Top 18 How To Breed Corn Snakes The 83 Detailed Answer

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A single round entrance hole about twice the female’s widest diameter is cut in the top of a box that has the capacity to hold at least two snakes the size of your female. Female corns like to burrow into the nesting box substrate and shove it aside to form a nesting cavity. Sphagnum moss makes an excellent substrate.Corn Snakes can mature around 18 – 24 months if fed well, otherwise it can take up to 3 years for them to be ready to breed. When it comes to breeding Corn Snakes it is important to understand their natural cycle they need to go through which will stimulate them to breed.Breeding: Corn snakes should be a good age and weight before breeding to prevent egg binding (it is recommended that the female should be at least 3 years of age, 3 foot in length and weigh 300 grams).

Contents

When should I breed my corn snake?

Corn Snakes can mature around 18 – 24 months if fed well, otherwise it can take up to 3 years for them to be ready to breed. When it comes to breeding Corn Snakes it is important to understand their natural cycle they need to go through which will stimulate them to breed.

What weight do corn snakes need to be to breed?

Breeding: Corn snakes should be a good age and weight before breeding to prevent egg binding (it is recommended that the female should be at least 3 years of age, 3 foot in length and weigh 300 grams).

Do female corn snakes lay eggs without a male?

Registered. let her finishing laying then destroy the eggs, if she hasn’t been with a male then they must be infertile. Females can still ovulate without mating taking place.

How many eggs does a corn snake lay?

Is breeding corn snakes easy?

Pantherophis guttatus (formerly classified as Elaphe guttata) is easy to breed if you provide the right temperature and photoperiod triggers. An essential first step to breeding Pantherophis guttatus (formerly classified as Elaphe guttata) is to learn to properly sex your corn snakes.

How often do corn snakes lay eggs?

Corn snakes mate in April-June and about one to two months later the female will lay about 10-15 eggs in one clutch. She tends to lay them in stumps, logs, or burrows that are warm and humid. The young snakes hatch two to three months later.

How do you know when a snake is ready to breed?

Measure her willingness to breed by reading her body language. If she lies down and looks relaxed near the male, she is ready. Reintroduce your snakes for a few days in succession until the female looks like she has lost interest in the male. She will be producing eggs at this point.

How can you tell if a corn snake is pregnant?

Signs of a Pregnant Snake

Lack of appetite. …
Staying in cooler parts of the tank. …
Lying on her back. …
Pregnant females will be less happy with handling and may even become aggressive at times. …
Color change. …
Lumpy mid-section.

Can corn snakes fertilize their own eggs?

Either way, female snakes don’t necessarily need a mate to produce eggs. Some of those eggs may be infertile, though, meaning that they don’t contain viable embryos. Surprisingly, a single snake who’s never been bred with a male can give birth to viable young which she can fertilize all by herself.

How do you tell if my corn snakes eggs are fertile?

Fertile eggs can be tiny and torpedo-shaped like these eggs. But unlike fertile eggs, which are plump and firm…. these are gooshy. A little pressure on the egg is all you need to tell likely-fertile from outright slug.

Can you breed a milk snake with a corn snake?

If you’ve ever wondered “Can I put my milk snake with my common corn snake?” the general consensus is a resounding “no”. Experts unanimously advise against putting multiple snakes in the same enclosure. The one exception is when breeding snakes, but even that needs to be done with close monitoring and extreme caution.

Can a male and female corn snake live together?

Keep the following in mind at all times when housing two corn snakes in the same tank: Only house two snakes of the same sex together, preferrably females. Males can coexist, but they can become competitive during breeding season (around March). They must be matured adults.

Do snakes stop eating during breeding season?

Not feeding for an extended period of time is called anorexia, and it is just a symptom of something going on and not a primary disease itself. Adult ball pythons often go off feed during the winter breeding season. This is another reason why your snake may have stopped eating.

How can you tell if a corn snake is pregnant?

Signs of a Pregnant Snake

Lack of appetite. …
Staying in cooler parts of the tank. …
Lying on her back. …
Pregnant females will be less happy with handling and may even become aggressive at times. …
Color change. …
Lumpy mid-section.

Why is my corn snake trying to escape?

One of the most common reasons why your snake is trying to escape, is that its tank’s temperature and humidity are wrong. You may also find that your snake tries to escape if you don’t have a temperature gradient in their tank.

How can you tell if a corn snake is gravid?

her tail shouldn’t be getting swollen at all. Her abdominal area will be and when she is getting ready to lay, this mass will move down towards the vent. There is not set rule to how big they will get, but it does sound like she could be gravid. Mind you it could also be a lot of other not so nice things in there.

MAKING CORN SNAKE BABIES DONE RIGHT

How To Breed The Popular Corn Snake – Reptiles Magazine

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Reptiles Magazine

How To Breed The Popular Corn Snake

An essential first step to breeding Pantherophis guttatus (formerly classified as Elaphe guttata) is to learn to properly sex your corn snakes. Always check immediately after acquiring them in order to avoid raising a same-sex pair for years before finding the mistake. Probing for hemipenes is the preferred method, and popping (manually everting the hemipenes) works well on juvenile specimens.

