Corn
snakes make an excellent first snake because of their manageable
size and they have an unusually mild manner. There seems to
be a rainbow of colors available, with new morphs being introduced
each year. The reasonable prices of Corn snakes also adds to
their popularity. But now that you have one --how should you
set him up?
Origin
:
South Eastern United States.
Size
:
On average Corns will reach a length of 150 to 180cm (4-6ft)
Reaching sexual maturity in their second to third year.
Housing
For a hatchling, a 24L X 24H X 18D inch vivarium is fine but
a 36L X 24H X 18D would carry it through to adulthood, but these
sizes are the minimum so the bigger the better. These tanks
can be brought from me or a reptile shop. Make sure you have
a secure cage, as they are extremely good escape artists. As
with most snakes have an undertank-heating pad on one end of
the tank to provide the snake with a warm and cool selection.
For the bedding or substrate as it’s called, I use birch
wood chips, which can be purchased, from good pet shops. I would
make the bedding depth about 1.5 to 2 inches, because they love
to tunnel through it. Always use a hide box for the snake to
get "away from it all." It should be placed on the
warm side of the tank (heating pad end). The hide can be something
as simple as a paper towel roll or as fancy as the rock caves
that are available, I use cork bark and cut it to the desired
shape, which can be brought easily from garden centers or pet
shops. The snake will be less concerned with the hide box's
looks than you. He or she should also have a water bowl (placed
on the cool side) large enough to soak in and stable enough
to prevent tipping. Again, simple or fancy water bowls matter
more to you than your snake. A good thermometer should be mounted
along the back wall of the tank on the hot side, about 2"
above the bedding. Other than these 3 items (hidebox, bowl,
thermometer) anything else placed in the tank is optional. Most
rat snakes will climb on occasions so branches or wood (cleaned
and disinfected) can be placed in for looks, along with artificial
plants (which will be knocked over enough that you'll tire of
putting them back.) Rock work makes the tank look very naturalistic
as long it is secure (you don't want a landslide burying or
injuring your snake.) There are several products on the market
to prevent slides. Aquarium silicone is a good one to use, as
it is non-toxic and strong. Don't use hardware store silicone
as it contains toxic additives to prevent mildew. Keep the bedding
clean, removing the feces and shed skins as frequently as possible.
I would change all the bedding once every six months, to stop
any diseases forming. Keep their water dish clean and full of
water at all times. If it is dirty, take the time to clean and
disinfect it before refilling it. We have to strive for as a
bacteria-free environment as possible. Setting up your snake's
tank in this way will give your snake (and you) a good looking,
comfortable home.
Lighting
As corn snakes are usually nocturnal they don’t need to
have a basking spot, because in the wild they get their heat
from rocks which have heated up during the day by the sun. So
a spotlight is not required, as they will get their heat from
the heat mat.
I recommend using a florescent light, as these lights do not
give off much heat so there is no risk of the snake burning
it’s self. The heat pad will normally be sufficient to
heat the tank, but if it is very cold you may use different
means to heat the tank, like spotlights etc.
Feeding
Corn snakes feed readily on a diet of pre-killed rodents, mice
being the common choice. These can be brought from reptile pet
shops or me, these should be slightly bigger than the width
of your corn snakes body. Frozen mice should be defrosted thoroughly,
by leaving them in a clean plastic bag for a few hours, until
the stomach is warm. Feed your snakes one or two mice at one
feeding per week, this will give you a nice sized healthy snake.
The use of long tweezers is helpful in preventing cross-scenting
from hand to rodent (especially with hatchling and juvenile
snakes). If you don’t, your snake might think your hand
is a mouse, because your hand smells like one from handling
a mouse, so it might possibly strike but is not very likely
to happen. If your snake does not eat there are several things
that can be tried to feed your troublesome snake. First, place
a newborn mouse pink inside the snakes enclosure overnight.
If the snake does not eat it, then take the snake and the pink
and place them both in a much smaller container like a lunch
box overnight. If this still does not work, give the snake a
couple days of rest then try again if not, You will have to
try a split brain pink. This involves taking a DEAD pink and
cutting into the head to expose the brain. Place the split brain
pink and the snake into a lunch box overnight. This will often
work. If not, then seek help from me, or a good reptile shop
that has experience of troublesome feeders. Although the information
above is a bit frightening and at times gruesome, do not be
discouraged as most pet owners will never have to deal with
these problems, especially with a corn snake. However, if you
intend to breed your snakes then you will need to be familiar
with these techniques.
