Updated Care Guidelines for Corn Snakes – 2024

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Corn snakes are semi-arboreal snakes native to the southeastern United States as well as the Cayman Islands area. They primarily occupy temperate forest areas, although they can be found on rocky hillsides and meadows, and have adapted well to living in populated areas alongside humans.

Corn snakes can be identified by their elongated oval head, round pupils, defined neck, and slender body. A typical wild corn snake has a pattern of large red or brown blotches with dark outlines on a yellowish to orange base color, and a checkerboard-like black and white pattern on its belly. However, captive bred corn snakes are available in a wide variety of alternative colors and patterns called “morphs”. Adults average between 3-5’ long, but individuals as large as 6’ have been reported.

Corn snakes are some of the most popular pet snakes in the US due to their docile temperaments, hardiness, and ease of breeding. Expect your pet to live 15-25+ years with good care.

What You Need for a Bioactive (Adult) Corn Snake Enclosure:

• 48”L x 24”W x 24”H front-opening enclosure, or larger
• Arcadia Ceramic Reflector Clamp Lamp 5.5"
• Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spot bulb, 100w
• Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% UVB bulb, 22”
• Bio Dude Solar Grow T5 HO Single Bulb Light Strip, 24"
• Bio Dude Glow & Grow LED with Adapter and Props, 24”, x2
• Bio Dude Terra Firma Bioactive Substrate Kit 4x2x2
• Corn Snake Clean Up Crew Pack
• Corn Snake Plant Pack V2
• Exo Terra 2qt Pressure Sprayer Mister
• Bio Dude Rock Water Bowl, small
• Climbing branches
• Small cork log
• 2+ hides/caves
• Bio Dude Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer, x2
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel 10" Curved Feeding Tongs

Terrarium Size

When it comes to choosing a terrarium for pet reptiles, keep in mind that larger is always better! Corn snakes are an active species that need enough room to fully stretch out and explore, which is an important source of exercise. Due to their slender build and variation in adult length, a 48”L x 24”W x 24”H enclosure is suitable for most adults, BUT if you have an individual that is growing significantly larger than 4’ long, then you’ll need something larger. The rule of thumb is to provide an enclosure at least as long as the snake itself, and preferably larger. To get an idea of how large your pet is likely to grow,

*Juvenile corn snakes are very small and flexible, which means that it can be difficult to keep track of them in an adult-sized enclosure, and there is a higher risk of escape as well. Setting up the enclosure properly shouldn’t be a problem for experienced keepers, but if you’re new to snake keeping, it’s recommended to start your corn snake out in a smaller, front-opening 36” x 18” x 18” enclosure with hinged (not sliding!) doors until it’s large enough to be transferred to its permanent home.

**Bioactive setups are a long-term style of reptile enclosure, so it’s not recommended to create a bioactive setup inside a temporary enclosure. Instead, use an appropriate disposable substrate and hygiene protocols for the short-term enclosure (mentioned later in the Substrate section), and meanwhile use the time to establish a functional bioactive environment in the long-term enclosure.

Lighting

Corn snakes are known to be irregularly active during day and night, so it’s helpful to provide a distinct day-night cycle to regulate their circadian rhythm and give them access to the benefits of both environments. Although they are capable of surviving without UVB lighting, it’s best practice to include it as part of the snake’s setup so it can still reap the benefits. Our goal as good reptile keepers is not to simply allow our pets to survive — it is to do everything in our power to enable them to thrive. And there is mounting scientific evidence that UVB is, in fact, beneficial to corn snakes and other species.

We recommend installing one of the following UVB bulbs above the terrarium mesh at the listed distance:

• Arcadia ShadeDweller MAX UVB kit — 4-6”
• Arcadia ShadeDweller 7% UVB kit — 5-8”
• Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0 with Zoo Med fixture — 7-10”
• Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% ProT5 UVB kit — 10-14”
• Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 10.0 with Zoo Med fixture — 12-16”

Why do you need to pay attention to the distance between your snake and the basking platform/branch? It’s because UVB strength decreases with distance from the bulb, so measuring distance is important to get the right exposure. The right basking UVI for a corn snake is 2.0-3.0. The abovementioned distances are an estimate, so it’s best to check your actual basking UVI with a Solarmeter 6.5 if you can.

