cornmorphs caresheet

this is the caresheet from my own site.
the site needs updating as a lot has changed in the last few years and i even have to change the scientific name.
its basic, but here it is...
http://www.cornmorphs.com/corncs.htm

ok, thorr wanted me to paste the whole thing, so here you go..
Cornsnakes are members of the colubridae family which also includes Milksnakes, Ratsnakes & Kingsnakes amongst others. They further belong to the genus Elaphe, other snakes of this genus include the north american ratsnakes, European & Asian Ratsnakes. The cornsnake is scientifically known as the species Elaphe guttata . Possibly five subspecies are recognized the nominate form the common Cornsnake Elaphe guttata guttata, the Great Plains Ratsnake Elaphe guttata emoryi, the Rosy Ratsnake Elaphe guttata rosacea, the intermountain ratsnake Elaphe guttata intermontana & Elaphe guttata meahllmorum.


Cornsnakes come in a wide range of colours, Wild types include the Miami corn which has red/orange blotches on a grey background and the strikingly coloured Okeetee Corn in shades of orange with thick black borders outlining it's dorsal blotches. Genetic colour mutations include Amelanistics, Anerythristics, Snows, Caramels, Lavenders, the list goes on. Then we have the pattern mutations such as the Motleys, Zigzags and stripes. There are literally hundreds of possible combinations of colour and pattern morphs available. Whether it is a normal coloured corn or one of the mutations their care & breeding is identical.

Cornsnakes are medium sized reaching about five foot as an adult making them a handlable snake together with their docile personality and ease of keeping, it's no wonder that it is the first choice for those starting out in the hobby.

This caresheet deals with the Common Cornsnake Elaphe guttata guttata although the care of the subspecies is very similar.



Housing Hatchling Cornsnakes up to 6 Months of Age.
One of the most important considerations when housing your cornsnake or any reptile for that matter, is to make sure that their enclosure is escape proof. Snakes in particular are great escape artists and can squeeze through the smallest of gaps and can quiet easily push off a lose fitting lid.

Hatchling snakes do best when housed separately in a small container such as the clear plastic or opaque lidded boxes sold for food storage. These should have air holes drilled in to them, but remember hatchling corns can be quiet small and have houdini tendencies so make sure the holes are no bigger than 3mm in diameter. Cornsnake hatchlings can be kept on kitchen roll, as the snake matures and is moved into a larger vivarium then other choices of substrates can be considered. But for now kitchen roll is the best choice as it is absorbent, easily replaced and does not stick to food items like wood chip or wood shavings can.

Cornsnakes are shy by nature and in the wild seek refuge in rock crevices, under discarded debris, in fact any where they can tightly squeeze into. Your hatchling cornsnake should also be provided with a safe place to hide, this can either be home made such as an upturned plant pot saucer with a hole cut in it, or a commercially brought one. The main consideration for a hide is that it is big enough so the snake can curl up under it, but small enough so that it feels secure in it.

A sturdy water bowl is the final requirement when setting up your hatchlings environment.

Snakes enclosures need to be kept clean and dry with fresh water made available at all times. ( see section on routine maintenance )

If housing a number of hatchlings a racking system can be constructed,this looks similar to a bookcase. Each row holds several plastic containers. These pull out from the rack like a drawer. A lot of rack systems are "lidless"; they are built so that the cages slide in flush with the row above, which acts like a lid. these are heated by heat tape which runs along the back of the boxes, which heats one end of the enclosure, providing a thermal gradient. Heat tape must be controlled by a thermostat, in order to maintain the thermal gradient.

If you are housing just one or two hatchlings these can be kept on a heatmat attached to a thermostat. The hatchlings box should be placed so that it is roughly half on and half off the heatmat, so that a thermal gradient can be achieved.

Housing Newly Hatched Cornsnakes.
Freshly hatched snakes need to be kept on damp kitchen roll up until their first shed, this prevents the hatchling from dehydrating and helps with their first shed. After the snakes sheds the substrate should be replaced with dry kitchen roll.All other considerations are the same as above

Housing Juvenile & Adult Cornsnakes.
Once a hatchling reaches approximately 18 inches it can then be moved into a larger enclosure. This can either be a larger version of the rack system described above for the hatchlings or a wooden or glass vivarium. Your local reptile store should stock a wide range of purpose built vivariums, or if you are DIY minded you can construct your own.
Moving your cornsnake into a larger enclosure is always an exciting time, you can now furnish it with branches, rocks, and a more appealing substrate, as long as all it's requirements are met you can let your imagination run wild here.

Important considerations When deciding what substrate to use are, is it easy to clean and most importantly is it non toxic. Cedar shavings should never be used as a substrate for reptiles as these are toxic and cause respiratory problems and act as an irritant on the skin.
Good choices would include beech chipping's, aspen bedding, astro turf, newspaper or butchers paper, the latter two being more suitable for a racking system as they are not very appealing to the eye.
Cornsnakes are agile climbers so a branch would make an excellent addition to it's enclosure. Please make sure that they are secure so as to prevent any accidents. Ideally, the branch should slope from the bottom of the enclosure to the top and end near a heat source so the snake can bask. Reptile branches can be brought from most reptile shops, if you are going to find your own branch, perhaps from your garden then be aware that some woods are toxic to snakes, willow, birch, beech, and fruit trees are non-toxic and are safe to use. It is important to sterilize the branch first before using it to kill any bugs that may be lurking in the bark.
Another addition to the cage could be plants, plastic is best as they are easily cleaned and there are some nice realistic ones available if you shop around, try your garden center as they are often cheaper than the ones packaged especially for reptile use. Plants will also be used by your cornsnake for hiding in/under so are good in providing additional hiding spots.
Providing hides is essential to your cornsnake well being and at least two should be placed in the vivarium, one at the hot end and one in the cooler end. Cork bark, upturned flower pots, clean plastic tubs with an entrance hole cut in it or commercially brought hides can all be used.
A non tipable water bowl is a must and fresh drinking water should be made available at all times.

