Corn Snake Caresheet

Corn Snake Care

New Snake Care:

When you first bring home your snake, like most new pets, he will be stressed from the environmental changes. During the first 3 days that stress should be minimized by not handling your new pet except when necessary, feeding should also not be done during this period. Some snakes will not eat for a few weeks after purchase, food should still be offered every 3 days until a meal is taken, a more tempting meal such as a live mouse (of the proper size for your snake) can also be offered. The stress can also cause physiological changes in their digestive tract these include diarrhea and parasites. To help your new Snake get there digestive microorganisms back in balance about two weeks after purchase, about the time your Snake is well settled in and adjusted to its new surroundings and routine including handling, it can be beneficial to give a round of probiotics. Also any time dewormers are used it is essential to give probiotics to help replenish beneficial microorganisms, there are several made specifically for reptiles including BenaBac. These can be applied to the food right before feeding.

Habitat:

Proper size terrarium, for size of Snake; the length of the terrarium should be at least equal to the length of the snake. A 20 gallon is a good starter but a 55 gallon is better for an adult snake. Terrarium lids should be locking or secured with clips to prevent escape.

Substrate:

Snakes need a semi-humid habitat, a soil or soil like substrate works well for this but you will want to keep most of the soil dry with only one end moist. Eco Earth and ReptiChip are a couple of the many options available which can either be used alone or in a combination. Aspen bedding is very popular but a humid hide (basically a hide with a bottom containing moss or soil that is kept moist) should be provided. Avoid paper towels which can leach toxic levels of formaldehyde overtime. Habitat should be spot cleaned daily and totally changed out weekly. Snakes can benefit from a properly set up bioactive habitat, much data is available about that online and there are several facebook pages dedicated to Reptile and Amphibian Bioactive Setups.

With a Bioactive habitat very little maintenance is needed as the Cleaner Crew consume the waste.

Heat:

A day basking/heat light, and proper size lamp, of proper wattage to make the basking area (one end about half way up) around 85°F with the opposite end 72°F during the day. Avoid household lamps which can not handle the heat produced by reptile bulbs.

Above tank heat source at night that produces little or no light and keeps the warm area around 80°F. A ceramic bulb heater can be used since light is not required. Avoid heat rocks at all costs as they can produce potentially fatal burns and will not heat the upper areas of the habitat. Belly heat can be provided with an under the tank heater on a reliable thermostat or with a flat rock placed directly under the heat lamp.

UVB:

A tropical 5 UVB light and fixture. Despite arguments to the contrary this is vital for calcium absorption which can not happen without UVB. This bulb slowly stops producing the correct spectrum of light so must be changed out ever 6-12 months even if it appears to be working fine.

Climbing area:

Fake or real branches and plants are needed to provide plenty of climbing areas. Avoid non reptile items that can leach toxic substances.

Water:

Water Bowl: All water should be dechlorinated. To meet their drinking needs they should have a shallow bowl of fresh water available for them to soak in at all times. There has been instances that appeared to be drownings, true drownings generally involve either getting stuck in deep water that it is unable to get out of or something (like a cage mate) physically holding his head under water. However, an ill Snake is often a dehydrated Snake so will usually soak to rehydrate, often by the time a Snake shows illness they are too far along to make it, it is not at all uncommon for an ill Snake to die while trying to rehydrate leading to the appearance of having drowned. For this reason only a shallow open bowl that is easy to get out of without rims should be provided. Additionally their humid area should be misted once a day.
Humidity: Proper humidity is essential to aid in shedding. A humidity of 40-60% should be maintained at the most end or in the most hide. The entire habitat can be misted lightly misted once a day.

Calcium:

In addition to the vitamin D their bodies produce naturally from the UVB light they need a calcium supplement. If your Snake refuses food dusted with a calcium powder I recommend a spray calcium. Calcium gluconate is the most absorbable form of calcium. Calcium should be applied no less than once a month and no more than once a week. Follow directions on the package.

Food:

Snakes need appropriately sized food fed once per week. Corn Snakes should eat mice only as rats tend to be too fattening for them. Mice should be slightly bigger around than the biggest part of the snake’s body. Young corn snakes often require 2 pinky/fuzzy size mice per feeding before they are big enough to eat the next size up. Under feeding can lead to gradual starvation, overfeeding can lead to obesity.

