corn snake (pantherophis guttatus)

Question
Hello kevin I have a corn snake and he is an awesome pet but I'm not sure how much to exactly feed him. Right now he is eating one fuzzie every 4 days and so far it seems good but I don't want to over feed him so should I change the feeding schedule or is it fine? Right now he is about 18" and very intergetic. I'm not sure if I have the right size tank either, he is half the the length of his tank right now and I don't want to stop his growth so should I get a bigger tank? In the tank I have a warm side and a cool side, what side would you prefer the water bowl be on? And is there any way I can tell if he/she is a male or female? Thank you.

Answer
Feed 1X per week, a prey item (mouse or rat) equal to the biggest part of the snake's body in girth. Your tank size should be no smaller in perimeter than 1.5X of your snake. Since your snake is 18", your cage should measure more than 27" in perimeter. I like to buy the right sized tank for an adult snake, that way, you never have to change. A corn snake gets to about 4' in length, so you will need a tank that measure 6' in perimeter. The water bowl should be on the cool side. The only sure way to tell if you have a male of female is to have it probed at a vet. This is somewhat painful to the snake and not needed unless you plan to breed the snake.