Corn Snake Care Sheet

So why is a corn snake called a corn snake? Well, it's mainly because it is commonly found around cornfields, cribs, and silos. Of course, it does not eat corn (there are no vegetarian snakes), but it haunts these areas in search of preferred foods- rodents and small birds.

Its second common name, the red rat snake, comes from its coloration in comparison to that of other North American rat snakes, especially its close cousin the Great Plaints rat snake, Elaphe guttata emoryi, which looks very similar to E. g. guttata in pattern and size.

Habitats

Habits

In nature they are primarily nocturnal, preferring the strategic advantage of darkness when hunting their prey. They can be found both on the ground and in the air, scaling trees and shrubs in the hope of finding small birds and, in extreme cases, birds’ eggs on which to feed. They are constrictors, wrapping their body in coils around their prey to suffocate it.

They are active from March to October (a little later in the southern parts of the range), and will become completely nocturnal during months of extreme heat. They are lively creatures, typical for rat snakes, and will boldly maintain their ground and lash out viciously when threatened in the wild. Also, as with many non-rattlesnakes, they will vibrate their tails as a warning to would-be antagonists.

Captive bred corn snakes, on the other hand, that have been handled by humans since hatching are usually the most docile of snakes. Under normal circumstances it would not occur to them to bite someone. Occasionally a very young hatchling, that hasn't yet learnt any better manners, will nip at your hand if you move too fast. But this is only a tickle and doesn't hurt. Nobody worries about a little puppy dog's playful nipping- a bite from a baby corn snake is much less.

Pet Shops

Spend a little time inspecting each pet store you visit before buying anything. If you are going to buy an animal from this place, it’s important that you like it. Cleanliness is of course a huge consideration. Be fair and understand that pet shops, naturally, harbor a large number of animals, so they won’t exactly be the as clean as operating rooms. With that in mind, however, you should still be comfortable with what you see, hear, smell, and touch. If the place is really filthy, go to a different store.

One more important point- since you’ve bothered to take the time inspecting the store, why not inspect the snake you are thinking of buying, too? Ask to see the record kept of it's feeding- this may just be a piece of paper taped to it's container with dates on it, but that will do. All you are interested in knowing is whether this snake is a good regular feeder or not.

Breeders

But thanks to the great strides made in herpetoculture in the 1990s, and again thanks to the conveniences afforded us via the Internet, there are more people breeding reptiles than ever before, and they’re easier to locate, too. And let’s not forget that corn snakes are among the most often-bred snake species in the world- they could in fact be the most frequently bred individual species.

Housing

Reptiles don't bother with all that- which is why they don't need to eat anything like as much (or as often) as a mammal. Did you know an adult corn snake, under the right conditions and provided it was reasonably fat and healthy to start with, could quite easily go three months without food? It would still need fresh water every day, but food it can do without.

So, with no internal heating to keep it warm and regulate it's temperature, a reptile needs to find an external source of warmth in order to warm up. And when it has had enough of that, it must find a cool place for when it becomes too hot. In the wild, obviously, reptiles bask in the direct sunshine or sit on a warm rock to warm up and then find a cool shady place when they are too warm.

Properly housing a corn snake in captivity is not difficult. All corn snakes need a graduation of temperature in their vivarium (cage), to mimic their natural habitat as close as possible. This is achieved by heating only one end of the snake's vivarium, leaving the other end at normal room temperature- thus giving it the choice of warming up or cooling down.

The Vivarium [Snake Cage]

When housing many hatchlings this is the only practical way- heating for a whole shelf full of boxes being done by an elongated heatmat, a heat strip, with the boxes in a row, half on and half off the heat strip. But once home with you, you will want a vivarium suitable for a small hatchling up to one year old or so.

Snakes don't like big wide open spaces- so it is no good getting an adult size vivarium now and plonking your new hatchling down in the middle of it. All that space will stress him out.

