Corn Snakes as Pets: 10 Pros and Cons Before Getting Your First Snake (2024)

This site is supported by our readers. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links.

No time to second-guess yourself – you’ve decided a corn snake is the perfect pet.

But understanding their docile temperament and attractive looks still requires research.

From housing needs to feeding habits, this guide breaks down the top pros and cons.

Get the full scoop so you can approach corn snake ownership with confidence, power, and understanding.

Pros of Having a Corn Snake

When considering a corn snake, you’ll find they make great starter pets for several reasons:

• These docile, small-to-medium snakes not only have an easygoing temperament, but their attractive looks, tolerance to handling, and long lifespan of up to 23 years mean they can provide enjoyment for many years to come.

Let’s take a closer look at the key advantages corn snakes offer as pets:

Docile Temperament

Corn snakes impress many first-time snake owners with their generally docile temperament and tolerance to regular handling.

Corn snakes rarely bite and tend to remain calm during handling after an initial adjustment period.

Their small size and lack of venom make corn snakes ideal for novice keepers to gain confidence handling snakes.

With regular gentle handling, corn snakes become quite tame and amenable to being held.

Their docile temperament suits first-time snake owners.

Size Advantage

Corn snakes stay a manageable size, averaging 3-6 feet long when fully grown.

Requiring less space than giant constrictors, corn snakes’ more compact size eases their upkeep.

Through gradual taming and baby steps, their potential handling and living space constraints feed into corn snakes’ appeal as a small-sized, captive pet snake species.

With appropriate prey size and feeding frequency controlling their growth hunger in captivity, corn snakes’ compact size advantages them among snake species.

Attractive Appearance

One can find corn snakes visually appealing for their wide array of colors and patterns.

Various morphs offer color variations from wild-type oranges to lavenders, snows, albinos, and anerythrics.

This diverse palette and combinations of distinctive markings allow for aesthetic customization when selecting an exotic pet snake.

Their colorful patterns and morph diversity make corn snakes stand out attractively among captivity lifespan options.

Tolerance to Handling

With their attractive appearance, you’ll also find that corn snakes tolerate regular handling.

Long Lifespan

Your corn snake can give you up to 20 years of companionship if you properly care for its habitat, feeding, and health throughout its lengthy lifespan.

This long-term commitment requires planning for responsible lifetime care as your snake ages.

Consider veterinary needs, legal restrictions, and adjusted feeding frequency.

Age	Size	Feeding Frequency
Hatchling	8-18 inches	Every 5-7 days
Juvenile	18-36 inches	Every 7 days
Adult	36-72 inches	Every 7-10 days

Cons of Having a Corn Snake

However, corn snakes do come with some potential drawbacks to consider before getting one.

Health issues like respiratory infections can arise if humidity and temperatures aren’t properly maintained.

Their carnivorous diet requires feeding them mice, rats, or chicks on a regular basis, which some find unappealing.

There’s also a small risk of salmonella transmission from the snake to humans if proper handling and hygiene practices aren’t followed.

Health Risks

Occasionally, you’re faced with potential health issues when caring for a corn snake:

• Respiratory infections if humidity levels aren’t properly maintained.
• Scale rot and inclusion body disease may also occur with improper temperatures and cage hygiene.
• Ensure proper frozen rodent thawing and storage to reduce salmonella risk.

Adhere to specific guidelines for the snake’s diet, temperature, and cleaning to mitigate common corn snake health problems.

Specific Habitat Needs

Corn snakes require precise temperature and humidity conditions that necessitate some specialized equipment.

As ectotherms, they rely on external heat sources for temperature regulation and must have hide availability for security.

Properly housing corn snakes necessitates investing in appropriate tank accessories like substrates, lighting, and cages.

While the setup cost can be a deterrent, understanding their needs for heat, humidity, hides, and eventually live food is part of responsible snake ownership.

Salmonella Risk

However, are you aware that corn snakes may carry salmonella bacteria that can cause illness if proper hygiene precautions aren’t followed when handling your snake or cleaning its habitat?

