| Captive Care & Husbandry of the Common Cornsnake (Pantheropsis guttatus) |
Related Species
Cornsnakes are a North American native species occurring across
much of the eastern and south-eastern portion of the continent. They
are sometimes known as red rat snakes. Close relatives include other
North American rat snakes such as Kisatchies, Emoryis, yellow and
black rats.
Vivarium Size & Design
Cornsnakes are fairly simple to maintain. An ideal vivarium for a
hatchling corn is a 10 gallon aquarium with a locking screen lid.
Hatchlings require a lot of hiding spaces, and will spend much of their
time hidden. They enjoy hides from which they can watch without being
seen. Hides can be simple, such as toilet paper roles or recycled food
containers, or fancy, such as store-bought fake caves, trees and
coconut hides. Some of our most popular corn snake hides have been
made from discarded materials (see photos at left).
Cornsnakes, like most snakes, are escape artists, so make certain
that there are no holes in your snakes vivarium, and that the lid locks
into place. You can purchase specialized snake vivs at pet stores with
slide-lock lids, or you can use a normal 10 gallon with a screen lid and
clips to hold the lid down. Do not use rocks or books-- these often fail,
or fall through the screen and injure snakes. Spend the extra $5-10 to
purchase clips. Your snake's life could depend on it!
Adult corn snakes reach a length of 4-5' and can be housed in a 20
gallon long aquarium (30" x 12" x 12") though more space is always
appreciated. Floor space is more important than height, but corns will
often climb and many do utilize branches and "trees" in their
enclosures.
Hatchling and adult corns can be kept on newspaper, paper towels, or
aspen litter as substrate. We use aspen for all our snakes and really
like it.
Temperature & Humidity
Cornsnakes can be maintained year round at a temperature of 85
degrees on the "warm side" of their tank and 75-78 on the cool side. In
order to provide heat, purchase an under tank heater (UTH) and place
it on one side of the vivarium. We use both the Zoo Med and T-Rex
brand UTH's. Zoo Med's UTH is more commonly available from local
pet stores, but the T-Rex brand is actually removable, which can be
beneficial if you ever need to change vivariums. Please make sure
that your UTH only covers 1/3 of the tanks floor. You want your snake
to be able to move between warm and cool sides.
WARNING: When using an under tank heater, a keeper should
ALWAYS regulate it in some fashion. An unregulated UTH that plugs in
to an outlet can produce temperatures as high as 130 degrees
Fahrenheit, which may burn or even kill your snake. In order to control
power output to your UTH, please purchase and use a
power-regulating device like a thermostat or rheostat. You can use
"plug-in" style lamp dimmers from the Home Depot as cheap rheostats
($10) and ZooMed makes a decent small thermostat called the 500R
which runs about $45 in stores.
To measure the temperatures in your vivarium, you can purchase a
digital thermometer for around $8 at your local pet store. Never use
your hand to measure temperatures-- it is not accurate!
Humidity for cornsnakes should be in the 50% range. Most households
in the US fall in this range naturally. If you live in drier areas (American
SW, for instance) you can provide humid hides and larger water bowls
to boost humidity. We provide humid hides for all of our snakes in
order to promote healthy sheds. A humid hide can be made out of a
plastic food container with a hole cut in the lid. Place moistened moss
or paper towels in the container. Your snakes will go into this hide when
they are getting ready to shed.
Lighting
UV lighting is generally not considered necessary for corns. A simple
fluorescent light can be used during the day to illuminate the vivarium, if
desired.
Feeding
Cornsnakes can be maintained on a diet of frozen and thawed mice for
their entire lives. Hatchling corns start out feeding every 5 days on 1-3
day old pinky mice, and large adults will feed every 10-14 days on adult
mice. For a useful feeding schedule and chart, please click this link.
Please do not handle your cornsnake for 48 hours after feeding it, or
you may cause it to regurgitate its meal.
Temperament & Handling
Cornsnakes are among the best snake species for families with small
children because they tolerate handling well. Most cornsnakes will
become very tame with regular, gentle handling sessions. Cornsnakes
are often very hesitant to bite, and for the most part will not leave much
of a mark if they contact human skin. It is often more surprising than
painful when one is bitten by a cornsnake-- you find yourself asking
"Did he just bite me?" and often can see no damage!
Gender & Compatability
Cornsnake gender can be determined at hatchling size by "popping"
the corns genitals out of its cloaca (opening at the base of the tail
where feces, urates and sex cells will pass). This can damage the
snake if not done correctly, and should only be attempted by
experienced individuals. Adult snakes can be sexed by probing, which
is another procedure best left to experts. For the purposes of a single
pet corn snake, gender does not matter. Males and females both can
make wonderful pets.
