Buying a corn snake as a pet has the potential to be a lot of fun. Many people choose to purchase these snakes as pets.
They’re among the best beginner options for those who want to learn to care for snakes. Overall, corn snakes are easy to care for and you can have a good time with them.
You might simply be learning about these snakes right now before you decide to move forward with buying one. If this is the case, you’re likely wondering how big these snakes can get.
Are corn snakes big or do they stay fairly small? Read on to learn about the average size of corn snakes as well as other related information.
How Big Can a Female Corn Snake Get?
It’s important to know that there are size differences when looking at female corn snakes and male corn snakes. Generally, female corn snakes grow to be a bit smaller than their male counterparts.
A female corn snake has the potential to grow as long as five feet, but they don’t often get that big. A female corn snake will usually be somewhere between four and four and a half feet long once it reaches its full size.
How Big Can a Male Get?
Male corn snakes are going to be larger than females. This is one of the easiest ways to tell corn snakes apart at a glance.
A male corn snake can potentially grow to be five feet long. It takes a corn snake around two years to reach its full size.
Technically, female corn snakes can grow to be around the same size. It’s simply true that males are larger than females on average.
The size of corn snakes will vary quite a bit based on several factors, though. Some corn snakes will stay as small as two and a half feet long while others will reach the full five feet in length.
Not All Corn Snakes Reach Five Feet
Understand that not all corn snakes reach five feet in length. Some of them will, but many of them will not.
You won’t generally be able to tell how long your corn snake will be at maximum growth. It’s something you just have to wait to find out.
There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with a snake that is a bit shorter. A corn snake can be two and a half feet long at adulthood and be perfectly healthy.
It might be three feet long or four feet long. There’s quite a bit of variance in corn snake sizes once they reach adulthood.
You should know that it’s very rare for a corn snake to grow longer than five feet. This has happened in the past, but it’s so uncommon that you’re unlikely to ever see a corn snake grow that big.
How Big Is a Corn Snake Hatchling?
When corn snakes are born they will be at their smallest. The size of a hatchling will vary a little bit, though.
A corn snake hatchling can be anywhere from eight to twelve inches long on average. Sometimes corn snake hatchlings might even be slightly longer than this, but it’s rare for this to happen.
Expect the hatchling to be up to twelve inches long. It’ll continue to grow as it ages so long as you care for it properly.
Baby corn snakes are quite cute and many people love raising them. You’ll get the chance to see corn snake hatchlings if you choose to breed corn snakes at some point.
How Big Is a Six-Month-Old Corn Snake?
At six months old, a corn snake is going to have grown quite a bit. On average, six-month-old corn snakes will be between twenty and thirty inches long. Of course, not all corn snakes will get this big.
Earlier, you learned that some corn snakes only reach two and a half feet long at adulthood. So you might not see the corn snake grow too much more than this if it’s going to remain small.
Some corn snakes simply seem to be shorter than others. It’s hard to say how much more the snake will grow, but it can continue to grow quite a bit if it’s going to get close to five feet long.
How Big Is a One-Year-Old?
By the time a year has passed a corn snake might be as large as forty inches long. It’ll be approaching its full size, but it won’t quite be there yet.
It takes corn snakes around two years to reach full size. So at this point the corn snake will have grown significantly without quite reaching its full growth potential.
Smaller corn snakes might not be anywhere close to forty inches long at this point. This is why it’s hard to definitively say how long a corn snake will be once it’s a year old.
The snake might reach forty inches in length by this time. Just don’t take it as an absolute fact that the corn snake will reach forty inches by the time it is one year old.
How Thick Do They Get?
Now you know how long these snakes get at adulthood. What about how thick they are?
Length is only one way to get an idea of how big the snake is. Are corn snakes thick snakes or are they fairly thin?
Well, an adult corn snake will have a diameter of about an inch. So they’re not super thick snakes, but they’re not the thinnest snakes that you’ll find either.
You need to keep the thickness of the snake in mind when you’re feeding it. So it’s important to know the diameter of your snake.
How Much Do Adult Corn Snakes Weigh?
Corn snakes aren’t huge so they don’t weigh a lot compared to some other snakes. An adult corn snake will likely weigh around two pounds on average.
Some corn snakes might weigh a bit more or a bit less. If you’re feeding your snake regularly without going overboard it should maintain a weight that is close to this.
A corn snake can weigh anywhere from one pound to three pounds. Two pounds is just the average weight and it’s what you want to try to stick to.
You don’t want your snake to get too heavy and sluggish. It’s also not good for your snake to be underweight so you want to make sure that you’re feeding it often enough.
Corn Snakes Are Ideal Pets
Those who are looking for pet snakes will love what corn snakes bring to the table. These snakes are very easy to care for and they’re docile.
Most people will want to go with these snakes as beginners. They’re good snakes to own when you’re trying to get used to caring for snakes.
You can easily care for these snakes and watch them thrive in your home. Feeding them is simple enough and you can see them grow to full size.
These aren’t huge snakes either so finding room for a habitat won’t be too tough. You should love keeping corn snakes in your home if you’re interested in snakes as pets.
Final Thoughts
Now you know more about how large corn snakes will get. Corn snakes can grow to be up to five feet long, but they might be smaller than that, too.
Some corn snakes only reach two and a half feet long. Generally, male corn snakes are going to be larger than female corn snakes.
Feed the snakes well and take care of their basic needs. This will give the snakes a chance to grow.
There’s nothing wrong with a snake if it doesn’t reach five feet long. Some snakes are simply meant to be larger than others.
Simply enjoy caring for your pet corn snakes no matter what. Give them a good home and you’ll have a great time keeping them as pets.
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.