In Nature, the corn snake lives mainly in the territory of America and Mexico. It can be found on the poor soils of pine forests, among the dead trees, and on the stony soils of the mountain slopes, in the crevices of caves and rocks. This creature is predominantly nocturnal, whereas during the day the snake prefers to hide in hiding places. The snake crawls very well (hence the name), but still prefers to hunt on the surface of the earth. The main diet of the corn snake is not large rodents, small birds.
In length, a slender and thin snake can reach up to 1.5 meters, and its thickness (with average fatness) does not exceed 2 human fingers.
Coloring can be different, and taking into account the fact that these snakes are specially grown for home keeping, they are also very unusual. It is this type of snake most often give birth at home. Why? You will learn about this in the continuation of our article ...
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Benefits of maize runner
This snake is quite tame.
So, what is so special about this snake, what exactly our compatriots prefer to start. Why, for the sake of a skidder, they are ready to pay large sums of money - a snake, after all, is exotic, in our area there is no ... This is a logical explanation.
- Corn snakes are not poisonous.
- As far as possible, these snakes are not aggressive, in other words, they never pounce first on humans.
- The size of the body of the skid can keep it in a small terrarium.
- In terms of content, these creatures are quite unpretentious and simple, although cleanliness and the necessary indicator of humidity are very important for them.
- The bright coloring of the snakes will not let your eyes get bored, and this unusual pet will delight you with its natural grace.
- According to the owners of corn tortillas, they do not bite, and quickly get used to their owner. These snakes can be picked up.
Terrarium for a snake
First of all, you will need a terrarium for it, with some snake accessories. An alternative to a glass terrarium can be a plastic container with perforation, if you keep it in the required temperature and the desired humidity values.
As for the volume of housing for a skid, for a teenager a snake is 40 liters, but for an adult snake (it ceases to grow by 3-4 years) - 80 liters. Regarding the basic parameters of length, width and height, it can be 50 to 50 to 50 centimeters.
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For soil in the terrarium, where you will contain a skid, you can use crushed bark, paper, shavings, coconut substrate - all this can be found today at any pet store. Just remember, if you choose sawdust, coconut substrate or fine chips as the soil, you should feed the snake outside its home, on a flat and smooth surface, in order to protect the poloz from the particles of soil in his body with food particles. This is fraught with problems with the digestion of the snake and the development of her stomatitis.
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Accessories for terrarium
In the terrarium for a snake, you will need to place several shelters and one drinker, stable and with high walls. Shelters, on the other hand, should be of such size that the skid can hide completely in them, and they must also have several openings for entry and exit. Decorative elements - branches and snags can also decorate the interior of the terrarium and become obstacles for the runner, which it will be interesting for him to overcome.
To maintain the required temperature of the atmosphere, use a special thermoguide or thermofoil.
It is also necessary to place a steady and sufficiently roomy cuvette in which the skid can swim if desired.
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In the terrarium there should be a temperature of at least 25 degrees during the day, at a warm point - at least 32 degrees, and at night it can be reduced to 23 degrees. Increased temperature will regulate the exchange processes in the snake. It is recommended to zonally distribute the area of the terrarium into several sections - one will be hotter, the other is cooler. In the "tropics" you can place a sphagnum ditch to maintain the required level of humidity and to allow the snake to dig into it. This area must be systematically moistened. In a cool area, the shelter for the skid must be dry.
Once a day, the terrarium is moistened with warm water, and the sphagnum is constantly wet. During the molting period of the snake, the humidity should be 70-80%, and at the usual time it can be 60%.
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How many snakes can you keep in a terrarium
The arrangement of the terrarium
Of course, the answer to this question depends on the size of your terrarium, but if it is spacious enough, you can keep in it not only one runner, but also a group of snakes - there should be 1-2 females per male. But, when the snake goes out of the wintering place - it will be better for the male to be transplanted separately from the female team.
By the way, feeding snakes, even a very friendly team, must be carried out separately.