Heating, Lighting & Temperature Requirements
Cornsnakes are cold blooded therefore they rely on external heat sources to maintain their body heat. In captivity your snake needs to be given a thermal gradient EG: one end of it's cage is at the optimum end of it's temperature range, with the cornsnake this is 86F with the far end of it's cage cooler around 76F. This allows the snake to move between temperature ranges to keep it's preferred body heat, this is why supplying several hiding spots throughout the cage is essential. If the snake can not move to a hotter/cooler part of it's cage and feel secure it will stop where ever the hide is, this could result in it being too cold to digest it's meal properly if indeed it will eat in the first place or being too hot and over heating. A snake will very rarely layout in the open.
The preferred temperature for cornsnakes is 86-76F with a night time drop of several degrees. Heating the vivarium can be accomplished several ways, but what ever method you use, heatmat, ceramic heater, light bulb it is important to shield the heat source with a protective cover to stop your snake from burning it's self. All heat sources should be wired to a thermostat, preferably a dimming stat if a light bulb is used as a heat source as this is less stressful as the bulb will gradually dim and brighten to regulate the heat.
Special lighting is not required for a cornsnake, but you may wish to illuminate the vivarium so you can observe your snake. There are lots of day-light simulation bulbs available which would serve this purpose.



Cornsnakes of all ages will eat rodents. When feeding snakes the meal you offer them should only just be seen in the stomach, if the scales are stretched around the stomach after you have fed a food item next time offer something smaller, like wise if you can't see that the snake has eaten then increase the size or quantity of the next meal. Hatchlings will start with a diet of one pinkie mouse per meal every five days, as they grow they can be offered two pinkies at a time. Once established on multiple pinkies, usually at around 6 months of age they can be offered fuzzie mice. At this stage the feeding should be every seven days.By the time your cornsnake has reached sexual maturity usually around 18 months of age it should be feeding on appropriate sized mice. Large adult cornsnakes can be fed small weaner rats to vary their diet and juvenile corns will also accept rat pups as an alternative to fuzzie's.



For most captive snakes their first hibernation will be at around 16 months of age.To prepare a cornsnake for hibernation make sure it has had no food for two to three weeks prior to cooling and that the temperature is normal during this time allowing the snake to fully digest it's last meal and empty it's guts. Bathing the snake in warm water a couple of times a week during this period will help to eliminate all waste from it's gut and intestines. It is essential that the snake is completely empty before cooling begins as any food left in the gut/intestines could produce toxins that could kill it. After this the temperature should be lowered gradually over a few weeks until its 55-60 degree F . The snake should not be fed during this period but fresh drinking water should be available at all times. As long as you can maintain these lower temperatures your cornsnake can be left in it's vivarium. A more common practice is to prepare a box with a well fitting lid that is well ventilated, and transfer the snake to this moving it to somewhere where the temperature is between the 55-60 F. Perhaps a spare bedroom, or under the stairs, somewhere where it is easy to get to so as you can check the snake and change it's water regularly, but equally important some where quiet and out of bright light. After 10-12 weeks the snake can gradually be warmed up over a two week period and can then be offered food again.



After hibernation and the females post hibernation slough they can be introduced to one another, males will sometimes not eat at this time being more interested in breeding than eating. Once several copulations have been witnessed or the female looks fatter mid body they should be separated. The female should be fed regularly, every five days on appropriate size mice, if she refuses food in her early days of pregnancy try enticing her to eat with smaller food items than usual, she may as her pregnancy progresses refuse food all together, this is normal, the most important thing for a gravid snake is a stress free environment. The female should be given a laying box. A plastic container big enough for her to coil loosely in, filled with damp sphagnum moss. After her pre laying shed she will become restless, cruising the viv for hours on end, eventually she will settle into her laying box where she will remain until she lays her eggs, this usually happens anywhere from 5-14 days after she has shed. Care must be taken when checking the box for eggs, if she gets spooked she may hold onto the eggs and become egg bound. If she is in the process of laying when you check just replace the lid gently and check again in several hours, do not disturb her by taking out any eggs until she is completely finished. A cornsnake will usually lie coiled around her eggs when she has finished for several hours, this is through exhaustion and not any maternal instinct It is not uncommon for a cornsnake to produce a second clutch of eggs, if this happens it will be around the time the first clutch is hatching.



The eggs when they are laid should be removed to another container two thirds filled with damp vermiculite ( when a handful is squeezed in the palm of the hand only a small amount of water should be produced. ).Vermiculite is a sterile medium that can be purchased from your local garden center or garden section of most DIY stores. Do not rotate the eggs, and don't unnecessarily handle them. The box should have a fitted lid, and the humidity inside should be 100%, some condensation will form on the lid if this is too much and is dripping on the eggs, the vermiculite is too wet and a little dry should be sprinkled over the surface to take up the moisture. The eggs should be checked weekly removing the lid will give a good exchange of air. The Eggs should be incubated at 80-83 degrees F, expect them to hatch after 58-66 days.For best results hatchling corns should be housed separately and prior to their first shed should be kept on damp kitchen roll.

Your care sheet has been translated into French by myself here :

http://dragonsdasgard.actifforum.com/viewtopic.forum?p=16748#16748

Thanx a lot for this and for your kind permission.

i think most are very similar.
i know i need to get that site sorted though, its very old.

Photos from our charming corn breeder Laurène were added to the French version