I ask this question from all of you, because at expos I mostly see a few months old babies. I started to learn which morph is which, but I realized, I have no idea how most of them will look like when they are fully grown. I don't know how much the pattern or the colors will change.

So I would love pictures of all of your snakes, preferably when they were little, and how they look like now. Here's your chance to show off your beauties!

Here is my 8-9 month old baby for snake tax. When I bought her, the seller told me she is gonna be darker once she grows up. I'm curious how she will turn out to be.

Snoke 😛

So for some context I work at a pet supplies plus we had the snake for a year with nobody even looking at her (i assume shes a girl because of looking around on google not 100% sure) but at the store we would feed her 2 pinkies every 4 days, once I got her I've been feeding her 1 fuzzy every 4 days because shes big enough to eat a fuzzy but nobody wanted to try while she was still at the store, shes probably a little over a year old based off of knowing she had to have been a few months old before coming to the store. Anyways I keep asking google questions about her, didnt even think to ask reddit but my boyfriend suggested it, but google keeps saying i should be feeding her once every 7 days im just worried if i do that she will be more moody because she gets moody the day before she gets her meal (I feed her again tomorrow night) so I just figured to ask reddit because im sure someone here knows a lot more than I would, I also am gonna try a different substrate because I hate the look of Aspen bedding and a customer that owns a hoggnose said I should try a mix of 2 substrates we sell, just gonna wait til I run out of Aspen and see if she likes it better. Also any random tips and tricks are much appreciated shes in a 29 gallon fish tank right now with a mesh screen cover, im gonna try to move her into a 40 gallon terrarium tank when I can find one for a good price. Google was also saying i should put her in a like 125 gallon tank which is huge so any tips anyone has other than just feeding schedule would be much appreciated ive never owned a reptile I just felt so bad leaving her in the cage at work shes so sweet I named her Medusa! Second picture is her digesting a fuzzy lol

I’ve been digging into corn snake biology, behavior, and scientific research, and some of the things I’ve learned are genuinely fascinating. Even if you’ve kept corn snakes for years, a few of these might surprise you.
1. Corn snakes can climb vertically using a completely different form of movement.
Snakes have several methods of locomotion, but corn snakes can use a specialized technique called concertina locomotion to navigate narrow vertical spaces. They alternately anchor sections of their bodies and extend forward. Researchers have studied this behavior in corn snakes to better understand how snakes navigate confined environments.
2. They have a built-in chemical navigation system.
When your corn snake flicks its tongue, it isn’t tasting the air the way we taste food. It’s collecting microscopic chemical particles and delivering them to the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson’s organ) in the roof of its mouth. This allows it to investigate prey, potential mates, and its surroundings. By comparing chemical information collected by its tongue, a snake can also follow directional scent trails.
3. Their beautiful belly pattern might actually be functional.
Those distinctive black-and-white checkerboard markings aren’t just decorative. Belly scales provide traction during locomotion, and their shape and orientation help snakes grip surfaces. However, there is no established evidence that the checkerboard color pattern itself improves traction. The mechanical function belongs to the scales, not their pigmentation.
4. Corn snakes don’t have ears like ours, but they aren’t deaf.
They lack external ear openings and eardrums, but they can detect certain airborne sounds and vibrations through structures associated with the inner ear and lower jaw. Research on snake hearing demonstrates that snakes respond to low-frequency sound, although hearing capabilities differ among species.
5. They can detect environmental temperature without being able to generate much body heat themselves.
Corn snakes are ectotherms, meaning their body temperature depends heavily on environmental conditions. They behaviorally thermoregulate by moving between warmer and cooler microhabitats. Unlike pit vipers, corn snakes don’t have specialized infrared-sensing facial pits. Their thermoregulation depends on ordinary temperature sensing and behavioral choices.
6. Their eyes undergo a remarkable transformation before shedding.
That cloudy, bluish appearance during a shed cycle happens because fluid accumulates between the old and developing new spectacle—the transparent scale covering the eye. Their eyes often clear again before the actual shed, which can make owners mistakenly think the process is finished.
7. Corn snakes are surprisingly capable swimmers.
Although they’re primarily terrestrial and often climb, corn snakes can swim when necessary. Their elongated bodies generate lateral waves that propel them through water. Swimming ability doesn’t make them aquatic, however, and their enclosure should still provide dry retreats and appropriately sized drinking water.
8. They don’t necessarily experience their surroundings the way a nocturnal animal does.
Corn snakes are frequently described as crepuscular, meaning most active around dawn and dusk, but activity patterns vary with temperature, season, habitat, and individual circumstances. Wild corn snakes may shift toward nighttime activity during hot weather and daytime activity when conditions are cooler.
9. They can store sperm and reproduce long after mating.
Female snakes, including corn snakes, can retain viable sperm within their reproductive tract, allowing fertilization to occur well after mating. This means the timing of egg laying doesn’t necessarily tell you exactly when mating occurred. Rare cases of reproduction without males have also been documented in some snake species, although that shouldn’t be assumed without genetic confirmation.
10. Their scientific name tells an interesting evolutionary story.
Corn snakes were historically classified as Elaphe guttata, but their currently accepted scientific name is Pantherophis guttatus. Molecular phylogenetic research helped reorganize North American ratsnakes into Pantherophis, reflecting their evolutionary relationships rather than relying entirely on physical appearance.

