housed together. Some keepers can keep multiple specimens within one Vivarium with no problems, but others have found out the hard way not to keep Corn Snakes together as they become stressed. In general, some people would say that captive females can be kept together with no problems, but males have been known to harass each other particularly in the breeding season, so should be kept singly.
It is recommended that adult animals of opposite sex should be kept apart unless you want to breed from them. If you do wish to keep multiple snakes of different sexes together I advise 1 male to at least 2 females.
If you do house your Corn Snakes together, make sure you check on them regularly so any problems can be sorted out immediately and note that only snakes of similar sizes should be housed together. They should also be fed separately outside the vivarium, to ensure they do not compete for food.
Length
Normally 120 to 180cm, although larger specimens are not uncommon.
Note: In my experience Anery Corn Snakes appear to obtain greater lengths in general than other morphs.
Age
In the wild corn snakes would normally live not much more than 10 years, however, in captivity they could easily be expected to reach 20 years.
Recommended Housing
Vivarium or plastic tubs of relevant size based on the number and size of snakes being kept. I use the following guidelines (L x D x H): -
1No. Hatchling = Plastic tubs are best at approx. 27cm x 15cm x 9cm
1-2No Juveniles = Plastic tubs are best at approx. 46cm x 30cm x 18cm
1-2No Yearling = Plastic Tubs or Vivariums at approx. 58cm x 47cm x 52cm
1-2No Adults = Vivariums at approx. 91cm x 37cm x 40cm
2-3No Adults = Vivariums at approx. 122cm x 47cm x 52cm
Other housing requirements include:
- Suitably large water bowl for them to drink and bathe in (the snake should be able to fully submerge its body)
- A minimum of 2 hides (1 in the cool end and 1 in the warm end)
- Climbing branches and other decorations are advantageous but not essential.
- Ensure that you do not allow the humidity to reach too high a level as this may cause your Corn Snake to develop an R.I (Respiratory Infection).
- Corn snakes are very inquisitive animals and like to explore new surroundings. Once in a while change the layout of the vivarium, as this will keep your Corn Snake from becoming bored. You will notice once you put your Corn Snake back in the tank it will start to re-explore its new surroundings.
Corn Snakes are excellent escape artists, so care must be taken when planning their housing. Make sure your vivarium or tub has a tight fitting lid, which can be clamped down. Corn snakes are very strong and can push a loose fitting lid from a vivarium.
Corn Snakes are relatively easy to care for, as they defecate rarely, so with regular spot cleaning a full vivarium clean out should only be necessary every 3-5 weeks. When you clean out the housing, disinfect the cage furniture and the inside of the vivarium with a weak disinfectant solution or a reptile safe product, we use and highly recommend F10. In general, if a disinfectant is safe to use for disinfecting baby bottles, then it is weak enough to use with snakes. Completely dry the contents before replacing in the vivarium with fresh substrate. For hygiene reasons it is advised to use separate towels and cleaning cloths for your snakes.
Water
All Corn Snakes need fresh water to drink daily. Water should be given in a reasonable sized bowl, which is fairly heavy, to stop your snake tipping it over.
The water should be changed every other day and should be checked daily to ensure a sufficient amount of water is available.
If the snake defecates in its water bowl, the bowl must be cleaned and disinfected immediately.
Temperature Requirements
Minimum 22C (72F) to Maximum 30C (86F)
Please remember that one end must remain cooler than the other, so as to enable the snake to thermo-regulate its own body temperature.
Recommended Heating
Vivarium - Guarded Ceramic heater or bulb, or a suitably sized heat mat
Tub - Heat mat placed underneath (covering approximately 1/3 of the enclosure)
Whichever method is used, the temperature should be monitored using a thermometer and should ideally be controlled by a thermostat.
Recommended Substrate
I prefer to use Aspen due to its natural appearance, but newspaper or kitchen roll will suffice, and I also provide a moist hide of vermiculite and/or sphagnum moss when the snake is shedding. Small hatchlings are ideally placed on plain white kitchen roll or newspaper until feeding and defecating regularly, so that these can be monitored more easily.
