I have owned many corn snakes over the years and have even raised them from eggs all the way to old age.
In this time, my family and I (including children) have handled them regularly.
In general, corn snakes are a safe pet, but there are some things you need to know first before moving forward as corn snake owner.
Do Corn Snakes bite humans?
Yes. Corn Snakes bite, and have many sharp teeth. The bites are large and often times painful.
Corn Snakes are not poisonous or venomous, but their teeth can break the skin leaving scars.
The good news is, there are ways to avoid getting bit by corn snakes, or at least limit the likelihood by a large degree.
Let’s talk more about corn snake bites, how to avoid them, what happens if you get bit, and much more.
Does It Hurt To Get Bit By A Corn Snake?
It can hurt a lot to get bit by a corn snake. Depending on how deep the wound is and how much they were able to latch on.
An adult corn snake can bite much harder than a baby, but the baby corn snakes bite too.
I do not get bit by my corn snakes near as often as I once did in the beginning. This comes from experience as a corn snake owner.
It helps to understand the psychology of the snake.
Why Would a Corn Snake Bite Me?
There are 2 main reasons why a corn snake might bite something or someone:
- For self defense.
- To eat.
Come to think of it, I can’t think of any other reason why I have ever bitten something or someone either.
Biting for Self Defence
It’s self explanatory why they would bite in the wild for self defence.
They do not have limbs, and if plan A to get away quickly fails, they have razor sharp teeth as a backup plan.
However, it should be noted that corn snakes do not typically “bite” for self defence.
They will hiss and “snap” at their enemy to scare them off and make an escape. It would not do them any good to latch onto a predator that can harm or kill them.
If your corn snake is biting for self defense in captivity, then obviously you should evaluate your handling of the snake, and the general environment and habitat of the snake. Perhaps it is uncomfortable and sees you as a threat.
Biting to Eat Food
Believe it or not, this is the most frequent reason that I have been bitten by my own corn snakes. I handle my corn snakes a lot, and they know me and recognize that I am not a threat.
The picture of the snake bite you see above was a very long time ago. This dates back to when I was still learning the basics of handling corn snakes.
Essentially what was happening, was my snakes were confusing me for food at feeding time. Not because they thought they could take down a large human for dinner.
I was reaching into their habitat to give them their food (if not live mice, then at least dead pinkies).
Corn Snakes have a very keen sense of smell. When handling their food, the smell may come from (or seem to come from) part of you that is reaching into their home.
I corrected this by only feeding them using long skewers or tongs, in order to disassociate my skin and body from their food source.
They no longer confuse any part of my body with being a source of food, and now the confusion is gone. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I have ever been bit by a corn snake.
What Happens if a Corn Snake Bites You?
Mainly, the worse that will happen if a corn snake bites you is it may hurt and leave a mark. They like to latch onto the skin, which might cause you to panic if you are inexperienced.
It is important not to just immediately yank them away.
You should gently pull them off at the correct angle to remove teeth and avoid worse damage to your skin. I have actually had to pull little corn snake teeth from my skin before.
Which leads us to another important question.
How Do You Remove a Corn Snake That is Biting You?
- Stay Calm. It may hurt, but it will do you and the corn snake more harm by over reacting and jerking the snake away.
- Understand the teeth direction (backwards facing) of the corn snake.
- Work yourself and snake gently in a direction that will reverse the angel of the teeth. Sometimes this requires some patience as the snake may move around in different positions.
- Remove the snake in the opposite direction of their backwards facing teeth if and when you are able to. If you can not safely do this, then simply wait. At some point, the corn snake will realize you are much too big and it will give up and let go on it’s own.
This is a variety of images of my corn snake biting me. I debated if I should share this image or not.
*Huge Disclaimer: I took these photos when I was a beginner with corn snakes. When I first shared these images online, I was scrutinized (and rightfully so), as this is a very bad thing to do with your corn snakes.
It’s not harmful to them in any way, but it’s irresponsible behavior, as you should always be seeking to teach your corn snakes not to bite humans at any point.
But because I already did it, I can share it here for demonstration and educational purposes.
You can have the benefit of learning what a corn snake biting a human may look like up close, without doing it yourself.
Are Corn Snakes Poisonous or Venomous?
No. Corn Snakes are neither poisonous nor venomous. This is one of the things that makes corn snakes a great option for people looking to own snakes as pets.
There is a little bit of room for error in this department, if you are willing to take some teeth to the arm on the odd occasion.
Imagine being a new snake owner and accidentally getting bit by something poisonous or venomous because you lack snake handling experience. Another win for owning corn snakes.
Once you get more snake handling time and knowledge, you can then consider “leveling up” to something more fierce.
See our article “Are Corn Snakes Poisonous or VenomousAre Corn Snakes Poisonous or Venomous”
What is the Difference Between Poisonous and Venomous?
A good source to answer this question depth is this site here.
The general idea is that venom is a type of poison an animal may use with a sting or a bite to inject a toxic chemical into the victim.
Whereas something poisonous may require you to ingest that part of the animal in order to feel it’s effects.
Yes, this is a very vague explanation. I suggest reading the article provided for more details.
In Summary
So to really answer the question of “do corn snakes bite?”, and more specifically, “do they bite humans”, in general, yes. But they are not particularly aggressive in that they are hunting you down and wanting you to be their next victim.
Your corn snake does not want to kill or eat you. It prefers mice and other small rodents.
If a corn snake bites you, it is likely the symptom of another issue such as environment, stress, poor handling, or improper feeding techniques.
If you address these issues the best you can, chances are you will be perfectly safe and bite free.
Related Questions
Do Corn Snakes Have Fangs or Teeth?
Corn Snakes do not have fangs. They have many teeth that point backwards to get a good grip and latch onto it’s prey.
When the victim tries to pull away, they make the situation worse as the teeth direction sinks deeper into the skin or flesh.
How Many Teeth Do Corn Snakes Have?
Corn snake’s average between 20-30 teeth. They are thin but very sharp. They angle towards the back for better latching.
