PLEASE NOTE
The information on the BambooZoo site is as much as 10 years old and in the hobby much has been learned. Though, I believe there is merit in keeping the site open. There are many controversial issues presented in these pages. Please view BambooZoo as a starting point in your research.
These beings are as complicated as we are and deserve more than a basic 5 paragraph care sheet to maintain their health and well being.
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CORN SNAKE CARE AND BREEDING
(Elaphe guttata)
Blake Skinner
www.BCSkinzReptiles.com
Corn Snakes are a North American species of rat snake. They’re found throughout the South-Eastern and Central United States. Corn Snakes have acquired their name due to the fact that they are commonly found in corn fields where they prey on rodents and their colours vaguely resemble corn. Their attractive colours, passive nature, and medium adult size make them excellent first pet snakes. In captivity corn snakes will live up to 15-25 years when properly taken care of.
HOUSING
All Snakes should be housed according to their size. Smaller snakes will be comfortable in smaller terrariums and larger snakes need to be housed in larger terrariums. A general rule is that your enclosure should be at least the length of your snake. You shouldn’t keep a very small snake in a large enclosure and let the snake grow into it because it will stress the snake out. You need to upgrade the size of the enclosure as the snake grows. Usually 2-3 upgraded terrariums should be enough in a snakes lifetime. You can use plastic or glass terrariums or you can build one. Melamine wood is a good choice because it’s easy to clean and it’s cheap when building large enclosures. Make sure your enclosure has a very secure lid. Snakes are escape artists and they will find their way out if there is a way. You can buy screen lids that attach to the tank or you can make a lid yourself, but make sure it has good airflow.
All Snakes should be housed according to their size. Smaller snakes will be comfortable in smaller terrariums and larger snakes need to be housed in larger terrariums. A general rule is that your enclosure should be at least the length of your snake. You shouldn’t keep a very small snake in a large enclosure and let the snake grow into it because it will stress the snake out. You need to upgrade the size of the enclosure as the snake grows. Usually 2-3 upgraded terrariums should be enough in a snakes lifetime. You can use plastic or glass terrariums or you can build one. Melamine wood is a good choice because it’s easy to clean and it’s cheap when building large enclosures. Make sure your enclosure has a very secure lid. Snakes are escape artists and they will find their way out if there is a way. You can buy screen lids that attach to the tank or you can make a lid yourself, but make sure it has good airflow.
HOUSING INTERIOR
Inside the enclosure you should have at least two hide spots for your snake to hide in. One hide spot should be on the warm side of the enclosure and one should be on the colder side of the enclosure. Your snake should always have access to a water bowl large enough for the snake to fit it’s entire body in, The water bowl should always be full of fresh water. You can include decorations such as branches and rocks in your enclosure that have been properly sterilized. Just remember that what ever you include in the terrarium needs to be taken out and cleaned and sterilized when the snake makes a mess.
Inside the enclosure you should have at least two hide spots for your snake to hide in. One hide spot should be on the warm side of the enclosure and one should be on the colder side of the enclosure. Your snake should always have access to a water bowl large enough for the snake to fit it’s entire body in, The water bowl should always be full of fresh water. You can include decorations such as branches and rocks in your enclosure that have been properly sterilized. Just remember that what ever you include in the terrarium needs to be taken out and cleaned and sterilized when the snake makes a mess.
SUBSTRATES
A substrate is the flooring that you will provide for the snake. There are many different substrates to be used that are affordable. You can use newspaper laid out on the bottom of the tank if you don't mine the look. Newspaper is good because it is generally free and you can just throw it away when it becomes soiled and replace it. You can use aspen wood chips or shavings and just scoop out the soiled chips or shavings. Cypress mulch is also a good substrate and is excellent fo keeping high humidity in you enclosure. Never use Pine or Fir products of any kind. Pine and Fir can lead to respiratory problems with all reptiles. Lots of snakes like to burrow under the substrate so provide enough that they can burrow when they want to. Wood chips and mulch are good for burrowing snakes. If you use newspaper you will probably find your snake underneath it.
