Do Corn Snakes Hibernate? - And The Reasons Why

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Do corn snakes hibernate or not?

Corn snakes do not usually hibernate. However, they do something very similar to hibernation through the colder months of winter, but it’s only for a few weeks at a time. We call this Brumation. This is due to the usual lack of daylight hours through the winter periods. Hibernation is where an animal sleeps through long periods. Corn snakes don’t do this. They commonly just slow down due to the decreasing of temperature. Meaning they don’t actually need to eat as much to survive. This can be replicated for captive corn snakes, however it is not essential.

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Brumation does however help increasing breeding chances as the male corn snakes produces more sperm and sex hormones in colder weather. If you plan on breeding your corn snake then this does have benefits for its offspring due to the very similar lifestyle it lives in comparison to the wild. If you would like to do this, your corn snake should not be fed for 2-3 weeks, but in this time it is crucial to make sure they always have enough water.

Although corn snakes don’t hibernate. They do however like dark places, where they are hidden from their surroundings. You should always have a little hide away for your corn snake, surrounded with only one entrance. This gives the snake a sense of ease from attacks from larger predators. They feel most safe when they are hidden away in a dark space.

Do corn snakes burrow?

Corn snakes do love to go unseen. They love to hide. So burrowing is very common for a Coen snake. Many not so much below ground level, but most certainly burrow amongst leaves and long grass. They use this to stay out of sight from both predator and prey. After all, both are equally as important when trying to catch, and not tying to be caught.

Another reason corn snake like to burrow is to keep their core body temperature stable. On hot days it is known for corn snakes to borrow in order to stay cool. However, a pet corn snake may have a different reason for burrowing. Having a crowded enclosure can actually stress out a corn snake, as when they get anxious, they like to bury themselves and become much less active. Keep in mind that the enclosure may actually be too small for the corn snake, specially as it grows. As your corn snake grows, its enclosure will start to feel smaller. Also thing about moving the internal aspects of the enclosure around, giving your snake a feeling of being somewhere new, they will eventually start to explore some more in their new surrounding.

So what does a corn snakes need in their enclosure?

In the wild corn snakes originate from southern united states, in their pine forest and flat woods. They enjoy a wide range of habitats depending mainly on the weather, and temperature. In the colder months corn snakes like to shelter in burrow holes, broken tree stump and other refuses from its surroundings. Where as during the warmer months corn snakes like to stay cool out of the sun in abandoned buildings and deep burrows, and sometimes climb trees to bask, or even to find their next meal in a birds nest. So these are aspects that you need to consider when creating the perfect home for your corn snake.

There are 5 components you need to think about for the ideal corn snake enclosure;

Size of enclosure – Does your snake have enough room to move freely, climb and burrowed holes.

Substrate – The material you out in the Botton of the cage. Newspaper, aspen shavings and cypress mulch is most recommended.

Heating – Your corn snakes enclosure needs some form of heating, Ideally a warm and cool side to the enclosure. Heating mats are the best recommenced for this, placed only one side of the enclosure. 75 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the optimal heating level.

Lighting – In the wild, corn snakes obviously have a natural cycle of day/night lighting. So this should be replicated in your enclosure too. You can provide light by positioning your enclosure near to a window, or a UVB light placed on the cage with a timer.

Furniture – These are the aspects that corn snakes need in its enclosure to make it feel like home. These are, a water bowl large enough for your snake can bathe in. Hiding areas and burrows are needed to make your snake feel safe. If not shelter then it can cause a lot of stress for a snake, they need to feel secure. Rocks and branches for your snake to climb over or onto. This replicates exactly the kind of obstacles they would encounter in the wild. So these are must haves.

Things to avoid putting into their enclosure include, cedar shavings, pine shavings and aquarium gravel as these all have oils found in them that actually cause health issues for corn snakes. Also any rocks or branches with sharp edges should be avoided also, a snakes skin is very sensitive, and sharp edges will irritate their skin, causing unwanted stress.