A few good places to explore the science
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pantherophis_guttatus/
The Reptile Database: https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pantherophis&species=guttatus
PubMed (snake sensory biology and physiology): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=snake+sensory+biology
Google Scholar (corn snake locomotion research): https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Pantherophis+guttatus+locomotion
Which one surprised you the most? And what’s an obscure corn snake fact you’ve learned that most keepers probably don’t know?
I’d love to see what else people have discovered, especially anything supported by published research.

Hi, this is my corn snake Rayo. I feed him two 25g mice every 2 weeks. But I see a clear boundary between his tail and rest of the body. He is more round there. But when I hold him and touch him he seems to have low level of fat.

Should I be concern?

I just got my first baby corn today and I’m still panicking about the enclosure. I went with a semi-large on because it was better longterm for my wallet. She’s currently in a 34g, 24x18x18. I have a little bit of clutter, right now, and more is coming in the next few days. I almost forgot to wash the decor and today, which was not a pleasant first sign. I washed them in hot water + unscented dish soap, though I am looking to sanitize them soon. It seems that when I feel prepared I’m just another 10 steps behind. I’m most worried about enclosure security and making sure she feels and is safe. I’m also have problems with the temp. gradient because of the enclosure size. Someone please tell me if I’m doing enough or if my snake is in danger.

(How to secure it more, how to maintain temp, gradient, how to make her feel more safe, how to clean the decor, etc.)

I hope this is just the new owner panic and not my incompetence. Thank you guys!

Our corn snake, Jasmine, has been hiding in the substrate for almost three weeks. She has missed two feedings and I did dig for her because I was concerned about a week ago and when we found her she was very obviously in shed. We immediately covered her back up and left her alone.
Is this normal? How long will it take for her to be done shedding? I am looking online and it says this is not normal and there could be something wrong.
First time snake owners and we have had her for only about two ish months.

I’ve added all the photos I’ve gotten of Duck in my first week of owning her (no idea but she’s purple). She mostly hides, I’ve seen her maybe a few times and I didn’t actually get to see her eat her pinkie the first feeding because I didn’t have tongs and the rustling of plastic on my hands scared her, I’m going to watch today for sure.

On the first day I got her, it took all of 3 hours for her to find a little tube and she hid in it for 24 hours. I blocked it when she came out and now she’s tried twice (as far as I know) to move the sponge and get back in. I gave her a 1/2inch PVC pipe, it’s about 20in long, I hope maybe she’d like that and stop trying to get into The Tube. Since then she’s just been popping up for 2-6mins and then burrowing again. I removed a lot of the flowers and only put back in 3-4 stems, I am constantly checking them to make sure they aren’t getting mildew or nasty weird things growing on them. I’m unsure if she likes being next to a fish tank or if she hates it, when she was in The Tube for 24 hours, I’d catch her peeping her head out to watch them. I’m pretty sure she’s watching me right now, but I can’t find her.

