Snake care
Corns, kings and rat snakes are nonvenomous constrictors which are normally very docile and easy to care for. The average size of an adult corn snake is 3-4 ft long. Some can reach 5 ft in length but this is not the norm. King snakes and rat snakes can sometimes be a little feisty. They are generally food aggressive so as long as they are fed regularly they can be docile as well. King snakes and Rat snakes can reach up to 7 ft in length with the average being 4-6. They have a long life span of up to a 20 year average. So when you purchase a snake, be prepared for a life-time of care.
Housing...A young hatchling will be fine in a simple 10 gallon aquarium and an adult can be housed in a 20-30 gallon aquarium (40 gallons is good for a rat snake adult). Be sure the top is a screen type. They require floor space not height. They are not social creatures by nature so please only one snake per enclosure. This is also beneficial in their care to monitor any changes in defecations shedding or other problems that may occur. See http://squamishserpents.ca/care-info/can-i-keep-multiple-snakes-in-one-enclosure for other reasons why you shouldn't keep more than one snake in the enclosure. They may also be housed in a rack system with clear, plastic shoe box type containers. Hatchlings to juveniles do well in up to 16 qt containers. Adults do well in 32-48 qt sized containers. Small air holes must be drilled on the sides on the upper edges. A soldering iron is also good for adding holes to the plastic containers. In either choice, the tops must have a secure latch as snakes are great escape artists!
Heating...These snakes require belly heat in order to digest their food. NO overhead lighting is required. An Under Tank Heater known as a UTH, should be attached to the outside bottom on one side of their glass enclosure or heat tape on the bottom of each shelf on a rack system. The heat has to be regulated with a thermostat or a simple light dimmer switch sold in home improvement type stores. Temps need to monitored. If not, the UTH can go up to 100 degrees or more and kill your snake. We use a digital dual temp/humidity gauge sold in home improvement stores to monitor the heat/humidity. A temp gun is also good to have on hand.. They also need a cooler area. They are usually pretty good at determining where they need to be. The warm zone requires temps between 80-84 never above 90 or death may occur. The cool side can be down to about 72 but not below 70 unless you are brumating (a form of hibernation) them for winter to be bred in spring. A heat lamp is not required. They also require hides so they can feel secure. You can use simple homemade hides using old paper towel rolls, empty butter tubs, etc with an appropriate sized hole cut out on the side. Or you can go for the store bought versions. We use both with our snakes. You can also provide plastic leaf clusters, vines, etc.
Humidity... Levels need to be maintained between 40-50% which is more important during the shed cycle. When the shed cycle begins, the snake's appearance dulls and their eyes cloud over or take on a "blue" shade..this is called going into blue. After a few days, their eyes clear up and a few days later they shed their old skin to reveal a new shiny body!
Substrate...Substrate can be as simple as newspaper or paper towels, which is recommended for hatchlings. Other things that can be used are Aspen or Cypress Mulch (Aspen is best). NEVER use gravel, cedar or pine .They are toxic to snakes.
Feeding...We recommend a separate feeding container so they don't associate their home with feeding (there are some snakes that do not do well when moved out of their homes to be fed. So we have to feed some in their tubs) Feed your snakes frozen/thawed mice of appropriate size. NEVER thaw in microwave! Prey size should be no larger than 1-1/5 X of the snake's girth. If you choose to feed live, please never leave the snake unattended. Rats/mice can attack a snake causing injury or death. NEVER feed a rodent from the wild! They carry a multitude of parasites. We breed our own rats to avoid any parasites, mites, etc. Feed a hatchling every 5-7 days, juveniles every 7 days and adults every 7-10 days. Very large adults can be fed every 10-14 days.
Do not handle your snake in any way for a period of 3 days to allow for proper digestion. Also most snakes do not eat during their shed cycle. This is normal. Many adult males may not eat during the breeding season, even though they may not be breeding. Always provide fresh water daily. Bottled water is recommended. Never use distilled water for their drinking water. Make sure to have a bowl that cannot be easily tipped over as water can mold in their cage substrates.
We recommend keeping a notebook, note card file or computer program to keep track of feedings, sheds, weight and any problems. There are also several online tracking programs as well.
Whenever you bring a new reptile into your collection you will need to quarantine the new arrival for a period of at least 4-6 weeks or up to 4 months, especially in larger collections, to monitor for parasites or other illnesses. Never put a wild caught animal into your collection. They can harbor all kinds of parasites or disease.