Basic care:

Handling: When you first bring home a new Snake, to minimize stress, it should not be handled any more than necessary for the first 3 days. Until they are used to you and you are used to handling them you should hold them close to the ground so that if they lunge they won't harm themselves. If you want to hand tame your Snake it should be handled daily, three periods of 15 minutes each is recommended if you want them to be easy to handle.
Housing: A Snake needs a terrarium that is properly sized for his body length. Snakes should always be house alone without other Snakes or other species.
Soaps and chemicals: Never use anything in a Snake cage that has ever come in contact with any kind of soap or chemical in any way! Even a cup washed with water 20 times after having been washed with dish soap will still transfer potentially toxic soap residue to your Snakes water. Never clean their water bowls, decor or terrarium with soap or any other chemical. Hydrogen peroxide is a good non toxic disinfectant but should still be rinsed off well.
Daily maintenance: Every day spot clean your Snake’s cage; Rinse the water bowl well and refill with fresh dechlorinated water.
Weekly maintenance: remove the Snake to a temporary holding area clean entire habitat top to bottom including all glass, decor, and bowls with Hydrogen Peroxide and rinse completely. Completely change soil unless it is setup bioactive. Reassemble refilling all bowls, return Snake to habitat.

Illness:

In the wild a sick animal is a meal for the next predator that comes along, as a defense against this animals hide any signs of illness until they are so sick they can no longer hide it, for this reason you will often not see signs of illness until it's too late or nearly too late to save them. If you do see signs of illness take your Snake to a qualified reptile veterinarian immediately. There are some common things easily mistaken for illnesses and there are specific illnesses to watch for as well as general signs of underlying health problems.

Brumation: A reptile's equivalent of hibernation. Can cause symptoms similar to illness including lethargic behavior, irritability and lack of appetite. Since the behavior is so similar to that of an ill Snake first sign of this is a good time for your yearly vet check up at which time a stool sample should be analyzed to make sure your Snake is ready for brumation or what steps you can take to prevent it. Your vet can also go over what care is needed during brumation. It is normal for a snake to refuse to eat for several months during this time, as long as there is not significant weight loss this is not reason for concern and feeding should resume as normal some time between early spring to mid summer.
Shedding: Reptiles shed their skin as they grow, they will shed at varying frequencies depending on their growth rate, some will shed as often as once a week others as infrequently as once a year. Shedding can also cause decreased appetite, rubbing against furniture and a dulling appearance and cloudy or blue eyes. Make sure to keep your Snake well hydrated with extra misting during this time. A Snakes shed should come off in one solid piece.
Dehydration: If insufficient hydration is provided it can lead to symptoms such as sunken eyes, broken or stuck shed, wrinkled skin, decreased energy and decrease appetite. If such symptoms appear increasing humidity and misting is usually sufficient, occasionally soaking can also be used, but if not then it can be a sign of a health problem.
Impaction: An intestinal blockage. Constipation, lethargic behavior, lack of appetite and slow growth can be warning signs. A 15 minute soak in warm water can help minor obstructions but if symptoms continue more than 24 hours after the soak then veterinary care may be needed. This can be prevented by feeding a balanced diet of proper sized food and not using fine easily swallowed bedding and not feeding in the cage.
Metabolic Bone Disease: This severe calcium deficiency is often due to not enough UVB, not changing out UVB bulbs often enough, or not providing a calcium supplement regularly. Symptoms can include swollen joints, lumps or kinks along spine, lethargic behavior, spasms or jerky movement. This is a serious condition that requires veterinary treatment.
Mouth Rot: Mouth rot causes a yellowish/white substance to appear in and around the mouth of your Snake. Sometimes your Snake's mouth can be swollen or appear deformed and their teeth can be loose. Many Snakes who suffer from mouth rot have a decreased appetite and eventually death if not treated by a veterinarian.
Respiratory infection: Can be associated with other illnesses and can cause loud respiration, discharge and/or bubbling from the nostrils and/or mouth, coughing and open-mouth breathing. This is a very serious illness that requires veterinary care.
Other signs of possible illness: These can be simple problems like out of season Brumation or very serious potentially fatal illnesses but should be addressed with a veterinarian visit; Constipation, diarrhea, sunken eyes, swollen eyes, puffy eyes, droopy eyes, lethargy, loss of appetite, continuing dehydration, paralysis, twitches, tremors, signs of parasites, labored breathing, mucus around mouth or nostrils, sores, anal protrusions, any swelling, unusual aggressive behavior, unusually smelly feces, or any visible signs of injury.