RANGE | Corn snakes are a type of rat snake, primarily found in southeastern and central US.

FUN FACTS | These constrictors hunt for small prey, like mice and other small rodents as well as lizards and amphibians, birds and their eggs. They are not venomous but, instead, use their powerful muscles to cut off the blood supply or oxygen of their prey by squeezing tightly. Unlike human jaws, where only the bottom jaw moves, both the upper and lower jaw move in snakes. Their jaw bones and skull are connected by muscles, tendons and ligaments to allow significant mobility so snakes can swallow large prey whole, despite having multiple sets and kinds of teeth.

Corn snakes got their name because these snakes would seek out the rodents that would congregate in corn fields and corn cribs on farms, doing their job of controlling rodent populations that consume and contaminate human food supplies as well as spread disease to other animals and humans. To frighten predators, they will vibrate their tail to mimic a rattlesnake.

Originally purchased to be a classroom pet, this little corn snake kept getting out of his tank, earning him the name Houdini. After a while, the teacher brought him back to the pet store to re-home him, but the store was moving, so they reached out to us.

Luckily, Houdini hasn’t escaped from his enclosure since coming to us. He does live in a much bigger tank where he can stretch out under the sun as it comes through the windows, burrow under his furniture or climb around on enrichment structures. We strive to create a comfortable and stimulating home, so we like to think that he hasn’t escaped because he doesn’t want to!

For reptiles, it is all about texture. Houdini enjoys crawling over stuffed and plastic toys, especially appreciating items with openings that he can travel through or crawl in and under. He also really enjoys different toddler toys since they often have different shapes and textures on blocks, beads and balls that move on plastic coated wires or frames that make it even more interesting and challenging to explore.