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Christina Miller
Last update: Thursday, July 2, 2008. |
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| Experience level: Beginner (suitable as a first herp) |
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I. Introduction
One of the most well-known
species of
snake, the Cornsnake, Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Linnaeus 1766) has earned the reputation of one of the easiest and most recommended
reptiles to keep as a pet. They tend to be quite tolerant of small husbandry errors, and most
captive-bred animals will thrive on a diet of pre-killed mice. A few dozen colour and pattern variations have also been developed, so there may really be a corn snake morph for everyone. These snakes may live over 20 years in captivity.
This is a North American species, ranging throughout most of the southeastern United States and a bit south into Mexico.
II. Taxonomy
Cornsnakes are
colubrids (they belong to the family Colubridae), which make up most of the world's snake species. The majority of colubrids are harmless, although some possess mild venom, and a few are very dangerously venemous. The corn snake is not one of these- it possesses no venom, is typically well-tempered, and its bites are mild compared to other species. Within the Colubridae, corns are amongst the many "rat snakes." These are snakes of the genera Elaphe, Pantherophis, Senticoli and Bogertophis, which are nonvenomous and species are distributed throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
The Cornsnake was previously known as Elaphe guttata guttata, the "new" Latin name for this species, Pantherophis guttatus (Utiger et al. 2002) is now official. Several other species in the genera Elaphe were also suggested to be renamed Pantherophis.
There are two subspecies, P. g. guttatus, the "true" corn snake, and P. g. meahllmorum, the Southern plains snake or Southwestern rat snake. P. g. meahllmorum is no where near as popular in captivity as P. g. guttatus. P. emoryi was formerly a subspecies of P. guttatus, but was elevated to full species status (Burbrink 2002), and also reclassified within Pantherophis (Potts and Collins 2005).
III. Description
Many of even the most novice herpers are familiar with the Cornsnake's appearance, which may be surprising considering the large number of colour and pattern morphs could cause some confusion. Corns are long, slender snakes; the wild type has an overall yellowish colour, with darker orange saddles outlined in a thin lining of black down their whole dorsal body, except the head which has a sort of spearhead-shaped blotch of yellow. The ventral scales are white with occasional checkering of black. This may be where the Cornsnake got its common name from, as these belly scales look similar to the pattern on maize (Indian corn). The wild type colouration varies with locale, for example, the Okeetee and Miami "phase" corns. These snakes typically range in length from 1.0-1.4 m (3.5-4.5 ft).
IV. Behaviour
Cornsnakes are well-known for being docile and gentle. This is a crimson colour mutation. |
Cornsnakes are believed to be primarily nocturnal, although they are often active in the evening hours, as well. During the day, they hide under leaf litter, logs, rocks and other hides. At night they prowl their forest, cornfield, rocky hillside or grassland habitats looking for prey. They are considered terrestrial but are not reluctant to climb trees. They have been known to enter human establishments in search of prey.
Like all snakes, corns are not social animals, although they tend to be quite docile and tolerant of handling. They are agile and move quickly and swiftly. A healthy, curiously animal is willing to explore and almost constantly flicks its tongue to investigate its surroundings.
Young corns are often more defensive and agitable compared to adults. A defensive or frightened corn may coil up or rear back, hiss and strike (with an open or closed mouth) as a warning. Hatchlings will also perform a tail "rattling" or "vibrating" display when irritated. |
V. Diet
Wild corns feed on a variety of prey, including small rodents, birds,
amphibians, and when young, invertebrates. In captivity, they may thrive on a diet of pre-killed mice or pre-killed small rats. It is extremely important that any rodents fed to the snakes come from a reputable source that keeps their animals healthy and well-fed. You are what you eat- healthy prey means healthy snakes.
This Cornsnake is being fed a pre-killed mouse in a separate container, to avoid accidental ingestion of substrate, and to remove any "distractions" from the food. |
Colubrids tend to have a higher rate of metabolism compared to boas and pythons, so they typically need to be fed more often. Hatchlings may be fed a suitably-sized pinky mouse (preferably supplemented with calcium to compensate for poor calcium content of these young mice) every 3 to 5 days. Mature snakes may be fed every 7 to 10 days. Juvenils and young adults in-between can be fed something in the range of 5-7 days. Size of prey should increase as the snake grows, a general rule to follow is that the prey should be no wider than twice the snake's head width. Feeding prey that is too large can result in the snake regurgitating its prey, which is a waste of prey and is stressful and damaging for the snake.
Pre-killed prey is strongly recommended over live prey. Live rodents can fatally wound a snake that is taken by surprise, and the damage that a frightened mouse can do to a stressed snake is often life-threatening. Understand that snakes are ambush predators, and are not often confronted with a frightened rodent that knows the predator is present, in a confined space. Snakes are rather limited in their defenses, considering they lack arms and legs, so a snake that is attacked by a rodent is almost helpless. See Feeding Pre-killed Mice to Snakes for more information.
If you house the snakes on a particulate substrate like woodchips or wood shavings, consider feeding prey on a dish, or in a completely different container altogether to avoid accidental ingestion of substrate. |
VI. Water
Clean, fresh water should be available at all times in a water dish large enough for the entire animal to soak in. Because this "bathing" water is also for drinking, it should be changed daily or whenever soiled to ensure that the snake has clean water to drink from. Cornsnakes do drink often.
VII. Housing
Size and build: No less than a 76 L (20 gallon) should be used to house an adult corn, although too large of an enclosure can be stressful for them. The enclosure needs to be long enough for the snake to be able to stretch out at least one third of its body straight, for the sake of the animal's comfort. Like all snakes, they are best housed without any cagemates to avoid stress, potential aggression and feeding accidents.