Most herpetoculturists practice a schedule of environmentally conditioning their breeder-sized corn snakes (typically those that have obtained a total length of approximately three feet). In my opinion, temperature and photoperiod are both important triggers of reproduction in corns. Let corns experience a cooler period that coincides naturally with the shorter day lengths of winter. Decades of experience have taught us that this period does not have to be very exact or constant, just noticeably lower so the snakes’ reproductive systems know it’s that time. The internal formation of male and female sex cells need this cooler rest period.

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Photo by Bill Love The author provided damp nesting material in a dark hide box for this female to deposit her clutch inside.

I aim for a cool season in the 45- to 65-degree Fahrenheit range for 60 to 75 days, but it’s not a factor that must be critically monitored or controlled. Don’t fret the odd extremes. As long as it stays generally cooler and darker for the majority of the dormancy period, that’s apparently sufficient to replicate a normal winter. A hibernation temperature consistently above this level can cause snakes to burn fat reserves (when they aren’t being fed) and enter the spring reproductive season thinner and weaker than they should be. Temperatures in the 50s are probably the best if you can maintain them. Disturb corns minimally during the entire two- to two-and-a-half-month cool period, except to clean and refill water bowls.

To manipulate the photoperiod, keep corn snakes in a completely darkened room during the cool period. Set a timer so the lights come on for 9 to 10 hours per day when you decide to commence the start of spring. Increase the duration of light by 15 to 30 minutes every two weeks over the next several months.

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Simulate spring’s arrival like this for your entire collection at the same time to assure that all corn snakes’ hormones will flow in unison. You want your males’ and females’ reproductive physiologies to be primed to procreate at the same time.

Post-hibernation shedding, often several weeks and many meals after the warm-up time started, is generally believed to be a reliable signal of the start of the active breeding season. Experience helps in recognizing the subtle signs of ovulation in females—mainly the bulging posterior halves of their bodies. Their appearance very much resembles the look of well-fed snakes except that the bulges tend to be more lateral and soft and squishy to the touch.

When a female is ready to mate, the male will be ready, too! Misting the breeding enclosure and its occupants with an atomizer bottle of room-temperature water raises the humidity, which enhances the spread and recognition of the female’s pheromones. The male will usually take an immediate interest in any new snake in his territory. If a female is detected, he then tries to line up their bodies. When the cloacal openings of the snakes are lined up facing one another, a sudden pulse pushes one hemipenis into the female. The tails typically rise slowly upward, partly intertwined and almost side-by-side after 5 or 10 seconds. The pair stays locked in this position for 10 to 20 minutes on average.

Gravid females usually continue to feed ravenously for an additional three to five weeks after mating before the enlarging eggs in their oviducts make passing food or fecal matter uncomfortable. Their appetites will slacken or quit completely as the females approach their prenatal shed. Note that males will often refuse most, or all, food during the breeding season. Continue to offer food once per week, but don’t be concerned unless your male becomes thin or looks unhealthy. In that case, remove him from the room housing females and lengthen his photoperiod to let him know that breeding season is over.

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Just before the prenatal shed (the one just prior to laying eggs, typically four to six weeks after mating) is the time to prepare a nesting container for the female. Gravid corns seek out a secret, sheltered place with high humidity to deposit a clutch of eggs. Translucent plastic food storage tubs with snap-on lids have proven to be ideally suited for our nest box needs. A single round entrance hole about twice the female’s widest diameter is cut in the top of a box that has the capacity to hold at least two snakes the size of your female.

Female corns like to burrow into the nesting box substrate and shove it aside to form a nesting cavity. Sphagnum moss makes an excellent substrate. Moist vermiculite or crumpled paper towels are fine, too. Place the nest box in the cage when you first notice the female’s eyes clouding. She may find it convenient to rest in a moist alcove to hasten loosening her old skin before the prenatal shed.

Corns generally lay their eggs 30 to 45 days after mating. This is usually one to two weeks after their prenatal sheds. They may lay the clutch any time of night or day, and the process may span from an hour or two to a couple days in abnormal cases. As soon as we notice she has laid the clutch, I take the egg mass away. If she’s extremely thin, I offer her one or two fuzzy mice, smaller than her own diameter, right away as a tiny boost before her eyes go opaque again. Some females will accept such snacks immediately; others refuse them.

The average number of eggs per clutch ranges between 10 and 30 eggs. Young or undersized specimens tend to lay low numbers of physically large eggs. Good eggs are quite hardy, and will usually hatch, even if some in the clutch die and rot while clinging to the good ones. My favorite incubation media are sphagnum moss or coarse vermiculite. If the material is damp, but not wet enough to drip water when squeezed, and is non toxic, it should work to incubate corn snake eggs. A temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit seems to be the upper limit tolerated without increasing birth defects and mortality, but hatchlings seem more robust when eggs are incubated in the lower to mid 80s.