Cornsnakes should not be housed together (this is true for most
snakes) due to health and feeding concerns. Snakes are not by nature
inclined to seek out the company of other snakes, and forced
cohabitation often leads to stressed and sick animals. Do your snakes
a favor and house them seperately. If you can afford a second snake,
you can afford a second habitat. MDR will not knowingly sell snakes to
people who cohabitate.
Life Span
A well cared for cornsnake can live as long as 20 years. Keep this in
mind when purchasing a pet cornsnake for your child. Even the
youngest of children will reach college age during the corn's lifespan.
Make sure that you as a parent are ready and willing to take over the
snake's care if your child becomes bored of the snake or leaves your
home to attend school and cannot take the snake with him or her.
Recommended Reading
The books at left are all excellent sources of information regarding corn
and rat snakes. The photos link you to a purchase page via Amazon.
Cornsnakes are a North American native species occurring across
much of the eastern and south-eastern portion of the continent. They
are sometimes known as red rat snakes. Close relatives include other
North American rat snakes such as Kisatchies, Emoryis, yellow and
black rats.
Vivarium Size & Design
Cornsnakes are fairly simple to maintain. An ideal vivarium for a
hatchling corn is a 10 gallon aquarium with a locking screen lid.
Hatchlings require a lot of hiding spaces, and will spend much of their
time hidden. They enjoy hides from which they can watch without being
seen. Hides can be simple, such as toilet paper roles or recycled food
containers, or fancy, such as store-bought fake caves, trees and
coconut hides. Some of our most popular corn snake hides have been
made from discarded materials (see photos at left).
Cornsnakes, like most snakes, are escape artists, so make certain
that there are no holes in your snakes vivarium, and that the lid locks
into place. You can purchase specialized snake vivs at pet stores with
slide-lock lids, or you can use a normal 10 gallon with a screen lid and
clips to hold the lid down. Do not use rocks or books-- these often fail,
or fall through the screen and injure snakes. Spend the extra $5-10 to
purchase clips. Your snake's life could depend on it!
Adult corn snakes reach a length of 4-5' and can be housed in a 20
gallon long aquarium (30" x 12" x 12") though more space is always
appreciated. Floor space is more important than height, but corns will
often climb and many do utilize branches and "trees" in their
enclosures.
Hatchling and adult corns can be kept on newspaper, paper towels, or
aspen litter as substrate. We use aspen for all our snakes and really
like it.
Temperature & Humidity
Cornsnakes can be maintained year round at a temperature of 85
degrees on the "warm side" of their tank and 75-78 on the cool side. In
order to provide heat, purchase an under tank heater (UTH) and place
it on one side of the vivarium. We use both the Zoo Med and T-Rex
brand UTH's. Zoo Med's UTH is more commonly available from local
pet stores, but the T-Rex brand is actually removable, which can be
beneficial if you ever need to change vivariums. Please make sure
that your UTH only covers 1/3 of the tanks floor. You want your snake
to be able to move between warm and cool sides.
WARNING: When using an under tank heater, a keeper should
ALWAYS regulate it in some fashion. An unregulated UTH that plugs in
to an outlet can produce temperatures as high as 130 degrees
Fahrenheit, which may burn or even kill your snake. In order to control
power output to your UTH, please purchase and use a
power-regulating device like a thermostat or rheostat. You can use
"plug-in" style lamp dimmers from the Home Depot as cheap rheostats
($10) and ZooMed makes a decent small thermostat called the 500R
which runs about $45 in stores.
To measure the temperatures in your vivarium, you can purchase a
digital thermometer for around $8 at your local pet store. Never use
your hand to measure temperatures-- it is not accurate!
Humidity for cornsnakes should be in the 50% range. Most households
in the US fall in this range naturally. If you live in drier areas (American
SW, for instance) you can provide humid hides and larger water bowls
to boost humidity. We provide humid hides for all of our snakes in
order to promote healthy sheds. A humid hide can be made out of a
plastic food container with a hole cut in the lid. Place moistened moss
or paper towels in the container. Your snakes will go into this hide when
they are getting ready to shed.
Lighting
UV lighting is generally not considered necessary for corns. A simple
fluorescent light can be used during the day to illuminate the vivarium, if
desired.
Feeding
Cornsnakes can be maintained on a diet of frozen and thawed mice for
their entire lives. Hatchling corns start out feeding every 5 days on 1-3
day old pinky mice, and large adults will feed every 10-14 days on adult
mice. For a useful feeding schedule and chart, please click this link.