The bulb must be used with its recommended fixture listed above, not an under-counter light fixture from the hardware store. The bulb must be long enough to cover about 1/3 to 1/2 of the enclosure’s length and placed next to the heat lamp(s). So for a 36” long enclosure, you will want a 12-24” T5 HO bulb, and for a 48” long enclosure you would need 24”. Resist the temptation to use other brands — when it comes to UVB, brand matters!

Your UVB bulb must be replaced every 12 months to maintain its output.

If your enclosure has a mesh top, it’s best to install the UVB fixture on top of the enclosure. If it does not, it’s best to also install a mesh lamp guard such as the Arcadia LampGuardPro over it so the snake can’t come in direct contact with the bulb.

Because this is a bioactive setup, you will also need a plant light to encourage healthy and robust plant growth. We recommend the Bio Dude Glow & Grow LED light strip for this purpose, long enough to span most of the enclosure’s length.

Heating

Because corn snakes are reptiles, they need a range of temperatures within their enclosure that enables them to regulate their own body temperature as needed. Warm areas speed up their metabolism and promote activities like digestion and healing. Cool areas slow the metabolism and promote activities like rest and energy conservation.

Your corn snake’s basking temperature should be around 90°F, and the cool side should be between 75-82°F. Create the basking area by placing a platform or sturdy branch below the lamps. Nighttime temperatures should not drop lower than 65°F.

• Note: Juvenile corn snakes <1 year old can be delicate, so it’s best practice not to let their enclosure drop below 75°F at night.

Many corn snake keepers will recommend using heat mats as the snake’s primary source of heat, but heat mats don’t work well in a bioactive enclosure (and they produce a low-quality form of infrared that doesn’t promote healthy thermoregulation).  Instead, use a pair of colorless heat lamps placed in a cluster (or just one for juveniles). The Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spot bulb is a good choice with an even spread of heat.

Research by leading experts suggests that it is likely to be much more effective to provide basking heat to reptiles according to the source’s Infrared-A power density rather than by using temperature as the primary metric. Optimal range for reptile basking is between 200-350W/m². If you would like to use this method for setting up your corn snake’s basking area, you will need a power density meter in hand and adjust basking distance accordingly. This method is very similar to installing UVB lamps based on UVI output.

Turning off your heat lamps should be enough to create the right nighttime temps, but if your house gets cold at night, you may need a heat projector or radiant heat panel to supplement with lightless heat. These heat sources must always be connected to a dimming thermostat for safety to prevent them from getting too hot.

To monitor the range of temperatures in your snake’s enclosure, place one digital probe thermometer in the basking area (if you are monitoring basking temperature), and another on the floor of the cool end.

Humidity

Corn snakes are a temperate species, so they’re tolerant of a relatively wide range of humidity, but their native range suggests that they favor generally higher humidity levels. Target 65-75% average humidity levels, with fluctuations slightly lower during the day and higher at night. Monitor environmental humidity levels with a couple of digital probe hygrometers: one in the middle of the setup, and another with the probe inside the humid hide.

Fortunately, keeping your corn snake in a bioactive environment makes this relatively easy, since the live plants and deep soil which are necessary to a bioactive setup can help a lot with maintaining higher humidity levels! Use a humidity-friendly substrate, live plants, and mist the enclosure 1-2x/day — every night, and again in the morning if needed. In drier climates, you may also need to run a humidifier or fogger intermittently at night.

A humid hide containing moistened substrate should always be available on the cool half of the enclosure.

Substrate

To create a corn snake vivarium, you will need a bioactive-compatible substrate. That means things like aspen shavings or bark chips aren’t going to work.* You need a soil-like mix that mimics the conditions of your snake’s natural habitat. You can try making your own with a basic mix of 40% plain topsoil + 40% coconut fiber + 20% play sand, or you can let The Bio Dude do the work for you with the Terra Firma Bioactive Kit.