Corn snakes, even five feet long fully grown adult ones, only require a vivarium about three feet long by fifteen to eighteen inches high by 15 inches from front to back. This is plenty big enough, in fact, for a pair of corn snakes.

Keeping two snakes in one vivarium is ok, but three or more is a crowd. If you have three snakes then you will need at least two vivariums- or else one very big one. And a larger size vivarium brings further problems with keeping it warm enough.

Corn snakes are amongst the world's greatest escape artists- Houdini himself could not do any better! The tiniest crack or opening will be exploited to the full and your snake will be out.

And once out in the room, a snake can be very difficult to find- more corn snake hatchlings die through being "lost" than anything else. So, to avoid a lot of stress and heartache, always, always make sure you have securely closed the vivarium after it has been open.

Heating, Lighting and Ventilation

The heatmat should be placed at one end of the vivarium, covering roughly half the floor area, thus giving the snake a choice of warm and cool areas.

Of course, there are other ways to heat a vivarium and these include heat lamps and "hot-rocks". Neither of these methods are very suitable. Heat lamps have a tendency to heat the whole vivarium to an even temperature throughout- thus denying the snake the chance to have warm and cool areas in which to regulate it's temperature. And hot-rocks, which have an electrical heating element running through them, are well known to have hot spots- hot enough to burn your snake.

For the small kind of plastic vivarium described above and for glass aquariums, a heatmat will have to be placed on the shelf (or whatever you keep the vivarium on) and the vivarium stood on top of it, the heat traveling up through the base of the vivarium.

For all other kinds of vivarium, the heatmat should be inside the vivarium, taped to the floor all round the edge with gaffer tape, with the substrate spread over it. A very small exit hole, only just big enough (no bigger), should be drilled through at the rear of the vivarium for the electrical cable. For glass and plastic vivariums, the heatmat will probably need to be on continuously, so a thermostat would probably not be required.

For vivariums where you place the heatmat inside, you will probably find that with a heatmat that is continuously switched on, the warm area will get too warm. If this happens, then a thermostat and heat sensor need to be incorporated in the system, to automatically switch the heatmat on and off as necessary. This and all other items for your vivarium can be purchased at a good reptile pet shop.

To keep a check on temperatures, you should obtain a couple of those liquid crystal display thermometers- the type you see stuck to the sides of fish aquariums. Simply lay these on the surface of the substrate, one at each end. The one on the warm end should read 78-85°F. The other one, roughly around room temperature, should be about 70-75°F.

If your corn snake is continually on the warm end, then try raising the temperature very slightly. If, on the other hand, it is continually at the cool end of the vivarium or sits in his water bowl a lot of the time, then try lowering the temperature a little.

You should never place your vivarium where it will be in direct sunlight- it will get far too hot. Also be aware that sudden temperature changes will be very harmful to your snake, but if anything, too cool is better than too hot. Being too hot will slowly kill your snake.

Being slightly too cold will just cause him to become very inactive and sleep a lot. However, it is important that the snake has somewhere warm enough when digesting a meal- being too cool will slow his digestive system down to the point where it can stop. This would be very bad for the snake.

Corn snakes do not need a light in order to survive, like some other reptiles do. In fact, being mostly nocturnal, they would probably prefer no light. But most reptile pet owners like to put some kind of light in the vivarium- to see their pet better- and it does the snake no harm, provided it is not too bright and creating too much heat.

An ordinary 60watt household bulb will be quite adequate- anything more will put out too much heat. The light must be placed at the same end as the heatmat- so that all the warmth is at the one end. You should rig the light to a time switch, so that it switches on and off automatically, morning and evening. On for about ten or twelve hours a day is plenty enough.

Remember to make sure a mesh guard is fitted around any parts that will get hot- corn snakes aren't renowned for intelligence and will put their noses right up to a light bulb and burn themselves- so a mesh really ought to be used.

