Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing your habitat
• Part 2 of 3: Take care of your snake daily
• Part 3 of 3: Grooming and Exfoliation
• Tips
• Warnings

Maize snakes are highly recommended for all snake enthusiasts because they have proven to be wonderful pets for people of all ages. Natives of the USA and Mexico, they are obedient, hardy, attractive and easy to take care of.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Preparing your habitat

1. 1 Find the correct size aquarium for your snake. The adult maize snake grows to a length of 5 feet (1.4 m). You may not need a 75L aquarium right away, but in the future, most likely. It can be either an aquarium or a terrarium.When the snake is still small, it is okay to keep it in a smaller aquarium such as the Living World Faunarium or similar product. For a larger snake, the terrarium should be approximately 75-88cm in length, but there is no real size limit, just make sure it is large enough.
2. 2 Keep your pet warm enough. Line up a thermal underlay that covers 1/3 of the aquarium floor. The temperature of such a substrate can be controlled if desired, but this is not necessary as long as the temperature reading is stable in the cage. Place the thermal pad on one side to achieve the appropriate figure. The temperature should be approximately 75-85 degrees F, 23-29 degrees C, with a higher temperature on one side of the aquarium.
   • Maize snakes are nocturnal animals and use the warmth of the earth, do not heat up from the sun, so infrared lamps are not suitable for them. Hot rocks are never good for any animal as they provide a localized source of heat that is very hot. A cold-blooded snake can twine around a stone, thoroughly warming itself.
3. 3 Provide your snake with some cover. You should provide your snake with some places to hide and feel safe. The shelter should be placed on the warm side, the rest is optional. Place it on a thermal pad. Shelter can be anything from store-bought gadgets to lego blocks. Connect your imagination, but check that all materials are non-toxic.
4. 4 Cover the bottom of your aquarium or terrarium with substrate. There are many floor coverings specifically adapted for snakes, but aspen sawdust or newspaper is the best. Newspaper is most suitable because it absorbs well and is easy to replace. But in practice, the newspaper does not look very aesthetically pleasing. If you want a decorative substrate, then use aspen. Bark or cypress bedding is also a good option. Do not use cedar shavings in snake aquariums because they are toxic to reptiles.
5. 5Never "catch a maize snake. Maize snakes are becoming more and more available, but that doesn't mean you should be looking for them. Wild individuals do not adapt well to captivity and have a low survival rate. The prisoners bred in captivity for many generations and became very domesticated. Find a good breeder through the forum or other sources. Pet shops will not work because you cannot be sure the snake came from a reputable breeder. Once you acquire a snake, do not feed or touch it for at least 5 days to allow it to settle.

Part 2 of 3: Take care of your snake daily

1. 1 Give your snake enough water. The water should be in a large bowl for the snake to dip in if it wants to. Change the water twice a week. The bowl can stand on either the cold or warm side. Be aware that a bowl on the warm side will increase evaporation.
2. 2 Provide adequate lighting. You do not need UV lamps or calcium supplements, as with other reptiles that eat insects. Snakes do use ultraviolet light to synthesize vitamin D3, but they don't need it in captivity as they get the vitamin from the mice they eat. And they get calcium in the same way. Vitamin D is found in the liver of mice, and calcium in bones.
3. 3 Do not keep a pair of maize snake together. They are species that love solitude. Keeping them together can make them nervous. There is information that captive maize snakes (especially hatchlings) eat each other on occasion, and both die. The only exception is breeding pairs.If you want your specimens to breed, your female should weigh 300g, be 3m long, and be 3 years old (rule 333) and consult a good book. Don't mix your pair until you and they are ready. Crossbreeding of relatives is best avoided.
4. 4 Feed your snake one mouse per week. Baby maize snakes begin to eat pinky-sized mice and grow larger with age: pinky mice, premature mice, small (feeding), medium (weaned), large mice (adults), and very large (giant large ).
   • Here is a rough feeding diagram for a snake. Note, these names change regionally. Size differences work like this: American English / British English.
     • Snake: 4-15 g - mouse: pinky;
     • Snake: 16-30 g - mouse: pinky x2;
     • Snake: 30-50 g - premature;
     • Snake: 51-90 g - mouse: feeding / small;
     • Snake: 90-170 g - mouse: weaned / medium;
     • Snake: 170-400 g - mouse: adult / large;
     • Snake: 400 g ⁺ - mouse: giant / large.
   • It is better to feed your snake with a frozen / thawed mouse because it will not hurt the snake and it is much more humane. You can also keep frozen mice for longer because they won't grow and die.
   • To feed, hold the prey with tweezers and wiggle it in front of the snake. She will rush and possibly squeeze and then swallow whole. Do not place prey on a litter, as this can lead to a fatal blockage of the digestive tract if the substrate is digested. Feeding from outside the aquarium makes your work easier and also prevents the snake from associating its feeding with the aquarium.
5. 5 Make your snake happy in its home. The excrement of the snake is not very large, so you will not need to clean the aquarium often. You will need to clean up about once every three or more weeks, but you can clean up fresh stool if possible. Feed your snake weekly and change its decor from time to time and it will be happy in its new home.

Part 3 of 3: Grooming and Exfoliation

1. 1 Handle your snake with care. Take the snake in the middle of its body and support it with both hands. Keep it away from your face. Pets love to be stroked over the coat, not against it. Do not touch the snake for 48 hours after it has eaten. Wash your hands before and after handling the snake. If she resists, don't give up on your intentions, but persist in doing so, otherwise she will never learn to be friendly.
2. 2 Determine when snakes change their skin. When your snake's eyes turn glassy, ​​it's time for a skin change. During this time, you should not touch your snake, as it can defend itself, wait until the end of the molt.
   • When shedding, all you can do is provide a humid environment. This is a plastic container lined with damp paper towels or filled with damp moss. The container should have a lid and a cutout hole so it can slide inside. Although the drinker should usually be on the cold side, during molting, place it on the warm side. Also fog the aquarium 2-3 times a day.
   • It will take a few days for your snake's eyes to return to normal, and after a few more days, the molt will end. You can exfoliate and measure the skin for a report.

Tips

• If your snake ever has any health problems, contact a herpes / exotic veterinarian immediately.
• Do not interfere with your snake during the molt process, it can be stressful for it.
• Leave the snake alone during molting, the snake will be very irritable and can probably bite.
• Buy an aerosol spray bottle to spray water on your snake as it begins to change its skin. This will help increase moisture.

Warnings

• When the snake curls, its tail and body curves into an S shape, it is agitated and can attack.
• If your snake is breathing through its mouth or hanging upside down on the wall, it may have breathing problems!
• If you can't find your maize snake, search your bedding for these burrowing snakes.
• Some people say that feeding your snake more or more often will make it grow faster. But in fact, because of this, your snake can die 25% -75% earlier.
• Do not try catch a maize snake in the wild.
• Be careful! Reptile skin can be fatal if swallowed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CRuONpyGk8
• Keep your snake separate from other animals like dogs so it won't be aggressive!