Corn Snake Care Guide
Corn snakes are a non venomous native species in the eastern United States and can be found abundantly especially in the southeast. They are a relatively slender snake whose color changes a lot throughout its life, though most people know them for the adults’ brick red and orange coloration. They grow to be about four to five feet long on average. Corn snakes are a type of rat snake, but not all rat snake species’ care aligns with the care requirements of a corn snake.
Corn snakes are one of the most commonly recommended snakes for new keepers. Their care is very straightforward, and they are a very hardy species. Corn snakes come in a number of colors - called morphs. They are known to be very docile and generally pleasant to interact with and handle. When handling a corn snake, they tend to be much more active than heavier-bodied species such as ball pythons, so be sure to watch them closely and hold on to them!
The Enclosure
Most of the husbandry points that need to be met for any reptile will be checked off by their enclosure setup. Setting up a proper enclosure is the most important aspect of reptile care, and corn snakes are no exception. Corn snake enclosures are straightforward to set up and simple to maintain. Remember that they are slender and athletic snakes and make sure their enclosure is very secure to prevent escape. Corn snakes can be escape artists, so make sure you invest in ways to keep them contained!
A front-opening enclosure is best for most reptiles, and corn snakes are no exception. A front-opening enclosure allows you to handle your snake without approaching it from above, which often elicits a fear response as snakes are predated on by birds. If possible, never approach your corn snake from above.
Size and Material
There are many factors in recommending enclosures for each species of reptile, two very important ones being the size of the animal and the humidity requirements of that animal. The size of the animal plays a huge factor in the size of the enclosure, and the humidity requirements may determine what material the enclosure is made of as certain materials hold humidity better than others. Given that, corn snakes can live in a variety of enclosures due to their simplistic setup requirements. We recommend a minimum of a 48”x18”x20” - also called a 75 gallon - enclosure, but believe bigger is always better for corn snakes. Corn snakes have been observed as semi-arborrheal and will absolutely take advantage of climbing opportunities provided to them. In an absolute pinch or for a particularly small adult, a 40 gallon enclosure may be sufficient, but we will always encourage keepers to provide a larger (as long as it is set up appropriately) enclosure than explicitly required. As for enclosure material, both glass and PVC are great options.
Substrate
Corn snakes can be kept on a variety of different substrates. An ideal substrate is a 80/20 mixture of soil and sand. Be sure the soil is organic and chemical free, and note that children’s play sand is the safest sand option for reptiles. This is a great substrate as it allows for species-appropriate humidity and provides burrowing opportunities if your corn snake enjoys burrowing. Coconut fiber is another great option that holds appropriate humidity, is inexpensive, and easy to find in most pet stores.
Humidity and substrate go hand-in-hand, so it is important to get a substrate that can hold whatever appropriate humidity percentage is needed for your reptile. With that in mind, a lot of keepers have corn snakes on aspen substrate. Aspen can work if you are extremely diligent about cleaning, as aspen molds very easily. Also avoid pine and cedar shavings, as the fumes are toxic to snakes.
Bioactive substrates are a great option for corn snakes, but a full bioactive guide would be too lengthy to include in this guide. The distinction between naturalistic and bioactive substrates is that bioactive substrates include a living clean-up crew and create a self-sustaining environment. On the surface, a naturalistic and bioactive enclosure may look the same - the difference lies in the presence of a clean-up crew and requiring live plants in bioactive enclosures.
Temperature
Corn snakes, like all other snakes, are cold-blooded. Cold-blooded animals are completely reliant on the temperature in their environment to regulate their internal body temperature. Reptiles frequently move between warm and cool parts of their environment in order to keep their body temperature where it needs to be. Many species will bask to absorb lots of heat, and then move into burrows or shady areas to cool down. The goal of keeping any reptile should be to replicate its natural environment as closely as possible to keep the animal comfortable, happy, and healthy.
To ensure that your corn snake can regulate their body temperature how it needs to, you should provide a temperature gradient in their enclosure. Placing the heating elements on one side of the enclosure is an easy way to achieve a cool side, a warm side, and a basking spot.
The warm side should have an ambient temperature of around 81°F, with variations of ~3°F in either direction being acceptable. The cool side ambient temperature should be 75°F.