Hides

Humans, though, prefer their snakes to live in a vivariums which look "natural". So, hollow bark "logs" (roughly semicircular sections of tree bark from the cork tree) are popular, obtainable from most reptile pet stores- you can see a suitable piece in the picture above. There are also man made artificial hollow logs available as an alternative as well as various other kinds of hides.

It is unlikely that the snake will defecate under the hide or directly on it, but for routine cleaning of most hides, gently wash in soap and water, using an old toothbrush in the nooks and crannies and rinse off under the tap. Leave it to stand and dry before replacing in the vivarium. A cardboard tube, of course, would just be thrown away and replaced- easy.

But different people have different tastes and I have even seen a hide made from Lego bricks- and another that was an earthenware castle, complete with turret! So long as it is easily cleaned or replaced, then there are many things that can be used as a hide.

Another material that has been used are rocks of various kinds. Rocks or stones really don't make a good hide, particularly any that are abrasive or have sharp edges. Also the risk of a propped up rock falling down on a snake's head does not bear thinking about- the bones of their skulls are wafer thin. Snakes, when curled up and sleeping, shift around a bit- and when doing so can exert a considerable sideways force, enough to eventually break any cemented rocks apart.

Lastly, you should avoid the habit of lifting your corn snake’s hiding place every time you want to “have a look at him.” Remember that this is their private place and should be given the proper respect. Your pets often go in there because they want to be left alone. Constantly exposing them will only inflict further stress and make them feel less comfortable and secure.

Substrate

Most breeders use newspaper simply because it is the most practical and easy to maintain and costs nothing. When a sheet gets soiled, it is easily removed and replaced with another. In the case of small hatchlings in shoe-boxes, a folded sheet of paper toweling is usually more convenient- the folds of paper often providing a hide for the snake as well.

However, most owners of pet corn snakes like to have something a bit more interesting or natural for humans to look at for their pet snakes home. There are several alternatives, but corn snakes will do best with wood chips, or bark mulch. There’s no need to provide any more than an inch-thick layer of any substrate. These substrates are best purchased at your local pet shop; they will know what is suitable and all are very affordable.

Unsuitable substrates for corn snakes would include sand and sawdust- the fine grains and dust would be ingested or cause respiratory problems for the snake. Also beware of certain kinds of woodchippings- cedarwood, for instance, is poisonous.

Alternative kinds of substrate that I have seen used include carpet mats, snugly fitting on the base of the vivarium. You need two- one as a spare, handy at all times which can be swapped for the one in use if it gets soiled. In the same manner, pieces of Astroturf (plastic lawn) could be used.

Water Bowl

It is probably easiest if you have two bowls- so you just have to take one bowl out and put the other bowl with fresh water into the vivarium (and then clean the one you've just taken out, ready for the next day).

The bowl should be of a type that the snake cannot get his nose under and tip over. Remember he will also clamber right over it- and right into it sometimes.

Some corn snakes like to have a soak in water now and then- if you find this is the case with your snake, then buy a bigger bowl. One of those big earthenware ones with DOG written on the side are ideal.

Some snakes get in the habit of defecating in their water bowl- which is quite convenient from a cleaning point of view. But if you see this has happened, you must change the water straight away- the snake is not intelligent enough to realize this water is contaminated and no good for drinking.

Dirty water is a breeding ground for germs, bacteria, and every other nasty little creature that threatens your pets’ health. And they won’t know any better- if they’re thirsty, they’ll drink regardless of what the water looks or smells like. It’s up to you to make sure their water is clean.

If you are going away for a weekend, you could leave your snake for two days without changing his water. It would be a good idea to put two bowls of water in the vivarium. Doing this occasionally won't cause any harm to your snake.

If you are going away for longer, then you will need to find a friendly neighbor to perform the simple task of changing the snakes water- every other day would probably be sufficient for a while.