Great sites for information and support are www.cornsnakes.com/forums and also www.kingsnake.com and
iansvivarium.com is a great place to see morph pictures and there is a corn calculator where you can plug in what morphs you have to determine what breeding outcome you can expect
Heat tape, UTHs and other supply links... www.reptilebasics.com
Deli cups (we use for hatchlings and for shows/shipping supplies)... www.tsksupply.com
If you have any problems or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
All pictures are property of NevaeH Reptiles
Housing...A young hatchling will be fine in a simple 10 gallon aquarium and an adult can be housed in a 20-30 gallon aquarium (40 gallons is good for a rat snake adult). Be sure the top is a screen type. They require floor space not height. They are not social creatures by nature so please only one snake per enclosure. This is also beneficial in their care to monitor any changes in defecations shedding or other problems that may occur. See http://squamishserpents.ca/care-info/can-i-keep-multiple-snakes-in-one-enclosure for other reasons why you shouldn't keep more than one snake in the enclosure. They may also be housed in a rack system with clear, plastic shoe box type containers. Hatchlings to juveniles do well in up to 16 qt containers. Adults do well in 32-48 qt sized containers. Small air holes must be drilled on the sides on the upper edges. A soldering iron is also good for adding holes to the plastic containers. In either choice, the tops must have a secure latch as snakes are great escape artists!
Heating...These snakes require belly heat in order to digest their food. NO overhead lighting is required. An Under Tank Heater known as a UTH, should be attached to the outside bottom on one side of their glass enclosure or heat tape on the bottom of each shelf on a rack system. The heat has to be regulated with a thermostat or a simple light dimmer switch sold in home improvement type stores. Temps need to monitored. If not, the UTH can go up to 100 degrees or more and kill your snake. We use a digital dual temp/humidity gauge sold in home improvement stores to monitor the heat/humidity. A temp gun is also good to have on hand.. They also need a cooler area. They are usually pretty good at determining where they need to be. The warm zone requires temps between 80-84 never above 90 or death may occur. The cool side can be down to about 72 but not below 70 unless you are brumating (a form of hibernation) them for winter to be bred in spring. A heat lamp is not required. They also require hides so they can feel secure. You can use simple homemade hides using old paper towel rolls, empty butter tubs, etc with an appropriate sized hole cut out on the side. Or you can go for the store bought versions. We use both with our snakes. You can also provide plastic leaf clusters, vines, etc.
Humidity... Levels need to be maintained between 40-50% which is more important during the shed cycle. When the shed cycle begins, the snake's appearance dulls and their eyes cloud over or take on a "blue" shade..this is called going into blue. After a few days, their eyes clear up and a few days later they shed their old skin to reveal a new shiny body!
Substrate...Substrate can be as simple as newspaper or paper towels, which is recommended for hatchlings. Other things that can be used are Aspen or Cypress Mulch (Aspen is best). NEVER use gravel, cedar or pine .They are toxic to snakes.
Feeding...We recommend a separate feeding container so they don't associate their home with feeding (there are some snakes that do not do well when moved out of their homes to be fed. So we have to feed some in their tubs) Feed your snakes frozen/thawed mice of appropriate size. NEVER thaw in microwave! Prey size should be no larger than 1-1/5 X of the snake's girth. If you choose to feed live, please never leave the snake unattended. Rats/mice can attack a snake causing injury or death. NEVER feed a rodent from the wild! They carry a multitude of parasites. We breed our own rats to avoid any parasites, mites, etc. Feed a hatchling every 5-7 days, juveniles every 7 days and adults every 7-10 days. Very large adults can be fed every 10-14 days.
Do not handle your snake in any way for a period of 3 days to allow for proper digestion. Also most snakes do not eat during their shed cycle. This is normal. Many adult males may not eat during the breeding season, even though they may not be breeding. Always provide fresh water daily. Bottled water is recommended. Never use distilled water for their drinking water. Make sure to have a bowl that cannot be easily tipped over as water can mold in their cage substrates.
We recommend keeping a notebook, note card file or computer program to keep track of feedings, sheds, weight and any problems. There are also several online tracking programs as well.
Whenever you bring a new reptile into your collection you will need to quarantine the new arrival for a period of at least 4-6 weeks or up to 4 months, especially in larger collections, to monitor for parasites or other illnesses. Never put a wild caught animal into your collection. They can harbor all kinds of parasites or disease.
Great sites for information and support are www.cornsnakes.com/forums and also www.kingsnake.com and
iansvivarium.com is a great place to see morph pictures and there is a corn calculator where you can plug in what morphs you have to determine what breeding outcome you can expect
Heat tape, UTHs and other supply links... www.reptilebasics.com
Deli cups (we use for hatchlings and for shows/shipping supplies)... www.tsksupply.com
If you have any problems or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
All pictures are property of NevaeH Reptiles