Corn Snakes
First, the basics:
♣ captive life: 15-20 years♣ max size: 3-5'
♣ diet: carnivorous. They eat mice.
please read further for information on feeding
♣ temperature: cool 65°F, basking 82°F
Please note temperature gradient required
♣ space: min 20 gallon "long" aquarium.
Expect higher activity levels and better feeding with larger tanks.
♣ Lighting: No special lighting is required. The heated side can be warmed with an under tank mat. Do not use heat rocks (for any animal) as they cause burns and are an electrocution hazard. Keep it dark at night, just like nature :D
♣ Substrate: See sidebar.
Many pet beddings aren't appropriate for all of the species listed on the packaging. Do research, as this is just an overview. You'll want a hiding place and space for a fairly large water bowl (away from the heat source). Larger tank means more room for decoration! Big emphasis on secure lid. Big, big emphasis! Resource: side-bar has reptile hiding-place link I like.
As Pets
Corn snakes (along with a few other colubrids) are my favorite beginners reptiles. Leopard geckos are a very close second but with a snake, you don't even have to offer insects daily! Bonus because their food doesn't have to be gutloaded.
Snakes are so intriguing to us. They're found in art, religious parables, cultural fables, and urban myths the world over. Stories of snakes a hundred feet long abound. Perhaps that's why they get such a bad rap from people. A lot of people see a snake, and their first reaction seems to be "fuuu! No legs!" Their simplicity of design has allowed them to last, very unchanged, for a far longer time than man.
Ok I'm sure that's not what you want to read. Here's why I recommend considering them...
As Pets (SRSLY THIS TIME)
Corn snakes are a very popular pet in the trade. Finding a captive-bred specimen is about as easy as finding a hamster with wet-tail. If you have a pet shop that sells reptiles, I can almost guarantee they have a corn snake or are expecting one in the next shipment. I like reptile shows if you can find one within reasonable distance. That way I can see and talk to the person who bred the animal. Don't buy a snake from a pet shop that appears to be filthy, or is trying to sell a fully grown adult snake. These guys don't grow THAT fast. Is it someone else's mite-infested pet? Was it wild-caught? You don't want a wild-caught corn snake... parasites, stress-related illness, refusal to eat. Don't reward backward businesses by paying for wild-caught snakes.
They do well in captivity. That is the big one I consider when researching any species for pet potential. If it can't reach or outlive its lifespan regularly in captivity, it's a poor pet. Likewise, if its maximum captive lifespan seems attainable only by specialists and zoos. Corn snakes do swimmingly, as long as their basic needs are met.
There are many different color morphs to choose from, as they've been in the herp trade for a long time now. Please keep in mind that you should try to stay away from some crazy new morphs, as they sometimes die randomly (severe inbreeding). The more established ones seem to do far better in captivity. Do research!
Here's the biggest down-side I can think of. Snakes eat animals. There is absolutely no way around this. There is no pre-packaged, pelleted snake diet. No strawberry scented mango mouse smoothie (EW!).
So what does that leave us with? Actual, whole, living (err... once-living) mice. Sure, people sometimes feed things like anoles and even chicks. I don't recommend those at all. Feeder lizards aren't kept in very clean environments and they often carry parasites that directly affect snakes. Chicks can be a bitch to get regularly and your snake may refuse to eat anything else if raised on them. Corn snakes in the wild may get a bird or bat, but they aren't arboreal animals. They were built to consume mainly rodents. Mouse = digestibility win.
I don't like giving rats to corn snakes. Even full grown specimens would do better to eat several mice than pack down a massive rat. Too many pet owners act like snakes don't have internal organs when it comes to feeding and handling of the animals. My ball pythons eat several mice but no rats. Leave rats to the big boas.
A note on pre-killed (not by the pet owner), frozen mice:
I hate them. People think they are drugged to death. This is NEVER the case, or they would poison the reptiles that eat them.
Pre-killed, people often tell me, is more humane for the rodent. I call bullcrud.
I have actually heard people say that being frozen to death "is like falling asleep". Freezing to death is horribly, horribly painful. Pre-killed animals (there are other species on the market) are killed in more than one way. The most "humane" I've heard of, to date, is carbon dioxide poisoning.
Another word for carbon dioxide poisoning is suffocation.
This is done on a massive level. The animals aren't killed one-by-one and monitored to see if they have actually died and not fallen unconscious before they are packaged and frozen. Bet your life that some of the suffocated mice finish it out while beginning to freeze :(
I do not feed my snakes live food. The two main reasons for this are that getting bitten and strangled sucks, and rodents can bite to the bone. I kill the prey myself. I do this by firmly grasping the tail and whacking the mouse's neck on the side of a doorway ledge. Pretty gruesome, I know, but while I don't take pleasure in it, it seems the most humane way. At least I know it didn't freeze to death in a pile of its dead brethren.
OK now that I've totally turned you off snakes, hahaha... It's not for everyone, but if you do consider it, do research. Relevant links in the sidebar. They're low-maintenance animals, maybe second only to certain invertebrate species and they certainly rank higher on personality than any tarantula (organic computer). Too grossed out? sry -_- Check out leopard geckos.
If you do decide to go with frozen mice, make sure you thaw them properly. No microwaving! And I very strongly recommend a dedicated refrigerator AWAY from your kitchen, because they have been linked with over 400 cases of salmonella in the USA and Britain this year (2010). The standards for frozen dead mice aren't the same as those for food packaged for human consumption. Don't stick dead mice in your fridge o_o Please.As with any pet, please check your local laws before purchasing the animal and make sure it is captive bred! The corn snake is protected in some areas, due to environmental damage and people taking wild specimens as pets. Wilds are prone to stress-related infections, often refuse to take food, carry parasites, and just don't make as good a pet as captives. Always be sure you can afford the money, time, and space for your pet.
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Not all pets are created equally. And not all animals should be kept as pets. In fact, most animals don't do well in captivity at all. My personal definition of a species that makes an acceptable pet is one that thrives in captivity. Otherwise, leave it to the zoos to keep them and only in my humble opinion to breed them if the population is threatened.
Dana, what's up with the "pet shop workers" thing?
Well the answer is quite simple, Bob. I was one. :D When I was younger, I always wanted to work with animals. Being a weirdo, I ended up working in a few different pet shops as I bounced around in search of... more life. Working in pet shops is not for everyone. You could divide the majority of low-wage pet shop workers into a few basic categories:
- Pet-enthusiasts of different experience levels and generally well-placed, though sometimes misguided intentions, often involving outdated information or misinterpretations and oversimplification.
- People who couldn't get a job somewhere else.
- Kids who thought they'd be petting kittens and talking to customers about what color bird they like most. Most of them last a month at most, and unfortunately do make up information or spread urban myths -_-
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The rare gem of a pet shop worker who is like a free vet (only they often care more) and an encyclopedia of information on everything from the dietary needs to proper husbandry of the most common animals and some that are quite obscure. This person has been working there for decades and is probably paid three times as much (or at least I hope) than any other employee. They sometimes annoy customers by telling them the truth. They also tend to have the most wonderful, friendly personalities. I love these people. Too bad I can't be one xD
Take note: You won't likely ever meet the last one. I hate to sound so pessimistic, but I've worked in a lot of places, visited a lot of places, made a lot of friends and acquaintances... The odds are just so low.
So remember: The girl at the Petco counter or someone on Yahoo Answers saying "I keep mine in a bird cage!" doesn't qualify as sufficient advice on the purchase of a pet. And advice and anecdotes don't qualify as research. Remember: A $10 book to keep near the cage is much cheaper than a $300 vet bill! This article has not been a care sheet!!!