Are Corn Snakes Blind?

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Although corn snakes are not blind, their eye sight is however very poor. Corn snakes do not have eyelids, so they actually form a layer of skin over their eyes to keep them moisturised, and just like their actual skin, they shed this layer also. So you can imagine that over time, this layer of skin will become slightly dirty and dry, decreasing a corn snakes vision.

Corn snakes have a very acute sense of smell and taste, due to their lack pf eyesight. They mainly use these senses when they are hunting for prey. This is why sometimes when a corn snake is hungry, they are more likely to bite when trying to be handled. It’s not aggressive, its just mistaking the handler for a meal. From their prospective, a human hand is probably small enough to swallow whole, so seeing this inside their enclosure, when hungry, could very well seem like the catch of the day.

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Can Corn Snakes See In The Dark?

We already know that corn snakes don’t have the best eye sight, but can they see in the dark? Corn snakes like to rest during the day and hunt t night. This is mainly due to their predators hunting during the day. Night time is a much safer time for a corn snake to be out hunting and exploring. It’s for this reason that a corn snake doesn’t need the best of eye sight. They rely heavily on their eat detecting abilities to forge and search for potential prey.

Corn snakes are also notorious for using their sense of taste to manoeuvre towards its prey, poking its tongue out and tasting the surrounding air. Picking up the tastes and smells from its rodent food.

What Do Corn Snakes See If They Are Blind?

Corn snakes are believed to see only two primary colours, (these being Blue and Green). Being mainly awake at night time, blue and green help a corn snake to make out certain shapes and sizes of objects. As humans we see all three primary colours, (which includes Red) which means we can see the entire colour spectrum. Unfortunately corn snakes cannot.

They’re accustomed to seeing only Blues and Greens which is perfect as we humans only see the primary Red colour during the day. Corn snakes do not need this. the different shades in Blues and Greens is more than enough for them to manoeuvre incredibly well at night. Much better than humans can in the dark.

Are Corn Snakes Arboreal?

Generally corn snakes tend to stick to ground level. They seek comfort submerging themselves under leafs, rocks and fallen trees. However, they are known to be semi-arboreal. This means that on occasion, they have been known to climb. The main reason for this is when hunting. Birds nests are easy pickings for snakes, as they commonly eat bird eggs. Corn snakes have been know to climb trees, and even walls in order to find a meal. As long as an object can hold the snakes weight, and the snake can wrap itself around, then it should be more than capable to climb.

This is only in some extreme case though, as they usually spend their time, hopping from burrow to burrow looking for a hiding rodent.

Can Corn Snakes Hear?

Corn snakes can not hear sounds. This is because they don’t have ears. However they do have an amazing sense of smell, taste and touch. Corn snakes pick up very small, (minute even) vibration in the ground, of other creatures that are in their close proximity. Feeling these vibrations in the ground is one way a corn snake can find its prey, and use this to distinguish how close, or far away it is. Corn snakes also use this method when trying to stay out of sight from predators. They can feel how far away the threat is, and what direct it is moving is. Therefore being able to determine which direction they need to travel to avoid said predator.

Although corn snakes can’t actually hear you talking or speaking. They can pick up on the sound vibrations. Exactly the same as a footstep. So can they actually hear you talking, no. But they do know you’re talking.

With all this said, just because a corn snake can’t hear, doesn’t mean loud noises won’t stress it out. As you could imagine, the vibration senses will be over baring for the snake, and like humans when we hear loud music, can give us a headache. It will also have a similar affect on your Coen snake. So keep this in mind in the enclosure is in a relatively loud place in the house, or close to a radio or TV.