Housing
Hatchling corn snakes are naturally agoraphobic, and therefore should ideally be housed in small vivariums, as large ones are likely to make a young corn snake VERY nervous and less willing to feed voluntarily. Plastic tanks with removable mesh style lids measuring approximately 13x7x9 inches are ideal for such snakes, but should be changed to a larger tank, or preferably, a vivarium with front facing sliding glass doors, after approximately one year. Older corn snakes will generally enjoy vivariums measuring 3 ~ 5 feet in length, allowing them to stretch out.

   Heating
Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles and as such can not control their own body temperature biologically, they therefore maintain their temperature by moving between warmer and cooler areas of their tank. A suitably sized heat mat (no larger than 1/3^rd of the tanks floor area) should be used to  gently warm one end of the tank, while the other end stays cooler and suitable for their water bowl. Corn snakes can sometimes be found lying in or around their water bowl cooling off. Heat pads should be placed directly under plastic tanks, and inside wooden or glass tanks.

   Lighting
Corn snakes do not need UV light or any other lighting, however, allowing natural light into your snakes enclosure will help them maintain their biological clock, if you do decide to use artificial lighting, whether for heat, light or simply to make the vivarium look more appealing, care should be taken to ensure the tank does not get to warm, and that a fine wire cage is fitted around the bulb to prevent the snake from getting burnt on the hot bulb. It is also important to switch off any artificial lights at night and back on again in the morning, preferably to coincide with natural sunlight.

   Substrate
Floor covering (bedding) can be as little as some sheets of paper towel or newspaper, but for snake comfort as well as an appealing look, reptile substrates should be used, these can be found at most good pet stores. Pine wood shavings (as used in rabbit hutches) should not be used as they can become acidic when wet. ½ an inch of substrate covering the floor and ¼ of an inch covering the heat pad should be sufficient.

   Cleaning
Snake waste should be removed from the tank as soon as possible, along with a portion of surrounding substrate, baby wipes and paper towels are good for this job, the tank floor and any other obstacles (bowls, hideaways etc.) can then be wiped clean and some fresh substrate put down. The whole tank should be thoroughly cleaned at least once per month.

   Hiding Places
Snakes like to hide, I find my snakes enjoy hiding in terracotta pots with large holes in the top, as these make a naturally comfortable hideaway as snakes like to curl up, also pots are easy to remove and reveal the corn snake. Hideaway's should be placed on top of the substrate above the heat mat. Some other hideaways include cardboard tubes and artificial logs and caves….

   Water
Hatchlings and young corns should be given bottled water until they are at least 1 year old, as tap water often contains chemicals that can build up in young snakes causing gastric problems and possibly death. The water bowl should be refilled daily, and thoroughly cleaned at least once per week, this will prevent a build up of bacterial organisms which can be harmful to both snake and keeper. The bowl should be placed at the cooler end of the tank away from the heat mat. Corn snakes can sometimes be found lying in their water bowl, the main reason for this is to cool off, especially during the summer months. Other reasons for this behaviour may be that the snake is carrying eggs and is preparing for her prenatal shed, or that the snake is having difficulty passing waste, if you have noticed the snake is late in passing their waste, you may be able to make the snake far more comfortable by giving them a warm bath, this is best carried out by having 2 ~ 3 inches of warm water in a plastic storage box and slowly lowering the snake into the water and leaving them in the box for 10 ~ 20 minutes.

   Handling
Corn snakes are generally known as one of the best snakes to have as a pet. They are a beautiful pleasant natured snake, easy to handle & very loveable, however, you must respect your snake and always handle with great care. Your snake may be very nervous and more likely to strike and possibly bite after being relocated, if this is the case, allow a few days for them to settle down before handling. Try not to handle your snake for 24 ~ 48 hours after they have fed, this is time they should spend curled up in a warm hideaway digesting their meal.

   Feeding
Corn snakes will feed on rodents of a proportional size throughout their life. Baby corns will eat baby mice (pinkies), and adult corns will eat adult mice, small rats or chicks.
Here are a few of my feeding tips.

• 1. Don’t offer your snake live food as this is cruel & unnecessary & can also lead to your snake getting injured, unless you are trying to get a non feeding hatchling to eat a live pinkie.

• 2. Only feed your snake a rodent which is not wider than 1¼ ~ 1½ times the widest part (girth) of the snake.

• 3. Always feed your snake on frozen food left to either thaw out at room temperature, soak in warm water, or thaw out using a heat pad or hair dryer, NEVER in a microwave oven.

• 4. Make sure the food you offer your snake is not still partially frozen, nor too hot, both can be harmful.

• 5. It is important to have a warm area in your snakes enclosure, as corn snakes need to be warm to be able to digest their meal properly, a cold snake might regurgitate their meal.

• 6. Try to remove the snake from the tank at feeding time, if the snake is always fed inside their tank, it may lead to them striking at the hand that feeds them! Also, pieces of substrate might stick to their food and be swallowed. It is a good idea to use tongs to feed your snake as this will keep your own scent off the snakes food.

• 7. Try not to handle your snake too much after a feed, as this can also lead to them regurgitating their meal.

• 8. If your snake refuses their food, it could be either that they have begun their shedding cycle, or that they  are too cold to eat, or that the food is not warm enough, if the latter, try heating the rodents head in warm water and tempt them again.

• 9. Corn snakes do not like large areas, especially when they are trying to eat… you may find your snake eats more readily when they are left to eat in a small area, such as their hideaway.

• 10. Baby corn snakes need to eat 1 pinky every 3 ~ 5 days for the first 8 ~ 12 weeks, followed by 2 pinkies or 1 fluff every 4 ~ 7 days. Adult corn snakes will probably eat an adult sized meal every week, but only need to eat every 7 ~ 14 days to avoid getting fat.

• 11. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling rodents, this is not just for hygiene, warm hands smelling of rodent are an ideal candidate for a snake to strike at! It is also a good practice to wash your hands before, and after handling your snake, this will be beneficial to both snake and keeper.

   Shedding
Snakes must periodically shed their outer layer of skin to leave a newer more flexible skin, thus allowing them to grow. Corn snakes usually take 7 ~ 10 days from start to finish of their shedding cycle, and during this time the snake is far less likely to eat, and may become nervous. When your snake is starting their shedding cycle, their colours will look dull and pasty for a couple of days, then their eyes will turn pasty for a few more days. 2 ~ 3 days after this, the eyes will once again look clear, it is a good idea at this point to raise the humidity of the snakes enclosure by spraying the substrate with warm water, or by adding a bowl of damp moss to their enclosure, thus helping the snake to hydrate and shed more easily, which will now be just a few days away. A snake should shed their skin in one complete piece, but if the old skin is in pieces, allow the snake to bathe in lukewarm water for a while, this will help them loosen up any pieces of old skin still attached to them. Try to ensure all old skin is removed after the snake has shed, failure to do this could result in bacteria growing under the layers of old skin. Once shedding has been completed, the snake is likely to be hungry and looking for their next meal.