If you’re thinking about getting a pet snake sometime soon, you might be interested in corn snakes. Corn snakes are commonly kept as pets in modern times.
Those who love keeping pet snakes will find corn snakes to be very easy to handle overall. They’re good options for beginners, and veterans will still enjoy owning them as well.
If you’re completely new to buying pet snakes, you likely don’t know much about corn snakes yet. What are these pet snakes like, and what do you need to know about them before getting started?
How do these snakes kill their prey? Are they constrictors or do they kill prey some other way?
Continue reading to learn about corn snakes. You’ll learn everything that you need to know about how corn snakes kill their prey.
Corn Snakes Are Constrictors
Yes, corn snakes are indeed constrictors. This means that they use constriction as a way to subdue and kill prey.
When corn snakes encounter prey, they will wrap their bodies around the animal. The corn snake squeezes the animal and subdues it completely.
Once the time is right, the corn snake will then devour the prey animal whole. It doesn’t bite or anything like that.
Corn snakes simply consume the prey whole after squeezing it and subduing it. Many enthusiasts find watching corn snakes do this to be interesting.
If you buy a pet corn snake, you’ll have a simple time seeing it in action. Once it has grown a bit, you should be able to see it use constriction to subdue prey.
What Do Corn Snakes Eat?
Typically, corn snakes subsist by eating rodents. In the wild, they will feed on various types of rodents.
When you’re keeping these snakes as pets, you’ll likely buy them feeder mice. You’ll give the snake the right type of nutrients by giving it these mice.
There are a few different ways you can feed these snakes. You can give the snake dead mice, but this might not be as satisfying for the snake.
Some people choose to give their corn snakes live mice. This is the way that you see the constriction techniques of the corn snake in action.
Many enthusiasts say that it’s best to give corn snakes the feeling that they’re catching their own food. It’s thought that it makes the snake happier overall.
How Often Do You Need to Feed Corn Snakes?
Now you’re likely wondering how often these snakes eat. Do you need to feed them mice daily, or is it something you need to do less often than that?
Those who are new to feeding snakes might be surprised that you don’t need to feed them daily. Corn snakes can go for quite a few days without being fed.
These creatures have a very slow metabolism. Since they have such slow metabolism, they can go long periods between being fed.
A juvenile corn snake should be fed every week. A healthy adult corn snake can be fed every ten to fourteen days.
Technically, these snakes can go longer without eating and still survive. A corn snake might survive for months without food, but it could wind up getting rather sick.
So it’s not wise to starve your corn snakes for no reason. Generally, you should feed them at the recommended intervals mentioned above.
Can Corn Snakes Constrict Humans?
If you’re concerned about a corn snake being able to harm you, it’s best to put those thoughts aside. Corn snakes are simply not powerful enough to constrict humans.
Corn snakes are fairly weak as far as constrictors go. When a corn snake is fully-grown it can reach six feet in length.
Even at full size, a corn snake won’t be able to harm you. It’s not powerful enough to constrict humans.
The constriction methods that it used to subdue prey won’t work on anything too big. A human is far too large for a corn snake to kill or even harm.
Even if a corn snake tries to constrict a human, it wouldn’t even be able to cause mild discomfort. So you truly don’t have anything to worry about.
People who are afraid of snakes might feel concerned about interacting with corn snakes. However, they’re harmless to humans, and you don’t need to be wary of them.
Are Corn Snakes Good Pets?
Most snake enthusiasts consider corn snakes to be very fun pets overall. If you’re looking for a suitable type of first snake, this will be a perfect choice for you.
These snakes are easy to care for, and they aren’t dangerous at all. Many people use them to help get over a fear of snakes, too.
They’re good snakes that are fun to observe and interact with. You should have a good experience if you choose to buy corn snakes as pets.
You’ll also likely think that they look rather nice. Corn snakes are named the way that they are because their bodies have markings that resemble maize.
Buying a corn snake should be a solid choice for you to consider if you want to have a pet snake. There are other good beginner options out there when you’re looking for a pet, but corn snakes are still among the most popular.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that corn snakes are indeed constrictors. These snakes kill their prey by squeezing them into submission.
They constrict small animals and then swallow them whole. This is how corn snakes get their meals in the wild.
Generally, corn snakes eat small rodents. They might eat many different kinds of small rodents in the wild.
At home, you’ll be buying them feeder mice. They will eat dead mice, but many note that the snakes seem to prefer eating live mice.
You’ll have a chance to see the corn snake utilize constriction to subdue prey if you give it live mice. Some find this process to be very interesting to observe.
If you’d like to buy corn snakes as pets, you should know that they’re good options for beginners. These snakes aren’t harmful to humans, and they’re easy to handle overall.
Knowing more about these snakes will allow you to make the right choice for your home. It could be a very good experience to buy corn snakes as pets, but it depends on what you want.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.