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A few months back, we had an addition to our family. No, it was not a new baby -- our boys are now teenagers, and my wife and I have our hands plenty full in the parenting department, thank you. The new addition was, in fact, a juvenile corn snake named Maizee.
In years past, I have caught garter snakes with the boys, and we kept and cared for them for a month or two before releasing them again. It was a great educational experience for the kids, and an even better way for them to develop an appreciation for animals and nature in general. I'd always been a little sorry to see the snakes go back again, so this year I decided to make a longer-term herpetological commitment. The end result was the young snake you see in the picture at the right.
Corn snakes are a popular breed of snake to keep as pets because they are docile, easy to care for, and are available in so many attractive "morphs" or scale patterns. Our snake is a "normal" morph, which means its appearance is true to the most common appearance of wild corn snakes. Carefully selected genetic mutations have resulted in corns that range from pure white to crimson or black, charcoal patterns, stripes or tessellations, and dozens more variations. The Corn Snake Morph Gallery currently lists about 75 different variants with photos.
Like any other pet, a corn snake is a serious commitment. Maizee will likely live for 15-20 years, and we have accepted the responsibility of providing complete care for her for that time. Fortunately, snakes are fairly low-maintenance creatures, requiring only a warm vivarium, fresh water, and a frozen/thawed mouse every 4-5 days (less frequently as adults). There is no need to take Maizee for daily walks, no "accidents" on the carpet, and we can even leave her alone at home for a few days if the need arises. If only our teenage boys were this easy to care for!
One of the most interesting aspects of snake biology is the fact that they shed their skin as they grow. Right now, our snake is growing fairly rapidly (about 5cm between sheds), and she sheds every 5-6 weeks. When she is ready to shed, her behavior changes markedly: rather than her usual evening activity, she becomes noticeably reclusive, preferring to remain inside her hiding spot, and she loses interest in feeding. This behavior persists for about a week or so until she finally sheds her old, outer layer of skin, and then she returns to her normal, active self. Interestingly, a couple of days before a snake sheds, its eyes turn a milky blue color, as shown below.
Maizee's eyes stay this milky-blue color for a day or two before reverting to their usual darker color. And then a few days after this, she sheds her old skin completely to reveal her shiny, new, brilliantly-colored skin.
When a snake sheds its skin, the old skin unrolls from the nose to the tail, much like an inverted sock. If the shed goes well, the skin releases in a single piece, as shown below.
And the blue eyes mentioned above? Well, a snakes eyes are actually covered by a layer of skin, and that peels off during the shedding, too. Here's a closeup of the eye scutes from Maizee's last shed:
I have yet to catch Maizee in mid-shed, so I don't have any pictures of that event this time around. With luck, I'll eventually be there when she's shedding, and I'll try to capture it on video to share with you all.
As mentioned above, a snake is non-trivial commitment, so if you are interested in adopting one, do some serious research first. The community over at CornSnakes.com is fantastically helpful, with plenty of advice and discussion on the care and feeding of corns. As well, there are several great books available on the subject, including the Kathy and Bill Love book, Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide.
Maizee has been a welcome addition to our family, and a great source of interest and education to us all. We look forward to the years ahead with her. Personally, I'm particularly enamored of the charcoal patterned morphs, so maybe once the kids move out, my wife will let me get another snake... Or two...
