Over the years we've had overwhelming amounts of e-mail with questions about corn snakes, some we've answered, some we have not. A lot of the questions visitors to this site ask are often the same questions. So to cut back on the e-mail we get, we've compiled a list of some of the most frequently asked questions along with their answers.
Q:
How big do Corn snakes get?
A:
Hatchling snakes range from 9-14 inches ( 23-36 cm ). Adult Corn snakes can generally reach two and a half to five feet(76-152cm) with the record Corn Snake being six feet (183 cm). Males readily become larger in size.
Q:
How long do Corn snakes live?
A:
Corn snakes can live up to 20 years with the proper care.
Q:
How can I tell if my Corn snake is male or female?
A:
As you have probably noticed, it's difficult to determine the sex of snakes. The best thing to do is to take your snake to your local snake specialist, whether it be at your pet shop or veterinarian, and they will most likely sex your snake free of charge. They will safely probe your snake with a small steel rod to determine its sex. If the probe only goes in a short distance, you have a female, long distance a male.
With practice, some can manually evert the sex organs from baby corns by applying gentle pressure with the thumb behind the vent and pushing forward. If it's a male, a pink, Y-shaped organ called the hemipenes will pop out, nothing will pop out on a female. Before experimenting with your snake, have somebody show you this process, or read more about it. You could permanently hurt your snake.
Q:
Do you know of any good corn snake distributors that I can contact?
A:
Since we are located in California it's hard for us to tell you where the best place to find a corn snake in the area in which you live. We recommend you start your search at your local pet shop or look in the Yellow pages under Reptiles.
Q:
Is it better to feed your snake live or pre-killed food?
A:
It is known by herpotologists that raising snakes in captivity is not a natural state, so it can be said that feeding a snake live prey in captivity can be considered unnatural as well. Snakes in captivity have all of their habitat needs met therefore the snakes have no reason to act natural and kill their own prey. Feeding your snake killed prey is also safer for the reptile. If left alone long enough with a snake that is not hungry, a mouse or rat will begin to eat whatever is around, i.e., your snake or lizard (no need to worry about pinkies or fuzzies). Even crickets and mealworms have been known to gnaw away at the skin and seek moisture from the eyes of snakes. Since we are responsible for our pet's health we should keep them safe from this type of harm.
Ask your reptile dealer about pre-killed, frozen food. Once you have the pre-killed food, do not feed it frozen. What you'll want to do is microwave a bowl of water ( 3 minutes or so ) until it's nice and hot, not boiling. Put the frozen mouse in a waterproof baggy and place the baggy
in the hot water for ten minutes. Your mouse will thaw out and should stay dry. You can also let the mouse thaw out in room temperature, but don't let it rot!
Another option, if you don't want to bother with frozen food, is you may have an experienced pet dealer or herpetologist show you how to quickly kill prey by breaking the neck. Without the proper technique, you may cause injury and pain rather than death to the prey, so please do not experiment. We recommend buying the pre-killed mice since they are cheaper when bought in bulk and can last up to six months. In the case of feeding a corn snake that you caught in the wild, you may want to begin with live prey and later on introduce the snake to a pre-killed.
Q:
My Corn snake is not eating, what should I do?
A:
There are some basic things you may want to try if your snake is not eating. First you may want to make sure your snake's cage is at the right temperature, between 75 and 80 F. If the cage is too cold your snake may not have enough energy to eat. Also if your snake is about to shed it may not be in the mood to eat, but if your snake is hungry it will eat, even if it's ready to shed. Also If your snake doesn't eat a live mouse, try a dead one or vice/versa.
Some trouble feeders may only eat if they're placed in an enclosed container (with air holes) with their intended meal ( for photo of this, Click Here ). This will allow your snake to be in close contact with the prey, ultimately resulting in the snake to eat the food, but only if it's hungry! Another important thing to do is to keep food small enough so your snake can eat it. If the food is too big, the snake may only kill it and later reject it later because of its size.
Other things you may want to try is washing the pinky with soap and water to remove any detering scent your snake may not like. You may also rub the scent of a lizard like an Anole on the mouse, or even try the Anole as food. Another thing to try is to hold the food in front of the snake until it force-strikes it. Eventually your snake will constrict the food and begin eating it. If all else fails you may have to force feed the food to your snake. This is a risky procedure and it could be harmful if done incorrectly. Prying apart the jaws of your snake and shoving in the food may be the only solution to your snake's resistance to eating. There is also a product available called the "Pinky Pump" which is basically a syringe filled with pinky guts.
Q:
Should I hibernate my Corn snake?
A:
We say, if you don't plan on breeding your snake, then you shouldn't worry about hibernating it. Just treat your snake as you normally do during other months, with the same heating and lighting. If you do plan on breeding your snakes, your snakes should be allowed to hibernate at reduced temperatures of 41 to 59 degrees F (5-15 degrees C) for about 2 to 3 of the winter months. During this time, make sure your snakes have plently of fresh water and do not disturb or handle your snake. In late Februrary begin raising the temperature of your snakes cage. Feed your snake after its first post-hibernation shed.
Q:
How do I breed my Corn snake?
A:
Your snakes should be hibernated during the winter if you plan on having a successful breeding. (See question above for directions on how to do this). Also, your snake should be at least two years old before you begin breeding it. Your snakes won't begin courtship until their first post-hibernation shedding. Watch their behavior now and activity should take place if the proper steps were taken prior. If you witness your snakes during the mating ritual you should expect eggs 50 days or so later.
If you notice your female growing a bit larger on its sides and more active, it's time to set up a hide box for it to lay eggs. This box should consist of a plastic container with a doorway, containing slightly moist vermiculite or a checmical-free peat moss. If she lays eggs outside of this box, carefully relocate the eggs to the box, keeping them in the same position they were laid with a little space in between to prevent molding. Your mother snake will now go into another shedding cycle and should be fed following this shedding to prevent starvation. This box should now remain slightly moist and the eggs covered with a thin layer of vermiculite or peat. This will act as the eggs incubator and should remain at little over room temperature in the Autumn and Summer.
If the eggs were fertilized, they will hatch between 80 and 100 days later. If the temperature is raised to the 80's, your eggs will hatch 50 to 60 days later. Once the baby snakes hatch, wait until after their first shedding to begin feeding. You will most likely have to hand feed your baby snakes very small pinky mice by using the "force-strike" method. Basically this means to hold the pinky up to your snake until it strikes it and begins to eat it. A successful egg hatching can be a difficult task and takes practice. Don't get discouraged and keep trying!
There will be more FAQs to come as repeated questions are presented.
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