I'm new to snakes too. I purchased my first corn (which, by the way, is the best snake for beginners ) in Feb 2003. It's a amel, female I think. I also have a ghost, male. I keep them both in their own 20 gal long tanks with under the tank heaters. In the day I have a light on the same side as the heater. This is their 'warm' side. My lights are on timers so they come on and off for a natural day/night cycle. I have a couple hiding places for them. I feed mine about every 7-10 days. My female eats 3 pinkies. She is about arms length, not including your hand. My male is arms length from sholder to tip of fingers. He's eating a fuzzie and a pinkie. Both mine were squermy when I first bought them. They were both around 12-14 inches long. You've got to handle them often so they get used to it.Mine have calmed down alot. (Remember your is basically a 'wild caught' baby and will be squermy.) I handle mine every couple days but not after they have just eaten. (I usually wait 2 days after feeding to handle them). When feeding I take them out of their enclosure and put them into another container. This way they won't eat any of their substrate and they won't get the idea that everytime you handle them they get to eat.

"The Corn Snake Manuel" by Bill and Cathy Love is an excellent book on corn snakes and their care. I hope you get as much enjoyment from your corn and I do mine.

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