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How to feed cornstrike
The diet of your pet can be a mouse (not always keep them as pets - if you have a different case, learn how to take care of these creatures here) - their number should vary depending on the size and age of the snake. You can finish feeding your pet with thawed feed. Feed is 1 time in 5 days, and only after the feed eaten earlier is digested and taken out. As a rule, adult snakes eat no more than 1 time per week.
Do not forget to give the skid drink water, change it daily in a water bowl or in an artificial reservoir.
Mineral supplements should be added to the feed - calcium, eggshells. Concentrated vitamins should not be abused, they can be given no more than once a month.
After feeding the snake, you should not disturb her, let alone offer tactile contact, take her in your arms. With this you can disrupt the digestion of the snake.
Regarding the possibility of feeding the snake with fish or meat - it is not recommended to do this, as the digestive tract of these creatures is not adapted to such food, and even a one-time feeding can cause illness and even lead to the death of your pet.
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Cultivation of corn torders
Corn snakes are egg-laying snakes. Males reach puberty earlier than females, but, as a rule, by the age of 1.5-2 years, they are ready for mating. At any time, the female can lay from 10 to 25 eggs, the incubation period of which will last up to 70 days, depending on the conditions of keeping the snakes. However, the temperature should not be below 25 degrees in the terrarium, otherwise snakes may not hatch. Only born creatures have a length of no more than 25 centimeters, and the first 10 days, before the first molt, they do not eat. After they have a good appetite, and they can be fed with newborn mice.
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How many live corn snake
With good care and compliance with the recommendations of our article, your snake can delight you for from 10 to 20 years. However, according to the vets themselves, to meet such a long-lived snake is a rarity. Unfortunately, due to improper care (and not its pain), these snakes die much earlier.
Video about the content of corn tortilla at home
Today we talked about the peculiarities of keeping a corn snake at home, how to equip a terrarium for it, what soil to choose, how often and what to feed, how snakes breed in captivity ... We hope that our article will be useful for you, and you in the care of the corn torus will not allow fatal mistakes. After all, their price - the life of your pet.
We will be interested to learn about your experience with snake maintenance. Share with us your stories and, of course, photos of your pets on the pages of our Vkontakte group.
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Appearance
The snake can reach a length of up to two meters, but more often the average length does not exceed 1.5 meters. Reptile collectors collect corn snakes of different species, that is, different in color. But the main option looks like this: orange background, black stripes, surrounded by spots of gray. On the abdomen is characterized by the presence of a mesh pattern of white and gray tones.
In addition to the primary color, there are several morphs that differ in color. The most common and loved by the owners of serpentarium morph completely devoid of black pigment. Attracts pink or red eyes in this subpopulation, white-pink or red. There are morphs with brown or gray-brown ventral scales. There are variations with the complete absence of red pigment.
A very popular morph of the corn snake bred under the conditions of a terrarium, with a mutation that formed yellow shades at the places where the red pigment should be. Interesting in color morph "lava" - individuals of these reptiles have a predominant black pigment that makes it look like a black and white photograph of a red snake.
The most interesting mutation has the "lavender" morph. The colors of his appearance range from pale lavender to brownish (coffee) hue.
Habitat
Under natural conditions, the corn snake moves mainly along the ground surface. In some cases, he is free to climb a tree or shrub. He lives in deciduous forests, but is also found on barren soils at the foot of the rocks. They love rat snakes to settle in large numbers on farmlands throughout America, in Mexico and on the Cayman Islands.
In the habitat of its habitat, the corn snake crawls exclusively on the ground for about four months, but after often climbs up trees or bushes, rocky elevations.
What does a red rat snake eat?
In the wild, the spotted snake prefers to hunt in the evening and before the dawn, when the reptiles are better visible than their prey. It attacks, as a rule, mice, small rats, bats, small birds and their chicks, climbs into the nest and eats eggs. This should be taken into account by terrariumists when feeding cornstubes.
