Pantherophis guttatus - The Common Corn Snake
A hatchling female "Miami" phase corn snake produced by Walter Smith's Captive Creations.
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Introduction This is a brief explanation of how I personally keep corn snakes. It should not be the only resource you rely on when researching corns! It’s just an overview of the basic husbandry requirements that I employ. Corn snakes are excellent beginner reptiles but are also great for experienced keepers and morph enthusiasts. They grow 3-5 feet and are typically docile but active snakes. Hatchlings can be nippy but usually grow out of it with consistent, gentle handling. Corn Snake Distribution and Natural Habitats: Corn snakes inhabit the southeastern and central portions of the United States. They are extremely versatile and can be found in grasslands, forests, wetlands, and urban areas. Because of this wide range of habitat types, their captive husbandry practices can be (and should be) flexible. I live in North Carolina, the quintessential home of the corn snake, and so I try to base my husbandry off of the area I live in and have observed the most corn snakes, primarily on the perimeters between forests and grasslands. While corn snakes are not arboreal, they are often found in trees and are adept at climbing. Wild corn snakes primarily feed on rodents, but will also eat small lizards, amphibians, and bird eggs. |
Captive Husbandry
The Basics:
Temperature: 70-85F
Cage Size (for adult snakes): 4'x2'x2' or a 75g aquarium. 40g breeder tanks can be used for smaller adult corn snakes.
Humidity: 20-60%
Diet: Primarily mice
A juvenile male "Miami" phase tessera corn snake produced by Walter Smith's Captive Creations.
Husbandry Details
Temperature and Heating
It’s ideal to create a temperature gradient to allow the snake to choose the temperature it needs at a given moment, although they can also be kept successfully at an ambient temperature. A fatal error in keeping corns is keeping them too hot. Hot spot temperatures should never reach over 90F. I recommend the cool end of the cage to be in the 70-76F range and the warm end to be in the 80-85F range. I keep my corn snakes at an ambient temperature that fluctuates between 76-80F throughout the day and they thrive in this environment.
If you need to use additional heating for your corn snake, you have several options.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL heating elements should be controlled with a proper thermostat or dimmer.
UTH (under tank heaters) provide belly heat, UTH work well with nearly all cage types. UTH are usually either heat pads (designed for use with reptiles) or heat tape (which is not designed for use with reptiles but is widely used in herpetoculture).
If you want to use an overhead heating element, I recommend using an RHP (radiant heat emitter) or a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) over heat bulbs. RHPs and CHEs do not emit light so they can be kept on during the night - most reptiles have fairly complex color vision and can see the red light emitted by “night time” heat lamps. However, because corn snakes are from a relatively temperate environment a night time drop in temperatures can be beneficial. Do what works best for you and your pet!
It’s ideal to create a temperature gradient to allow the snake to choose the temperature it needs at a given moment, although they can also be kept successfully at an ambient temperature. A fatal error in keeping corns is keeping them too hot. Hot spot temperatures should never reach over 90F. I recommend the cool end of the cage to be in the 70-76F range and the warm end to be in the 80-85F range. I keep my corn snakes at an ambient temperature that fluctuates between 76-80F throughout the day and they thrive in this environment.
If you need to use additional heating for your corn snake, you have several options.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL heating elements should be controlled with a proper thermostat or dimmer.
UTH (under tank heaters) provide belly heat, UTH work well with nearly all cage types. UTH are usually either heat pads (designed for use with reptiles) or heat tape (which is not designed for use with reptiles but is widely used in herpetoculture).
If you want to use an overhead heating element, I recommend using an RHP (radiant heat emitter) or a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) over heat bulbs. RHPs and CHEs do not emit light so they can be kept on during the night - most reptiles have fairly complex color vision and can see the red light emitted by “night time” heat lamps. However, because corn snakes are from a relatively temperate environment a night time drop in temperatures can be beneficial. Do what works best for you and your pet!
