Corn Snake — Fact Sheet

Pantherophis guttatus · Corn Snake

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Baseline adult minimum: 120 × 60 × 60 cm (length × width × height), for a snake up to 120 cm long.
• Larger adults need an enclosure at least as long as the snake, at least half its length in width, and at least 60 cm high; a 150 cm snake needs at least 150 × 75 × 60 cm.
• Use secure doors, a firmly fastened lid, and escape-proof ventilation.
• Provide hides and climbing branches; keep resting surfaces dry and bedding clean.

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Tight warm hide, tight cool hide, water bowl, branches or cover as appropriate
• Rough but safe surfaces for shedding
• Visual barriers so the snake can move without constant exposure

💡 Lighting

• Ferguson Zone 2; aim for UVI 1-2 at the animal’s back height on the basking site. See the full care guide for the evidence and any uncertainty.
• Measure with a Solarmeter 6.5; provide a gradient to fully shaded retreats near zero UVI. Lamp percentage alone does not specify exposure.
• Photoperiod: 10-12 h; no bright night light.

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 30-32 °C

• Warm zone: 24-28 °C

• Cool zone: 21-24 °C

• Night: 18-22 °C

• Clear gradient required; the animal must be able to move between warm, cool, and hidden zones

• Measure basking surfaces with an infrared thermometer and ambient zones with digital probes

• Avoid heat rocks and unguarded heat sources

💧 Humidity & water

• Average enclosure humidity: 65-75%, measured with a digital probe hygrometer near the middle; readings vary with location and time of day.
• Provide a humid hide with damp, not dripping, moss, especially during shedding; this is not an enclosure-wide humidity boost.
• Keep other hides and resting surfaces dry, with a clean water bowl always available.
• Maintain ventilation; avoid sodden or mouldy bedding and keep aspen dry.

🐁 Diet

Feed regularly:

• Appropriately sized frozen-thawed rodents

In moderation:

• Occasional size/schedule adjustments for growth, breeding, or body condition

Avoid:

• Live feeding unless medically unavoidable, oversized prey, frequent fatty items

Supplements:

• No routine powders on whole prey; correct prey size and UV/heat matter more

💤 Brumation

• Seasonal cooling is species-specific and not required for every pet snake
• Do not brumate sick, underweight, newly acquired, or juvenile animals without expert guidance
• Confirm feeding stop, hydration, and temperatures before any planned cooling
• Monitor weight and condition; consult a reptile vet for first attempts

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Retained eye caps or patchy shed → humidity or dehydration issue
• Wheezing, bubbles, open-mouth breathing → respiratory infection
• Regurgitation → prey size, temperature, stress, or disease
• Mites → quarantine and treatment needed
• Refusal to eat with weight loss → investigate promptly

Consult a reptile- or exotic-animal veterinarian for severe weakness, injury, breathing signs, swelling, or prolonged refusal to eat.