The snake is afraid of them
In nature, very often those who hunt are themselves objects for predators. The corn snake has many enemies who are not averse to eat its meat. Among the birds of prey that feed on runners, there are even storks. In addition to them, the secretary bird, the kite, the eagle, the hawk and the heron can be considered the enemy of the rat snake. Mammals, such as mongooses, jaguars, wild boars, crocodiles, leopards, honey badgers, can also do significant damage to it.
Content in the house
This amazing predator has become domestic due to its restrained nature. You can start them in an apartment or in a house, since they are not aggressive. And the size of the corn snake is not great.
With the right content, such a pet can live from 15 to 20 years. Care of the skid requires the implementation of several basic rules: clean terrarium, a stable level of humidity, the presence of clean water in the water bowl and timely food.
Comfort in the terrarium
Before you choose a glass house for a scaly pet, you need to know its size and age.
Terrarium 40 liters is quite suitable for kids, just recently left the egg. Already grown up crawling pets are better placed in a terrarium with a volume of 70 to 100 liters. The maintenance and care of corn tortilla requires constant attention to the condition of his home.
The substrate can be made of pine shavings, crushed bark, coconut chips, clean gravel. Paper is also used, but it should be changed, depending on the level of contamination, at least once a week. In the pet stores there are special artificial turf in the terrarium for the corn snake.
Lighting is better equipped with fluorescent lamps. It is worth considering that, despite the need for lighting, the terrarium should not be under the sun. It should be equipped with a place where the temperature will be maintained at 28-30 ° C, and the so-called "cold corner", where the temperature will need to be maintained within 24-26 ° C, with a decrease at night to 21-23 ° C. To achieve this is not so easy, but for a comfortable life to do it is extremely necessary.
Rules for the care and maintenance of corn tortilla suggests the presence of a drinker with a few clean snags (from roots) inside the terrarium. Snakes often crawl on a watering place, and they can even defecate in a water bowl. Therefore, frequent water changes are an important and indispensable condition for the proper maintenance of this reptile. Of course, tap water is not suitable. First, it always contains some amount of chlorine, and secondly, it is hard and contains many impurities that are harmful to the reptile.
It is necessary to monitor the level of humidity. Spray spray several times a day to maintain moisture in the terrarium. Install to facilitate this task automatic rain installation. It is also necessary to monitor the temperature of the water, it should not fall below 23 C. Peat moss can be planted in a shallow tub, which accumulates moisture for the snake.
The content of several individuals
In one terrarium can contain several runners, provided that he has sufficient for this size. In order to avoid clarifying the relationship between males, usually one male and two females live. But you need to know that after wintering the male is better to move to another terrarium.
Feeding snakes is also better to perform separately. Many factors in the quality care of a glass house affect how much corn snakes live. It is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity during the molting of the skid, so that the skin does not peel off. It looks unaesthetic.
When and how to feed a snake
Nutrition of corn tortilla at home occurs every 5-7 days, that is, once a week. More often or less - the number of rodents given out depends on the age and size of the snake. Usually a red rat snake, according to its unofficial name, is fed by small laboratory rats, mice.
Some prefer to dilute the reptile ration with killed, frozen day-old chickens. Frozen food is preheated to room temperature. But still, most prefer to buy rodents or breed them for food themselves. To some extent, this is a concern for satisfying the pet's hunting instincts.
Also, the main condition for the correct content of the skid is the presence in the terrarium of clean water in the drinking bowl. You need to change it often. In the diet of rat snake (corn tortilla), you must add calcium, eggshell. But concentrated vitamins can even harm. They should not be given without consultation with a specialized veterinarian.
How does a snake eat
Often the owners of reptiles are not too sentimental about the fate of rodents in the process of feeding their pet. Sometimes on the contrary, watching with interest for the hunt.
As soon as the mouse or rat is lowered into the terrarium, the snake assesses it for some time, and then makes a swift, lightning-fast throw into the head area of the victim and immediately circles its body with its tail rings, trying to immobilize and strangle it. As soon as the rodent has ceased to escape and is limp, the snake begins to slowly, gradually swallow it, carefully, so as not to damage its insides.
