Corn snakes in their natural habitat have everything they need to survive.  Nature takes care of all of their needs.  When you own a snake, you must know the responibility and needs of your snake because YOU control everything.  Do not use this page as your one and only source of information.  Get books, go to shows, talk with other snake owners, and search the internet.  Corn snakes are very easy to care for, so with a little research, you can have a happy, healthy snake that you will enjoy for many years.

Setup for the simple:

Enclosures for the simple will be inexpensive and easily cleaned. They will be relatively small, and used mostly for breeding, or baby enclosures.  Rubbermaid tubs, holes drilled in the tops, are most common.  Plastic shoe boxes are also used.

Heating for the simple will most likely be a form of heat tape placed at one end of the tank, found at local hardware stores, or garden supply store. Heating pads are also used but are more expensive than the tape.  Heat lamps are harder to keep a hot and cold spot, unless you use it in conjunction with the heat tape or pad in cooler climates. Dimmers can be used to regulate the temperature in the enclosure.

Lighting can be any type of lighting in the room, sunlight or artificial, as long as it won't heat up the tank to the point of cooking your snake.  Corn snakes really don't require any special type of lighting, but some think light with UV properties might help, but I haven't found a difference.

Water dishes will consist of something cheap like deli bowls, which are disposable and easy to clean. Or, a dog dish may be used, if small enough.

Hiding Spots can be the same thing used as the water dish, just cut a hole in the bottom, large enough for the snake to fit in totally, and this way you save space. Or, a garden pot, with a notch cut in the bottom and turned upside down is cheap too.

Substrate will have to be disposable, or easily cleaned. Newspaper, or reptile carpets are economical.  Pine or aspen are also easily cleaned.
 
 

 
Setup for the hobbyist:

Enclosures are going to have lots of room(15-40 gallon), and have a locking lid of some kind.  They can be wooden, with display glass in the front, or all glass, or even all screen. You must have the proper ventalation, but not too much that it would be hard to keep warm. Custom built cages could be made, more long and wide, than they are tall. Corn snakes are only semi-arboreal. Make sure there are no     g  a  p  s    large enough to escape. You would be surprised what a corn can squeeze through. Be creative, and add live plants to make it more pleasing to the eye, this is for you, not the snake. But have the plants potted, and in the center, out of the high traffic of the sides of the tank where the snake will rub on and injure the plants over time.  Rocks, logs, and plastic plants are nice too, as long as free of insects and mites.

Heating can be a combination of a few things. The most effective way of keeping a choice of warmer and cooler spots in the enclosure is to have a heat pad applied to the bottom of the tank.  Quality pads found at stores or online made especially for this are best and have a uniform temperature.  This alone should keep one area at 82-86ºF and a cooler spot at 74-78ºF which will alow the snake to thermoregulate its body temperature in various conditions. If needed, a basking lamp can be added and set to turn on and off at programmed times, making mid-day warmer than the rest of the day just like in nature. A dimmer on the heat lamp is recommended because of the intense heat and light produced, if used in conjunction with the heat pad.

Lighting can be simple.  Light from a window is all you need, but make sure this is indirect light, and not close to the window.  If in direct light, a green house effect will cook your snakes.  If you are using a basking lamp, your already in luck, but dont make it the only source of light because leaving it in the heat for too long will cause death. A dimmer could solve this problem.

The Water Dish will be any nice natural looking dish found online or at your local pet store.  It should be big enough for the whole snake to fit in, as the snake will soak sometimes to help shedding, especially when the humidity is low.

Hiding Spots should be in the enclosure for to maximize stress reduction. Hollowed logs, Artificial caves, Rock spots, are all good ideas. Be creative and try making your own. Just make sure you have at least one on each side of the cage so as the snake can choose its own temperature.

Substrate can be anything from aspen, to pine, to repti-bark. Just do not use cedar, as it is toxic to corn snakes and will cause respritory problems and eventually lead to death. Repti-Carpet can be used for baby corns until you have made sure you have nothing wrong with the snakes, they have fed twice, and you've had the feces checked for parisites.