Eggs often dent inward several days before hatching. If they dent much earlier, they are too dry. If mold or fungus forms on eggs or substrate, they may be too moist, and will need some airing out. An old saying goes “Good eggs don’t go bad”; i.e. if the temperature and humidity are more-or-less right, they’ll hatch.

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With all of the online and offline resources available today, your journey into the ever-expanding universe of corn morphs promises to be a colorful and exciting experience.

Breeding Corn Snakes

Breeding Corn Snakes

Corn Snakes have for many years been the starter snakes in our reptile hobby when it comes to keeping snakes. Today many of us reptile keepers look over Corn Snakes for being very common, but I think that it is important that we still appreciate them as after all they are still a snake! Even after the many years of keeping snakes and although I have many other more rare, expensive and highly sort after species of snakes I still get a sense of excitement when breeding my common corn snakes. From feeding them to mating them to them laying eggs and hatching out the babies it is still very rewarding to me. Corn Snakes may be common but if you are interested in colour mutations no other colubrid can rival the amazing variety of colour and pattern mutations that we find in Corn Snakes.

Although keeping Corn snakes is great on its own I think that breeding takes the enjoyment to a whole another level as it is the ultimate proof that you have provided the best possible care for your snakes and have allowed it to fulfil it’s most import function of it’s life. It is also an interesting, educational and maybe even be profitable (or at least pay to feed your adults for the year!). The experience you learn from breeding Corn Snakes can also be used to breed other colubrids in the future and will allow you to be more successful with other species in the future! So lets take a look the finer details of breeding Corns!

First of all you have to make sure you have a mature male and a female. Corn Snakes can mature around 18 – 24 months if fed well, otherwise it can take up to 3 years for them to be ready to breed. When it comes to breeding Corn Snakes it is important to understand their natural cycle they need to go through which will stimulate them to breed. Our brumation period or cooling period we use in Durban is through the winter months, which is the whole of June and July. It is important to also prepare your animals for this cooling period, as they will need to be in good condition and in the best possible health. In the beginning of March we start to feed our females a bit extra (two mice per week) to help them put on extra weight. This might sound very early to start ‘feeding up’ your females considering you will only be mating them in September or October but the extra weight also helps them to get through the brumation period and come out in prime condition and ready to breed as healthy animals hardly loose any weight during brumation. In the first week of May we begin to turn off night temperatures and maintain day temperatures as normal. The second week of May we feed their last meal, in the third week we keep dropping night temperatures and in the fourth week we turn off heating all together. Our room does still get to about 25°C during the day with the heating off. This adjustment period allows snakes to slowly adjust to the cooler temperatures as if you take them straight from their warm cages and suddenly into a cold dark room they can end up getting sick due to the shock of the sudden change. It is essential for all feeding to come to a complete halt at least two weeks prior to the date you intend to cool your Corn Snakes. You want them to be able to give them enough time for their food to pass through their digestive tracts. You do not want any undigested food or even old fecal matter resting in your snakes gut as this can cause health issues and even be fatal.

After the forth week or beginning of June we then move our Corn Snakes into a darker, cooler room where they will brumate for the whole of June and July. During burmation no food is offered only clean drinking water. Temperatures need to be anywhere from 7 – 18°C for around 60-75 days. The temperature does not have to be constant and for us it naturally goes up to about 14-18°C and then drops to around 10-12°C at night. We keep the room as dark as possible. If you have heat waves and the temperature gets warmer for a few days you don’t have to stress as this will not effect their cycle.

In the first week of August we open up all the curtains and start to let light in. We slowly start increasing the temperatures over two weeks until they back to normal. Feeding starts with a small meal to get their digestive system working again and then their feeding regime is returned to normal. So how do we know when to start putting them together? We find that after the brumation period they go through a shed in a few weeks time, generally after this shed we start introducing females into the males cages. I don’t think it makes a difference if you put the male in with the female or the female in with the female, with Corn snakes that are ready to mate they will get the job done when they are put together.

When you first place them together you will notice the male will be very eager as he will smell the ready-to-breed female which will be emitting a pheromone that will excite the male into a vigorous urge to copulate. The males and also sometimes the females will move in a series of spasmodic, jerking pulses as soon as he knows a female is nearby. If you supposedly female turns out to be another male then you will notice allot of thrashing around the cage allot of pushing in a contest of strength and also some biting.

If all goes well your Corn Snake will begin mating and stay locked in this position almost motionless, it is important to not bother them during this time. After about 10 – 20 minutes they will quietly separate and go their separate ways. After the mating females are the returned to their separate cage. Males will need about three days of rest before they can mate again with the same female or another female which ever you choose. I like to try and mate each female about 3 – 5 times each season to insure the best possible fertility. This doesn’t mean that one mating wont do the job by why not have more just to be safe! The most females you can use on one male is 4 to 6, anymore may result in infertile eggs.

