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Temperate terrestrial snake

Corn snake

Pantherophis guttatus

Kept the same way as the California king snake, gopher and bull snake and garter snake, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

Build a corn snake setup See the gear
Photograph of a Corn snake

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
29 to 32°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
22 to 29°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
18 to 24°C
UV index at the basking spot
0.6 to 3 Zones 1 to 2. Crepuscular or shade dweller, thermal conformer
Humidity
40 to 60%
Daylight hours
13 h in summer, 11 h in winter
Where it lives
Foliage or shrubs, Grassland or savanna
Adult length
48 to 150 cm Sources disagree on this one, so the range is wide.
What it eats
Carnivore
When it is active
Crepuscular
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
18 years
Longest recorded life
32 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that suits a corn snake

Chosen for temperate terrestrial snake. The setup builder puts the whole kit together, sized to the animal, with the reason for each piece.

Build the whole kit

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

USA (Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia), Cayman I, US Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Antigua, St. Bartélmy (Saint Barthélemy) (POWELL & HENDERSON 2003) Introduced to Brazil (Bahia)

Breeding: oviparous

Where the figures come from