Sidney, Sandy & Sam

There are 2 theories about their name - either they were first found in corn fields or their belly markings are like corn grains.

Corn Snakes, Elaphe guttata guttata, (elaphe = deer-skin, guttata = speckled) are one of the safest and most popular snakes in the pet trade today. They are usually under 5ft long, can be a wide range of colours and make good gentle pets.

Snakes do not make their own body heat from food and insulated fur, instead they help to regulate it by finding warmer or cooler places to be. A vivarium has to provide those places.

In the wild they are good at keeping the rat and mouse population down as rats and mice are mainly what makes up their diet.

Snakes are classified in the Sub-order Serpentes and may well all come from one pair of originally created snakes that had the genetic ability to produce venom or not, and almost certainly had legs. The vestigial legs in some species of Boas confirm the story of the snake being cursed by God in Genesis chapter 3.

Corn snakes start breeding at about 2 years old and lay eggs. Eggs take 60 days to form, then 60 more days to hatch after laying. Some snakes lay live young after a longer pregnancy.