A substrate is the flooring that you will provide for the snake. There are many different substrates to be used that are affordable. You can use newspaper laid out on the bottom of the tank if you don't mine the look. Newspaper is good because it is generally free and you can just throw it away when it becomes soiled and replace it. You can use aspen wood chips or shavings and just scoop out the soiled chips or shavings. Cypress mulch is also a good substrate and is excellent fo keeping high humidity in you enclosure. Never use Pine or Fir products of any kind. Pine and Fir can lead to respiratory problems with all reptiles. Lots of snakes like to burrow under the substrate so provide enough that they can burrow when they want to. Wood chips and mulch are good for burrowing snakes. If you use newspaper you will probably find your snake underneath it.
HEATING/ TEMPS/ LIGHTING
All snakes are poikilothermal which means they create their internal temperature from the ambient temperatures around them. Poikilothermal basically means cold blooded. Corn snakes expose them selves to the sun to gather heat or they rest on warm surfaces such as rocks to gather body heat. Corn sakes in captivity need us to mock the heat from the sun for them. This can be done with heat lamps and under tank heat pads. One side of the enclosure should be between 70-75 F (21-24 C) and the other side of the enclosure should be between 80-90 F (27-32 C). You can achieve this with a heat lamp above the enclosure or an under tank heat pad on one side of the enclosure. Heat rocks are not a good source of heat because they often lead to burned reptiles. Always use a thermostat to control the temperature of the enclosure and monitor the temperature with a thermometer, Full spectrum lighting is always best for any reptile. You can achieve 12 hours ON x 12 hours OFF with any timer. Lighting should be changed for breeding your corn snakes. See Breeding below for time differences.
All snakes are poikilothermal which means they create their internal temperature from the ambient temperatures around them. Poikilothermal basically means cold blooded. Corn snakes expose them selves to the sun to gather heat or they rest on warm surfaces such as rocks to gather body heat. Corn sakes in captivity need us to mock the heat from the sun for them. This can be done with heat lamps and under tank heat pads. One side of the enclosure should be between 70-75 F (21-24 C) and the other side of the enclosure should be between 80-90 F (27-32 C). You can achieve this with a heat lamp above the enclosure or an under tank heat pad on one side of the enclosure. Heat rocks are not a good source of heat because they often lead to burned reptiles. Always use a thermostat to control the temperature of the enclosure and monitor the temperature with a thermometer, Full spectrum lighting is always best for any reptile. You can achieve 12 hours ON x 12 hours OFF with any timer. Lighting should be changed for breeding your corn snakes. See Breeding below for time differences.
FEEDING
Corn snakes should be fed according to their size. Hatchling corn snakes will eat one or two pinky mice each week. I feed my hatchling corn snakes one pinky mouse every five days. As the snake grows you should increase the size of their meal. You can feed your corn snake rodents (mice, rats) that are a little bit wider than the thickest part of your snake. Feeding the snake rodents that are too large can lead to regurgitation. You should always try to get your snake feeding on frozen thawed rodents. This will save your snake from being injured by a live mouse or rat during feeding. Buying frozen rodents in bulk and keeping them in the freezer will also save you money. Live rodents are more expensive and you usually need to travel to a pet store to pick them up. Thaw rats before feeding them to your corn snake. This can be done by placing the frozen rodent on a heat pad or in a bowl of water. It’s a good idea to remove your snake from it’s inclosure and feed it in a separate rubbermaid bin or box. Taking the snake out of it’s enclosure to feed it is beneficial in more than one way. Your snake will learn that it’s time to eat when it is removed from it’s enclosure and placed into it’s feeding bin. If you always feed your snake inside of it’s enclosure it will not know the difference between feeding time and any other time you put your hands in the enclosure. Although corn snakes are very docile there is potential of being bitten. Feeding your snake in a separate bin is also a good way to be sure your snake is not swallowing substrate along with it’s food. If you are nervous feeding your snake you can use tongs to put some distance between your hand and the prey. This should keep your hand from being bitten.
