iHerp Answers: What is the average length of an adult corn snake,say 3yrs or older? and are females larger or smaller then males on average?

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What is the average length of an adult corn snake,say 3yrs or older? and are females larger or smaller then males on average?

Posted By:

anjeanettecorns28

In Relation To:

Diamond [Anery het hypo]

Just wanted to find out what the average length is for adult corn snakes say at least 3 yrs or older? I also wanted to know if the females are normally bigger in size then the males or is it the other way around? Also, how much on average would you say a 3yr old corn snake will grow in the next 3-5yrs of its life if fed on a regular schedule on live or f/t mice? Thanks.


Points:	100
Topics:	General Health
Tags:	Cornsnake, Length, Size, Snakes
Species:	Other Colubrids > Other Colubrids > Elaphe guttata guttata
Administrative:	Show/Hide

Member Comment

8/1/2009 4:14:38 PM

bwaffa

It can vary, but typically between 3 and 4 feet as adults. Regardless, they stay very gracile as far as snakes go, making them easy to house and maintain. In many snake species the females get noticeably bigger, but I don't believe this to be the case for corn snakes.

Member Comment

8/1/2009 4:21:05 PM

FyreFocks

Currently, my 2 biggest corns are both males, but they are both old heads. Of the snakes that are in the same age grouping, the females are a bit larger. I think it has something to do with feeding though, as i tend to feed girls weekly and boys every other weekly.

At around 3 years, depending on feeding schedule and prey type, they should be around 3 feet long +/- a few inches. Over the next couple years you could expect your adults to reach about 5 feet in length, maybe less, and probably not more.

Member Comment

8/1/2009 5:08:57 PM

Tinkerbell

I am currently housing 3 adult corn snakes between 11-15 yrs old, all are female, roughly the same girth and all about 4 feet mabey a little bigger but not much.

As far as the rest of your questions are concerned I am not sure, as I recieved all of these as adult snakes.

Accepted Answer

8/2/2009 12:21:43 AM

shellboa

I agree with Nate that as they grow the females tend to seem bigger, but then they eat more. At around 5-6 years though they seem to peak and even out a little so that for a mature adult the most noticable difference between males and females is "hips". Every adult breeder female I have even seen has noticable bulging before the ventral area. I have not seen an adult female kept to maturity as only a pet (never bred) so I can't compare and say that they don't get them if they don't breed.

How much it will grow will depend on how much you feed, even on a regular schedule. One mouse, three mice...you know. More food, more growing (damn rocket science here LOL)

I don't recall ever seeing a "stunted" corn, you know one that stayed small because it was a picky eater etc. (like ball pythons do) I have seen some under nourished corns that have had major growth spurts when offered as much as they could eat with out giving it back on a regular basis.

Brad, I like that word "gracile" makes me think of dancing.

Author Comment

8/2/2009 2:53:20 PM

anjeanettecorns28

Thanks, I think I get about what size they average out at as adults. So between say 3-5feet long after 5-6 years of age or more and it all depends on what I feed them and how much I feed each time? Right? I also was wondering if anyone on here has a good eye for telling which are males and females just by seeing them or a picture of their tails? I took some good photos of all my snakes tails last night and was hoping someone could give a good educated guess about what sex my corns really are? Cause I don't have enough experience to probe them and don't have a vet near by I can get to or the money to pay for a vet to sex them , and I would really like to know if I get enough of the same opinions on here if I put up pics it would help me get a better chance of knowing what they are? Anyone on here that has more experience probably could help me a little. Thanks.

Author Comment

8/2/2009 2:58:09 PM

anjeanettecorns28

Also, I feed my adult corn snake Diamond once a week on one large live mouse. She hasn't been eating the f/t ones lately so I've been feeding her/him live ones. When she was a hatchling corn I fed her twice a week on two pinkies each time so four pinkies a week and then as she grew older and bigger I fed her two fuzies a week and then two hoppers a week and then for awhile until about a year ago I fed her two adult mice a week. Now I only feed her one large adult mouse a week. So I don't know if that was a good feeding schedule for her but that is how I did it for Diamond. Ofcourse I had a job and money of my own so I fed her more often, now since my mom pays for all my snakes food I can only feed her once a week or every 10 days whenever my mom can get food for them. Thanks for all the help.

Member Comment

8/2/2009 11:13:03 PM

Sumaii

My 5-6 year old (believed female) corn snake is between 3-4 feet, and she has a pretty small girth compared to others corns that I have seen. I feed her hoppers every week to week and a half.

Member Comment

8/3/2009 9:00:08 AM

JohnJohn

I find a lot of size variation in my corns. Generally I find that males can often get bigger than females, but every snake seems different. I don't see a lot more growth after three years if they have been feeding well, but maybe some growth. At that point they are mostly at their adult length and might just fill out some if fed a lot.

My male Anery, Hockey, is a big boy! My male Okeetee, Spot, is eating a lot now and growing fast (he's 2 years old).

I wish I could sex them just by looking! I don't think there is any reliable way to do that though. Probing is really the only way for adults, other than throwing them together and see what happens. Sometimes that's a good way to confirm a male and female pair, although they might copulate and you might not want that just yet. However, if you see typical courtship behavior, it could help to confirm the sex. If the male is tracking the female and moving into a mating position. However, if they're two males, you could have some fighting on your hands.

Author Comment

8/3/2009 4:18:51 PM

anjeanettecorns28

Well, I wish I could put the snakes together and see what they were by observing their behaviour ( mating) but I only have one adult corn snake at this time. The other three I have are still to young to mate. Under 2yrs of age. My two normals Zoe and Rose are just over a year old and Bindi my amel is about 7-8 mo old right now. I would have to wait a long time before I could attempt to do that. I appreciate your suggestions though. Thanks.

Member Comment

8/3/2009 8:59:37 PM

MegF

I've found that my locality Okeetees were larger than most of my other morphs. All averaged almost 5 ft. Most of mine are around 3.5-4 ft though. I've not noticed an appreciable difference between males and females. All are about the same. Growth depends upon genetics as much as frequency of feeding. I've found that feeding identically yields animals that grow at different rates. You can expect full adult growth around 3 years old. I'd recommend feeding f/t rather than live to save your snake from serious injury or death. I've seen both from feeding live and consider the risks way too high for no discernable benefit.

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