care corn snakes

There are several things you should have before recieving your new Corn Snake. You should already have a cage ready. You should also have a infrared thermometer (Laser temperature gun). You should have a heat source of 90-95 degrees under 1/4 or less of its cage, the rest of the cage floor should be between 80-85 degrees. Alternatively, you can keep the entire room 82 - 88 degrees. Do not exceed 88 degrees. You should also purchase 12 inch forceps, water bowl, and a hide box (shelter).

For young Corn Snakes, you should keep their housing very simple. I use newspaper for flooring. You could use other types of paper such as brown paper. The benifits of using paper is that, you can easily see when your snake has defecated, shed, and eaten a meal or not. Many peope use wood shaving such as aspen, if you do use wood shavings avoid pine and cedar both release vapors which can kill your snake. Cage furnishing should be kept to a minimum. Cage furnishing should consist of two items a water bowl and a hide box shelter. The hide box should be sized according to the snakes size. Snakes feel most secure in a tight fitting shelter. The length and width of the shelter should be 3/4 the length of the snake. The height should be 2-4 times the height of the snake. Do not make the mistake of not providing a hide box shelter. Many corns will become very stresses without a hiding place. They will often refuse to feed if not provided a hide box. The hide box should be placed on the cool side of the cage. It is also very important that the cage is well ventilated.

Before you Purchase your new Corn Snake, you should research and learn as much as possible about caring for Corn Snakes. There is a lot to learn. Purchase a good book on the maintenance and care of Corn Snakes. Corn Snakes In Captivity by Don Soderberg or Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owners Guide by Kathy Love are good books to have. These will be valuble resorces that you will refer to over and over again as you encounter the different aspects of Corn Snake maintenence. You should also have: a cage complete with proper furnishing, a temperature contol system in place, 12 inch stainless steel forceps, temperature gun, and the appropriate food for your new snake.

This is a very basic Care Sheet that covers some of the basics. It is not a comprehensise guide. This guide should be considered a short crash corse on how to maintain Cornsnakes as pets or breeders, and to offer some more advanced tips.