Females will continue to eat for an additional three to five weeks after mating has occurred. After this enlarging eggs will make it difficult for passing food and therefor feeding will slacken and possibly even stop. Ten to fourteen days before the female is going to lay her eggs she will have a pre-lay shed and this is a good indication to place a egg laying box in the enclosure. An egg laying box can be as simple as an ice-cream tub with a hole cut into the lid large enough for the female to easily enter. We put down a 1cm thick layer of damp sphagnum moss. Make sure to keep it damp the whole time, as this is what they will need to lay the eggs.

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Breeding Corn Snakes: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re breeding corn snakes to sell for profit, they might only be with you for a few months. However, you must provide them with the living environment and conditions that allow them to thrive.

Providing the right thermal conditions for up to 34 baby snakes might seem overwhelming for the novice snake breeder, but it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems. You can nurture your baby corn snakes so that they grow into strong and healthy adults.

This step-by-step guide will provide a detailed overview of the corn snake’s annual breeding cycle. We’ll show you how to brumate and mate your snakes, how to collect and incubate the eggs, how to care for the hatchlings, and how to recuperate your snakes once the breeding season is over.

What Are the Stages of Breeding Corn Snakes?

You’ll need to know what time of year brumation, breeding, and egg-laying occurs. Here’s a brief overview of what to expect and when:

Brumation – Corn snakes should be cooled over the winter months (1 st December to the end of February). Breeding corn snakes without brumation is not recommended.

Corn snakes should be cooled over the winter months (1 December to the end of February). Breeding corn snakes without brumation is not recommended. Warming – Begin to warm the snakes in late February or early March. Feed them 2-3 meals a week as your snakes need to build their strength back up. Once the male has shed his skin, you’ll know that mating season is imminent. Females take a little longer.

Begin to warm the snakes in late February or early March. Feed them 2-3 meals a week as your snakes need to build their strength back up. Once the male has shed his skin, you’ll know that mating season is imminent. Females take a little longer. Mating – Introduce the male to the female. If you want to ensure a rapid mating response, increase humidity slightly. This will ensure the male can easily detect the female’s pheromones.

Introduce the male to the female. If you want to ensure a rapid mating response, increase humidity slightly. This will ensure the male can easily detect the female’s pheromones. Waiting – Take good care of your snakes for 4-6 weeks until the female is ready to lay her eggs.

Take good care of your snakes for 4-6 weeks until the female is ready to lay her eggs. Egg Laying – Provide a secluded and humid place for your female to lay her eggs.

Provide a secluded and humid place for your female to lay her eggs. Egg Incubation – Retrieve the eggs gently and place them in a suitable incubator for about 8 weeks. Ensure the temperature is around 78-80 °F (26-27 °C) and humidity is 75-80%.

Retrieve the eggs gently and place them in a suitable incubator for about 8 weeks. Ensure the temperature is around 78-80 °F (26-27 °C) and humidity is 75-80%. Hatching – Await the arrival of your hatchlings. Have suitable enclosures prepared ahead of time to house your new babies.

Await the arrival of your hatchlings. Have suitable enclosures prepared ahead of time to house your new babies. Caring for your Adults – It’s important to care for your adults after mating season. Females will need plenty of food to recuperate, but males will not need any more than usual. Perform a thorough physical check to make sure they are both in good health.

The entire process takes the best part of a year. So, after your female has laid her eggs, it won’t be long before your adults are ready to brumate and the process starts over again.

Equipment You Will Need

As a breeder, it’s essential to have the right equipment to hand before you start. As you progress, you may decide to use alternative methods, but the following checklist provides a good ‘beginners’ list of equipment needed to breed corn snakes.

Assuming you’ve already housed your adult snakes, you’ll need the following additional equipment as a breeder:

Plenty of plastic boxes with lids (reptile boxes or repurposed boxes). One will be used as a ‘nesting box’ for your snake to lay her eggs in, and several will be used to place the eggs in before they are put in the incubator.

An incubator. If you don’t want to buy an incubator, you could use a glass tank and a heat pad with a thermostat.

A hygrometer (to measure humidity).

A specialist incubating medium (e.g., vermiculite, clay)

A substrate that retains moisture (coconut, aspen shavings, sphagnum moss, etc.)

A spray-top water bottle (for misting the nesting box, incubating box, and substrate).

Additional food supply for your hatchlings – you’ll need to have plenty of baby mice. Plan early because shortages sometimes occur during the breeding season.

Homes for your hatchlings – You could opt for plastic boxes in a rack. However, if you plan to keep any of the babies, set them up in a larger vivarium.

Small water bowls.

A diary to monitor progress.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Snake breeding does take a lot of commitment, but many people find it to be a rewarding hobby. If you’re uncertain about whether snake breeding is right for you, ask yourself the following questions:

Are you hoping to sell the babies, and if so, are you confident you will sell them? Is there a market for them in your area? Corn snakes can have large clutches, so you need to be prepared to house your snakes while you try to sell them.

Do you have time to monitor your snakes on a daily basis? Changing water bowls and monitoring humidity levels might only take a few minutes but these duties can seem draining if your hearts not really in it.

Are you happy to invest in an incubator? Although some snake breeders have found ways to repurpose old equipment into an incubator-of-sorts, it’s advisable for beginners to invest in a purpose-built incubator.