I, however, am a nervous wreck. I don’t know if I’m caring for her correctly, I’m only 20 and this is my first reptile, I can’t tell if she’s happy, and she was a gift to me after I did a bunch of research. But I feel like researching doesn’t compare to hands on knowledge and experience. She has stopped glass surfing, and now she just looks and me with her derpy little “ugh, you again” face and retreats to exploring her hides. I broke the doors to her enclosure by accident when she disappeared on me for 24hrs, so she is going to get a 120gal sooner than I expected, I will be closing everything off with aquarium safe silicone before I transfer her. She’s given me like 4 heart attacks with her escape attempts.

If I could get any tips or advice, especially pertaining to any issues you see with my care, please tell me. I want her to have the best life, so I’d love some enrichment tips as well please!

Also, is she fat?

Ps. I have some climbing rings coming in the mail, they’re a 30min drive and $40 if I get them in my city. And I did change her name from Marshmallow to Duck because she’s always hiding and “ducking” from me (she’s not in an S-shape when she ducks from me, photo 8, so I think it’s just a part of her personality)

Edit: I just read on someone else’s post that I wasn’t supposed to feed her in the first 2 weeks ALONG with handling her, I thought it was just for handling. So should I dig through her enclosure to make sure she didn’t regurgitate the mouse? Obviously she’s out and active today by trying to get into The Tube, she also does look chunkier than when I brought her home. So I don’t think she did. If she didn’t, should I feed her today? It’s still within the 2 weeks until next Friday. I’d also like to say the only reason I fed her the day after I got her was because I thought she escaped and/or died so I used a pinkie to lure her out, when she came out the next day she kept trying to eat the 20lbs rock I put it on so I thought she was hungry. So I fed her because I couldn’t keep watching her glass surf and headbutt a rock.

Edit 2: if you have the time and effort to downvote me, at least tell me what I’m doing wrong.

I did not find a meaningful new peer-reviewed or authoritative article this week that directly studied corn snakes and justified a husbandry change.
The strongest new material in my full research review involved a field thermoregulation study in nose-horned vipers, official thermostat and sensor documentation, and enclosure-logger data. Those may help with measurement decisions, but they are not corn snake studies, so I don’t think they should be presented as corn snake findings.
Practical takeaway: No new corn-snake-specific evidence supports changing temperature, humidity, feeding frequency, prey size, lighting, or supplementation this week.
I’d rather post “nothing solid this week” than recycle older papers or stretch research from another reptile species beyond what it can actually show.

Buenas , mi serpiente tiene 16 meses, lleva conmigo un mes y pesa demasiado poco para su edad (23 gramos).

La semana pasada se comió un ratón primer pelo vivo y le fue bastante bien, pero esta vez al comprar congelado.. he visto q eran quizá un par de gramos más que el de la semana pasada, siendo el doble del peso real q le debería haber dado, pues tenía q ser 4 gramos para los 23 q ella tiene y el ratón tenía 7 u 8 gramos...

Está en la zona caliente entre 28'5 y 30 grados reposando, para la siguiente... Debería bajarle a 4 o 6 como mucho verdad? Y darle la siguiente mínimo en 6 o 7 días como poco... Esq quiero controlar bien las comidas ya q está baja de peso pero tampoco pasarme vaya q regurgite o no haga bien la digestión.

​

This is Goblin! I'm not sure how old they are, they were a rescue, and an unexpected one. I've had to take a crash course in snake husbandry, but we've had them about a month now and things are going well. They are getting 1 pinky a week right now, and eating like a champ. I'm finding conflicting advice about when to move up to double pinkies. They weigh 17 g as of yesterday, but they still seem too small for fuzzies. Any advice would be welcome!

I have tried everything I feel like. Humidifier going in the space, moving his water to under the heat lamp, spraying the subsrate once a day, adding sphagnum moss and making it damp.. the most I've EVER seen it go up to is like 50% for a few hours at most. My corn is due for a shed soon and I want to make sure I can get his enclosure humid enough so he can shed comfortably. What are some things I could do?

My corn snake regurged 3 weeks and 2 days ago. I think it was from a temperature issue which I have since fixed. I gave him a 2-week rest period with no feeding or handling, and since then, he's been doing well; very explorative and active. I've fed him 2 downsized meals (fed on day 14 and 21 post-regurg) and he's kept both of them down.