NEVER use sand as this can get between the snakes' scales and cause infections.
Sand can also cause impactions if swallowed. I also tend to stay away from wood chips and bark for this same reason.
Natural Diet
Rodents, Bats, Birds, Lizards
Captive Diet
Rodents. I prefer to feed my snakes mice rather than rats as I have found rats to be a little too fatty. These should be reserved for individuals that have not been feeding for a while or have just laid eggs, to help them to put weight back on.
NEVER feed you snakes live food; it is cruel to the mouse, can cause severe injuries to the snake and is ILLEGAL in the UK.
As already mentioned when several snakes are housed together these must be separated and fed separately to ensure that they do not injure each other.
The best way I have found to feed snakes is to defrost the mice in a cup of warm water and then leave it inside the vivarium in the evenings. This should enable all snakes to feed in peace, including nervous individuals. (Please make sure that if you have a loose substrate, like aspen, that they are placed off of the floor so that the substrate does not stick to the mouse and is not then swallowed.) Leave the mouse in overnight and remove and discard if uneaten in the morning.
More adventurous snakes will begin to associate the smell of the mouse defrosting with a meal and may strike as soon as the mouse enters the enclosure. I therefore recommend always using feeding tongs when handling the mice and placing it inside the enclosure.
Feeding Frequency
The recommended feeding schedule for hatchlings is every 5 to 7 days. One pinkie should be used to begin with and this may build up to two at a time and then fuzzies etc as the snake grows. Never feed the snake a meal that is more than 1.5 times the width of the snakes body. Overfeeding could cause the snake to regurgitate the meal and/or lead to obesity.
Yearlings and young/small adults should normally be fed every 6 to 8 days, I tend to change the period between this range to give the snake a more natural feeding pattern.
Older adults are usually fed every 7 to 10 days but this can be extended to 10 to 14 days for some larger corns, especially if they have a tendency to be lazy and/or put on weight easily.
Shedding
Corn snakes, like all other snakes, shed their outer layer of skin periodically throughout their lives. Young snakes may shed more frequently than adult snakes, but in general the shedding process occurs several times a year. This is nothing to worry about as a keeper, but there are a few things you can do to help your snake through this process.
Preecdysis is the name given to the changes your snake will go through whilst preparing to shed its skin. This will include a dulling of your snake's skin colour; general inactivity and their eyes will turn a bluish grey colour. At this time your Corn Snake may refuse a feed or shy away from being handled, but this depends on the individual snake and how they handle preecdysis. While your snake is 'in blue' it is advisable to handle with care or avoid handling as their vision is obscured by the membrane covering it's eyes and they may feel more insecure than usual, therefore more likely to be defensive.
Most Corn snakes will handle a shed without any need for extra help, but if you want to assist your snake during this time you should try to raise the humidity in your Vivarium to help your snake loosen it's skin. You can do this by placing a larger water bowl in the vivarium so that your snake has the opportunity to soak itself if desired. You can also lightly mist the tank with water to help raise the humidity. Another useful tactic is to place a humidity box in the Vivarium. This can be a sandwich box with a hole cut in the top filled with damp sphagnum moss. Your Corn snake should appreciate the extra humidity and it will make the next stage in the process easier for it.
Ecdysis is the act of shedding, which is usually started by your snake rubbing its head on rocks or decor to loosen the skin around its head. Once it has worked it's head free it will continue to crawl its way out of the old skin by rolling it inside out has it moves. Once your snake has shed it's skin it should be removed from the vivarium along with any faeces that usually accompanies Ecdysis. Check your snake to ensure that the shed skin has successfully been removed, taking particular notice that the eye caps, vent area and tail end have not been retained. If necessary bathe your snake and remove any patches of skin that have not been shed with a warm towel or flannel, to avoid infection or death of the tissue below it.
Breeding
Breeding section to follow shortly
Handling
When handling snakes there are a few simple rules to stick too that will enable you and your new pet to enjoy this time: -
- Always handle the snake gently but firmly. By doing this you will not be holding the snake so hard that you may harm it, but you will have a good enough grip to enable you to support the snake.