His jaw and throat are expanding, and he seems to be stretching himself on the body of the killed living creatures, like a toe on his leg. This can last from 10 to 12 minutes. To be more confident in the safety of health, that is, to avoid injury, the snake can be fed and frozen mice or daily chickens. So that he grabbed the prey, the dead mouse is held by the tail with tweezers and the skid moves slightly before his eyes. Being hungry, he will definitely grab her.
Do not throw food on the floor of the terrarium. The skid is likely to swallow the mouse along with particles of the substrate. After digestion, it will block the digestive tract, and it will be fatal to the reptile. You can throw on a clean surface on which there are no foreign objects.
After the meal, you can not touch the snake or even externally irritate for 3-4 days. This can affect digestion and, as a result, on overall health. There are many cases when the newly made owners of runners did not take these recommendations into account. Taken by them on their hands (after the meal), the snake spit up all the food and subsequently was ill for a long time.
What if it bites?
Most novice owners of this type of reptile are worried: is it poisonous or not a corn snake? What happens if he bites while feeding? You can calm down immediately. This type of runner is absolutely safe, even if it can be provoked to bite. It is possible that he is able to grab a person, but it does not bear health hazards, as well as other pets (except rats and mice).
Snake bite is not more painful than a needle. Another thing is if, instead of a harmless snake, a poisonous copper-headed miner is sold to a person. Их нетрудно спутать непрофессионалу. Щитомордник очень ядовитая змея. Она отличается от маисового полоза формой головы, и ее окрас более светлый, присутствуют квадратные пятна, чего нет у полоза.
Чтобы не допустить ситуации, при которой хозяина кусает полоз, нужно понять, что это не млекопитающие, которые в большинстве своем живут группами и имеют инстинктивную потребность в социальных отношениях с сородичами. Reptiles have a completely different mindset, by the way, very limited. They have no emotional attachment to the owner.
The ability to goat tamer
Most reptiles are not attached to humans. Few really become tame. People are not engaged in breeding home creeping, specifically shaping their character. Maize slider, bred for generations in captivity, has a soft character. But do not expect petting from him, like from a dog or a decorative rabbit. It should be remembered, despite the fact that these reptiles live for a long time and even breed in conditions of a terrarium, they remain wild animals.
If the owner really wants to hold the skid on his hands, it should be done correctly. It should be understood that this process does not bring joy to reptiles. Therefore, all movements should be smooth. Snake can not be scared, the reaction will be appropriate. Carefully, at a distance of about half of the palm of the head from the head one hand is substituted, and the second hand is taken closer to the middle of the tail. The snake should take the hands as supports. Therefore, in no case can you compress the body, otherwise an adequate response from the point of view of the skid may follow.
Maize Runner Description
Maize snake has a relatively small size: adult snakes grow up to 150 cm long, kids, depending on age - 20-40 cm. The most distinctive feature of these creatures is color. Its variety and beauty of all kinds of drawings is simply amazing. The standard colors of a skid are black, red, which includes all its shades, ranging from pink to cherry, brown, orange, cream, white.
It is worth noting that among this variety of colors there are varieties, in the color of which there is no black color, they are called amelanists. They are dominated by white and skin colors, which can be diluted with orange, yellowish or light red spots. It does not have an black albino corn tortilla in its color range. These animals are creamy-colored with barely visible dark stripes, their eyes are red or pink.
Disassemble where the male, and where the female, starting from colors and size, it is impossible, distinguish them by tails. Males are distinguished by a long tail with a characteristic thickening at the base, from the anus it is cylindrical, then turns into a cone. Females have tail much shorter, they have a cone-shaped, without any thickening at the base.
Wildlife habitat
Maize snake more often than other snakes are found in America in the state of Indiana, even considering that there is a huge variety of reptiles of various species. Corn snake is also found in the Cayman Islands and in Mexico.
In nature, this beautiful creature lives in deciduous forests, on the slopes of cliffs, on barren lands. If there are abandoned farms or other non-residential buildings in these areas, then there is a high probability that the snake will arrange a house there for itself.