Please do not handle your cornsnake for 48 hours after feeding it, or
you may cause it to regurgitate its meal.
Temperament & Handling
Cornsnakes are among the best snake species for families with small
children because they tolerate handling well. Most cornsnakes will
become very tame with regular, gentle handling sessions. Cornsnakes
are often very hesitant to bite, and for the most part will not leave much
of a mark if they contact human skin. It is often more surprising than
painful when one is bitten by a cornsnake-- you find yourself asking
"Did he just bite me?" and often can see no damage!
Gender & Compatability
Cornsnake gender can be determined at hatchling size by "popping"
the corns genitals out of its cloaca (opening at the base of the tail
where feces, urates and sex cells will pass). This can damage the
snake if not done correctly, and should only be attempted by
experienced individuals. Adult snakes can be sexed by probing, which
is another procedure best left to experts. For the purposes of a single
pet corn snake, gender does not matter. Males and females both can
make wonderful pets.
Cornsnakes should not be housed together (this is true for most
snakes) due to health and feeding concerns. Snakes are not by nature
inclined to seek out the company of other snakes, and forced
cohabitation often leads to stressed and sick animals. Do your snakes
a favor and house them seperately. If you can afford a second snake,
you can afford a second habitat. MDR will not knowingly sell snakes to
people who cohabitate.
Life Span
A well cared for cornsnake can live as long as 20 years. Keep this in
mind when purchasing a pet cornsnake for your child. Even the
youngest of children will reach college age during the corn's lifespan.
Make sure that you as a parent are ready and willing to take over the
snake's care if your child becomes bored of the snake or leaves your
home to attend school and cannot take the snake with him or her.
Recommended Reading
The books at left are all excellent sources of information regarding corn
and rat snakes. The photos link you to a purchase page via Amazon.
Cornsnakes come in a great variety of colors, or morphs, that are genetically
inherited. Steve-O is a 2009 hypomelanistic lavender cornsnake, meaning he
carries the genes for reduced black pigment (hypomelanism) and lavender (purple
color). This gives him a pinkish appearence.
inherited. Steve-O is a 2009 hypomelanistic lavender cornsnake, meaning he
carries the genes for reduced black pigment (hypomelanism) and lavender (purple
color). This gives him a pinkish appearence.
Cornsnakes will use a wide variety of objects as hides, including old gum
containers, as Josh Enlow's corn, Joker, shows in the above left photo. At right are
several other types of hides commonly used by cornsnakes at MDR.
Photo Credit: Josh Enlow.
containers, as Josh Enlow's corn, Joker, shows in the above left photo. At right are
several other types of hides commonly used by cornsnakes at MDR.
Photo Credit: Josh Enlow.
A 20 gallon long vivarium (photo on right), ideally suited for an adult cornsnake. A
regulated undertank heater (right) can be used to keep your snakes vivarium at 85
degrees on the hot side. UTH Photo Credit: Drs. Foster & Smith (click photo for link)
regulated undertank heater (right) can be used to keep your snakes vivarium at 85
degrees on the hot side. UTH Photo Credit: Drs. Foster & Smith (click photo for link)
Skully (upper photo) is a female snow corn and Cobra (lower photo) is a very nice
example of an Okeetee corn. Okeetee's are named after the Okeetee hunt club in
South Carolina, and are well known for their thick, black borders around the
saddles. They come in several named varieties such as Abbott's or Love line
Okeetee, with the names coming from the breeders who developed each line.
example of an Okeetee corn. Okeetee's are named after the Okeetee hunt club in
South Carolina, and are well known for their thick, black borders around the
saddles. They come in several named varieties such as Abbott's or Love line
Okeetee, with the names coming from the breeders who developed each line.
Many times at reptile shows, you will see corn hybrids-- cornsnakes crossed with
another species to make something new. Among the most common of the hybrids
one might see are "jungle" corns (crossed with kingsnakes), "rootbeer" and
"creamsicle" corns (crossed with ratsnakes of various types). Pictured above is
Naomi, a very nice female creamsicle corn out of Rick Krumrine Reptiles stock.
Naomi is owned by Jessica Kuta.
another species to make something new. Among the most common of the hybrids
one might see are "jungle" corns (crossed with kingsnakes), "rootbeer" and
"creamsicle" corns (crossed with ratsnakes of various types). Pictured above is
Naomi, a very nice female creamsicle corn out of Rick Krumrine Reptiles stock.
Naomi is owned by Jessica Kuta.