Breeding can occasionally result in disease or injury so do you have a bit set aside for potential vets bills if this were to happen?

If nothing else, being aware of these pitfalls can help you to be more prepared. For example, do your research to see if there is a market for corn snakes in your area before you commit to anything. Similarly, put some money aside for vets bills, just in case you need it.

How to Breed Corn Snakes

We’ll provide detailed guidance regarding each stage of the breeding process; from brumation to birth. As you become more experienced, you’ll probably learn your own techniques and modifications to the process. For now, let’s cover the basics of breeding corn snakes.

Choosing Corn Snakes to Breed

Corn snakes are very popular in the US, so it would be easy to source a pair for breeding. However, not all snakes are suitable for breeding. At the very least, your snakes should be healthy, sexually mature, and you should avoid cross-breeding. Let’s review these points in a bit more detail:

Check your Snakes are Healthy

Immediately before mating, both snakes should be thoroughly examined. Fatigue, foaming at the mouth, or blistered skin are signs of disease, so these snakes should not be mated.

Both snakes should be a healthy weight and size. The average adult corn snake is 1.6m and 900g. If the snakes are underweight, mating them could result in injury or a sickly clutch.

If your corn snake has a deformity (i.e., spinal problems), or struggles with feeding, keep it as a pet and don’t breed it.

How Old Can Corn Snakes Breed?

Male corn snakes can be bred when they turn 2 and females when they turn 3 years old. They may become sexually mature slightly earlier than this, but it is best to err on the side of caution to prevent injury.

Avoid Cross-Breeding

There are hundreds of corn snake morphs (colors); most of which can be mated together safely. Indeed, mating different colors can create very interesting results.

However, some experimenters have created hybrid snakes by mating a corn snake with a California kingsnake. According to ICR, this indicates that these species are more closely related than taxonomists recognize.

While this might be the case, many breeders avoid cross-breeding because it could result in deformity or death (especially if the snake breeder is inexperienced).

What About Inbreeding?

The hundreds of corn snake morphs (colors) created by snake breeders are a product of inbreeding – to one extent or another. Nonetheless, the topic of inbreeding (i.e. breeding a snake with its parent or sibling) has inspired a lot of controversy within the snake world.

Some people are concerned that it is an unethical and unhealthy practice, whereas others say that it’s perfectly OK as long as the handler is experienced and knows how to manage the risks.

For example, ethical breeders can minimize some of the effects of inbreeding by not successively breeding more than 4 generations, and by practicing a process called ‘outcrossing.’

Snakes, as a species, seem less affected by inbreeding than mammals. Also, inbreeding can occur naturally in the wild. However, unless you are breeding corn snakes to create a new morph (i.e. a certain color or characteristic) you should avoid inbreeding because there is a risk of creating deformities.

You might have heard about the bloodred corn snake; this is a type of corn snake produced from line-breeding (inbreeding). They are very bad feeders, and some will die young due to starvation.

Breeding to create a new morph is a specialist hobby and is something people pursue after they have had several years of breeding experience. As such, it’s a good idea to do some additional research on genetics prior to attempting this.

To avoid inbreeding, source your snakes from two different breeders so you don’t end up mating close relatives. Also, keep a record of all snakes you breed so you don’t end up accidentally inbreeding your own.

It should be said that some buyers seek out wild-types (regular-looking corn snakes) that have not been successively line-bred (inbred). So, if you want to sell corn snakes for profit, there is a market for wild-type varieties.

How to Brumate your Corn Snakes

If you want your snakes to have a strong mating response, it’s a good idea to brumate (cool) them over the winter. Brumation is a natural protective behavior similar to hibernation and it appears to support the overall well-being of the snake. So, how do you go about brumating your snakes?

Stop feeding your snakes from mid-November so they have a chance to clear their stomachs.

At the beginning of December, you should reduce the core temperature to about 55 °F (13 °C). Don’t let the temperature dip below 50°F (10°C) or rise above 60°F (16°C). Try to reduce the temperature gradually over several days.

There should be no light entering their vivarium at all. You could move your snakes to a basement or spare room to achieve darkness.

Do not disturb your snakes unnecessarily but do check on them from time-to-time. They are prone to getting dehydrated so make sure fresh water is available at all times. Do not feed them at all during brumation. They will be unable to digest the food.

so make sure fresh water is available at all times. Do not feed them at all during brumation. They will be unable to digest the food. Towards the end of February, start to warm the vivarium up to its normal temperature.

Wait approximately 3-4 days before feeding your snakes. It’s best to start them on a small meal such as a pinky mouse until they get their appetite back. Over the coming weeks, they will feed voraciously.

Breeding Corn Snakes Without Brumation

Some beginners feel a little overwhelmed by the prospect of brumating their snakes. Others think it is not necessary. So, what’s the truth?

There are some snake breeders who have successfully bred corn snakes without cooling them over the winter period. However, if you don’t brumate your snakes, you increase the risk of finding slugs (unfertilized eggs).

