Corn Snake

The Corn Snake was one of the first snakes to be kept in captivity of humans. Corn snakes are one of the most common snakes available in the pet trade due to their gentle nature, ease of care, low maintenance, manageable size, lack of fangs, non-venomous, and the wide variety of patterns, colors, and morphs available to choose from. These snakes are excellent escape artists and will escape their enclosure if not properly fastened. More beginners lose their snakes to escapes than death. Corn Snakes have a diet primarily consisting of rodents, but they are proficient climbers and may scale trees in search of birds and bats. As litters of infant mice are difficult to find in nature, many neonate Corn Snakes are known to eat small lizards as their first meals, and Carolina anoles are the preferred choice. Some individuals retain these dietary tendencies well into adulthood. Pet Corn Snakes are usually fed by their owners on a diet of commercially available rodents, predominantly mice, though larger specimens may eat rat "pups". Juveniles can be fed pinky mice once or twice weekly; adults do well on large mice once every 1 or 2 weeks. A general rule for food size is that up to 1+¹⁄₂ the snake's body girth is acceptable. Handling should be avoided for a full 48 hours or until the meal is digested and no lump can be seen in the snake's belly. Many owners suggest feeding in a bin outside of the snake's housing so that there is no chance of the snake of accidentally ingesting its bedding which can lead to impaction of the item in its internal digestive system and can lead to death. Corn Snakes should always be fed alone and not with another snake. If two snakes try to feed on the same prey they can inadvertently eat each other. Previously frozen and then thawed out prey vs live prey is another debated topic, however feeding frozen/thawed mice instead of live prey is advisable for snakes in captivity due to the risk of injury.^[