Enclosure
Feeding
Water
Handling
Shedding
Corns and Rats must be housed in at least a 20 gallon tank. The tank must
have a secure top. A determined snake can push against screen or glass until
it finds an opening big enough for its head; where its head goes, so goes its
body. Some snakes will constantly rub their nose against the screened top of
the tank in an effort to find a way out. The resulting abrasions should be treated
with an antiseptic and antibiotic ointment. The furnishings in the enclosure
should then be evaluated to provide a more natural environment.
A hide box of some sort should be provided, and an interesting branch for
climbing and resting. Branches collected from the wild will need to be
debugged by soaking first in chlorine/water solution, then rinsed thoroughly,
soaked in clean water, then left to dry in the sun. No special lighting is
required.
With corn and, there are a couple of different substrates that can be
used, such as pine chips (not cedar chips, are toxic), indoor/outdoor carpeting
and "Astroturf". If you use the carpeting or Astroturf, you must wash it then let
it dry thoroughly before it can be used in the tank again; have two pieces on
hand which can be rotated. The snakes will often burrow under the chips or
carpet/turf, so don't be surprised if they are not always in view. If you use pine
chips, the urine and feces can be scooped out with a cat litter scoop, with
fresh chips added as needed. Be sure to remove soiled chips as soon as
possible; urine-soaked chips become a breeding ground for bacteria and
fungus. If you use chips, you will have to place your snake in a secure area to
feed it; you do not want it to ingest any chips.
A reptile heat tape is placed under one-half of the tank; this leaves one side
cooler so that your snake can regulate its body temperature as needed. A
heating pad made for people can be purchased at any drug store; set it at
medium or low depending upon the ambient air temperature. To maintain
health, corn and rat snakes must be kept at 75-85 F, the higher temperature
being necessary to digest its food. Temperatures can fall to the lower range at
night. To easily monitor temperature, inexpensive aquarium self-stick
thermometers can be purchased and applied about an inch above the bottom of
the tank on the warm side. Hot rocks should never be used; they fluctuate too
much, and too many reptiles suffer severe ventral burns. An incandescent light
bulb in a reflector shield may be set just outside the tank to heat up a basking
area; appliance timers can be set to turn the light on and off at set times during
the day. Reset the hours of operation to adjust for seasonal fluctuations in
ambient air temperature.
A bowl of fresh water must always be available at all times. It will be used for drinking and
sometimes for bathing. If the snake defecates in it, the bowl must be cleaned and disinfected
immediately.
Corns and Rats do not wrap snugly around your arm like pythons or kings. They tend to pick
a direction and go for it. Though they are relatively small in body mass, they are quite strong.
Always support the body and give free rein to the head. If the head starts going somewhere
you don't want it to go, gently guide it into another direction. Many snakes are nervous when
introduced into a new situation with new people. Give them a couple of days to settle down
before letting new people handle them.
As a reptile grows, its old skin become too tight and worn. A new skin awaits just below the
old. As a snake gets ready to shed, its eyes will turn a milky blue over the course of several
days, and the body color will start to dull and develop a whitish sheen. Once the eyes have
cleared, the snake is ready to shed. To assure proper hydration, soak the snake in warmish
water after the eyes clear; this should enable to snake to shed easily within the next 24
hours.
Enclosure
Feeding
An active snake will happily eat every 10 days or so. They will eat, and should only be fed,
killed prey. A snake who is not hungry when live prey is introduced into the enclosure often
finds itself becoming the meal, especially if the prey is a rat. To economize, you can buy in
bulk and freeze them. Contact your local herpetology society; many members breed mice
and rats, and most will pre-kill them for you. Remove the prey item from the freezer and allow
to defrost at room temperature. When defrosted, use forceps or tongs to pick up the rodent
by the tail, and hold the prey in front of the snake for the snake to strike at. Many snakes will
eat prey that is just placed in the tank. Occasionally, a quail egg can be offered to
wild-caught specimens. If the snake likes it, one can be offered every couple of weeks.
(Since quail eggs purchased in stores or from hatcheries are unlikely to be fertilized, they
should not form a regular part of the main diet.) Start hatchlings off with pinkie mice. As your
snake grows, gradually increase the prey size by offering fuzzies, crews, then small adult
mice or rat pinkies. A full-grown Corn or Rat can eat a medium to large mouse; large Rat
snakes can eat small rats. If you feed too much at one feeding session, or feed a prey item
that is too large, your snake may regurgitate it.
Water
Handling
Shedding
