Basic Husbandry and Breeding of Corn Snakes
(_Elaphe guttata guttata_) David P. Tracer
Ophidiophile Farms

General Information: Corn snakes are native to the Southeastern United States. They are orange to grey in background color with a series of reddish blotches, often edged in black, running down the dorsum (back). Ventrally (on the belly), they are white with black checking. The belly is sometimes suffused with orange pigment and the black checking often changes to form stripes on the underside of the tail. In the wild, corn snakes are mostly terrestrial but they will on occasion climb into trees a nd low shrubs. Adults may reach 5 feet, but 4 feet is more common and adult females are typically somewhat shorter than males. Corn snakes, especially captive-bred individuals, are among the easiest and most personable of pet snakes to keep. However, as with all animals, they require a proper setup and adequate care to thrive.

Variants: In addition to the "normal" corn snake color and pattern described above, a number of other genetic variants are produced by captive-breeders. Some of the most common are:

"Amelanistics" = brilliant red and white corns lacking all black pigment
"Anerythristics" = charcoal grey and white corns lacking all red pigment
"Snows" = tan, pinkish or yellowish on white corns that are both amelanistic and anerythristic
"Ghosts" = corns with yellowish tan blotches on a pastel pink/lavender background that are anerythristic and hypomelanistic (have reduced black)
"Stripes" = corns with dorsal blotches replaced by red stripes and no black checking on belly
"Motleys" = corns with a complex mix of stripes and blotches on the back and no black checking on belly

Corns that are carrying the gene for amelanism or one of the other variations but which appear normal are known as "heterozygotes" or sometimes just "hets". When bred with an appropriate mate, corns that are "het" for a particular trait can produce babies having that trait.

Housing: Corn snakes do not require a very elaborate setup to do well. The basic requirements for housing them includes an escape-proof cage, an adequate substrate (cage floor material), a water dish, and a hide box. The most popular way to house snakes is in all-glass aquaria fitted with a screen top. If this is the route you intend to take, you must make sure that the screen top fits securely over the aquarium. Remember, among other things, snakes are masters of escape! Baby corn snakes can easily be kept in a 5-10 gallon tank and adults can be kept in a 15 or 20 gallon long aquarium. A secure and relatively inexpensive way to keep corn snakes is in Rubbermaid Keepers (tm) or Sterilite Clear-View (tm) storage containers. A small shoe-box sized container is adequate for baby corn snakes and an adult may be kept in a 32-quart sized container. If you choose to use these containers for housing, I recommend that you punch at least 10 airholes, and preferably more, in the top and sides of the container using a hot nail or drill. Though the tops of the boxes generally fit securely, it is probably also a good idea to secure it further with elastic bands or duct tape. For substrate, newspaper (use only black not colored ink) will do fine. Another good option is shredded aspen. I do NOT recommend keeping corn snakes on corn cob bedding or sand. These substrates, if ingested, have been known to cause intestinal obstructions in snakes. Also do NOT use any bedding containing cedar - cedar contains compounds that are toxic to snakes (and most other animals). For a water dish, use a heavy bowl or crock-style dish that cannot be tipped over by the snake. Since corn snakes frequently enter the water, it is a good idea to use a bowl that is large enough for your snake to crawl into. Finally, snakes will feel most secure in their captive home if they are provided with a hide box. Possible hide boxes include the center cardboard roll from paper towels, a short length of PVC pipe, a cereal box with a hole cut in it, an inverted flower pot with a hole large enough for entry, or a commercially available snake hide box from a pet store - or use your imagination and be creative! Climbing branches are not a necessity for corn snakes but the snakes will use them if provided. If you choose to add branches or any other cage furniture (such as rocks, etc.) make sure that they are clean and parasite-free. As a general rule it is best to house corn snakes individually, one to a cage.

Heating: Corn snakes can tolerate a range of temperatures but strive to keep your animals at an ambient daytime temperature of 80-85 degrees F. Try not to let the temperature rise above 90 degrees during the day or much below 75 degrees at night (except during the breeding season as mentioned below). You might also choose to give your animal a basking spot. One way to do this is by putting a drug-store type heating pad on the lowest setting and placing it underneath (but NOT inside!) roughly 1/5 of the cage. This will create a "hot spot" in that area of the cage and a gradient that gets gradually cooler as your animal moves away from it. Some individuals have noted problems with drug-store heating pads short circuiting, but to date I have experienced no such problem with them. Ceramic heat emitters and heat tape are also good heating options. I do NOT recommend using "hot rocks" with corn snakes. UV-producing light fixtures are also unnecessary.

Feeding: In the wild, corn snakes feed on rodents, lizards, and birds of appropriate size. In captivity, corn snakes do fine on a diet composed solely of rodents. Feed hatchling corns one "pinky" mouse every 3-4 days. As the snake grows, increase the size of the prey or feed multiple prey items. An adult corn will thrive well on a small rat or two adult mice every 7-10 days. Almost all corns will accept pre-killed rodents as readily as live ones. Feeding pre-killed items ensures that the snake will not be bitten (or worse) during feeding. It also allows a stock of frozen food items to be kept on hand - just make sure pre-frozen items are well-thawed and at room temperature prior to feeding.

Breeding: Corn snakes normally reach reproductive maturity at approximately two years. In preparation for breeding, corn snakes should be cooled over the course of a week or two to about 55-60 degrees F. It is important that corn snakes not be offered food for roughly 3 weeks prior to cooling or during cooling, as undigested food in the snake's system may rot and cause disease and/or death! Water, however, should be available at all times. Keep the snakes at the cool temperature for roughly 6-8 weeks and then warm them again over the course of a week or two back up to "normal" temperature. Recommence feeding at this time. Following the first post-cooling shed, introduce females into the cages of the males for breeding. Immediately following the second post-cooling shed, place a "laying box" filled with barely dampened sphagnum moss, peat and sand, or vermiculite into the female's cage. Egg-laying should occur on average from 30-40 days after breeding, and from 6-12 days after the female's second post-cooling shed. Incubated in damp (but not wet!) vermiculite or peat and sand at 80-84 degrees, the eggs should pip in 56-62 days. Hatchlings typically emerge from their eggs 24 hours after pipping.

Further reading: Obviously, a sheet of this length cannot cover all the details of corn snake husbandry and breeding, but this will hopefully serve as a good beginning. For further information, I highly recommend that you read Keeping and Breeding Corn Snakes by Michael McEachern (1991, Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside, CA 92040).

Congratulations on becoming a corn snake owner!

David P. Tracer
Ophidiophile Farms
(206) 525-6126

Jennifer Swofford 1996 Back to Care Sheets