Corn Snakes

[Dragon_Slave]

Hello everyone!
I'm new to this forum and have a few questions about corn snakes. I have been researching them for about a week now and have fallen in love. This will be my first snake, so hopefully I made a good decision. Lol.

- How often and what do they eat? I mean, I know you can feed mice and rats, but is there anything else that they can eat?
- Will one fit in a 20L cage?
- And most importantly, do they make good first snakes? And are they prone to biting?

Thanks everyone for you're time.

By the way, my other herps are:
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon(Chester)
0.3.0 Leopard Geckos(Lily, Angel and Nikita)
1.1.0 African Fat Tail Geckos(Sarabi and Kai)

Included is a picture of my dragon and I. Just for fun.

[Colonel SB]

They will eat any rodents but it is wise to get them eating Frozen mice. They should eat one apprpriate food item a week, I keep my adults in a 20 long acquarium don't know the leters. They make great pets and they are not proned to biting.

[Vanan]

I second that! Can't go wrong with a corn I say!

[vanderkm]

Corns are a great snake species and most of your questions have been answered above, but I can just confirm that they rarely bite, they adapt well to handling, don't get too large, come in so many colors and combinations that you will be sure to find one that appeals to you.

If by a 20L tank you mean 20 gallon long, that is no problem. If you mean 20 litres, that is only about 5 gallons and that would not be enough.

Most captive bred will be started on thawed (warmed up) pinky mice when you buy them, and they can be fed once every 5-7 days when babies, then dropping back to once a week by the time they are 6 months old. Just gradually increase the size of the prey. It is easiest to keep them on thawed rodents, but in the wild the babies may eat lizards (just for your info - you don't want to get them onto those). Adults can be fed on baby chicks too, but usually rodents are easiest to get and mice are fine for their entire life.

Good luck choosing a color and hope you will post more if you need more info.

mary v.

[yankeefoxtrot]

They make GREAT first snakes!!!! Make shure as colonel said to get them started on dead prey. I have a 4 and a half footer myself and he is still eating F/T full gorwn mice once a week (or twice if i feel the need). Really easy snakes to care for. And they are gorgous too!!! Great choice!!!

Lucas

[Dragon_Slave]

Thanks for you're replies ya'll. It makes me feel good that I have chosen a good snake. Hehe. I've been looking at colors and have decided that if and when I get a corn snake, I want a Creamsicle one. :-D
By the way, yes.. when I typed 20L I meant 20 gallon long. Lol, sorry for the mix up. Umm... ok, I think that's all my questions. If I have any more, I know where to come. ;-) Again, thanks for you're help.

[SCReptiles]

- How often and what do they eat? I mean, I know you can feed mice and rats, but is there anything else that they can eat?

About every 7 to 10 days. Corns snakes will take most anything they can over power. Rodents are their main prey, but they will feed on lizards and birds. F/T pinks, then mice are the cheapest and most covenant food item. I would stick with that.

- Will one fit in a 20L cage?

Yes, in the beginning. We have a female that is pushing 6’, she would be a little cramped in a 20, but that will hold a corn for quite a while.

- And most importantly, do they make good first snakes? And are they prone to biting?

Yes, they are probably the best starter snake. They are not prone to bite, but any reptile can at any time. Young corns would actually lack the jaw strength to actually hurt even if they did bite. We have CB 2002 baby corns, Normal (het for motley) $18, Snow $39, and hypo montly $64. All are presently feeding on f/t pinks. If you are interested, I will be in NC the weekend of July 4 on a herping trip. I can bring one with us.

[Dragon_Slave]

Aaah, July 4th weekend? I wish, but I'll be in New York. Plus, I'm still trying to convince my mom into letting me have a snake, which will take a while. Lol. Thanks for the offer. Do you think you'll be at the NC herp show August 31st? Maybe I'll see ya there.

[SCReptiles]

No, I am not one for herp shows. I take little time off from work, and when I do I enjoy field herping. One exception, I will be at the Venom Event Expo 2003 in Bristol, VA. www.venomevent.com . We will not be selling. That show is being promoted by a friend and he needed some venomous experienced help, so Joe and I will be there that weekend. If you can, need to come over for this one. Will be a major show.

[Dragon_Slave]

Well, considering I don't travel much... I doubt I'll be able to get there. But I am definitely looking for a good breeder. I'll keep you in mind, just in case. However, I am really looking for a creamsicle corn. :-\