I was wondering if it's alright to handle him now or if I should wait until he keeps his next meal down. I was hoping to weigh him and then also get back to taming him (I had only just started handling him when he regurged), but I also know that they're a little more delicate during their recovery period. I was also wondering if his next meal should also be downsized or if it's alright to do his normal-sized feeder.

TIA!

Hello!

This is my first ever snake and I've been doing as much research as I can but I can't find much on the pupil shapes? I noticed the pupil seems to almost point forward like a teardrop shape? One person suggested it might be his morph which I was told is Anery Type A. I'm not too worried, he seems to have perfect aim and can see just fine. Just curious really.

His name is Hannibal 🩶

I had my cornsnake for about a month now I gave it 7 days to settle before I just tried "handling" (more like close to the enclosure bonding) but I never even touched it not even the first day. I mostly just put my hand in there (for 5min) and wait for it to explore even tho it tried but it always just goes back in after having 2-3 tounge flicks out of its hide (only the head) then going back in.

So today someone said I should put something in the hide so it would come out the log so I can actually pick it up. I tried putting a long paper roll in and at first I just put it next to the enterance of the log and it was tounge flicking abit and then moved in and back out. And then before I even tried to put it in there (i couldnt see the snake in the log since its hella dark in there) it striked at it but it didnt bite and ran the other way.

What do I do? I read some people just grab their snake some do choice based handling. But I can't just grab its from its hide or take the hide out and wait till it comes out since it think its unsafe.

I also read they relax when handling stops etc. So do I just leave it be for a good 2 weeks or alot more?

Also I did spend alot of time around the enclosure getting used to me and the enclosure is in my profile.

The temps and humidity are also meet the requirements!

This is my first reptile, I got her about three weeks ago. In my research before getting her it seemed she would only be active during the bookends of the day. But it is currently 11:01, and she has been active since I took her cover off and turned on her light. Is she just exploring/trying to plan an escape, or is it a sign that something might be wrong?

I have put a deposit down on a female corn snake that was born in June of last year. She is eating hoppers.

I’m getting her enclosure ready right now and all these posts about escape have me paranoid; it’s my first snake ever. I included a pic for reference - the setup isn’t done yet because I’m waiting on a surge protector and some other stuff to come in and obviously want to finish escape-proofing before putting in substrate etc.

I have two cats and a dog and escape would mean death or injury. One of my cats is a really good lizard/mouse hunter (we live in FL).

So far I have used aquarium sealant (silicone) to seal the bottom cracks and up the sides in the back because there were some questionable crevices.

The thing that has me most worried is the glass panel in front. Although it has a locking mechanism there are little gaps between the glass and there are slits on the sides of the terrarium that mildly worry me as well.

Advice please!!!! I’ve done so much research and my brain is slowly turning to mush.

A few days ago I noticed my young snake had some dirt along her eyes, doesn’t seem like its actually on her eye, just on the scales around it?

So far I tried spraying down her wet hide and encouraging her to stay in there to see if she could get it off herself, but I noticed tonight it was still dried on there.

I gave her a 5min soak in warm water, and tried to wipe it off with a wet paper towel but it is still stuck on there good. I put her back in the wet hide.

Any more ideas? Should I soak her longer? Should I just leave her be and trust it’ll come off eventually? Maybe when she molts again?

Thank you!

No snake in it yet, still have to let it figure itself out for a month. I'm not done quite yet and have to find some good sticks and get them sanitized, and figure out what more to add, but I'm really happy so far and cannot wait to get Paprika in here.

For those of you using radiant heat panels (RHPs) in your corn snake enclosures, I’m curious how you’re mounting and positioning your thermostat probes.
Also, how are you monitoring and regulating temperatures at substrate level? Are you relying on an infrared thermometer to check surface temperatures, or are you using additional probes or sensors?
I’d really appreciate it if anyone could share pictures of how their thermostat probe is mounted and positioned relative to the RHP.
Just trying to get a better understanding of how everyone has theirs set up and what works best. Thanks!

i posted this little guy nearly a year ago! where did all the time go🥺 never take time for granted!🧡🧡