- Always support the snake’s body. As the snake moves you must move your hands with it. If necessary support the snake with one hand and gently guide its head with the other.
- Sitting down is good practice as if the snake were to be dropped then it would not be dropped far and so should not incur an injury.
- Using anti-bacterial hand wash prior to handling will enable the snake to associate the smell with being handled and not with feeding and so should learn to not attack during this period.
- Always use anti-bacterial hand wash or soap after handling your reptiles. You should also use this between handling different snakes to help avoid the transfer of any infections etc between individuals.
- When about to handle a snake always make it is aware you are there before picking it up. As snakes sleep with their eyes open you can never be sure when the snake is asleep. Picking up a sleeping snake can startle it and cause it to act aggressively. To avoid this, always touch the snakes lower body and sides gently prior to picking it up.
- Always approach the snake from the side and not from above as this can cause more stress to the snake.
- Snakes should never be handled for more than 10-15mins at a time and no more than 2 times a day.
- Avoid handling snakes outdoors as the temperature is often too low for the snake.
- Never handle the snake it areas of high activity as this can cause stress to the snake.
- Remember, tobacco is poisonous to snakes, so make sure you or anyone around you is not smoking when you handle the snake.
- NEVER handle your snake for at least 48 hours after feeding. If the snake defecates in this period it may then be handled. Otherwise, you must wait for the snake to defecate before handling it.
Keeping Notes
Record keeping is a good way of monitoring your Corn Snake as it grows and develops. It is advisable to keep a written record of when your snake feeds, defecates and sheds its skin, so that you have a resource to refer to if there becomes a problem. Regular weight and length checks are also useful as you can monitor the growth of your corn, which helps to ensure that your corn is healthy.
Common Problems
Corn Snakes are a hardy snake that should rarely become ill with appropriate care, but here is a quick introduction to a few disorders that need to be looked out for: -
Mites: Mites are little black parasites that live on your Corn Snake and feed on their blood. If your Corn Snake catches mites they can usually be found around the eyes, mouth, vent and under scales. Your snake will seem lethargic and may go off it's food during a mite infestation. If you discover mites on your corn snake, immediately bathe your snake in warm water and fully disinfect the entire tank and contents. Refill your vivarium with white kitchen roll and leave the cage furniture to a minimum. This helps stops the mites being able to breed as they need substrate to lay eggs and also allows you to see them more clearly while you monitor your snake. Repeated bathing and disinfecting of the vivarium helps, but it is unlikely that you will remove a mite infestation without some sort of treatment. Reptile shops sell various treatments to help kill off the mites, but some vets may prescribe a weak dose of Frontline if they feel it is necessary.
Respiratory Infections (R.Is): R.Is are a bacterial infection that is usually caused by poor cage conditions, low temperatures or too much humidity, but can be passed from snake to snake too. Corn Snakes may sound wheezy with excessive saliva and nasal discharge. Their mouths may also gape open as your corn struggles to breathe. Very mild R.Is may go away themselves if the conditions that the snake are living in are corrected, but serious infections need to be seen to by a vet immediately to avoid Mouth Rot or even death of your Corn Snake. The vet may prescribe an anti-biotic called Baytril, which is safe enough to be given to your snake.
Regurgitation: When a snake regurgitates it's meal, it may not necessarily be down to illness, but as regurgitation is a symptom of many digestive problems, illnesses and stress it is recommended that if your Corn Snake does regurgitate it's meal that you monitor your snake very closely for further symptoms. Sometimes a Corn Snake may regurgitate it's meal if it is handled too soon after a feeding or if it has been fed an item that is too large for it. In this case, you should leave the snake to settle back down for a week before trying to feed again. If your Corn Snake repeatedly regurgitates it's meal, loses excessive weight or shows any other signs that are worrying you, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Further Information
This care sheet is a simple step-by-step guide to successful Corn Snake keeping, but if you have any more questions or need more specific information about the keeping of Corn snakes, please contact myself, or otherwise, I fully recommend the book ‘Corn Snakes – The Comprehensive Owner’s Guide’ which is written by Kathy Love and Bill Love.