Baby Corn Snakes!

[pomba gira]

Ophelia's clutch has finally started hatching! I have mostly amelanistic with a few possible creamsicles (hard to tell until their first shed). They will be available in a week or two when they've started feeding and I can get them sexed. I am asking $25 each... the petstore chains sell these morphs for $40-60.

Corn snakes are the ideal "starter" snake. They are very docile, manageable in size (top out at around 5'), good feeders, and easy to care for. Here is what you need to get started:

Ten gallon tank (will need to upgrade to a 30 long in a year or so) with screen lid and lid clamps.

Under tank heater or ceramic heat emitter (NOT a hot rock!!! Hundreds of herps are burned by these every year, often fatally!)

Hide (an overturned flowerpot will do). Ideally two for warm & cool ends of the habitat.

Water bowl, large enough to coil in. If you get a plastic dog dish and cut an opening in the base, it can double as a hide.

Substrate- paper towel is fine. If you want to get fancy, aspen is best.

Climbing branch- you can buy an overpriced one at the pet store, or just sterilize one from your yard.

The heat source & tank will be the priciest items on the list. Herpers tend to accumulate extra 10 gal tanks so they're fairly easy to find cheap on craigslist or even on your local Freecycle. A screen lid and clamps for the tank (must have- snakes are escape artists!) will run about $10-15, if you get one without a lid. So really, the heat source is the only thing that *has* to be bought at a pet store and paid retail for. A UTH or CHE of the proper wattage will run about $35, plus about $15 for the dome fixture for the CHE. You do need to get one of these that is made for herp use and has the ceramic base, not just a garage worklight dome.

The babies will eat pinky mice at first, then move on through the larger mouse sizes (fuzzy, hopper, adult) and then rats. Ophelia eats a medium rat every two weeks. Juveniles usually eat once a week. Frozen pinkies are a couple bucks at most pet stores; you can also order them in bulk online. Medium rats are about $6.

Below are pix of the snakelets, mama, and an example of the daddy's morph. Do not ask me what the parents are het or whatever for, as I have no idea and the genetics stuff confuses me dreadfully.

Make one of my beautiful babies your own! Reserve yours today, for a paltry $5.00 deposit... less than a fancy-ass sugar and caffeine-laden concoction at your local coffee chain!

Ophelia (mama) at about 4'. This is what the amels will look like when grown, with maybe a bit less yellow.

A creamsicle, like the daddy. Terminator's markings are a bit paler & he doesn't have any yellow.

[the eternal]

Ooh I want snakes!

But inside I hear a voice saying "No snakes" so we'll visit them at your place

[pomba gira]

Three ready to go! They have eaten their first meal with no reticence. All three are amels and will most likely have their mother's beautiful bright coloring. Reserve yours today!

[Rev.Reverence]

WANT!

...can't have...not enough room...need bigger house! Must add dog & snake to our pets...

[pomba gira]

So OK... I have been corrected by several breeders on the Source board. Apparently my babies are not amels... according to the vagaries of cornsnake genetics (which I can't make head nor tail of), since their sire is a creamsicle, they are all creamsicles. But they're still purty!

[jynxxxedangel]

Your cornies are beautiful.

I wish I could take one..or two..

But my soon-to-be ambulant situation keeps me from taking anymore bitey babies in.

I'm going to have enough troubles getting my cats and spiders overseas.