Branches

Then again, we’re talking about branches here- unless you live in an area that is completely devoid of forestation (which is unlikely), you should be able to get a steady supply of them. Just make sure you strip all bark off (to get bugs out- and beware of woodworm).

And to sterilize it, leave it in a warm oven for a while- that'll roast any other nasties that are left- just make sure the oven isn't too hot and you set the place on fire! Make sure there are no sharp points which the snake could hurt himself on- and also be careful to securely fix the branch inside the vivarium- it must not wobble when the snake climbs it.

Cleaning

Once a day, when changing the snakes drinking water, you should check to see if your snake has defecated. If it has, put on a rubber glove, remove the fecal matter and clean or replace whatever it was sitting on or in, e.g., if it was in the water bowl, the bowl must also be cleaned. If it was on the substrate, scoop out the soiled portion and replace it with clean substrate. If it was paper toweling, simply throw it out and replace with new. Paper towels are inexpensive enough so that just about anyone can afford to do this each time. After all, snakes generally only defecate once between meals, usually two or three days after feeding.

Extensive, thorough cleanings should be performed once every couple of months or so, even if you don’t feel the vivarium needs it. Keep in mind that some of the most threatening organisms are microscopic, so don’t be fooled by the thought that the vivarium “looks” clean. A lot of things that look clean really aren’t clean at all.

Take out the snakes first (obviously). You can keep them in a temporary holding bucket or box, where they’ll probably grumble and complain, but they’ll get over it. Then remove all items (hiding places, water bowls, branches), and put them in their own bucket. Now remove the substrate and either wash it thoroughly (e.g., gravel) or throw it out (paper towels, wood chips, etc.).

When a corn snake is kept in a glass aquarium, the aquarium will naturally have to be cleaned as well as everything else. Fill it with warm, soapy water, then go over every inch (don’t forget those awkward corners!) with a sponge or a soft (very soft) scrub pad. Rinse with cool water and dry thoroughly. Add new substrate, then clean the vivarium items in the same way, making sure they are scrubbed until they’re spotless.

If you house your corn snakes in a wood or chipboard vivarium, follow the same method outlined previously, except, obviously, don’t fill the vivarium with water!

I have found baby wipes to be perfect for cleaning off fecal spots. Also run them along the seams and in the corners, then wipe the insides clean with a paper towel moistened with clean tap water. Remove sliding glass doors completely and give them a good wash with soapy water, rinse, dry and replace.

Feeding

Most corn snakes available in the hobby are captive-bred these days and the vast majority will accept food without fuss. But a few can be stubborn, refusing food until there’s almost nothing left of them.

There are ways to persuade a reluctant hatchling to start feeding- these will be discussed a bit later- but if everything fails and the snake simply refuses to eat, then help should be sought initially from the source from where the snake came from (pet shop or breeder) or else should be given veterinary attention or handed over to a zoo, where an expert can deal with them.

Getting stuck with a corn snake that withers and dies because it won’t eat is a nightmarish experience, and in the end you will more than likely be permanently turned off from the whole snake keeping hobby. Don’t let this happen.

Please note that herptiles do sometimes go through fasting periods and simply don’t want or need any food (this is especially common with larger, older specimens). As soon as you get a new corn snake, weigh it to establish a point of reference.

Then, if the animal decides not to eat for a few weeks, weigh it again. If it hasn’t lost any weight, then perhaps the animal is fasting. If after another two weeks or so it still isn’t eating, then you might want to consider a vet visit.

If you are heading off on vacation, then you could leave your adult snake quite easily without food for two weeks or more- so your friendly neighbor is spared the task of feeding and cleaning up later- he will just need to change the snakes water for you. Hatchlings and growing snakes are different- they need regular feeding and should not be deprived of food more than necessary.

Common Food Items

There are some other species of snakes that eat only birds eggs, but none eat vegetables at all. Corn snakes preferred prey is small rodents and sometimes lizards, although they have been known to take small birds from time to time. A corn snake keeper, obviously, will have an easier time supplying his or her specimens with mice than anything else.