Glass, plastic or wooden enclosures may all be suitable as long as they are secure. Do not underestimate your corn snake's ability to escape. Extra latches and weights on lids are helpful in preventing escape. Wire cages should be avoided as rostral injuries can occur from the snake rubbing its nose against the grating.
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Hide spots are incredibly imporant for a snake's health. Homemade hides from plastic food containers work just as well as commercial hide caves or logs. As long as the snake will snuggly fit in the hiding spot and feel secure, the hide box is adequate. A minimum of two dry hides is needed in an enclosure, one in the cool side and one in the warm side. A humid hide box, filled with damp substrate like paper towel or sphagnum moss, is strongly recommended so that the snake may choose a humid microhabitat for hydration and shedding.
Other cage furniture adds more interesting things to explore and investigate for the snake, and can make the enclosure more aesthetically appealing for you. Branches and rocks, as long as they are free of splits, cracks, splinters and sharp edges, can look nice in the enclosure and provide a rough surface needed for the snake to loosen its shed skin.
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Hide boxes should ideally be just large enough to fit the snake inside. This hide box is a bit too large. |
This can be simple like paper towel, unprinted newspaper or butcher paper, but aspen shavings or woodchips are acceptable. Any substrate needs to be kept extremely clean. The disadvantage to particulate substrate like wood shavings or woodchips is that owners tend to spot clean the dirty portions, but surrounding substrate is still contaminated and can harbour potentially harmful bacteria or fungi. To prevent this, the entire enclosure's substrate should be changed every 2-3 weeks and the enclosure cleaned, which can get costly.
Cedar or pine shavings should be absolutely avoided as the fumes are harmful to small animals. Corn cob is also dangerous, as it dehydrates the snake's skin and if swallowed easily causes intestinal impactions. Crushed walnut shell is also dangerous because it easily causes impactions. If you are using any particulate substrate, feed the snake in a separate "feeding box" or on a dish so that the risk of ingesting substrate is eliminated.
VIII. Heating
The daytime temperature gradient in the enclosure should range from 25-30°C (75-85°F), although these snakes are hardy and can tolerate nighttime temperature drops to as low as 21°C (70°F). Hatchlings should be kept warm during the night.
Heat may be provided using an overhead source, such as an incandescent bulb or a ceramic heat emitter, or using an undertank heating pad. If nighttime heating is needed, select a heat source that does not produce any light so as not to disturb the snake's activity cycle. Monitor the enclosure temperatures with two separate thermometers, one in the warm region and one in the cool region.
IX. Humidity
As mentioned above, it is important to provide your Cornsnake with a humid hide so that it may choose the humid microenvironment when needed. This gives the snake better control over its hydration status.
Misting the enclosure with a spray bottle of water once or twice weekly will somewhat imitate rainfall. Extra humidity is most critical when the snake is going through the active part of its shed cycle ( ecdysis). You will find that during the shed cycle, the snake will spend extra time in its humid hide or water dish.
X. Lighting
Cornsnakes do not have any special lighting needs. They do not require UV-B lighting to metabolize dietary calcium, like many other reptiles. This is possibly because these snakes eat whole prey animals that have produced their own vitamin D3, and snakes have adapted to obtain their D3 from their prey. Allow the snake an average photoperiod of 12 hours, the photoperiod length can be varied between 10-14 hours according to the season.
XI. Sexing
Like most snakes, corns are not easily sexed by eye alone. Males have a slightly thicker tail base than females, due to the presence of their hemipenes (paired copulatory organs). In hatchlings, the hemipenes may be inverted ("popping") to confirm the sex, however this should not be attempted in older animals as it risks damaging the organs. Probing is the most reliable method of sexing snakes, but it can damage the snake if not performed properly.
XII. Health
Proper husbandry is the key to good health in all reptiles. If you provide good basic care, then you will avoid the vast majority of potential health problems that reptiles can encounter in captivity.
Anorexia is one of the most common problems in captive snakes. Husbandry parameters should be checked first: A snake that is kept too cool or too warm will not eat. A stressed snake may not eat, sources of stress can include a noisy exterior environment (snakes are best kept in a quiet, low-traffic room) or lack of an appropriate hiding place. If your husbandry is sound, then a visit to a reptile vet is in order to determine the cause of your snake's inappetance.
Rodent prey carry their own internal parasites, such as pinworms. These parasites are harmless to snakes, as reptile physiology is different enough from mammalian physiology so that these parasites will not develop while passing through the snake. Rodent pinworm ova are commonly found on fecal exams in rodent-eating snakes, they are considered pseudoparasites.
When in doubt about a health issue with your pet, do not hesitate to contact a knowledgeable reptile and amphibian veterinarian. To find a vet in your area, see the directory at the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians website.
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Nocturnal: Describes an animal that is naturally active during nighttime hours.
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Photoperiod: The period of daylight hours during a 24-hour period.
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Terrestrial: Describes an animal that predominantly lives on land, or lives and dwells on the ground.
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Wild type: When describing genetic traits, this refers to the form of the trait most common in the wild population. Considering morphs in various herp species, "wild type" is often used to describe the appearance of the animal that is closest to that of wild members of the species.
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Sources:
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Behler, JL and King, FW. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Burbrink FT. 2002. Phylogeographic analysis of the corn snake (Elaphe guttata) complex as inferred from maxiumum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 25, 465-476.
- Spiess, P. No date. Rocky Mountain Herpetoculture. The Ubequitous Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata). (http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHnewpage11.htm)
- Utiger U, Helfenberger N, Schatti B, Schmidt C, Ruf M and Ziswiler V. 2002. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetology. 9:2, 105-124.
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- Further Reading:
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