General information
Corn snakes are among the snakes that are frequently found in the pet trade in a wide variety of colors and therefore end up in large numbers in animal shelters and rescue centers. The corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus, formerly Elaphe guttata) originates from the east coast of the USA and inhabits various habitats (forests, swamps, scrub and grasslands) in temperate to subtropical areas. It can grow up to 180 cm long, although most animals do not reach a length of more than 150 cm, and can live for more than 20 years (usually 12-15 years).
As the animals are easy to breed, there are different color and pattern types in the trade, whereby the reddish-brown wild form is only rarely seen. On the upper side, the wild form has spots in various shades of red and brown with an incomplete black border, which become smaller and smaller towards the sides of the body. The first spot begins at the eye in the form of a stripe with dark edges, which usually extends over the mouth to the neck. The body is slender and the head is set off from the rump. The eyes are large with large pupils surrounded by a brown ring.
Corn snakes are usually active during the day, but in very hot regions they are more active at dusk or at night. They live mainly on the ground, but can also climb very well. They are non-poisonous ambush hunters with well-developed eyesight, killing their prey by clutching it and devouring it after a rest.
Socialization
Snakes are usually solitary animals. However, corn snakes are quite compatible with each other and can be kept in pairs or groups. The aim is for all animals in a group to be approximately the same size. Socialization with animals of other species should be rejected for health and behavioural reasons.
Terrarium
The report on minimum requirements for keeping reptiles from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) specifies that the terrarium should hold at least the total length of the longest snake x half the length x total length (LxWxH) for up to two snakes. Applied to animals of 130 cm in length, this means that at least one terrarium measuring 130x65x130 cm should be selected. The floor space should be increased by 20 % for each additional animal. From an animal welfare point of view, it is advisable to set minimum dimensions of 150x100x150 cm for two adult animals.
The three-dimensional structure of the enclosure is important. Three sides of the terrarium should be opaque. Sufficient hiding and climbing opportunities should be provided (stones, branches, roots, cork tubes, clay pots, plants). An elevated vantage point and basking spot, a moulting aid (e.g. branch, rough stone) and a bathing facility in the form of a shallow water dish into which the entire animal must fit are part of the basic equipment of a terrarium. Additional climbing and hiding places can be created by covering the back and side walls with cork, for example. Several levels should be created, for example with imitation rocks, roots, stone slabs or thick branches. There should be several cave-like hiding places. Some moss in the terrarium and in one of the hiding places is often used.
A mixture of soil, sand, clay and peat or clay and sand in a ratio of 1:3 is suitable as substrate. A thin layer of bark mulch can also be added to the substrate. The substrate should always be moist in one place, but should not be too moist over the entire terrarium, as bacterial or mycotic infections can develop in the area of the ventral scales in the event of waterlogging (recognizable by brownish-bloody discoloration of the scales). Corn snakes also like to dig, which is why the substrate should be raised in some places.
In order to prevent females from laying eggs (even if they are not kept together with males), an egg-laying area must be provided. This could be a plastic container filled with slightly damp substrate with a lid that provides a hatch.
For short-term housing / quarantine, newspaper can also be used as a substrate.
Corn snakes will find any small crevice and can also push open unlocked doors, which is why great importance should be attached to securing the terrarium.
The air temperature should be 24-28 °C during the day with local warming of 28 to over 35 °C. Heat radiation (basking area) can be provided by a halogen lamp or, better still, a metal halide lamp. Due to the risk of burns, lamps must be placed out of reach of the animals or secured with a mesh basket. At night, the temperature is lowered to 18-20 °C. Humidity should be around 50-70%, which can be achieved by regularly spraying the terrarium or using a sprinkler system. It is also advisable to provide a so-called wet box (a box filled with damp moss into which the snake can crawl if necessary) in the terrarium.
Fluorescent tubes, daylight lamps and radiant heaters are suitable as basic lighting. The daily lighting period should be 12-14 hours outside the hibernation period. UV light promotes the snakes' well-being and helps them to be more active and vital.
Every terrarium should have a functioning mercury-free thermometer and a hygrometer. A thermometer attached to the outside measures too inaccurately.
Nutrition
Corn snakes are carnivores and need mice of an appropriate size or small rats or chicks as food. In the wild, corn snakes also eat small lizards, amphibians, birds and bats. Adult corn snakes eat approx. 1-3 mice every 2-3 weeks. Weekly feeding is appropriate for young animals. Corn snakes should be fed individually outside the terrarium in separate feeding bowls to avoid aggression towards conspecifics and keepers (when opening the terrarium). As a rule, corn snakes can be easily acclimatized to feeding with dead food animals. Fresh drinking water must be offered daily in the terrariums for consumption at any time.
