Colorful, lively and curious, corn snakes are widely recognized among reptile hobbyists as the best pet snake. [1] A pet corn snake is not only a favorite with amateur reptile enthusiasts, they are frequently featured in professional reptile shows. The reasons for their popularity are that they are very easy to handle, come in a wide variety of colors, and do not get too large. When asked, professional reptile handlers agree that the corn snake is the perfect “starter” snake. Another popular favorite is the royal ball python, but their personality is much different than that of the frisky corn snake.
Why Corn Snakes Are Different Colors
Just as with the breeding of most domesticated creatures, corn snake breeders have been cross-breeding for decades to produce a wide variety of colors and patterns. The variety is so extensive that the question often arises, “Are those the same kind of snakes?” Corn snakes lay eggs in what is called a “clutch.” The baby snakes inherit genes from both parents, so there are often many different colors within one clutch, as seen in the photo below.
BABY CORN SNAKES FROM THE SAME CLUTCH
Multiple Corn Snakes In The Same Tank
When corn snakes are infants and juveniles, many of them can cohabitate quite happily together. They actually play in a way that older corn snakes do not. Baby pet corn snakes coil around one another by choice. The antics are fun to watch, and the little siblings grow and thrive until they are big enough to be separated. If you start with a 30-gallon aquarium tank, this provides ample space for the baby corn snakes, and eventually can easily accommodate two adult corn snakes, if they have been raised together.
Video: Baby Corn Snakes Playing With Their Handlers
For the sake of easy identification and “nose count,” the baby snakes are given what breeders term “cradle names.” These little snakes were given their names based on distinct patterns on their bodies, and/or for their colors.
Enrichments For The Corn Snake Tank
A pet corn snake habitat can be as sparse as newspaper on the bottom, a water dish, and a “hide,” which the snakes use for cover and for sleeping. To optimize any creature’s mental health, zoologists make use of what are termed, “Enrichments.” [2] In the corn snake tank, there are several different textured items and a climbing stick for exercise. All of the accessories for the little snakes will help them gain strength as they explore and grow. These juvenile corn snakes, who are about a year old, have a terra cotta flower pot. They climb through the hole in the top and nestle together in the pot below. They also have a smooth river rock, a teddy bear, and their size-appropriate water dish. Part of the fun for the owner of a pet corn snake is decorating the tank. Just make sure to select appropriate items. Anything brought in from the wild could contain harmful bacteria. The material that covers the bottom of the tank, otherwise known as the substrate, in this case is shredded paper, taken from a paper shredder. There are many choices of substrate, and this one works just fine.
JUVENILE CORN SNAKES PLAYING IN THEIR TANK
A Word About Heating
Place a stick-on heating pad underneath the glass aquarium. If placed inside the aquarium, it may become too hot. Also avoid electric snake rocks, which often are too hot for the snakes. In the vivarium shown above, a small heating pad is adhered below the river rock, which gives it a nice warm temperature for basking.
Handle Your Pet Corn Snake Often
There are many benefits to acquiring your corn snake when it is young. Breeders sell them when they are an adequate size. Hatchlings are delicate and require special care, so avoid them. A one-month-old corn snake is the size of the baby snakes depicted above, and a great age to start with. Because of the years of domestication, corn snakes have an affinity for humans. If left unhandled, a pet corn snake, just like any other pet, will become sullen and wild, then subsequently unmanageable and in time, unhandleable. A pet corn snake is not a fish. It is not in an aquarium for viewing. It needs to be handled on a regular basis so that a bond exists between owner and snake, and hands are associated with positive activities, such as playtime and a change of scene. [3]
Why Corn Snakes Are Called Corn Snakes
The question frequently arises regarding why corn snakes are called corn snakes. Corn snakes do not eat corn. To the contrary, they eat the mice and rats that would otherwise damage the corn crops. The have been nicknamed “The Farmer’s Friend.” Native to North America, corn snakes originally adapted to blend in with the color of corn.
A Bit Of Corn Snake History
Originally, corn was not yellow. It was the type of corn now referred to as Indian Corn, which is used as a decoration at Thanksgiving. The first corn snakes matched the coloration, which was an ideal camouflage when hiding in wait amidst the corn stalks for a tasty rodent. The Okeetee corn snake, named for its color, is the closest to the original color of corn snake.
BABY OKEETEE CORN SNAKES AND INDIAN CORN
The Size Of A Corn Snake
One of the most appealing aspects of a pet corn snake is its size. As full-grown adults, corn snakes rarely exceed five feet in length and are slender. Being slender is most helpful when heading down a mouse hole in the corn fields. A small constrictor, the corn snake remains a manageable size as opposed to a larger breed such as a Colombian red tail boa constrictor.
FULL GROWN CORN SNAKES WITH THEIR HANDLER
Sources
[1] http://www.reptileknowledge.com/articles/article16.php
[2] http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/AnimalEnrichment/default.cfm
[3] http://www.reptilefamily.com/about/about-evanwood.html
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