Mice and Rats- These are probably the most commonly offered food item to rodent-eating snakes. They provide plenty of nutrition and are widely available in pet shops, and in a variety of sizes, from newborns to fully grown adults, starting with pinkies, which are one day old baby mice with no hair. Next up are fuzzies- juvenile mice just beginning to grow hair.

After that come small, medium and large mice- they are adult mice, graded by weight. In some places you can get what are called giant or extra large mice, but these are almost as big as a rat pup and it is only the biggest corn snakes that would consume these rodents.

Mice are ideal for corn snakes of any age. By consuming the entire mouse, not just protein rich meat, the snake gets a complete and balanced diet, including all necessary minerals and vitamins.

They can be offered either live, freshly killed, or frozen-and-thawed. They are generally inexpensive and require little or no maintenance. You simply put them into the snake’s vivarium after you get them home (thoroughly thawed out first, of course, if frozen). If your snake will take them, then frozen-and-thawed mice are definitely the way to go.

If your local pet shop doesn’t offer mice or rats, you can contact a rodent breeder through your local herp society, through a herpetocultural magazine, or through the Web. Frozen-and-thawed rodents are commonly sold in bulk quantities and have great practical advantages.

First, there’s no need for you to “maintain” them, per se- all you really need to do is keep them in a freezer. Second, you get a price break when buying in bulk (a normal order, for example, would be between 100 and 500, virtually guaranteeing you a better price than if you bought, say, five). Frozen-and-thawed mice and rats also, obviously, pose no threat to your snakes like live food can.

One point to be sure of, though, especially when buying in bulk, is quality. It is better to pay a few cents more and buy from a reputable source, rather than risk the health of your snake. Also, if buying mail order, make sure the contents are still well frozen when they arrive- if signs of thawing have taken place, the consignment should be rejected. Anyhow, don't get over enthusiastic and buy 500 pinkies (baby mice)- you'll never use them- the snake will "outgrow" them and need bigger mice way before getting through 500.

The only drawback is that some snake specimens simply refuse frozen-and-thawed food items. Unless you asked about this where you bought the snake, the only way you are going to find out if your corn snake is of this type is simply to offer a thawed mouse or rat and see what happens. Even if your snake doesn’t take them at first, it may change it’s mind later on in its life, so keep trying. It will be worth the effort in the long run. This is undoubtedly the safest and most functional way to offer food to a corn snake.

Thaw a frozen rodent either by letting it sit out for a few hours (preferably in a plastic tub with lid- you don't want a cat stealing it when your back is turned!) or by putting it in a bowl of hot water for an hour. Whatever you do, make sure the mouse is at room temperature before feeding to the snake.

Don’t- I repeat, don’t- put it in a microwave or conventional oven. The risk of the body exploding is far too great, and even if it doesn’t, you'll probably have cooked part of the mouse by the time the middle is thawed out. Be sensible- don’t do this.

If you are buying a hatchling, and you get the chance, I'd thoroughly recommend you buy one that has been fed frozen-and-thawed pinkies all its life- and I emphasize again- see its feeding chart or record and only buy a proven good regular feeder.

This piece of advice will save you a lot of trouble and possible heartache later on. At birth, most corn snake hatchlings won't feed until after the first shedding, which takes place about five to ten days after hatching.

Once they start feeding, then they should take a pinky every 3 or four or five days- the gap gradually getting longer as they get older. Also, remember, most snakes go off the idea of eating for a few days when getting ready to shed their skin- so expect odd gaps in the record.

There are several good reasons to feed your snake pre-killed frozen-and-thawed mice. For instance, a live mouse may turn on and attack a lazy snake who isn't feeling too hungry, possibly causing severe harm to your snake.

Also, without going into details, pre-killed mice are killed in a far more humane way than being suffocated by a snake- some owners are a bit squeamish about watching a mouse die in front of their eyes, but are ok feeding an already dead one. Strange, aren't we?.