It is ideal for a corn snake to have a basking spot of 90°F. The distinction between the term ‘basking spot’ and ‘warm side’ is that the basking spot is a single surface where you measure the temperature of the surface instead of the ambient air temperature. The basking spot can be made with something like a flat rock that holds heat, such as slate. A temperature gun is the easiest way to measure the basking spot, and thermometers work well for measuring ambient air temperatures of the warm and cool side.
Reptiles benefit from a cool-down period at night. It helps build their immune system and regulates their metabolism. That said, corn snakes tolerate low nighttime temperatures and do not need supplemental heat at night unless the temperature drops below 60°F. If you need to provide nighttime heat, use a non-light producing heat source such as a Deep Heat Projector or a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Ceramic Heat Emitters are less expensive but produce inferior heat to Deep Heat Projectors. But, unless you live in a refrigerator, you can simply turn your snake’s heating off at night! That brings us to the next section; the ideal heat and lighting sources for your corn snake.
Lighting and UVB
The best way to provide heat and light for your corn snake is to replicate their natural heat and light source in their native environment as closely as possible; the sun! The sun provides three sources of energy to the earth - visible light, infrared in the form of heat, and ultraviolet light. Halogen bulbs are the closest replication to natural sunlight that you can easily and safely use for reptiles. Halogen bulbs produce visible light and infrared heat in similar proportions to sunlight. PAR38 dimmable halogen flood bulbs are ideal, they provide a wide spread so the heat isn’t too concentrated, and they are safe to use on a thermostat. Thermostats are absolute requirements to ensure the safety of your animal and home. Also be sure that your corn snake cannot make contact with the heating element, which can cause serious burns.
Please see our Heating and Lighting Guide for a more in-depth guide on this topic!
Providing UVB for corn snakes is frequently argued as unnecessary, but we believe providing UVB for corn snakes is very beneficial for them. T5 strip-style UVB bulbs are ideal, as it produces healthy amounts of UVB that is not overly concentrated. The UVB strip should cover the warm part of their enclosure, so be sure to provide a UVB strip bulb that is 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the enclosure. It is necessary to replace T5 UVB bulbs for corn snakes every 12 months as they get less effective over time.
Corn snakes are crepuscular, meaning they are active at dawn and dusk. Like any other reptile, you must provide a day/night cycle for your corn snake by having the lights on for 12 consecutive hours, and then off for 12 hours. Getting a timer will help with this.
Humidity
Humidity for corn snakes is anywhere between 50-80% in their natural environment. Finding a definitive answer on ideal humidity for a captive corn snake is much more difficult than providing appropriate humidity for your corn snake, so we will make it easy in this guide.
Keep the ambient humidity between 50-60% in the enclosure, and provide a humid hide for your corn snake so they can access higher humidity if they want to. A humid hide can be achieved by adding a material like sphagnum moss to a hide (such as a cave, log, etc.) and keeping the moss inside damp. Snakes often seek higher humidity while they are shedding, and having a humid hide available to your corn snake at all times will let them shed comfortably and regulate themselves.
Decor and Hides
Decorating your enclosure is very much up to personal preference. We will go over some basics, but how you achieve them is up to you!
Provide three total hides - one on the cool side, one on the warm side, and one in the middle to act as the humid hide we covered in the humidity section. The hides should be snug but large enough for the snake to fit its body into. Having a hide in all parts of the enclosure allows the snake to thermoregulate while feeling secure
Provide climbing opportunities like branches, rocks, and more as corn snakes are semi-arborrheal
Provide a water bowl large enough for the corn snake to coil up in. Not all individuals will utilize a water bowl, but it is always good to have it as an option
Be aware that corn snakes can squeeze themselves into places you may not expect. When purchasing decorations, be aware that if the decoration is hollowed out, your snake may find its way into it.
Everyday Life and Maintenance
Now that we have covered the enclosure, it’s time to get into other aspects of your corn snake’s husbandry!