Shedding
Humans shed there skin all the time, but snakes can not do this
so they have to shed a hole layer of skin to grow and get rid
of any external parasites that may be on them. So your snake
will shed every 4-8 weeks. About a week before they shed, your
snake will seem to go dull and your snake’s eyes will go
cloudy, this is a natural process so don’t get worried
about it. Give your snake plenty of water so the skin can separate,
at this time do not feed your snake as it can become stressful
and your snake may not shed properly. About a day or two before
shedding begins, your snake will become clear this is because
liquid has filled up between the skins. If you are lucky you
will see your snake shed it’s skin. It starts by pushing
it’s head against a rough surface (a rough rock should
be provided for this) and the skin around it’s head separates,
the snake pushes it’s hole body through the opening and
turns the shedded skin inside out. The skin will be clear in
color and should show every detail of the snake in it. If you
have a healthy snake the shedded skin will be complete. You
can also measure the shedded skin to work out an approximate
length of your snake. After your snake has shed resume your
normal feeding schedule.
Here
are some other tips on care:
1)Never feed your snake in his tank. He will get used to your
hand having food and one of these days he's going to consider
your hand food.
2) Never hold the food by the tail so your snake can take it
from you. Their eyesight is poor and they use heat, smell, and
motion to locate their prey. Let's see; your temp is 98.6F,
you have the tail of the prey rodent in your fingers, so your
fingers now smell like prey, and if you're shaking the prey,
there is motion. Ever wonder why you get bit doing this?
3) Never handle your snake right after it eats. The stress can
cause it to regurgitate, and that's not very appetizing. Leave
it alone to digest its food properly for at least 48 hours.
4) Always wash your hands before and after you handle your snake.
We all know why we do it afterwards, but I feel that washing
before is just as important. It neutralizes any smell that may
be on your hands. Plus. When you think about it, your snake,
in his tank, doesn't come into contact with nearly as many germs
and pathogens as you do in a normal day. Let's not allow him
to catch anything from us (you never know.)
5) Don't overfeed. It seems to shorten their lifespan.
Corn Snake Breeding
Sexing
The first thing you will need to know is if you have a male
and a female. Corn snakes become sexually mature between 18
and 24 months before this time it is very difficult to tell
what sex they are because there reproductive organs have not
developed enough to be noticeable. The male Corn snakes have
more slender tails (the tail starts where the single scales
on it’s belly meet the double scales on it’s tail)
that taper gradually from a wider base. Female Corn snake has
slightly shorter tails that taper more abruptly from a relatively
narrow base. This way of identifying males and females is a
bit, hit and miss. So to know definitely you will have to have
your snake probed this evolves inserting a metal pole with a
smooth ball on the end into the snake’s vent, you can then
tell what sex it is by how deep the probe is inserted. This
is a very delicate procedure so only experienced people should
perform such a task. You can have your snakes probed by asking
a reptile pet shop owner to do it (they may charge you for doing
it) or a vet that has reptile experience.
Prebreeding Conditioning:
Before beginning to breed your snakes, inspect them closely.
They should be in optimal health and have good weight. They
should have a minimum size of 30 inches and weigh at least 100
grams. If your snakes are smaller than this or are thin or otherwise
not in optimal health, then wait until the following year to
breed them. Otherwise, you may end up with a dead snake or experience
problems like egg binding. The generally accepted method of
breeding corn snakes involves a period of cooling called brumation
which is similar to hibernation but the snakes still remain
active to some extent. This involves first stopping feeding
two weeks before the cooling period is to begin. This is to
eliminate any remaining food still inside the snake, which could
rot inside the snake during cooling and potentially kill it.
After the two weeks are over, slowly decrease the temperature
over several days until a temperature of about 55F to 60F is
reached. Keep the snakes at this temperature for two to three
months usually from December through to February. Check on the
snake's health frequently, and change their water weekly. If
any signs of respiratory infections are seen then warm the snake
up and treat the infection. Do not feed the snakes during this
time. At the end of the cooling period, slowly warm the snakes
up to the normal maintenance temperatures and begin feeding.
Feed the females as much as they will eat in order to fatten
them up before breeding, but only feed small prey items first
of all so they get used to feeding again.
Mating:
After her first or sometimes second shed, the female will be
ready to mate. Start to introduce the female into the male's
cage. Watch the pair closely, if the female is ready for breeding
she will produce pheromones from her skin which will attract
the male. The male will start to chase the female and rub his
"chin" along her back. Actual mating usually lasts
about 20 minutes or so, but could last an hour or more. If they
do not mate after an hour or two, separate them and try again
in a day or two. If they do breed, then separate them afterward
and reintroduce them every couple of days until she has been
mated at least three times. This should ensure the fertility
of the eggs. After the female has been mated, again start an
accelerated feeding schedule. Feed the female smaller, easily
digested food items every few days. She will need these nutrient
reserves to produce the eggs. About six weeks after mating,
the female will undergo a shed cycle. At this time you will
need to give her a nest box to lay her eggs in. This box should
contain moist (but not wet) sphagnum moss in a closed dark container.