During brumation, the female’s egg follicles develop, and the male’s sperm develops. As such, snakes who have cooled down over the winter are potentially more fertile.

Not only that, they are better feeders and tend to have more energy. So, while brumation might not be compulsory – it is certainly a good idea if you want your snakes to stay healthy and fertile.

How to Mate Corn Snakes

One of the first questions beginners have is; what time of year do snakes mate? This can vary according to the age and size of the snake, but most males will be ready to mate 2-3 weeks after brumation, and females 4-5 weeks after brumation (i.e. beginning of April).

During these 4-5 weeks, it’s important to feed your snakes 2-3 times a week and clean their cages often. You’ll know your snakes are ready to mate when you see the following:

The males will shed their skin .

. About 2 weeks later, ovulating females will start to swell in their lower halves, and you may be able to see or feel small bumps. The female will then shed her skin (usually about two weeks after the male).

When you see the signs that your snakes are ready to mate, follow these steps:

Spritz water on the substrate to promote humidity in the vivarium. This will enable the male to easily detect the female’s pheromones. Select a male and introduce it to the female in her own vivarium. The male will usually show interest within the first few minutes. Cannibalism is rare in corn snakes but not unheard of so do monitor your corn snakes closely. If your snakes become intertwined, this is a sign they are mating. They will usually stay this way for 20-30 minutes, but sometimes longer. After this time, remove the male back to his own vivarium. Re-introduce the same male for a couple of hours, 2-4 times a week, for the next two weeks. You’ll know your snake is gravid when she develops a peak on her spine. This occurs because fat and muscle move up the body to make space for the eggs that are growing inside her.

Can Corn Snakes Have Babies Without Mating?

There are a few snakes that can provide young via parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction), but corn snakes are not one of these species. If your snake is laying eggs but has not mated, she may have laid slugs (infertile eggs).

Also, bear in mind that corn snakes can retain sperm for up to a year so if you obtained her quite recently, she might have mated with another snake in her previous home.

If your female has had slugs, you should check to see if any eggs have been retained as this can sometimes happen. If you can see retained eggs, it’s vital to take your snake to a vet for treatment. Do not attempt to remove retained eggs by yourself as this will cause a lot of pain to your snake.

How Long Are Corn Snakes Pregnant For?

After fertilization, it will be about 4-6 weeks before the female is ready to lay her eggs. This means she will lay her eggs in mid-May or early-June. Look out for your female’s pre-birth shed; this normally happens about 2 weeks before they lay their clutch.

Make sure the humidity is at least 55% to keep your snake hydrated, but don’t leave too much water in the water bowl. If your snake lays her eggs in a full water bowl, the eggs may drown.

Getting Prepared for Egg-Laying

While you’re playing the waiting game, make sure your snake has 1) a suitable nesting box and 2) plenty of food (if she will accept it).

Nesting Box : A nesting box is essentially a humid hide box. Find a shallow plastic Tupperware box and line it with damp sphagnum moss.

: A nesting box is essentially a humid hide box. Find a shallow plastic Tupperware box and line it with damp sphagnum moss. Food: Try to feed your female 2 times a week, if she will accept it. Some gravid females can be persuaded to eat if you make their portion size smaller (i.e. cut a pinky mouse in half). If your female does accept food she will probably stop feeding about 5-7 days before she lays.

Eggs can be laid any time of the day or night. Once you see the eggs, wait at least 24 hours before trying to remove them. This will ensure she has laid all her eggs and may help to reduce anxiety when removing them.

When removing the eggs, your corn snake is likely to thrash or bite. You’ll want to avoid a fight as much as possible because this may inadvertently damage the eggs. Likewise, when transferring the eggs from the nesting box to the incubating box, be as gentle as possible.

Can Corn Snakes Be Mated Twice a Year?

In many cases, it is not suitable to mate a corn snake more than once a year. For example, females who are breeding for the first year should never be mated more than once in a year.

Females who are in their prime could possibly breed a second time. For example, if the snake quickly accepts a meal very soon after laying her eggs, this signals that she may be healthy enough to bear another clutch.

However, it’s not advisable to attempt this as a beginner because you need to be able to determine if she is healthy enough. With experience, you’ll know if she is a healthy weight and appears to have enough energy. When it comes to your snake’s health, it is better not to push your luck.

How Many Eggs Do Corn Snakes Lay?

This really can vary considerably. Corn snakes lay as few as 2 and as many as 34 eggs, depending on their age, diet, and the conditions in which they are kept.

The average number of eggs per clutch is 12. Young females are likely to produce less than 5 eggs per clutch, and this will increase with age. It’s quite normal for a few eggs in every clutch to be sickly.

Incubating Corn Snake Eggs

Incubating the eggs is a crucial part of the breeding process. With so many eggs to look after, this process can seem a bit daunting.

However, if you break it down into the following steps it will seem much more manageable:

Find some plastic boxes (Tupperware containers with lids). Clean and disinfect.

If the containers are airtight when the lid is on, make some very small holes in the lid to allow for airflow.

