Corn Snake Care Sheet

Heating:

  • Corn snakes should have a “warm end” of 84-88 degrees Fahrenheit. The other side of the enclosure should have no supplemental heating so that a temperature gradient is created. That way, the snake can choose what temperature it would like to be at. 

    • If you are using a heat mat, you MUST make sure you are using a thermostat. If you don’t use one, the heat mat will overheat and burn your snake, causing serious injury and/or death. 

    • If you are using a basking bulb, make sure there aren’t any branches too high up, as those will get very hot! 

    • NOTE- SOME PET STORES ARE ADVISING USING A HEAT CABLE/MAT WITHOUT A THERMOSTAT. THIS WILL SERIOUSLY HARM YOUR SNAKE!!!!!

Feeding:

  • All of our corn snakes are on frozen, thawed mice.
  • All of our snakes can eat from tongs or a plate. We feed them with tongs. Make sure your fingers aren’t too close to the mouse because sometimes they miss the mouse on their first try!
  • If they don’t seem interested, try leaving the mouse on a plate and coming back about 30 minutes later. Sometimes they want privacy! 
    • Please note that mice cannot be refrozen. If they refuse a meal, that mouse has to go in the garbage because they start growing bacteria rather quickly. 
  • After they have a successful meal, make sure you leave them alone for 2 days or more to reduce the risk of regurgitation. If it looks like they still have a lump in their bellies after 2 days, give it another day before handling. 
  • As your snake grows, if you notice them searching for more food or being a little more grumpy than usual, weigh your snake and check a feeding chart. It may be time to move them up a size!

Housing:

  • Corn snakes like lots of clutter. They should have a tight-fitting hide on the warm end and another on the cool end. As well as a water dish, and lots of fake plants to play around in. I personally use Aspen bedding for them. 
    • Babies can be started off in 10 to 20-gallon tanks, and upgraded as they grow. The final adult enclosure should be 40 gallons (minimum) or, ideally, 4'x2'x2'. They love bioactive enclosures if that is feasible for you. We sell substrate, leaf litter, and a clean-up crew (springtails and isopods).

Please don’t handle your snake for at least the first week of them being home. They need time to explore and adjust to being in their new home! Offer food 7 days after they come home. It is normal for them to be buried in the substrate. As they get more comfortable, they will start coming out more and more.