Lifestyle
Maize snake with proper care can live up to twenty years. The young corn snake lives only on the earth, it has no strength to rise on a height. A matured snake is able to climb even on very tall trees, although according to his lifestyle he does not need this.
In winter, handsome maize falls into hibernation and is in a sleepy state before the onset of spring heat, it begins to behave actively when the grass is already tall enough. In the wild for the winter, the snake crawls into the crevices of rocks, under logs or in other secluded places. Sometimes in the middle of winter he can crawl out of his refuge for a short time in order to lie a little in the sun.
The main occupation of the rat snake is hunting. She hunts for small birds, rodents, lizards and invertebrates. Having caught up with the booty, she squeezes her tightly in her arms and suffocates her.
An active skid behaves during the night or before dawn, during the daytime, especially when it is very hot, he prefers to rest in the shade in the shelter, trying to find a place where no one will disturb him.
Corn Snake: Content
In order for your pet to develop well and not be ill, he needs to create the necessary conditions. The terrarium for the corn snake is selected according to its size. For kids and young snakes, a “house” of 40–50 liters will be needed, for reptiles aged 4–5 years, you need at least an eighty-liter terrarium.
At the bottom of the "house" you need to put a special substrate, only if it is made from corn cobs, then you can not use it, as it dries snake skin. It is recommended to take a coconut substrate, coarse sand or gravel. Illumination is suitable for fluorescent lamps, the temperature is maintained at about 25-29 degrees, with the help of a thermowatt or thermal cord. Be sure to make sure that the terrarium was built corner in which the snake could take refuge. It can be houses, shelves or something like that. In addition, do not forget to put a snag or branches, maize handsome likes to crawl on such small elevations.
In the serpentine dwelling, there must necessarily be a cuvette with water so that the corn snake can swim and soak during shedding. A sphagnum cuvette is placed in the warmest corner, thanks to this the necessary humidity will be maintained and the snake will be able to dig, it also needs to be done from time to time. In a cold corner should be dry.
How to care for a runner?
In the care of a corn snake there are some rules that must be strictly observed:
• Throughout the daylight hours, the corn snake needs to be irradiated with UV lamps or three times a day for 15 minutes with erythemal lamps.
• In summer, in good weather, snakes can sunbathe. You only need to take care that your pet has a place in the shade near it so that it can hide from the sun's rays.
• It must be remembered that a red rat snake drinks water and enjoys swimming. Therefore, in the terrarium you need to build a pond with fresh water, which is regularly changed.
• Once a month, runners must be given the necessary vitamins.
• If you notice that the eyes have become a milky bluish color and the body color has faded, then this is a signal that the pet will soon fade. At this time it is necessary to rinse the eyes with warm water, after a day the snake should shed.
Maize snake: feeding
If a rat snake does not hibernate, but leads an active lifestyle, then it feeds every ten days. In its natural habitat, the snake feeds on bats, rodents, lizards, birds and their eggs.
At home, snakes are fed with mice, rats, hamsters, quails and chickens. Young reptiles are fed newborn mice. Feeding is carried out once every five days. Such a break between meals requires a snake to digest food and to defecate normally.
It is recommended not to let the corn snake itself catch a mouse or a bird in the garden. For the simple reason that, together with such prey, a snake can catch an infection and get sick, poisoning is also possible. It is better to buy food from people who have been harvesting small rodents for years.
There is another important rule in the feeding procedure. In no case can food be pulled with a bare hand. Feed must be secured in a special tweezers. Then shake them a little in front of the snake so that she would pay attention to him. At the same time, it is necessary to behave very carefully, as you know, the snake swallows prey entirely and immediately, so it can easily reach your hand if you decide to ignore the advice on using tweezers.
Breeding
Breeding corn tortillas at home is quite possible. Sexual maturity in reptiles of this species occurs at the age of 2-3 years. Females mature males later. Corn snakes belong to the category of egg-laying. Copulations are short, lasting 10-20 minutes. After mating after one to two months, the females lay their eggs. It is necessary to ensure in advance that at this time next to it was a sphagnum cuvette. It is there that she will make a clutch consisting of 6-35 eggs.