I use a plastic storage box (shoebox size) with a hole cut in
the side. Remember to cut the hole larger than normal, as she
will be swollen with eggs. About 10 days after shedding, the
female will become very active as she searches for the best
place to lay her eggs. She will usually settle down inside the
nest box and lay her eggs, from 5 to 30 depending on the size
of the female, sometime over the next couple of days. After
she lays her eggs, feed her a smaller than normal prey item
for the next couple of feedings. She will be weak from her pregnancy
and small prey items will be easier for her to eat and digest.
If a second mating and egg clutch are to be attempted, then
again feed her on the accelerated feeding schedule. After her
next shed, start to reintroduce the male as before. Remember
though that a second clutch of fertile eggs is possible without
a second breeding due to stored sperm. After the second clutch
is laid, it will be even more important for the female to regain
her lost weight. Feed her as much as she will eat until she
has regained good weight.
Care
for the eggs and babies:
It is critical not to rotate the eggs after they are laid and
if the eggs are stuck together leave them as they are because
if you pull them apart you risk rupturing the eggshell resulting
in the death of the young snake. Unlike bird eggs, in snake
eggs the developing embryo will attach to the top surface of
the egg. Rotating the egg may cause the egg yolk to cover the
embryo; leading to its death by suffocation. Note the position
of each egg as it lays in the nest box and maintain this position
when transferring the eggs into the incubator. The eggs should
be placed inside a container (plastic food containers with the
lid work well) filled with coarse, damp vermiculite or damp
sphagnum moss. The vermiculite should be mixed with water 1:1
by weight. This should make the vermiculite damp enough to just
clump when squeezed together, the same should be done with sphagnum
moss. The container should then be placed inside an incubator
of some kind that will maintain a temperature of 82°F (28°C)
and should have good humidity so very small water droplets form
on the inside of the box. Watch the eggs closely, if they begin
to dimple or cave in, then add a little more water by light
spraying with warm water. The eggs should hatch in 6 to 8 weeks
but can take up to 12 weeks if the temperatures are low. Various
incubators exist, but I just use a heat mat on a good thermostat
and put the box containing the eggs in on top, I have found
that this works quite well. A day or two before the eggs hatch,
the texture of the eggs will change. They will appear to be
thinner shelled. They may also dimple somewhat. When the eggs
start to hatch, the baby (neonate) snake will slit open the
leathery egg by means of a temporary egg tooth located on the
tip of their snouts. As the egg is slit, a clear to yellowish
jelly-like fluid will ooze from the egg, and this is perfectly
normal. This is simply egg white as seen in chicken eggs. The
presence of this fluid is often the first sign that the eggs
are hatching. The babies will often remain inside the slit egg
for a day or two with just their heads sticking out of the slit.
Do NOT try to force the baby out of its egg before it is ready,
as it will be attached to an umbilicus and yolk sac. Forcing
it out of its protective egg may result in killing the snake
due to dehydration, as water will be quickly lost through the
yolk sac and umbilicus. Also, do not cut the umbilicus, as it
will cause the snake to bleed to death. The umbilicus will fall
off on its own in a day or two so wait until the snake leaves
its egg on its own. Set up each baby snake (neonate) into an
enclosure. When it is feeding time (usually after their first
shed) separate the baby snakes into separate boxes, because
if you don’t they may possibly eat each other, because
two snakes might grab each end of the mouse at the same time
and start eating it. When they meet they will either stop eating
and suffocate because the mouse is stuck. Or the biggest one
wins by eating the smaller one but this will result in both
snakes dying because the one eating it wont be able to swallow
the hole thing so die of suffocation and the other one will
die because it has been eaten. I use plastic lunchboxes with
many very small holes drilled into all the sides. Use paper
towels as substrate and put the pinky mouse in the box with
it. The baby snakes will usually start eating sometime after
their first shed. Start them off on a thawed frozen newborn
(pinky) mouse. If your snake does not eat there are several
things that can be tried to feed your troublesome snake. First,
place a newborn mouse pink inside the snakes enclosure overnight.
If the snake does not eat it, then take the snake and the pink
and place them both in a much smaller container like a lunch
box overnight. If this still does not work, give the snake a
couple days of rest then try again if not, You will have to
try a split brain pink. This involves taking a DEAD pink and
cutting into the head to expose the brain. Place the split brain
pink and the snake into a lunch box overnight. This will often
work. If not, then seek help from me, or a good reptile shop
that has experience of troublesome feeders.
Thank you, for reading this and I hope this gives you some information
about your snake, but don’t take my word for it read some
other books about corn snakes to find out different methods
of doing things.
©Copyright of Martin's Reptiles 2000
