Cornsnake Care Sheet Enclosure/Caging A corn snakes cage only need be large enough to house the snakes comfortably. A hatchling would be comfortable in a plastic shoe sized cage. A corn 14-24 inches in length needs a 10-15 gallon long aquarium, while an adult needs atleaset a 20 gallon long aquarium or double shoe sized cage. Ventilation is important, a wide variety of screen tops are available to fit any aquarium. If you use plastic caging, sufficient air holes must be drilled or melted through the sides to provide adequate air transfer and to prevent excessive humidity from building up within. Racks are specifically built to hold a dozen or moreplastic boxes are now available. Many of these shelving units even have a hea tape built in. Most reptile expos now held across the country advertise these. The Cage Some corns like to climb and some don't so depending on the snake it's up to it if it wants to climb(give it something to climb on but it's not neccesary). Hide boxes are a MUST, one in each side of the cage for the warm side and cool side. The opening to the hide box should be just larger than the snake so it rubs it's body against the opening when entering. A flat rock or log pieces also work well. Also a MUST is a water bowl, it should be big enough so that the snake is able to soak in it (it's entire body). The water bowl should be placed in the cool side of the cage so that humidity doesn't become as serious when placed in the warm side. The bottom of the cage MUST have a substrate, though it's not very appealing newspaper and paper towels are very sanitary, cheap and readily available. They can be cleaned up very fast and easy. Repti-carpet is also a good substrate, it absorbes moisture fast and easily, it can be washed very easily and hung to dry. Pine, aspen and fir wood chips/shavings are also fast absorbent, easily cleaned, and very sanitary. These are also non toxic unlike cedar (DO NOT USE CEDAR, IT IS TOXIC). Also sand and gravel are not good substrates because they can cause impactions, contain mites, and be filled with dust. I use Aspen wood shavings because they are easy to clean up, cheap, and easier on the digestive system, it also absorbs great. Lighting and Heating Except during hibernation when the terrarium temperature should be uniformly cool, thermal gradients should be provided. Keep one end of the tank cool at about 70-80 degrees Farenhight, and allow the other end to sit atop a heating unit or have a heat lamp of some type. Corsnakes will want the hot end in the 75-88 degrees Farenheight range. A hide box should be kept cool at both ends. You also don't want to disturb the day/night sycle so providing some form of light during day is prfered but not necesary. If you wnat to be able to view your corn at night and provide heat use a red or blue light. Night time temps should range from 70-77 degrees farenheight. If the heating unit you choose is not thermostatically controlled, add an in-line rheostat or other such regulating is , serious thermal burns have occured during the use of hot rocks so do not use them (DO NOT USE HOT ROCKS) Rather than heat/cool/light individual cages, some very successful hobbyists treat large collections of cornsnakes, even if individually caged, as a single unit. The temperature of the room devoted to the collections is thermostatically controlled. The lighting, which usually coincides with a natural/normal photoperiod, is on a timer. You should also allow a drop in temperature at night but not below 70 degrees farenheight. Feeding Hatchlings will readilly eat a pinkie mouse every 4-5 days, yearling corns will eat hoppers-fuzzies every 5-7 days and adult corns will readilly eat adult mice once every 7-10 days. If you are feeding your corn frozen mice be sure to thaugh it out in warm water until FULLY thaughed. If the mouse isn't fully thaughed the snake will regurgetate it. You should also not handle your snake for atleast 48 hours after it has been fed. It is also bad to feed your corn live prey because it is dangerous for it's life. If the snake is not hungry the predator may become the hunted and the snake will become food for the snake. Also it is a bad idea to feed your corn crickets because they die and rot causing bacteria to infest it. Problem Feeders (based on hatchling size food) If your corn does not want to eat there are many options to get your corn to start eating. You should always start out with a frozen/thawed pinkie. If that doesn't work put it in a paper bag with the thawed pinkie, this means that the only thing the hatchling can do is focus on th pinkie. If that doesn't work put them both in a deli cup this does basically the same thing as the paper bag but forces the hatchling to be even closer to the pinkie. If none of these methods work try a live pinkie. If these methods don't work try braining the pinkie, cut the skin around the skull or prick the head so the juices come out making the pinkie smell even better. You could also try snapping the heads off the pinkies and thaw them to try, some corns think that the food item presented might be to big for them and want something smaller. Scenting is also a great way to get your hatchling to eat. To scent a pinkie purchase a lizard and freeze it, cut little pieces of skin off it and place it on the pinkie or cut the lizards belly open and rub the pinkies head all over so the juices get on it. If all these fail, purchase a lizard and try feeding it to the hatchling first frozen/thawed then live if the thawed lizard doesn't work. (The best lizard to use is a GREEN ANOLE)in my preferance. Shedding Humidity is an important thing in this process, so keep it around 50% all the time. Newborns shed about every 3-4 weeks, juvenilles shed around every 4-6 weeks, and adults shed about an average of 2-3 months. Your corns eyes should start to look faded and its luster of the skin should appear as if there was a very thin film on it. When the skin is shed make sure it comes off all at once, MAKE SURE THE EYE COVERS COME OFF. If the shed comes off in pieces it might mean your corn has mites or the humidity is just to low (DRY). You should let your snake soak in its water bowl before shedding to aid it in the process (it will come off easier). Also putting them in a warm water bath with just enough water to submarge in, a rock to climb up on when tired and enough space to swim. Let the snake swim in the warm water for about 30 minutes then let it crawl trough a ruff towel to help the shed off or put it back in its cage to shed itself. If the eye caps don't come off in the shed a dab of mineral oil on it usually helps or you could wait until next shed wheree it usually comes off. Cornsnakes are very docile in nature compared to other snakes and only strike when feeling that it is in harms way. Also they might strike due to not being used to being handled (this usually only occurs in young and wild corns). B So in other words cornsnakes are a wonderfully docile and easy to care for snake/pet. |
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