The
Red Rat Snake
(corn
snake)
By:
Gregory R.
The Red
Rat (Corn) Snake has a flat belly; straight sides; arrow shaped blotch
on the head; belly scales black with white square like blotches; tail striped
on underside. The Corn Snake gets to be 0.6m (2') to 2m (6'). They
are oviparous and lay 8-16 eggs. The eggs have a 30-50 day gestation
period and an incubation period of 61-62 days. All Corn Snakes are superb
climbers and even better escape artists. They live in pine barrens,
rocky, wooded hillsides, grooves, farms and abandoned farm buildings. They
usually crawl on the ground to eat rats and rodents, but also eat frogs,
lizards and bird's eggs. Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake - Elaphe guttata.
The Corn Snake gets to be 0.6m (2') to 2m. They are oviparous and lay 8-16
eggs. The eggs have a 30-50 day gestation period and an incubation
period of 61-62 days. All Corn Snakes are superb climbers and even better
escape artists. They live in pine barrens; rocky, wooded hillsides;
grooves; farms; and abandoned farm buildings. They usually crawl on the
ground to eat rats and rodents, but also eat frogs, lizards and bird's
eggs. Our 4 1/2 foot snake is mostly taken out every once in a while
for those who are willing (or sometimes not too willing) to hold it. It's
fed small to medium size rats about once every one or two months. It's
always an eye catcher when we're taking him down the hall for a little
walk. Corns are commonly found in deciduous forests, pine barrens, rocky
hillsides and farm areas of the southeastern United States. While E. guttata
(corn snakes) ranges from Maryland and lower New Jersey to the gulf coast,
E. guttata emoryi (Great Plains rat snakes) can be found in Texas, northern
Mexico and up through Kansas and Missouri. They are most active at night
or in the hours of dawn and dusk. While they are primarily ground dwellers,
some are semi arboreal. While the Elaphe's feed on everything ranging from
fish to frogs to rodents to mammals, the Corn starts off feeding on small
invertebrates like crickets, quickly moving up to rodents. Corns lay eggs,
becoming sexually mature at around two years of age. T he red rat snake
( corn snake) eats frogs lizards and what most reptiles eat.
They occur in North America, Europe, and Asia east to the Philippines.
Most are found in woodlands and around farm buildings. They hunt rats and
mice and kill them by constriction. They also eat eggs, and some species
raid poultry yards and are sometimes called chicken snakes. Some hunt birds
in trees and have the ventral scales keeled (ridged), for climbing. These
rather large, non venomous, egg laying snakes are normally slow and docile,
but in self-defense they vibrate the tail, discharge a foul liquid from
the anal gland, and strike from an upreared position. Corn Snakes,
also called rat snakes, are good climbers and would like a tree in their
cage. Most are nocturnal. Corn Snakes make exceptional pets.
I would not recommend keeping them as pets.
They are best in the wild.