To prevent exposure risks:

• Minimize handling.
• Maintain diligent sanitation when caring for your snake.
• Be aware of symptoms.
• Take precautions by thoroughly washing hands after contact.

Responsible snake ownership requires specific preventative measures to ensure wellbeing for both pet and owner.

Tedious Feeding

You’ll need to feed your corn snake a properly sized mouse or rat once every 5-7 days to meet its nutritional needs.

Rodent Availability

Cost Considerations

Feeding Techniques

Meal Rejection

Schedule Management

Acquiring appropriate rodent feeders on a regular basis can be tedious for some owners. There are costs, sources to manage, techniques to learn, and potential for rejection.

Limited Interaction

Despite their general docility, you won’t have significant interaction with your corn snake compared to more social pets.

As solitary reptiles, corn snakes don’t bond or play like mammals.

Still, handling techniques allow some interaction.

Offer branches, hides, substrate for burrowing to enrich their habitat since they spend most days there alone.

Comparatively, corn snakes need less stimulation than more active pets.

Account for their independent nature when considering pros and cons of ownership.

Handling and Temperament of Corn Snakes

When it comes to handling your corn snake, you’ll be pleased to know they tend to be quite docile, even when young.

Proper handling technique and consistent interactions are key to building trust and ensuring the snake remains relaxed during human contact.

Gender differences may also play a subtle role.

Docility

10 Pros and Cons Before Getting Your First Snake:

Their docile temperament makes corn snakes a recommended beginner snake breed you’ll enjoy handling.

As a breed, corn snakes tend to be calmer and more tolerant to handling than other snakes.

However, individual snakes may vary, so focus on trust building during the maturity phases to ensure a docile pet snake.

Size Consideration

Consider a corn snake’s typically small to medium adult size when evaluating your comfort with handling.

An adult corn snake reaches an average length of 3-6 feet, allowing ample movement in standard terrariums.

Compared to large constrictor species, their modest mature dimensions simplify housing needs and handling for responsible owners prepared for a snake’s interactions.

Their cage size accommodates natural movement yet prevents hazardous escapes.

Adjustment Period

The adjustment period will require some patience from you as the new snake gets accustomed to handling over the first few weeks in its new home.

Allow gradual acclimation to reduce anxiety triggers through trust-building exercises like daily handling sessions while preventing escape attempts.

Carefully monitor behavior changes during this transitional period.

Trust Building

You’ll need to build trust with your corn snake through regular, gentle handling sessions over time.

Use gentle handling techniques like scooping underneath or allowing the snake to slither voluntarily onto your hands.

Start with brief, controlled interactions, gently stroking the snake’s back and praising it.

Use positive reinforcement by rewarding the snake’s calm behavior with treats or affection.

Allow for gradual acclimation to handling through multiple short sessions before attempting prolonged handling.

Gender Differences

Many of your interactions with a corn snake depend somewhat on its gender.

Male corn snakes tend to be slightly smaller and more active, exhibiting more frequent mating behaviors compared to females.

Females reach sexual maturity and begin reproductive cycles later in life, requiring appropriate nesting environments for brooding eggs.

Hormones influence traits like aggression levels, with males often displaying competitiveness during breeding seasons.

Understanding gender differences allows adjustment of handling approaches and housing considerations.

Care Requirements for Corn Snakes

When caring for a corn snake, you need to properly set up their enclosure with adequate heating, regular feeding of an appropriate diet, and access to clean water.

Temperature ranges, hydration, nutrition, and habitat maintenance are all important considerations in meeting their needs.

Providing attentive care that aligns with their natural history and biology will lead to a healthier, longer-lived snake.

Enclosure Setup

Your snake’s home needs proper housing that allows a temperature gradient while providing hiding spots and easy maintenance.

When setting up a corn snake enclosure, consider:

• An appropriately sized tank
• Frequent cleanings
• Proper lighting including UVB
• Ways to maintain humidity between 40-60%
• Substrates like reptile carpet or cypress mulch that allow for burrowing

Temperature Gradient

As an ectotherm, your corn snake relies on you to provide a proper temperature gradient in the enclosure to help regulate its body temperature and digestion.