At this part of the runner in the product of offspring ends. Eggs should be placed in an incubator, where the temperature is maintained at 27-29 degrees. The incubation period is 50-75 days, after which small maize snakes hatch from the testicles, their length is approximately 200-240 mm. The babies will start eating after the first molt.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before you decide to buy as a pet corn tortilla, you need to carefully weigh all the "For" and "Against". To do this, consider the advantages and disadvantages of this beautiful reptile.
• It reproduces beautifully at home.
• Easily adapts to the conditions in which it is contained.
• Corn snake morphs are very interesting and different colors.
• Due to its relatively small size (1.5 m.) It does not require special maintenance and too large terrariums.
• They love to explore new terrain and are able to escape, so you need to take measures to improve housing in time to avoid such trouble.
• Often exposed to bacteria, therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the health of the snake and maintain cleanliness in the snake house.
Based on the above, we can conclude that the corn snake does not give the host special trouble, and will add plenty of positive emotions.
Corn snake and man
Corn snake, the price of which is not too high (ranges from 2.5 thousand rubles and more depending on a number of factors), will be a wonderful pet. He is considered the best snake for beginners in breeding reptiles and is ideal for the first inhabitant of the home terrarium. This opinion is explained by the fact that this handsome man has a peaceful nature and is completely unpretentious in content.
It is better to acquire a cub, it will be easier to tame him. The corn snake lives quietly next to the person, showing no fear at all. He quickly begins to recognize his master, gets used to his hands and loves to accompany in household chores. Not to love this beautiful creation of nature is simply impossible!
Corn snake morph: what colors they are
The color of the snake (it is scientifically called morph) is different. Color variations in the corn torus a huge amount. In captivity, breeders constantly display specimens with all the new unusual colors. These reptiles are unpretentious, interesting in the maintenance of the house and catch the eye with grace. Just look at the photo of the corn snake, as it becomes clear - this is not just a pet, but a real living decoration of the interior.
Seven are among the most popular morphs.
- Morph "Amelanism": there is no black pigmentation at all, the eyes are red or pink, the predominant color is white-pink, sometimes red.
- Hypomelanism morph: the scales of these individuals are light gray, brown or sandy.
- Anerythrysm morph: red pigmentation is completely absent, the color is grayish, yellow color is present on the neck and in the lower abdomen.
- “Charcoal” morph: almost no yellow pigmentation, the main color is sandy brown or grayish.
- Morph "Caramel": a special mutation in which the red pigmentation is suppressed - it is replaced by a different intensity yellow overflows.
- Morph "Lava": the main pigmentation is black, the color looks almost monophonic, with fancy patches of black shades.
- Morph "Lavender": the most unusual mutation - melanin is almost completely absent. Snake color varies from all shades of lavender to pink and coffee palette.
Why is corn torus well kept at home
The content of corn tortilla in the apartment does not cause much trouble. These snakes are well tamed, they recognize the owner, they never attack people first, they are not poisonous. Even far from the homeland of rat snakes, lovers of the exotic will gladly purchase them for a fair amount of money as pets.
They are convenient for keeping in the conditions of an apartment and the size of a snake - it has a rather compact terrarium of small sizes, in which purity and required level of humidity are maintained. Behind the transparent glass, the bright color and the natural grace of the corn snake delight the eye. You can even play with them - in the hands of the owner they behave calmly.
Maize Runner Maintenance Rules
In order for a pet to be healthy and cheerful, you need to provide care and take into account the nuances of keeping it in captivity:
- the size of the terrarium for the pet,
- temperature conditions
- feeding frequency and culture,
- some other details.
About suitable runner terrarium
You can purchase both a glass version and a plastic “dwelling” with perforated walls. The main thing - the temperature and humidity. For a young runner, a sufficient volume is 40 liters, for an individual that has reached 3–4 years old (by this time the snake stops growing), a terrarium of 80 liters will be needed. The optimal model is a cube with sides of 50 cm.