An adult male "Okeetee" phase corn snake produced by Corn Moon Cornsnakes
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Cage Size
Hatchlings are generally started in small enclosures. Although most hatchling corn snakes are eager feeders, they can become shy and less likely to eat in a sparsely decorated large cage. I start hatchling corn snakes in 6qt tubs. A 10g aquarium would also be a good choice. Juveniles should be kept in medium sized tubs, cages, or aquariums. I usually keep juvenile corn snakes in 66qt tubs since they will use the added height. Once the corn is around 2.5'-3' in length I move it to the adult enclosure. A "juvenile" stage cage setup isn't necessarily required for corn snakes. When they're well established eaters and growing well they can adapt to most cage sizes. The vast majority of corn snake care guides will say a 20g long aquarium is the minimum size for adults, but I couldn't disagree more. I'm of the opinion that all snakes should be able to stretch out fully in their enclosures, and should have enough space to be able to display their natural behaviors. That's simply not possible in a 20g tank. MOST adult corn snakes will thrive in a cage that is 3-4' in length, 2' in width, and 2' in height. I keep my adult corn snakes in 4x2x2 PVC cages (made by Animal Plastics). I prefer front-opening enclosures, but if you want to use an aquarium a 40g breeder tank (for smaller adults) or a 75g tank (for larger adults) work very well for them as long as the lid is very secure (these little guys are serious escape artists!) |
Humidity
Because corn snakes inhabit such a wide variety of habitats, their humidity requirements are pretty flexible. 20-60% is a good range to shoot for. If you live in a particularly dry area misting once or twice a week may be required. You could also provide them with a humid hide (a tub filled halfway with damp moss) if you live in a dry climate.
Because corn snakes inhabit such a wide variety of habitats, their humidity requirements are pretty flexible. 20-60% is a good range to shoot for. If you live in a particularly dry area misting once or twice a week may be required. You could also provide them with a humid hide (a tub filled halfway with damp moss) if you live in a dry climate.
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Substrate:
I recommend new arrivals be kept on paper towel for the beginning of the quarantine period for two weeks or so to ensure they settle in well and to make tracking health easier. When you switch to loose substrate, it should be kept at a depth of 1-3” to allow burrowing. Aspen is a cheap, convenient, and easy to clean substrate that works well for hatchlings all the way up to adults. Naturalistic substrate mixes can be very enriching for corn snakes. I would recommend a mix play sand and topsoil and a bit of either coco fiber or peat moss thrown in. The top layers of the substrate should feel fairly dry, but the bottom layers will maintain moisture and will help keep the humidity in the proper range and support microfauna if you decide to go bioactive. There are also several companies offering pre-made bioactive / naturalistic substrates that work well for corn snakes. |
An adult female "Okeetee" phase tessera corn snake produced by Stellar Reptiles
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Cage Decor
The cage should be furnished with several hides, at least one in the warm side, cool side, and intermediate areas of the cage. Rocks and branches for climbing should be provided. The cage decor can be as simplistic or naturalistic as you like! As long as the snake has the ability to display its natural behavior, it doesn’t really matter what the cage aesthetic is like. A medium sized water bowl should be provided at all times.
The cage should be furnished with several hides, at least one in the warm side, cool side, and intermediate areas of the cage. Rocks and branches for climbing should be provided. The cage decor can be as simplistic or naturalistic as you like! As long as the snake has the ability to display its natural behavior, it doesn’t really matter what the cage aesthetic is like. A medium sized water bowl should be provided at all times.
Feeding and Diet
Hatchlings should be fed appropriately sized frozen / thawed rodents (small pinkies) every 5-7 days. Once they move up to fuzzies, they should be fed every 7 days. Adults should be fed an adult mouse every 10-14 days. The vast majority of corn snakes should remain on mice for the entirety of their lives, they have a tendency to become obese if fed rats or are fed too often.
What does “appropriately sized” mean?
An appropriately sized feeder will be the same size or slightly thicker than the widest part of the corn snake’s body. If you feed a prey item that is too large, regurgitation is likely. It is better to feed two smaller prey items than a single prey item that is too large.
Hatchlings should be fed appropriately sized frozen / thawed rodents (small pinkies) every 5-7 days. Once they move up to fuzzies, they should be fed every 7 days. Adults should be fed an adult mouse every 10-14 days. The vast majority of corn snakes should remain on mice for the entirety of their lives, they have a tendency to become obese if fed rats or are fed too often.
What does “appropriately sized” mean?
An appropriately sized feeder will be the same size or slightly thicker than the widest part of the corn snake’s body. If you feed a prey item that is too large, regurgitation is likely. It is better to feed two smaller prey items than a single prey item that is too large.