Reptile & Amphibian Forums

question would I be able to house a corn snake or two outside in the Charlotte NC area....I have many rat snake yrs past (many years)..And I would love my son to pick up as a hobby..Now that Iam in NC would i be able to house outside ...And if so how would I do this over the winter during hibernation ..For a little breeding project ..Joe

Joe, I think it may be possible as long as you keep the cage out of direct sunlight, and in an area that wont get above 85 degrees for any great length of time. A friend of mine here in Louisiana housed a native speckled king he captured outside under his backyard patio. Even though not in direct sun, the cage temps still appeared too high for the well being of the snake. It was always restless, hiding in its water bowl, and aggitated most of the time. In the middle of summer the ambient temps were just too high even though under a patio. Maybe if you can set it up under a covered patio and keep a small fan blowing it might work, or if you have a covered area that doesnt get above 85 degrees, or stay at 85 degrees all the time. Many snakes do not move at all during the hottest part of summer and aestivate in cool locations until nightime or rainfall events.

You know, this might be an interesting experiment.

I think I'd build a really large welded wire cage, for air movement and to give the snake options about which part of the cage to rest in. Then I'd maybe put a few rocks in a couple corners of the cage -- one that's more sunny for basking, one that's more shady for hiding in cool shade. I'd probably also add piles of leaves, and a couple of biiiiiig dishes for soaking. Oh, and a few tree branches. For winter......hmmmmm, I'd have to think about winter. I've got a large sink hole on my property -- maybe I'd move the cage down there when it got cold!

Hmmmm, now you've got me thinking!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
0.3 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (TBA)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

I WOULD NOT under any circumstances expose the cage to direct sunlight. The temps could get deadly hot. Most NA colubrids do not like it above 80-85 degrees. Keeping the snake too hot could result in poor feeding, stress related illness, and death!! I would shoot to keep the temps at 85 or below during the summer and NOT expose to direct sunlight. Winter would be a different story. I would think the snakes could easily get down to 50 degrees. Any lower could be deadly, especially if chronically below 45 degrees or so.

>>I WOULD NOT under any circumstances expose the cage to direct sunlight. The temps could get deadly hot. Most NA colubrids do not like it above 80-85 degrees. Keeping the snake too hot could result in poor feeding, stress related illness, and death!! I would shoot to keep the temps at 85 or below during the summer and NOT expose to direct sunlight. Winter would be a different story. I would think the snakes could easily get down to 50 degrees. Any lower could be deadly, especially if chronically below 45 degrees or so.

Well....if they're native, they gotta be able to handle both over 85 and under 45 **air** temps. The challenge would be to give them enough options within their enclosure so that they could always find their own comfort zone. It could be a fun challenge!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
0.3 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (TBA)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

I agree biggest issue would be variable temps in enclosure ..Where i was going to place enclosure was more morning sun then by early afternoon mostly shade due to the footprint of the house but there would be some sunlight...Also would have to make so plenty of air movement but trying to think screen could mean some bad nose rubs....winters just not sure...Although they are native to this area winter concerns me

Once again, I would suggest keeping it out of the direct sun. Call me paranoid, but sun can heat up an enclosure much hotter than anticipated!! The temps in a cage in the direct sun could get real hot real quick!!!

>>Once again, I would suggest keeping it out of the direct sun. Call me paranoid, but sun can heat up an enclosure much hotter than anticipated!! The temps in a cage in the direct sun could get real hot real quick!!!

You're thinking about something with solid walls, like an aquarium. I'm thinking more of a welded wire cage, with air movement. In a wire cage, air temps inside the cage won't be any higher than outside the cage.

Nonetheless, I agree with you that ideally the cage should never be wholly in the sun. At the least, there should always be shaded areas for the snake to retreat to. You'd have to be careful to always maintain temperature options.
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
0.3 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (TBA)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Yes and no. Not just solid walled enclosures, but any enclosure directly in the sun. I would at least set up the enclosure and monitor the temps closely prior to introducing occupants.

>>Yes and no. Not just solid walled enclosures, but any enclosure directly in the sun. I would at least set up the enclosure and monitor the temps closely prior to introducing occupants.

Yupyupyup. And the animal should ALWAYS have options for getting out of the sun.
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
0.3 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (TBA)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Keep in mind that temperatures are recorded four feet above the ground in the shade. Charlotte has several days every summer well above ninety degrees and sometimes approaching one-hundred degrees. In the wild snakes burrow into leaf litter in moist areas to find a comfortable place to shelter themselves from extreme heat. Air circulation helps, but it will not keep the typical enclosure cool on a hot summer day, even in the shade. Screen wire, even the soft non-metallic type, can cause nose rub problems. In winter Charlotte sees some pretty cold temperatures. Brumation may work well under your house if you have a crawl space. My corns, Emory's, and other rat snakes brumate in a pump house and see temperatures in the thirty-five to forty degree range regularily, but the former is admittedly close to the limit of safety. It is a large pump house (12' x 20'), and I do have heat available for the nights that get into the twenties outside. I regularly see wild snakes in the same building during winter. In short we create the ideal environment for our snakes inside. This relieves them from having to find their comfort zone or, in some cases, their safety zone. It would be much safer and easier to house your corn inside during the time it is not brumating. If you have a crawl space I would consider it for brumation. Even a garage could work. You need only to get temperatures below sixty degrees. Occasional rises to near seventy degrees and drops to forty are not only acceptable, they are natural for snakes in your area.