Corn Snake
Introduction
The corn snake is often referred to as the red rat snake. It belongs to the Elaphe genus. It can grow as large as 5 feet (1.5 m) and is told to reach an age of 30 years if kept in captivity. They are found throughout most south eastern and central parts of the USA. Its name is derived from the observation of the snake hunting mice in corn fields.
Corn Snakes are popular pets and you can find many places with Corn Snakes for sale.
Habitat
It prefers to live near fields, forest openings or areas with a lot of potential prey like left buildings etc.
During the daytime they hide under rocks, logs and beneath debris and loose tree. They are nocturnal hunters and generally a shy snake.
Diet
Rodents are definitely their favorite prey. They may however search for bird eggs or even bats seeking shelter in crevices in trees etc. Small species (young snakes) may seek other prey like small lizards and insects, but when they grow larger their favorite dish is mice.
The corn snake as a pet
Due to its non aggressive behavior and the fact that it's not venomous the corn snake is a common pet. It can however be difficult to meet the demands of an adult corn snake. Therefore serious research about the ecology of the corn snake must be conducted before the actual purchase of one. At least it takes a terrarium (or vivarium) with a volume of no less than 20 gallons.
Resources
Herpetologist in the UK
about corn snakes
WildWNc.org - the corn snake