Hi and welcome! As martin has already said, your corn might actually be happier in the 5 gal for a bit if he is small. The link he provided is great for info. I've typed up a care sheet of sorts for use at the store where I work, that you might find helpful too. Good luck with your new snake!
Cornsnakes
Congratulations on your new cornsnake! Your new pet is depending on you for all of his needs, so please read these instructions carefully and please let us know if you have any questions.
Your cornsnake will require a small cage with a heating pad that covers approximately 1/3 of the bottom and is placed to one side. The cage should be filled 1-2” with aspen shavings. You should also give him 2 hiding places (one on the heating pad and one on the cool side). He also needs a water dish and you can add some plastic plants if you like. It is also a good idea to have a thermometer and a thermostat to control the heating pad. Cornsnakes require a “hot spot” of 85 F and the cool side should be around 75 F.
When you get home with your new friend, he will be feeling quite stressed, so you should place him in his new home and then leave him completely alone for one week. He should have his first meal with you after this one week period. Failure to leave the snake alone for this one week period could result in a regurgitation of his meal once you feed him. Regurgitation of a meal is an extremely dangerous situation for a snake, as it kills many of the “good bacteria” in the snake’s stomach that allows him to digest his meals.
Feeding time!
Your snake should be fed an appropriately sized* frozen mouse that has been thawed out in hot water and patted dry. Make sure the mouse is completely thawed before offering it to the snake. The snake should be placed in a small container when it is dinner time. This tells the snake it is time to eat and ensures he won’t accidentally eat any aspen shavings. Every snake is different. Some don’t mind you watching them eat, while some would prefer to eat in privacy. If you have a shy snake, you may need to place him in a dark room or cover him with a cloth while he eats. Make sure he cannot escape from the feeding container if you will not be watching him! You can place his feeding container in his cage if you like and there will be no danger of escape. When your snake is done eating, carefully transfer him back to his cage (or let him out of his container) and then do not handle him for 48 hours while he digests his meal.
*Determining the proper size mouse and how often to feed your snake:
You will need a scale that measures in grams. (You can get an excellent digital scale at Walmart for $20. Digital is much easier to use than the regular kitchen scale, especially when your snake is quite small.)
The Munson Plan (Sample Feeding Chart):
-When they're on single pinks (2-3g), I feed every 5-6 days. (Snake = 4-15g)
-Double pinks (3g x 2) every 5-6 days. (Snake = 16-23g)
-Small fuzzies (5-7g) every 6-7 days. (Snake = 24-30g)
-Regular fuzzies (7-9g) every 6-7 days (Snake = 30-50g)
-Hoppers (9-12g) every 6-7 days (Snake = 51-90g)
-Weaned (14-20g) every 7 days (Snake = 91-170g)
-Adult (20-30g) every 7-x days (Snake = 170+) See below.
Note: Adult females are fed more frequently than adult males (especially following brumation). Adult females are fed every 7-12 days; adult males are fed every 11-14 days.
This is by no means scientific, and not all corns will cooperate 100% with the schedule. The weight ranges I gave for the prey and snakes are approximate.
This feeding plan is courtesy of Roy Munson. Please visit
www.cornsnakes.com for more information on the feeding plan. This is also an excellent site for all your cornsnake questions!
Alternatively, feed your snake a mouse that is the same size around as the fattest part of the snake’s body or up to 1.5 times his girth. You will be surprised how big his mouth will open!
If your snake regurgitates
As previously mentioned, this is a dangerous situation and must be dealt with very carefully. If a snake regurges twice, he may just keep regurging until he dies unless something is changed about his care. Regurges can be caused by stress, feeding prey items that are too big or improper temperatures. The snake requires the proper heat in order to properly digest its meals.
The snake must be left completely alone without handling for 10 days, regardless of his normal feeding schedule, so that he can start to rebuild some of the good bacteria in his stomach. After the 10 days, feed the snake a mouse the next size down or smaller from what he normally eats. If the snake is on pinkies, you will need to cut up the pinky and feed only the head (save the bottom for another meal). If he keeps that down, wait a week to feed again, but stay with the smaller meals for at least the next 2-3 feedings. (For pinkies, feed another pinky head the next meal, then feed the bottom halves for the next 2 meals.) Don’t handle the snake again for awhile. Take it slow and don’t rush back into normal meals and handling.
My snake won’t eat!
First, realize that your snake can go a very long time without eating and no harm will come to him. You don’t need to be concerned unless your snake goes 3 months without eating. The first thing to try is to treat him as if he’s a shy snake and give him some privacy while he eats. Give him an hour or two or you can even leave him overnight in his feeding container placed in his cage. If your snake does refuse food, wait about a week or until his next regularly scheduled feeding day to try again (refused food must be thrown out; it cannot be refrozen). Offering food too often can cause your snake to get into the habit of refusing food. Male snakes may go several months without eating in the spring, as this is mating time and he will be too busy moving around his tank looking for a female to think about eating.
Can I get a friend for my snake?
No, cornsnakes cannot live together.
