What kind of snake is this?

[siftheadps3]

I recently was given a new snake and am unsure what it is? I assumed it was an albino ball python, but wanted to verify this was true. Also, she twitches when i pet her occasionally. It is a full body muscle spasm almost, and i wasn't sure why she did it. Thank you!

:cool:

[Wingbeats]

I'm not sure what it is, but is certainly not a ball python!

[Minkness]

Looks like a snow cornsnake. Full body twitching when touched could just be the snake being defensive or spooked at being touched.

Pretty snake though!

[Sylphie]

I would say a little overweight snow corn snake too. It's certainly a corn snake, not so sure about the morph. And if you can give a full body pics from the side it would be helpful to tell if the snake is "fatty" or no :)

[REM955]

I have an open question about the first picture:
Does the body bulge out a little below the half way point in the picture? I can also see a bit of dirt or some shading there where the slender portion is above and the thicker portion below.
Sylphie: Is that what made you think the snake is overweight?

[Sylphie]

REM, you're right, I was wondering about that first pic too. I think that it is some sort of old injury, but I'm not sure. Better pics would help.

And about overweight, no, I was looking at that last pic mostly, I'm having one overfeed corn female too, and I seen a lot of pics of fat corns, so I just can see that this one has similiar build. But once again, better pics would help clarify if I'm right.

Overweight in corns is a trobule, as they are losing it really slow, so better to catch it sooner than later. And ofc doing nothing with it can cause a serious problems with health, so it's good to think about it.

[sirtalis]

Its not a ball python, i woukd have said, from the pics, a corn of some type

[siftheadps3]

Thank you for helping me identify my snake! I am now aware of how to properly care for her. I knew she wasn't a python because of her pupil shape, but couldn't find out what she was on my own. I believe for the past month i have been over feeding her because i would feed her as if she was a python. I fed her 2 regular sized feeder mice twice a week. I now know i should only feed her 2-3 mice every 7-10 days. If there is any other information I could get about how to care for a snow corn snake it would be appreciated. Thank You!

[ManSlaughter33]

do you feed mroe than 1 mouse because they are too small?

[ManSlaughter33]

also Even if it was a python that would be way too short of a time span for feeding..
But glad you know the right feeding schedule now

[Sylphie]

How big are your mices? I'm having adult (a little fat) corn as well, and I'm giving her one adult mouse every 16 days. Normally I will feed her one big mouse every 10 days, but as she has some weight too much, she has a bigger pauses between feedings. When they are adult one mouse is really enough for them as they are no longer growing rapidly, and they don't need much to sustain themselves. You can give small rats too, but they are a little too caloric for corns, and that can lead to overfeeding too, so you need to watch it closely.

[ManSlaughter33]

my corn is content with 1 adult mouse every 7 days and i think she looks super skinny.

[Sylphie]

Yeah, it really depends on mices sizes, especially that they can vary a lot under tha same name (i.e. the same size will be a hopper or adult depending on the store).

[ManSlaughter33]

3.5-4 inches in length minus the tail usually

[Sylphie]

That are rather a big mices... it's weird that having one every week your corn is skinny, did he has a big enclosure, or something? I use mices around 2-3inch, and my corns are growing on them really fast (but they are 2yo so they still grow rapidly), unless when one of them was sick.

Still when the snake of the OP is a little fat I would space the feeding to one adult mouse every 10-14 days, and if this would help then you just need to find how much your corn really needs. Most breeders usually suggest one adult every 10 days, so I would start there, especially that healthy corn adults should be skinny. In the wild they are rather one of the skinniest snakes, but most of the people are overfeeding them to breed them sooner, and nowadays most think that corns should be fatter. I was one of that people too, but found a great group on Facebook with some of the really nice, experienced breeders, so I'm just repeating what I learned :)

[TxScarlet15]

Been silently stalking this thread :p, but out of curiosity what is the name of that facebook group Sylphie? Is it strictly corns or other species as well?

[Sylphie]

Corn Snakes Owners - Worldwide. Unfortunately it's only for corns, but there is also sister group to this one called Snake Owners Worldwide. I can also recommend group called Rat Snake Owners - Worldwide. :D

Sorry for a little offtopic :)

[ManSlaughter33]

That are rather a big mices... it's weird that having one every week your corn is skinny, did he has a big enclosure, or something? I use mices around 2-3inch, and my corns are growing on them really fast (but they are 2yo so they still grow rapidly), unless when one of them was sick.


To be kinda fair my female corn snake (females tend to be smaller) is about 10+ years old.. shes really long and slender. but not sick looking..
I looked at my mice in the freezer theyre more about 3"

[chairman]

The amount of food that a corn will need is quite variable. Age, sex, husbandry, and breeding status all matter.

I had an adult female corn that ate 5-6 mice weekly for about 6 months out of a year, 2-3 mice weekly for 3 months, and fasted the other 3 months (due to breeding/laying eggs). She was a beautiful, lean snake. During that same time period I had a male that wouldn't take more than 2 mice in a week. He was lean and healthy too.

Now I have a corn that would be a bottomless pit if I let him but I keep him to 2-3 mice a week. No weight issues there either, though his 4'x2' enclosure plays a role in that.

[Sylphie]

ManSlaughter wow, that's a big one, not weird that he needs more :D

And chairman I totally agree with you, it all matters, so that's why everyone should keep eye on their snakes and find out what's the best for them :D