Line the boxes with a specialist reptile-laying medium (see below). This should be approximately 1 inch thick. You may need several boxes, depending on how big the clutch is.

Carefully place the eggs on top of the medium. Some may be clumped together – there is no need to separate them. Put the lids on the containers.

Place the containers inside an incubator. A great option is the BleuMoo Egg Incubator. This is a reliable, digitally-controlled incubator that will keep your eggs at a consistent temperature and humidity. This incubator has a glass door for easy monitoring and shelves to stack your plastic egg boxes.

Check your eggs regularly. Provide occasional ventilation by temporarily removing the lids from the plastic boxes for an hour at a time (do this approximately once every 10 days).

Once you’ve set up your incubating system, spend time getting the heat, humidity, and timings right. Let’s review each one in turn.

What Temperature Do You Incubate Corn Snake Eggs?

Eggs should be incubated at 78-80 °F (26-27 °C). Do not exceed 85 °F (30 °C) or allow the temperature to dip below 72 °F (22 °C). If you purchase an incubator, this ensures you’ll be able to sustain a consistent temperature.

How Much Humidity is Required?

Alongside heat, you must monitor humidity. Too humid and your eggs may mold, but too dry and your snakes will almost certainly die.

Most incubators require you to add water, and they will sustain humidity at a set level. The required level for corn snake eggs is approximately 75-80%. If your incubator does not have this function, add a bowl of water to the bottom of it and check humidity regularly with a hygrometer

Also, selecting the correct medium for your egg boxes will help retain humidity.

How Long Does It Take for a Corn Snake Egg to Hatch?

The Pangea Hatch Premium Reptile Egg Incubation Substrate is a particularly good option. This substrate changes color to indicate the level of moisture in it. Not only that, it can be used several times if it is heated after use.

Waiting for your eggs to hatch can be a very exciting time. The average clutch will take about 8 weeks to hatch but it can vary quite a lot. Also, eggs may start hatching at different times (sometimes up to a week apart).

Monitoring your Eggs

While you’re waiting for your eggs to hatch, check on them 2-3 times a week. Don’t disturb them for too long at a time, but check for the following issues:

Are there any rotten eggs? If there are, and they can be easily removed, dispose of these.

Is there liquid on the shells of the eggs? If so, this indicates there is too much humidity. Take the lid of the egg boxes off to ventilate the eggs. Your incubator may have a setting to turn down the humidity, too.

Do the shells look very dry? This indicates low humidity. Add more water to the bottom of your incubator.

When you suspect hatching is imminent, monitor your snakes very closely. It’s a good idea to remove hatchlings once they arrive so they don’t damage other eggs.

If there is space in your incubator, place each newborn in its own small plastic box and leave it in the incubator for 24 hours after hatching. This helps to keep it calm and allows it to adjust to its surroundings gradually. It’s best not to mix juvenile corns in the same container.

Do I Need to Buy an Incubator?

This is a question quite a lot of beginners have because incubators can be quite expensive. However, they are worth the investment because they help ensure the temperature remains consistent.

Having said that, it’s a good idea to have a backup method in case your incubator fails or in case you have a particularly large clutch that won’t fit in your incubator.

You can create a make-shift incubator using the following equipment:

A glass corn snake vivarium – Ideally, this should have a glass lid to maintain humidity. However, if it has a screen-top lid, you can dampen a towel and lay this over half of the screen to retain humidity.

– Ideally, this should have a glass lid to maintain humidity. However, if it has a screen-top lid, you can dampen a towel and lay this over half of the screen to retain humidity. A reptile heat pad (don’t use heat lights) with a thermostat

A hygrometer to monitor humidity

Reptile incubating substrate

Tupperware boxes – place your eggs in boxes with lids and put them inside the tank.

Set up the tank so the heat mat is covering about half of the base and set the thermostat to 78-80 °F (26-27 °C). As with the previous method, place the eggs in secure egg boxes, and then place the egg boxes inside the tank.

This tank needs to be set up in a dark room where it won’t be unnecessarily disturbed. You’ll also need to monitor the heat and humidity several times a day. As you can see there is more work (and more worry) involved but some snake breeders have managed to make this incubation method work.

How to Care for Newborn Corn snakes

Once your hatchlings arrive, you’ll need to remove them from the incubator. As suggested, it’s good to keep them in there for 24 hours before doing so, but only if you have space to keep them separately.

Although cannibalism is rare in corn snakes, it is possible in juveniles because some have a very good feeding response. After your snake has left the incubator, consider the following:

Feeding

Babies will usually eat their first meal 2-5 days after being born. Once they have shed for the first time, this signals they are ready to eat. Feed them pinky mice twice a week.

Be patient with your snake if they don’t start feeding immediately. Cutting up their meal may help. Alternatively, dangling a pinky mouse in front of them (with tongs) can help to initiate a feeding response in juvenile snakes.

Water

Provide your snake with a small, shallow water dish. If the water dish is too big, there is a chance they could drown in it. If you see your baby curling up in the water dish, this is a sign they over overheated or there is not enough humidity in their vivarium.