And pre-killed frozen mice are the most convenient way of keeping your snake's food. After all, you want to be a snake keeper- not a mouse breeder. Remember, if you buy your frozen mice from a good, reputable source, you will know they have been specially bred (on farms) for the reptile pet food industry. Not only are these mice humanely pre-killed and frozen for you, but during their short lifetime they were very well fed with a specially vitamin enriched diet, to provide your snake with the best possible meal.

One final thing on mice and rodents in general- do not feed wild caught mice from your house or yard, nor the mice your cat brings home- these may carry harmful parasites and bacteria.

How To Feed a Corn Snake

Feeding frozen-and-thawed mice is quite simple- after thawing, place the mouse on a small plastic dish and place the dish in the vivarium and leave the snake to it. If the mouse hasn't gone after a few hours, then remove it and throw it away. If you leave it too long, the mouse will start to go bad, which would be very unhealthy for the snake if it ate one in this condition.

Some snakes like a bit more encouragement when it comes to feeding and like their mice "jiggled" in front of them. To do this, pick the mouse up by it's rear end with a pair of tongs or tweezers (no sharp, pointy ends) and hold the mouse's nose toward the snake and gently shake it from side to side. The snake will most likely pounce and strike the mouse quite hard and then proceed to "constrict" the already dead mouse before starting to swallow it.

It is not quite so important with pinkies, but as larger mice are fed, then it is important for your snake to swallow his meals head first if possible. There are two reasons for this- one, it is a lot easier to swallow head first- the mouse slides down better. The second is that there is a chance- though only very slight- that swallowing a mouse backwards will result in one of the mouse's claws scratching the inside of the snake's gullet, causing problems. However, if you see your snake start swallowing a mouse backwards, there is nothing much you can do about it- just watch.

When To Feed and How Much

If it takes two pinkies ok, then continue with this for two or three more feedings and then offer it one fuzzy instead of the two pinkies. You want to graduate your hatchling onto fuzzies as soon as he'll take them. It might look far too large to you, but if the snake can swallow it without obvious difficulty, it is not too big. If it really is too big, then the snake won't swallow it and will spit it out after trying- in which case revert to pinkies for a while longer.

After a several more weeks of one fuzzy, you basically repeat the process you did with pinkies. There are no hard and fast rules about age - it is the size of the snake that governs what size meal you give it. When the snake swallows a fuzzy quite quickly and easily, then try it with two. After swallowing two for a few feedings, try it with a small adult mouse (and you might ask the pet shop to try and pick out a particularly small one this first time).

It depends how big your adult snake ends up growing as to how big a mouse you feed it, but it will only need feeding about once a week or maybe eight or nine days, depending on the time of year. Some snakes will eat whether they are particularly hungry or not- and some will get overweight if fed too much or too often.

When still a juvenile and growing it is different- it is very difficult to overfeed a growing snake, but if an adult overeats it will get overweight - and that puts extra strain on the heart.

A corn snake that is skinny will have a definite visible ridge down it's back, whereas an overweight snake will just look fat and may also have some lumps on it's sides, down towards the tail end. These lumps are buildups of fat. If your snake is like this, then stop feeding it for a month or so and reduce the size of it's meal until it is back to a normal weight. If you aren't too sure whether your snake is overweight or not, then get it checked out by an experienced breeder or pet shop owner.

It is your responsibility to look after the health of your pet- and care over it's diet is one of the most important aspects to think about. The basic guidelines laid down here will serve you well, but remember, all snakes are individuals and all are different in their requirements.

As mentioned, there are no really hard and fast rules, but as time progresses and you get to know your snake better, you will become more in tune with your snakes needs- you will know, for instance, whether he ought to be fed today or left until tomorrow.