Supplemental heating needed to create a gradient.

Gradient should range from 75-85°F on the cool end to 88-92°F on the warm end.

Allows snake to thermoregulate by moving between temperatures.

Use a thermostat to control heat sources.

Position heat lamp to create warmer basking area.

Feeding

You’ll need to feed your corn snake an appropriately-sized mouse or rat once every 5-7 days to meet its nutritional requirements.

Offer variety in prey items to promote enrichment.

Provide prey at an ideal temperature to aid digestion and regulate feeding frequency and meal size.

Choose appropriate prey size for your snake’s age to ensure proper nutrition and avoid potential health issues related to over or underfeeding.

Carefully handle prey for safety.

Hydration

Having fed your corn snake, you’ll now need to maintain proper hydration for its health and shedding.

Provide water in a small dish within the enclosure, misting daily to maintain humidity around 60%.

Offer occasional 20-minute soaking sessions in shallow water.

Monitor hydration at feeding times, increasing misting frequency if needed.

Proper hydration supports healthy shedding cycles.

Lifespan Consideration

When considering getting a corn snake, you’ll need to think about their potential lifespan of 16-23 years and if you can commit to properly caring for them throughout.

Expect a long-term commitment of up to two decades.

Lifespan myths circulate, so reference credible sources.

Their average lifespan in captivity is 16-23 years.

The record for the longest-lived corn snake exceeds 30 years.

Comparison With Other Snake Breeds

Before getting a corn snake, it helps to compare their traits and behaviors to other popular pet snake species.

While individual variability exists, corn snakes tend to be more docile and handleable than many snakes.

Their attractive patterns and manageable size also make them one of the most appealing options for many first-time snake owners.

Docile Breeds

Typically, you’ll find corn snakes are one of the most docile snake breeds.

Having a calm demeanor, they rarely bite or musk when handled properly.

When comparing corn snakes to other species, they stand out as an easygoing choice suitable for beginner keepers.

Frequently, corn snakes are among the most docile snake breeds, don’t you find?

With their calm demeanors, they rarely bite or musk when you handle them properly.

Here is a comparison of corn snakes to other docile breeds:

Breed	Temperament	Handling
Corn Snake	Very calm, easygoing	Excellent, even for beginners
Ball Python	Relatively docile	Good, with consistency
Milk Snake	Active but not aggressive	Moderate, may nip initially

Individual Variability

Regardless of breed, each snake has its own unique personality.

Understanding its specific behaviors and preferences requires time.

Through experience with different corns, owners learn that although genetics anchor behaviors, snakes differ in maturation, feeding responses, sensitivity levels, and activity fluctuations based on individual traits.

Carefully observing a new snake reveals its unique preferences.

Attractive Features

Corn snakes come in a wide variety of attractive colors and patterns compared to other common pet snake breeds.

• Corn snakes show more color diversity than ball pythons and kingsnakes.
• They display vibrant reds, oranges, blacks, and whites.

Selective breeding produces corn snakes with unique and eye-catching markings.

Their aesthetic appeal attracts many novice snake enthusiasts.

Corn snakes’ coloring and patterns add to their popularity as pets.

Behavioral Differences

You’ll see snakes have distinct behaviors from breed to breed.

Some breeds, like corn snakes, exhibit more docile and predictable behaviors ideal for beginner owners.

Other species can demonstrate more complex behaviors related to their roles as predators or prey, making them less suitable pets.

The choice comes down to personal preferences and readiness to accommodate a given snake’s needs.

Breed	Activity Level	Stress Triggers	Social Needs	Handling Difficulty
Corn Snake	Low	Few	Minimal	Easy
Ball Python	Low	Some	Minimal	Intermediate
Kingsnake	High	Some	Minimal	Intermediate

Personal Preferences

When choosing a snake breed, you’d naturally consider your personal preferences regarding things like coloration, typical size, and activity level.

The wide range of corn snake morphs allows for great variability in aesthetics to suit different tastes.

Their small adult size and docile nature also make them one of the best starter snakes for first-time owners.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)