Heat

Corn snakes need a thermogradient of 84-86°F (28-30°C) at the higher end, and 68-75°F (20-24°C) at the lower end. If you intend to keep your babies in a rack setup, you can provide heat to one side of the boxes using a heat cable.

If you keep them in a tank, heat can be provided with a reptile heat mat, reptile basking light, and by monitoring ambient temperatures.

Humidity

Baby snakes shed their skin regularly (about once a fortnight) so they need humidity. To achieve this, place some damp sphagnum moss, coconut substrate or paper in a hide box.

If there is no space for a hide box, place this substrate over one-third of their enclosure. Check humidity often and if it dips below 55%, spritz some water on the substrate.

Ventilation

A lot of breeders keep their baby snakes in small plastic reptile tubs. However, if you are re-purposing a plastic box into a reptile tub, make sure there are some very small ventilation holes in the lid.

Where Should I House My Baby Corn Snakes?

When choosing the correct enclosure, consider how long you’ll be keeping the snake for. If you are going to be selling them quickly, it makes sense to keep them in a rack set-up, but it is important to make sure your snake’s needs are still met in this kind of set-up.

Snake Racks

These can be re-purposed from furniture, built yourself from scratch, or custom-made by specialist providers. Essentially, each snake is housed in a plastic box, and these boxes stack on top of each other in racks or drawers.

Heat is provided to one side of each rack using a heat cable. Ventilation must be adequate but equally the racks must fit tightly to prevent escapes. The major benefit of a rack system is the space-saving element, but it can be harder to maintain a thermogradient in this type of set-up.

Vivarium

If you know you will be keeping one or more of your snakes, it makes sense to house the snake in a vivarium from birth. This will provide the snake with more room, and you can easily install UVA/B lighting if you wish.

Be Prepared

There will be times when you need to transport or display your snakes. Also, when cleaning your snake’s enclosures, you’ll need somewhere safe to hold them.

Exo Terra Breeding Boxes are perfect for holding and transporting juvenile corn snakes. They measure 16.3” x 10.4” and offer sufficient ventilation for holding a corn snake.

It’s not ideal to keep your snake in one of these for more than a couple of days (unless you can place them in a rack that offers the correct thermal gradient and humidity).

Remember, the average corn snake clutch is about 12 eggs. As a responsible breeder, make sure you’ve got enough kit to house 12 snakes safely.

Caring for Your Adult Corn Snakes

While it’s important to care for the babies, don’t neglect the parents at this time. You’ll want to make sure your adult snakes are strong and healthy before winter approaches. The healthier they are, the more likely they are to breed successfully in subsequent years.

Do a physical check of each snake; look for signs of extreme fatigue or problems with shedding. Female snakes may be dehydrated and may soak in their water bowl so top this up regularly.

The female will have lost a lot of weight so feed her two meals per week until 2 weeks prior to brumation.

Males can be fed less often (about once every 7 days). If they look overweight provide only small, infrequent meals.

On rare occasions, a female may retain some of her eggs– perhaps because they are too big to pass. If you suspect your snake is retaining eggs it is very important you take her to a vet for examination and treatment. This condition could lead to infection or death. You can contact ARAV (Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians) to find a vet in your area.

(Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians) to find a vet in your area. UVA/B lighting – There is some disagreement over whether full-spectrum lighting is necessary for corn snakes or not. Corn snakes do seem to do better when lighting is offered (in 12-hour cycles and not during brumation). Females that are struggling to recuperate after laying eggs may appreciate the warmth and UV rays of a basking light (as opposed to a heat mat). If you don’t want to invest in lighting, you could dust a small amount of vitamin D3 powder on your snake’s food once every couple of months instead.

Checklist for Corn Snake Breeders

Hopefully, this guide has simplified the process of corn snake breeding. If it has convinced you to attempt it yourself, be sure to remember these key points:

Choose healthy snakes to breed (avoid inbreeding and cross-breeding).

Brumate your snakes effectively.

Give your snakes plenty of food between brumation and mating.

Provide a humid nesting box for your snake.

Incubate the eggs at the correct temperature and humidity.

No matter how you house your babies, make sure they have the thermogradient they need for good health. Even if you’re only keeping your babies for a couple of months, this is important to ensure they stay healthy.

Order plenty of pinky mice before your hatchlings arrive. There may be a shortage of these during the breeding season.

Feed-up your female snake after she has given birth and check for any retained eggs.

Keep accurate records so you can prevent accidental inbreeding and demonstrate that you are a responsible breeder.

Above all, it’s important to be prepared. Corn snakes can lay up to 34 eggs per clutch, so you need to have the equipment, food, and patience to look after such a large brood.

So you have finished reading the how to breed corn snakes topic article, if you find this article useful, please share it. Thank you very much. See more: how to brumate corn snakes, how to breed corn snakes without brumation, corn snake breeding calculator, corn snake breeding season, how long are corn snakes pregnant for, how often do corn snakes breed, corn snake breeding season behaviour, corn snake breeding weight

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