Feeding Two Snakes

If this happens, you have a potentially lethal problem on your hands unless you act very quickly to either separate the snakes or else cut the mouse in half with scissors. The actual problem being, of course, that one snake will start to swallow the other snake as their heads meet in the middle of the mouse, usually resulting in the death of one, if not both, snakes.

Problems with Feeding

Temperature plays a big part in a snakes appetite- if it is not warm enough, it may put it off eating. But being too hot is just as bad- so check the temperature is in the correct range for the snake (78-85°F on the warm end of the vivarium).

Remember, also, that young corn snake hatchlings frequently shed their skin at this early age and snakes in general (not just hatchlings) quite often go off their food when in the pre-shedding stage. If your snake- young or old- is obviously in pre-shed then you might as well leave trying to feed it until just after it sheds the old skin.

You should be aware that the vast majority of corn snakes really are keen to eat mice whenever offered one- so if you are unlucky enough to have a hatchling that won't eat right now, then be reassured that most will start feeding soon and once started, never look back.

To get a young hatchling who is being a problem to start feeding, there are several ways of making a pinky more enticing to the snake. First of all, it may just be a case of the pinky having some odor that the snake doesn't like- so try washing the pinky with a little soap and water and then rinse under the tap. Feed to the hatchling as normal- except try not to touch the pinky with your fingers after washing it.

If it still refuses, it may help if you hold the pinky in some round ended tweezers and jiggle the mouse in front of the snakes nose. If the snake cowers away when you do this, like it is afraid, then stop doing this and try another method.

The next trick to try is "braining" the pinky, where you pierce the head of the pinky with a knife point- the stronger odor might make it more attractive to the snake. And then another thing to try is feeding just the tails of pinkies to the snake- it has been known to work, to get them started- later progressing to a whole pinky.

If your hatchling does refuse a pinky, then don't try again the next day- leave for two days or so. Continually putting a pinky in with the snake, when it doesn't want one, may have a counterproductive effect- you may put it off the idea of eating pinkies even more.

If none of the above works, then the next plan is feeding a live pinky- put the pinky in with the snake and leave it alone for a few hours. If the snake takes a live pinky, then try it next time with a dead one again- you want to get it onto feeding frozen-and-thawed mice as soon as possible.

Other methods involve, first, sticking a piece of skin from a lizard to the back of a pinky (moistening the skin makes this possible) or second, feeding a small lizard to the snake. If it takes a lizard, then great- but get it feeding on mice as soon as you can.

If all these methods fail, then force feeding will have to be resorted to- this is something that is stressful and traumatic to both the snake and it's owner. So I would recommend that you take the snake back to where you bought it (or perhaps another expert) for this procedure. It is not something that should be attempted by someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

Shedding

Humans are replacing their skin with new cells all the time- every time you wash, you remove some old skin cells. Snakes do their whole skin in one go, all at once, by shedding or sloughing, to give it the technical name.

The old skin usually comes off in more or less one piece and is nearly translucent (you can see through it), with faint outlines of the snakes color pattern visible on the back of the skin. Snake skin is made from the same sort of material your fingernails and hair is made from- keratin.

A corn snake will usually perform it's first shedding about five to ten days after hatching, and in the first year or eighteen months of it's life, will shed roughly every four to six weeks, depending on the time of year and how fast the snake is growing. As an adult it will only shed about six or seven times a year.

The first signs of your corn snake going into pre-shed stage is when it becomes less active than usual and you can see the skin color beginning to darken. Over the next couple of days, the skin gets darker and duller in color and then the legendary "snake oil" is secreted under the old skin by the snake, which causes the eyes to go an opaque grayish blue color and the rest of the skin to take on a very strange hue. (If you rub your fingers on a skin shortly after it has been shed, your fingers will "magically" become slippery with the invisible snake oil).

The eyes of a snake are covered by a completely transparent scale- called the "spectacle"- they do not have eyelids like we do and the corn snake, whose eyesight is certainly not the best in the world, is now almost completely blind.