Types of Feeders
Corn snakes eat primarily rodents in captivity. Corn snakes are not known to be picky eaters, and will regularly accept frozen/thawed roden prey. We recommend sticking with mice, as most rats that are acceptable for corn snakes size-wise are younger rats with high fat content. The prey item should be about as wide as the girth of your snake’s body. Baby corn snakes should eat baby mice, or pinkies, and have the size increased as the snake grows. Younger corn snakes need to eat more frequently than adults. Feed your juvenile corn snake once weekly, and as the snake grows, gradually space out the feedings so your adult corn snake eats an appropriately-sized mouse once every two weeks. Corn snakes are documented eating birds in the wild as well as rodents, so offering a chick to an adult corn snake occasionally is a great way to give them a varied diet.
Shedding
Corn snakes shed their skin regularly. They shed more frequently as they are growing, but still do so as adults. Higher humidity is preferred when they are shedding, so providing the humid hide mentioned in the humidity section in this guide is important. Corn snakes’ color may fade right before shedding, and you may notice their eyes look cloudy. Both of these things are normal. The cloudy eyes occur because there is actually a large, single scale over their eye that comes off with the rest of their shed skin when they release it. It is advisable to leave your corn snake alone when it is ‘in shed’ as they often feel vulnerable while doing so.
Clean-Up and Health Check-Ins
Daily Maintenance
Your snake should have access to fresh water at all times. If you notice your snake’s water bowl frequently has substrate in it, consider moving it onto a smoother surface.
Waste clean-up may be yucky to some, but waste production is natural! It’s important to spot-clean their enclosure of any feces or urates as soon as you notice them. Feces is generally excreted about a week after they eat. Corn snakes secrete kidney waste in the form of a solid mass called a urate rather than pure liquid. Healthy urates are soft, white, and chalky and may have small amounts of liquid around them. It is important to check daily for waste to ensure a clean environment. Additionally, often the first tell of a sick snake is seen in its waste.
Health Checks
Some health concern indicators include but are not limited to:
Orange or dark yellow urates
Typically caused by dehydration
Check humidity and address as needed
Watery stools
Can be caused by internal parasites, stress, or if the frozen/thawed food item was exceptionally wet
Cause for concern if watery stools happen twice in a row
Check temperatures - ideal temperatures are essential to digestive health
Stuck shed
See shedding section
Stuck eyecaps
Corn snakes’ eyes are covered by a transparent scale, which in cases of stuck shed may not come off properly
May be remedied by very gently rubbing the snake’s eyecap with a wet Q-tip
Do not attempt to pull off the stuck eyecap yourself, doing so may cause permanent eye damage or blindness. Always consult a professional if the eyecap is not coming off with the wet Q-tip method
Scale rot
Look for discolored scales on the snake’s belly
A bacterial infection usually caused by the substrate being too wet or dirty
Requires veterinary attention
Mouth rot
Look for swelling, discoloration, discharge, and other abnormalities in the mouth area
Numerous infectious causes
Diagnosis requires a veterinarian
Respiratory Infections
Listen for whistling or wheezing noises when the snake breathes
May cause discharge from the nose or mouth
Often caused by improper husbandry, especially improper humidity levels
Requires veterinary attention
Burns
Causes discoloration, usually pink to red patches
Can be caused by not having a dimming thermostat
More common with the heat mats and belly heat methods not discussed in this guide, as we feel under-tank heating is not ideal for corn snakes.
Mites
Small, external parasites typically transmitted from an infected animal
Will look like black specks in between the scales that move if touched
Some corn snake morphs (color mutations) naturally have black speckling and can easily be confused with mites
Treatments are available but we recommend consulting a professional
Always consult a professional if you have concerns about your pet’s health. We are not veterinarians and these are guidelines.
Acclimation Period
The first week or two that you get your new snake will be very stressful for them. Environment changes are difficult to adapt to, especially if their new environment is not ideal. This is why getting everything setup properly before getting your new pet is so important.
Three important pointers for acclimating new corn snakes:
If you have other reptiles, quarantine your new snake to prevent the potential spread of disease, internal parasites, and mites. Mites also spread disease, keeping the quarantined snake in a completely separate area is ideal
Do not offer food for the first week
Do not handle them for one week and allow them to adapt to their new environment
Two days after your snake eats for the first time with you, you can start interacting more with it. Approach your snake slowly with your hand and make sure it knows you are there. Avoid reaching from above, these snakes instinctively fear predatory birds and may see your hand as a threat.
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