Corn snakes should be fed according to their size. Hatchling corn snakes will eat one or two pinky mice each week. I feed my hatchling corn snakes one pinky mouse every five days. As the snake grows you should increase the size of their meal. You can feed your corn snake rodents (mice, rats) that are a little bit wider than the thickest part of your snake. Feeding the snake rodents that are too large can lead to regurgitation. You should always try to get your snake feeding on frozen thawed rodents. This will save your snake from being injured by a live mouse or rat during feeding. Buying frozen rodents in bulk and keeping them in the freezer will also save you money. Live rodents are more expensive and you usually need to travel to a pet store to pick them up. Thaw rats before feeding them to your corn snake. This can be done by placing the frozen rodent on a heat pad or in a bowl of water. It’s a good idea to remove your snake from it’s inclosure and feed it in a separate rubbermaid bin or box. Taking the snake out of it’s enclosure to feed it is beneficial in more than one way. Your snake will learn that it’s time to eat when it is removed from it’s enclosure and placed into it’s feeding bin. If you always feed your snake inside of it’s enclosure it will not know the difference between feeding time and any other time you put your hands in the enclosure. Although corn snakes are very docile there is potential of being bitten. Feeding your snake in a separate bin is also a good way to be sure your snake is not swallowing substrate along with it’s food. If you are nervous feeding your snake you can use tongs to put some distance between your hand and the prey. This should keep your hand from being bitten.
BREEDING
Breeding corn snakes is simple but should only be done if you are prepared to take care of the babies. Breeding is not necessary for the corn snake’s health and can even be detrimental. Before breeding corn snakes research and read books about breeding and caring for baby corn snakes. Caring for a large number of baby corn snakes is time consuming and sometimes challenging. Always research, research, research before breeding any animals and make sure you’re ready. Breeding corn snakes can be very rewarding and exciting along the way. Good luck breeding and raising your hatchlings. The most effective way to breed corn snakes is to fake a winter season. A mock winter will set your corn snake into a very inactive state, when growth and development slows or even stops.
This is called brumation. Brumation is a state of dormancy in reptiles which is comparable to hibernation. This can be achieved by dropping the temperature of their enclosure to 50 - 65 F (10 C) and changing the light cycle. This will enable the snake to retain more fat and come out of brumation in better breeding condition.
The first step before brumation is to fatten up your corn snakes. Start feeding your corn snakes a bit more often than normal or increase the size of their food slightly for 2/3 months before brumation. Once your corn snakes have a healthy size and weight stop feeding them 3 -4 weeks before you drop temperatures.
A 3-4 week gap between the last feeding and brumation is absolutely necessary. This allows time for the existing food in your corn snakes stomach to be properly digested and expelled. If you drop the temperature before the food is digested and expelled you run the risk of food rotting in the stomach of your snake. This can be fatal.
The second step is changing the light cycle. Changing the light cycle is not mandatory but it is an effective tool. Brumation will occur without this step if the temperatures are correct. However, I like to change the light cycle to mimic the natural season. A normal light cycle is twelve hours of light and 12 of dar. I grandually change the cycle a half hour at a time (e.g. 11.5 hours ON and 12.5 hours OFF) so it is darker for a longer period of time. Change the light cycle until the lights are ON for 10 hours and OFF for 14 hours.
The third step is to drop the temperature graduall until optimal temperature of 50 - 65 F (10 - 16 C) are reached. You don't want to go from regular temperatures to brumation temperatures overnight. Lowering the temperature is a gradual process. If you can't drop the temperature where the snake's enclosure is located put your Corn snake in a rubbermaid bin with substrate and a water bowl. When you put reptiles into brumation you must provide a water bowl. Reptiles in brumation will still be moderately active and need to drink water. Start the gradual drop in temperature in these steps that I use:
Step one: Place the rubbermaid somewhere the temperature ranges between 60-65 F (16-18 C) and leave it there for 7 days.