From what will be the terrarium filler, depends on the method of feeding the snake. You can choose a substrate from the following options, which can easily be found in every pet store:
- crushed bark,
- wood chips,
- substrate of crushed coconut shell.
You can put and paper. But if the soil particles are small, it is better to feed the pet outside the terrarium - the surface should be smooth, otherwise small particles can be ingested with food: the pet may have problems with the digestive organs and stomatitis will develop.
Necessary equipment
The runner needs to arrange several places where he can take refuge, and equip a terrarium with a drinking bowl - deep and stable. Shelters should be with several holes and such that the snake can hide there completely. From decorative accessories snags and thick branches will fit - runners like to overcome obstacles.
In order for the temperature to be at a comfortable level for the snake, the terrarium should be equipped with a special thermocord or heat insulation mat should be placed there. You will also need a roomy, stable tank so that you can swim in it.
Temperature and humidity
Proper care of corn tortilla involves the creation in the terrarium of an atmosphere close to the natural. In the daytime, a suitable temperature is not lower than 25 ° C, but not higher than 32 ° C in its warmest room. At night - no more than 23 ° С. The temperature difference contributes to the regulation of metabolic processes in snakes, so the terrarium is divided into zones - hot and cool.
In the hot zone it is good to put a ditch with peat moss (sphagnum) - it will help to keep the necessary moisture, and the snake can burrow into it. Moss should be regularly moistened with warm water. In a zone with a lower temperature should be dry. When a skid sheds - the comfortable humidity of the day is 70-80%, the rest of the time 60% is enough.
How many runners can live in one terrarium
It all depends on the volume, in the spacious - you can keep a group of runners, one male for one or two females. On leaving the wintering, the males from the females are usually deposited. And they feed the whole group of snakes exclusively separately from each other.
Diet in captivity
Corn snake prefers to feast on mice. The number of mice eaten depends on how old the snake is and also on the size of the reptile. If necessary, the pet can be offered unfrozen food. The number of feedings - once in 4-5 days. The next portion of food is given after the previous one is digested, and the decay products will be released from the body. On average, the normal mode is to feed your pet once a week.
A snake should always have fresh drinking water, it needs to be changed every day. It is advisable to frequently change the water in the tank for swimming.
From time to time, calcium should be used as food - eggshells and pharmaceutical calcium should be suitable. Special concentrated vitamins are needed no more than once every 30 days.
Eating meat and fish can not be allowed, their digestion can not cope with these products. Just feeding them can cause illness and even death.
Reproduction in captivity
Almost all owners want snakes to breed. Breeding is a fascinating activity, and kids are as cute as all children. Corn snake lays eggs for reproduction. In males, the adult age is 1.5-2 years. After mating, the female lays 10-25 eggs so that the clutch does not die, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least 25 ° C. After about 70 days, the young appear.
In length, small snakes will be no more than 25 cm, 10 days after they hatch, the first molt will occur - then the babies will eat for the first time. Before the first molt, serpent-youngs do not eat. For babies, live newborn mice are offered as food.
How much live corn snake
If the care and living conditions are fully consistent with the recommendations, then, according to veterinarians, these snakes are able to live in captivity for 10-20 years. But it happens quite rarely. Therefore, taking responsibility for the tamed runner, and in order to prolong his life from time to time it is worthwhile to show your pet to specialists.
Maize snake in the wild
Как правило, полозы являются земляными обитателями и перемещаются по её поверхности, но некоторые особи весьма активно ведут себя также на деревьях и кустарниках.
It is interesting! Основная версия того, что второе название змеи получено рептилией благодаря частому обитанию на кукурузных полях и вблизи зернохранилищ, где полоз охотится на мышей и крыс, часто оспаривается другим, не менее интересным предположением. Считается, что рисунок на животе маисового полоза сильно напоминает зерна в початке кукурузы.
Habitat and habitat
Under natural conditions, maize or spotted climbing snakes occur, as a rule, in deciduous forests, as well as on barren soils and near rocky slopes. A very large population lives near farms in almost all of America, as well as in the Mexican provinces and the Cayman Islands.
