(Pantherophis guttatus)

Introduction: Corn snakes make excellent pets due to there calm nature and general hardiness; this makes it a popular choice for many to get as a first snake. They can live 20-25 years, but some have been known to live longer. While there are many different morphs (genes that alter the colours and patterns) we’re going to focus on the wild type that is found naturally in the wild. Corn snakes are a vibrant orange with other orange blotches outlined in black along is body while their belly feature is a lovely white and black chequered pattern. They are closely related to rat snakes, so some people call them a “red rat snake”. They originate from Southeast United States so their environment can range from forest floor to grasslands. They can range from 3 to 5 ft in length and normally stay around 400g to 900g in weight.

Housing: Corn snakes should be contained in a vivarium in which the animal should be able to fully stretch out along the width, and the height should be at least a third of their body length. A hatchling, however, may become stressed in a larger vivarium, so it is important to start them in smaller housing with lots of foliage for them to hide in, and gradually move them into bigger vivarium’s as they grow. Their housing must be secure to prevent them from escaping and free from hazards that could potentially cause injury. Good ventilation in the enclosure is essential, this is to prevent the build up of harmful bacteria that may grow in unventilated set ups. The vivarium should be made from a solid material that is easy to clean and retains heat such as MFC (Melamine-Faced Chipboard) or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).

Decorating the vivarium is entirely your discretion, as long as you have plenty of foliage and ground cover with a big enough water dish for the snake to fully soak if it wishes. Given the opportunity, corn snakes may want to climb, so providing branches and perches could be beneficial.

Husbandry: While Corn snakes are a hardier snake, they still need the right temperature and humidity range to thrive. There should be a temperature gradient in the vivarium so the snake can choose where they want to be. The cool side of the enclosure should be sat in the range of 24°C- 27°C (75-80°F), with the warmer end being in the range of 29°C-32°C (85-90°F). The enclosure should be between 30-50% humidity and should be increased to around 55-60% humidity when the animal is coming into shed. This will improve results when they do begin to shed their skin. A humid box could be provided in the enclosure to achieve this if necessary.

General care: A water dish big enough for the snake to bathe in should be provided in the cool end, which should be changed with fresh water daily. Sometimes the snake may soil in the water so it may have to be changed earlier than this. Poorly maintained enclosures can pose a serious health risk to your snake, to avoid this, the enclosure must be spot checked daily, and any excrement, urates or urine-soaked areas removed. Then, once a month, with a reptile safe disinfectant, clean down the enclosure, glass and decorations making sure to rinse and dry everything thoroughly. While Corn snakes in the wild have quite a varied diet, not everything is so easily available, so a diet of rodents is the most common for those in captivity. Baby corn snakes should be fed one baby mouse every 5 to 7 days, moving up the size of the prey item as the snake grows, a rule of thumb is that the prey item should only be slightly wider than the snake’s thickest part of the body. An adult Corn snake can be fed every 10 to 14 days, it is important not to overfeed your snake as they can get overweight quite easily, potentially causing health risks.

Overview: We would recommend Corn snakes for novice snake keepers as they are very easy to care for. While they are quite fast when small, they do mellow out as they grow, making them one of the more suitable snakes for handling. Their many available colours and patterns means there is a corn snake out there to suit everyone.