About baby corn snakes and snake shedding
The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake is a species that is indigenous to North
America; they are a small and non-venomous species of snake that can be
commonly found in corn fields, hence their name. They are a particularly
docile species of snake and due to the fact that they’re constrictors
they don’t bite very often, also they are rather small even when they
reach adult size and they are easy to take care of. These
characteristics make the corn snake a great pet for those who are
interested in these slithering reptiles. Caring for a hatchling or
baby corn snake can be a bit tricky because while they are hatchlings
they can be kept in an aquarium that is as small as 18-20 liters, but as
the snake grows it needs to be moved to a much larger tank, a minimum of
75-80 liters. Important to note is the fact that in this case much
bigger isn’t necessarily better, but if you have the space and
capability getting a tank of about 150 liters will be ideal. As far as
feeding goes, juvenile corn snakes can be fed newborn mice every five to
seven days and once they reach adult size they can do well on large mice
once every week or every two weeks.
One important factor in caring for a corn snake or any other snake for
that matter is the fact that while they’re growing they shed their skin.
While the snake is a baby this process will take place on a monthly
basis and three to four times a year for an adult. An important factor
in the shedding of captive snakes is the moisture in the tank. The
process starts with a dulling of their skin color as the old skin is
separating from the new one. Their eyes also turn to a milky color for a
while.
When their eyes return to normal it means that the shedding process
will start within the next couple of days. If the snake sheds its skin
all in one piece it means that it has received enough moisture and this
is an important reason do mist the tank with distilled water. They need
to shed their skin properly in order to allow for proper circulation, if
they don’t remove all of their skin then it must be manually removed,
especially from around their eyes and the tip of their tail in order to
prevent blindness and poor circulation. |
