Corn Snakes
Corn Snakes Make Great Pets
The Corn Snake feeds primarily on rodents and especially mice. You will want to feed your corn snake about once a week. While your corn snake is small you will want to feed it pinky mice and you would be wise to start it on dead mice if possible. You can usually obtain frozen pinky mice or frozen grown mice. The important thing about starting a corn snake on dead mice is you won't have to worry about a live mouse biting your corn snake and injuring it. You want to make sure never to feed your corn snake any mice that are bigger around than it is. Feeding your snake to large of prey could injure it.
Your corn snake will probably grow up to be about five feet when it is full grown. A small corn snake can be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium but a larger corn snake will need a 20-30 gallon aquarium. Really if you are planning on having and keeping your corn snake long term you really need to go with as large an aquarium as you can afford to start with. You will need a good reptile lid with clips to keep the lid on the aquarium if the snake wants to go exploring. And trust me it will. They will squeeze out through the smallest of holes so be prepared.
You can use a under tank heater under one side of a large aquarium so your corn snake will have both a hot side and a cooler side to its home. If you go with a larger aquarium you can also provide your snake with a sturdy branch inside its enclosure to climb on.
A Corn Snake Is One Of The Most Beautiful Reptiles There Is
Your Corn Snake should have clean drinking water at all times. You need a large heavy bowl for a drinking bowl for your snake. And its really important that you make sure that the water stays clean at all times. Snakes are bad about turning over their water bowls so you want a nice heavy water bowl that will not turn over easily.
I like to use a piece of indoor / outdoor carpet for the substrate for my corn snakes and I have two pieces for each corn snake cage. This way I can always keep one clean. Your corn snake will also want a box with a large enough hole or two for it to go in and hide. You want to provide your corn snake with a hiding place as snakes with out a hiding place may become stressed and refuse to eat.
The Corn Snake is quickly becoming one of the most popular snakes ever and they really are a great first snake for the person wanting a snake as a pet. They are docile and they come in a wide variety of colors.
Below you will find a slide show of the more popular colors of Corn Snakes. But there are many other color phases of corn snakes. Almost all Corn Snakes sold in the United States are captive bred reptiles and several breeders have come up with some very beautiful color phases of corn snakes.
Here's a slide show of the various colors of Corn Snakes available.
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeHow to Care for Corn Snakes : Proper Handling of Corn Snakes
Caring For Your Corn Snakes
Your corn snake enclosure needs to be 80-85 degrees in the day time and 70-75 degrees at night. You can use a 40 watt light bulb on top of your tank and have it come on at 8 AM and go off at 8 PM. You will also want a thermometer inside your snakes enclosure so that you can keep a close eye on the temperature. Be sure to have a timer to turn your tank top light off and on. And for a couple of days before your snake arrives go ahead and set up its home and check the temperature several times a day to see that your snakes enclosure is not getting to hot.
Remember that Corn Snakes are cold blooded reptiles and they like all reptiles can not be allowed to become to cold or they will get sick and die.
Do not use a hot rock in a snake enclosure as they can cause severe burns to your snake. If you feel you must have a hot rock it must be one of the new ones with the built in thermostats to keep the temperature at a maximum of 85 degrees.
You will really enjoy your corn snake but be sure to make sure that your cage top is secure or you will be hunting all over your house for your snake. They will get out through the smallest of holes. If they can get their head through a hole they can get their body through the same hole.
How to Care for Corn Snakes : Feeding Corn Snakes Mice
Do Your Research: Before you commit to buying any pet, please do your own independent research.
The text on this Hub Page was produced by Thomas Byers for this Hub Page and is not to be copied or used on other sites. Today's date is Saturday , December 19th , 2009.