Step two: Place the rubbermaid somewhere that ranges between 55-60 F (13-16 C) and leave it there again for 14 days.
Step Three: Place the rubbermaid somewhere that ranges between 50-55 F (10-13 C) and leave the rubbermaid there for 30 days.
Now that your corn snakes have been through the brumation process for a month and three weeks it’s time to warm them up. This should be done in steps just like the gradual cooling process. Reverse the steps of cooling your corn snakes from step 3 to step 1 introducing your corn snakes into a warmer climate and slowly change the light cycle back to normal.
Once your corn snakes have been introduced to their regular temperatures and light cycle you can feed them the same as you did before brumation. They might be a little on the skinny side, so feed them more often then usual or increase the size of food slightly. By this time your corn snakes have been through a two and a half month brumation period and it’s time to introduce them to each other between feeding.
Your female corn snakes should be ovulating now. An ovulating snake looks like she has been fed a meal recently and it has dispersed through her stomach creating a slight bulge. Introduce the female corn snake into the male’s enclosure and leave them for up to a full day. Paper towel or news paper can be used as a substrate to see whether copulation has occurred. Remove the female corn snake for 2-4 days then repeat this step a few times. I usually introduce my breeding pairs 4-5 times to be sure of fertilization.
If you are using a single male to fertilize multiple females you may want to introduce him to the most important female first. Then introduce him to the other females and introduce him 3-4 times to conserve his libido and sperm. Keep an eye on the females and continue to feed them regularly. If they begin to look gravid they will need to be fed more frequently. More food equals more fat and nutrients. Extra fat and nutrients helps the development of the eggs. So the larger the snake the healthier and larger the eggs usually are. As females get further into their pregnancy you will notice a difference in their overall size and weight. You may find it interesting to record her weight as she grows further into her pregnancy.
It is usually about 6-8 weeks after mating that your corn snake lays her eggs. Females generally experience a pre-lay shed 10-14 days before they lay their eggs. This doesn’t always occur. I have heard of many snakes laying their eggs while they are still in shed. You can mist the enclosure to keep the humidity levels higher than usual and let her lay the eggs anywhere. Or a method commonly used is to create a humidity hut for her to lay the eggs in.
Take a rubbermaid bin large enough for the snake to fit it’s entire body in comfortably and cut a large hole in the lid. The hole should be twice as wide as the girth of your snake. Fill the humidity hut with moist (not wet) sphagnum moss, vermiculite, perlite, or another recommended substrate for incubation. The corn snake will feel comfortable in the humidity hut and will more than likely lay her eggs inside the hut.
Set up an incubator before you expect eggs. I set my incubator at 79-80 F (26-27 C) with the humidity as high as possible. When your corn snake lays her eggs take them out and put them in the incubator in a rubbermaid bin filled with sphagnum moss, vermiculite, perlite or another commercial incubation substrate. Bury the eggs about half way into the incubation substrate. If they are laid in a clump bury the entire clump except the top eggs which should be half buried. The rubbermaid should have a couple small holes to allow air to pass through. Be sure not to flip or rotate the eggs when you put them in the incubator. The embryo will begin to grow when the eggs are laid and a small bubble of air is positioned at the top of the egg. If an eggs position is altered the baby will drown in it’s own embryonic fluids, so once the eggs are settled into the incubator it’s best not to disturb them. When the babies hatch you’re going to be busy so prepare yourself and buy a lot of pinkie mice ahead of time. Good luck breeding your corn snakes. I always like to see interesting hatchlings so send me a photo of your new babies if you think they are unique.
Blake Skinner
www.BCSkinzReptiles.com
RESOURCE SITE: www.cornutopia.com