Corn Snake Morphs
Red rat snake is quite understandable second name of the snake, which is distinguished not only by its unpretentiousness, but also by the variety of color. Most popular morphs:
Morph "Amelanism" - individuals with no black pigment, pink or red eyes and whitish-pink or red coloration,
Morph "Hypomelanism" - individuals with brown, grayish or light brown ventral scales,
Morph "Anerythrysm" - individuals with a complete absence of red pigment, light gray color and a small amount of yellow color on the neck and lower abdomen,
Morph "Charcoal" - individuals with a predominant color in the form of neutral gray and brownish shades, as well as with the almost complete absence of yellow pigment,
Morph "Caramel" - individuals with a mutation that suppresses the red pigment and replaces it with yellow shades in coloring,
Morph "Lava" - individuals with a predominant black pigment, giving almost a monotonous dark staining with small blackish patches.
Morph "Lavender" - one of the most interesting mutations, characterized by the almost complete absence of melanin. As a result, the color of the snake can vary from pale lavender to pink and coffee shades.
Snake terrarium device
Corn runner terrariums are matched to reptile size and age.. For newly born snakes and young individuals, a “dwelling” is needed, the volume of which is approximately 40-50 liters. An older and fully formed corn snake needs to be settled in a terrarium, the volume of which cannot be less than 70-100 liters with dimensions of 70x40x40 cm.
Pine shavings should be used as the main substrate, as well as crushed wood bark, clean gravel or paper. Well proven artificial coating "Astroturf". Fluorescent lamps are recommended for daylight use.
It is also very important to arrange a warm corner in a terrarium with a temperature regime of 28-30 ° C and a cold corner with a temperature of 24-26 ° C. At night, the temperature should be 21-23 ° C. To maintain humidity in the terrarium, frequent spraying with warm water from a spray bottle is carried out. Inside the terrarium there should be a sufficiently large and very stable drinking bowl, as well as several clean snags and relatively large roots.
Diet, main diet
Adult maize runner needs to be fed weekly.. For this purpose, small rodents are used, as well as daily chickens. In order not to injure the snake, it is best to use not live, but frozen food and then thawed to room temperature. Together with the feed of the red rat snake, you need to give various vitamin and mineral supplements. Water for drinking should be replaced regularly fresh.
Precautionary measures
Many fans of reptiles are concerned about the questions: the corn snake is poisonous or not, and what kind of side effect can be observed in case of a bite. It should be noted that the snakes of this species are not poisonous at all, therefore they are not capable of harming humans and pets with their bite.
Important! The corn snake can be easily confused with a very poisonous copper-headed copper-mandrel, and the main differences are represented by a narrower head, a light color and the presence of square spots.
Maize Runner Health
The result of active inbreeding was the emergence of most of the runners born in captivity, health problems that manifest themselves in the rejection of food, sudden and causeless death, a sharp decrease in life expectancy.
Individuals that rub their bodies too often against the lid of the terrarium usually form scuffs that must be treated with special antiseptics or ointments based on antibiotics. With proper keeping in captivity, life expectancy exceeds ten years.
Where to buy a snake, what to look for
When choosing a skull for keeping at home, you must make sure that the reptile has clean skin, on the surface of which there are no cracks and ectoparasites. The snake must be well fed and have clear eyes. Particular attention should be paid to the origin of the reptile. The best to survive are snakes born in captivity..
Cornstrike price
The red rat snake popular in our country, the price of which often varies depending on color and age, is sold by both private breeders and many reptile-specialized zoos. The price is influenced by the class to which the snake refers:
- S - juvenile,
- M - teenager
- L - from adult to adult sex,
- XL - adult, large and mature individual,
- XXL is a very large individual.
The average price of an adult individual is five thousand rubles. It is best to purchase a reptile kit, including a terrarium and basic equipment for the content. The cost of such a kit, as a rule, does not exceed 8-9 thousand rubles.