This is one of the reasons why a snake may be a bit tetchy and not his usual friendly self when this is happening. Also, consider that his whole skin is probably itching like mad- imagine how you'd feel. So don't try handling your snake now - leave him until after shedding.

he blue-eyed stage will last around two or three days and then the eyes will become clear again and the skin returns to almost it's normal colors. Anywhere from a day to five days after this, the snake will wake up from it's slumbers and become very active, rubbing it's nose and lower jaw against anything in the vivarium it can find to help break the skin away from around it's mouth. To achieve this, the snake will squirm around, often upside down and twisting about quite violently.

Once started, it slows down a lot, the snake moving slowly forward, the skin staying still, so the skin peels back along it's body, coming off inside out. After a while, the tail of the snake disappears down the mouth of the old skin, the snake continuing to slowly move forwards until the whole skin has peeled off, right down to the very tip of the tail. If the skin breaks part way through the process, then the snake has to snag the skin on something (like a hide or branch) and carry on shedding the old skin.

It is important that the snake sheds all of it's skin- including the last bit on it's tail. If this piece didn't come off, then as time goes by, it would possibly tighten on the tail, causing the blood supply to be restricted. This would result in this piece of tail "dying" and dropping off- not good.

So, to prevent this happening, make sure the skin is all shed. If a piece of skin is still left on the tail 24 hours after shedding the rest of the skin, then you could get a bowl of tepid water and dip the snakes tail in the water to soften the skin. With a bit of moving about the snake will now be able to get rid of that last bit.

If the skin comes off in lots of bits (in flakes) or breaks easily when shedding, then the snake may have left it a bit late to shed, but it is far more likely that the atmosphere in the vivarium was too dry for the snakes optimum comfort. When the snake is going to shed, the humidity level needs to be a little higher, which can quite easily be achieved by placing a bowl of water on the warm end of the snakes vivarium. If you have air conditioning running in the room the snake is kept in, this may be causing the problem.

Some snakes from tropical jungle areas of the world like to be sprayed with a fine mist of water from a garden sprayer- but this is not necessary with corn snakes. However, even if your snake doesn't normally like a soak in water, then he may well appreciate a bowl of water big enough for him to sit in when about to shed- so try it one time and see if the snake uses it.

One final point about shedding - if you measure the length of a skin that has been shed to find out how long your snake is, then remember to subtract about 10% from the figure you get because the skin stretches as it comes off and is longer than the snake itself.

Record Keeping

Noise

Corn snakes are sensitive to loud noises in the house, because they feel vibrations through the floor of the vivarium. This means music, particularly the heavy bass sounds from modern dance music, should not be played too loudly- relief for Moms and Dads, too! On a practical note, try and stand your vivarium on a piece of carpet or some other kind of vibration absorber.

Plants

However, real live plants in pots in a vivarium are not such a good idea. The snake will climb all over the plant and also will enjoy burrowing into the peat or earth in the pot, thus uprooting the plant. So they really are not practical for a corn snake.

Conclusion

Corns are hearty, take particular delight in feeding, and are almost always amenable to human interaction. Even those shy ones who aren’t especially friendly to begin with, can be trained to behave otherwise, given the proper amount of time and attention. And let’s not forget how beautiful they are- sleek, modest in size, and strikingly patterned, they are sure to capture the admiration of even the most devoted ophidiophobe (the blue-chip word for a person who fears snakes). A moment’s reflection makes it easy to understand how the corn snake attained its lofty status.

Now you’ve finished this article, let your curiosity and thirst for information take you elsewhere. Absorb as much as you can. And set your goals high- be the best corn snake keeper you can. Be the best one in the world! Remember- your pets are depending on you. You’ll need as much knowledge as you can get. This is a good place to start. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Article Contributed By: Steve Auld

Steve, the owner of a successful corn snake site and forum, is regarded by many to be an authority on corn snakes. A link to steves site can be found on the links page.

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