As the digestive enzymes are temperature-dependent, the ambient temperature must be warm enough for the food to be fully digested and absorbed. The digestive processes begin at 10 °C and reach their highest capacity at 30 °C. If the temperature is too low, the snake may regurgitate the food or refuse to eat it altogether. If the temperature is too high, the food animal decomposes faster than it can be digested and gases can form, which can cause the snake to bloat and vomit.
Winter rigidity
It is generally advisable to hibernate for two months between October and March at 8-12 °C and in complete darkness, as this corresponds to their behavior in their natural habitat and strengthens their resistance. They should not be fed for four to five weeks before this, as their intestines must be emptied for hibernation. During the entire resting phase, water must always be available for consumption at will. A fecal examination for endoparasites should be carried out before and after hibernation. Only healthy animals may be put into hibernation. The lighting should be gradually reduced before hibernation and gradually increased again afterwards. In the case of short-term keeping in an animal shelter, a hibernation period can also be canceled once.
Care and quarantine
- The terrarium should be checked daily and droppings with surrounding substrate and food residues removed. In addition, the water and bathing containers should be cleaned and refilled daily. The substrate should be replaced at regular intervals (about twice a year).
- Health problems that frequently occur in corn snakes are moulting difficulties, skin mites, feeding disorders and changes to the excrement and mucous membranes. A vet should be consulted if illness is suspected or injuries are visible. Here you will find a list of vets who regularly undergo further training in the field of reptiles. It is advisable to weigh the animals weekly to monitor their weight.
- Corn snakes, like all reptiles, are often carriers of certain types of salmonella, which are part of their normal intestinal flora. These salmonellae can lead to illness in humans. Special hygiene rules should therefore be observed when handling the animals (washing hands after working on and in the terrarium, not washing used water and food containers together with your own dishes, etc.). Caution is advised with small children, pregnant women and immunocompromised persons.
- New animals should always be placed in a quarantine terrarium for at least six weeks first. Here they must be examined for ectoparasites (mites, ticks) and endoparasites (worms, protozoa). After two negative fecal tests, animals can be socialized with each other. To protect against paramyxoviruses in the flock, a swab should be taken from the throat or cloaca of newly admitted animals and the sample material examined in the laboratory. In addition, newly admitted animals can also be tested for antibodies in the blood. In addition, a swab can be taken from the cloaca (or throat) and tested for adenoviruses in the laboratory.
Torture breeding
There are various forms of breeding that are considered to be torture breeding. These include scaleless corn snakes, for example. The targeted breeding for changes to the scales severely restricts their species-typical behavior. A reduced life expectancy is also suspected. Corn snakes of the "sunkissed" morph often exhibit "stargazing syndrome", a neurological disorder that was first observed in 1991: The animals have balance problems, affected snakes twist their heads, look upwards or often lie on their backs. Uncontrolled movements, disorientation, abnormal rearing and sometimes tremors are among the symptoms described. Up-to-date information can be found in the QUEN agony breeding database.
Note
- Like all snakes, corn snakes are carnivorous and need food animals (e.g. mice) for their diet. This poses a considerable problem from an animal welfare point of view and leads to the conclusion that snakes should not be kept.
- Although food animals can be fed as frozen food, it must always be questioned where the food animals come from, how they were housed and how they were killed.
- Some snakes are used to eating only live food or freshly dead food. The keepers themselves often have to kill the food animals before feeding them. This should be rejected from an animal welfare point of view, as there is no obligation for the snake keeper to first attend further training to learn how to kill a vertebrate animal in accordance with animal welfare regulations. As a result, amateurs try their hand at this challenge, which in many cases leads to the food animals being killed with the infliction of pain and suffering.
- Moving the live food animal into the terrarium also poses an ethical challenge - the prey animal has no way of escaping, as would be the case in the wild. It is helplessly at the mercy of the predator. Depending on how hungry the snake is, it can happen that food animals are not killed immediately, but vegetate in the terrarium for a while. Conversely, snakes have also been injured by food animals.
- In addition, it has been shown time and again that food animals are not kept in a species-appropriate manner, but are treated as second-class animals.
- Newly hatched corn snakes often have problems eating, which is why they are by no means suitable for beginners, as is often the case.
- With lighting and heat sources, care must always be taken to ensure that they generate a lot of heat and direct contact between the animal and the light/heat source must be avoided, otherwise serious burns may occur. A protective grid around the spotlights can provide protection here, for example.
- The animals should be allowed to hibernate in winter at temperatures of 8-12°C. If the animals are kept in the living room or similar, an alternative must be considered for the winter period so that the low temperatures can be reached.
- Corn snakes usually come from captive bred stock. The purchase of wild-caught animals should be avoided.
Sources
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