Because you’re setting up a bioactive habitat, you will need to mix and layer the substrate with sphagnum moss and leaf litter. Adding some bark mulch can also help with drainage. For best results, combine with an appropriate amount of Bio Dude Bio Shot soil inoculant.

Finally, in order to make the substrate functional, make sure to add tropical CUC organisms like powder blue/orange isopods, dwarf white isopods, and springtails. You can also add other species like earthworms, superworms, and even a small millipede or two!

*For juvenile corn snakes in a temporary enclosure, a “disposable” substrate is what you’ll need, but it still needs to be humidity-friendly. Coconut fiber, coconut husk/chips, and cypress mulch are all suitable options and should be replaced every 3-4 months or as needed, with more frequent spot-cleaning.

Decorating the Enclosure

Enclosure décor is more than just making your setup look nice. It’s also an important part of providing environmental enrichment to your corn snake, which enhances your pet’s quality of life by providing opportunities to express natural behaviors, explore, and exercise.

Here are some ideas for ways that you can decorate and enrich your corn snake’s bioactive enclosure:

• ledges
• hollow logs
• cork flats
• thick, sturdy branches
• vines
• hides/caves
• temperate-tropical plants
• décor

Plants that are likely to do well in a corn snake enclosure: croton, pothos, dracaena, dieffenbachia, bird’s nest fern, creeping fig

Make sure to arrange the enclosure in such a way that provides plenty of shade and cover to help the snake feel secure in its environment. One of the most common mistakes made with caring for corn snakes (especially when they’re young and little) is too much open space in the setup.

Feeding Your Corn Snake

Corn snakes are obligate carnivores, which means that they must eat whole animals in order to get the nutrition they need. There is no replacement. Here is a rough sketch of how much and how often you should be feeding your snake, based on age:

• Hatchlings should be fed once every 5-7 days.
• Juveniles should be fed once every 7-10 days.
• Subadults should be fed once every 10-12 days.
• Adults should be fed once every 14-21 days.

Ultimately you should let the animal’s body condition be your guide. Compared to known healthy individuals, if it’s looking thin, feed a little more often. If it’s looking fat, feed less often.

Always feed your snake inside its enclosure, not outside. Contrary to the myth, feeding inside does not make snakes more aggressive. However, use feeding tweezers to offer the prey, not your hand, in order to prevent accidental strikes.

Variety is essential to complete nutrition. Aside from the usual mice and rats, you can add variety to your snake’s diet with appropriately-sized quail, quail eggs, chicks, hamsters, green anoles, house geckos, and/or Reptilinks. However, do not offer live prey if it can be avoided. Frozen feeders should be completely thawed to 75-100°F before offering.

Handling Tips

After bringing your new pet home, do not handle it until it is eating regularly. This can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, so be patient and use this time to make sure your husbandry is on point. Once your snake is ready for handling, handle it at least 1-2x weekly to keep it accustomed to you, but no more than once daily. Handling is also a good way to encourage your snake to exercise and provide additional enrichment!

Wash Your Hands First

Before you pick up your snake, first wash your hands with soap or hand sanitizer. This removes potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites from your hands, as well as makes your hands smell distinctly inedible.

How to Pick Up a Snake

Next, use a paper towel roll to tap its head (gently). This sets expectations by letting the snake know that it’s time for handling, not food. Pick it up with two hands, one behind the head and one supporting the rest of the body. NEVER pick up a snake by its tail — this can really hurt their spine!

Safety with Snakes

Always supervise children closely when they are handling a pet snake (or any kind of pet, frankly). This is as much for the snake’s safety as it is for the child’s. Keep the snake’s head away from your face, and always wash your hands and arms with soap or hand sanitizer after handling.

DO NOT Handle If…

Don’t handle your snake within 48 hours of a meal, as this can stress them out and lead to regurgitation, which is a traumatic experience that can actually lead to death. Also do not handle if your pet’s eyes have turned opaque or cloudy. This means that the snake is preparing to shed and can’t see well, making them more jumpy than usual and more likely to bite out of self-defense.

Care information courtesy of ReptiFiles.

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