new corn, what should I get?

[Kathy]

I want to get a corn, never had one before. I want a blizard, ghost or snow, (well those are the main ones that im looking at, but something else could catch my eye as well, we'll have to see) but my question is this:

Which are better, male or female? I don't plan on breeding, I just want a nice snake thats not going to try to attack me. Are there differences in the temperment or are they all pretty much the same?

It will probably just come down to what individal I like best, but any input would be appreciated

Oh, and i'll post pics of him/her once I get the little snake at the nov 17 show.

[Pixie]

I have both sexes and haven't seen any differences in temperment, they're all great snakes. None of my corns have bitten me, when young they'll be skittish and flighty but I haven't been snapped at. They tame quite quickly too.

If you're getting your new corn snake at the show, I'm sure you'll have a hard time choosing which color! When I'm surrounded by many cute baby corns of different morphs, that's the biggest problem I have!

Can't wait to see the pics of your new little snake when you get it :)

[SilverTongue]

I have both sexes also and have seen no difference. I also have a Blood Red which is suppose to be the most vicious out of all the cornsnakes, but my lil baby is as tame as a kitten with a belly full of milk :) So basically anything you choose will be fine. But dont limit your choice. Go to a herp show and look around. I never intended to get a red albino I didnt find them cute at all, but when I saw her at a petshop I fell inlove. She was my first snake. I havnt regreted ever since :)

[Simon]

I too don't think that sex matters.....

I would say the morphs that attracts you the most is the morph that you should get. Then out of that morph, choose the best looking one that you can find. Go to herp shows, go to reliable breeders, even pet shops....if they are healthy and cheap in price....

[Lisa]

I've found that of our corns they all behave the same.... normal, or amenilstic... to be honest for most eye catching i like our normal.

[Kathy]

Thanks for the info everyone. I definately wont go to the pet shop here (the only one that sells snakes and they want $120 for a sickly looking normal, well over 150$ for an albino) but I will definately shop around next weekend at the show. Whatever catches my eye hehe

[Lisa]

you should be able to get a nice corn way less then $120 at the show. My amelinistics were about $55 at the sept show

[SilverTongue]

Good Luck be shure to post pics of what ya get :)

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

@ Kathy

Corns are a very good choice as a first snake. There are many different phases and between males and females there is really no difference. There is a difference in behaviour however when you get into different morphs such as ghosts. Ghost corns, because they carry genes of rat snake they are alot more skittish as babies and even now as mine is almost 9 months old he still is quite quick, but very friendly:) Corns almost never bite, there are of course the rare exceptions but i've NEVER seen a mean corn so they are a pretty safe choice. They are also great feeders. Best thing to start with would be a nice okeetee or normal, normals go for about 30$ at shows if you look around. I got a buddy of mine a red albino at the sept. show for 30$, the normals were even less. Though the choice is up to you which phase you get, just be prepared for a little extra work in taming your corn if you get a ghost or other designer morph (they will settle down with age) . Not to say i'm agaist it, ghosts are my favorite :)

Good luck with your corn and please post some pics when you get it :)

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

@ Kathy again,

I mentioned at the beginning of my last post that they were a good choice for a "first snake" but i didn't realize that you already owned two ball pythons, so it should be even easier for you. All the same they are a great choice for a snake.

[Kathy]

yea ive had the BPs since June, and Ive had 2 ribbons which I just sold, had them for over a year. Im not worried about the whole "first snake" thing, but I don't think im ready for a snake that is more demanding than a corn or ball, hehe

[Katt]

Kyle, what do you mean ghosts carry genes for ratsnakes. Uhm, corns are ratsnakes.

If you mean ghost corns are crossed with other ratsnakes, this is not true. Ghosts are anery with hypomelanism, both traits are found in pure corns.

[vanderkm]

Kathy,
Good luck in finding the perfect corn at the show. On differences between male and female, though both are great in personality, we have found that our males are typically bigger than the females at maturity, unlike the boids.

Also if you are not planning on breeding, a male might be preferable because even if a female is not exposed to a male, she can still develop eggs and can have problems with egg binding, which can cost you in vet bills and threaten your pet's life. I had this happen with a female rescued corn and she was one of my favorite snakes, so just thought I would mention it.

I prefer males as pets, but so often you will see the snake you just have to have and that is what makes the decision.

In terms of color, blizzards are still pretty rare here in the west, maybe more common in your area, but snows and ghosts are both lovely and interesting in how their colors will develop and change as they mature.
Good luck with the choice - maybe you really need two! Look forward to seeing pictures.

Mary v.

[Kathy]

Heehe, yea maybe 2 would be better. Thats how I got 2 BPs, there was 2 that I liked and I couldnt decide between them :)

[crimsonking]

I'm not sure what Kyle was talking about, but I will say this: many F-1s and F-2s anerythristics (from s.w. FL) are more aggressive than most. Of course, captive bred ones nowadays are much calmer. When you're looking at the show, find one that is robust and active rather than one that "just lays there". Most will tame rather quickly when treated with care and respect. Ask breeder to tell you of the snake's feeding habits and if you're interested, they'll probably let you handle it.( I always ask people to use an instant hand sanitizer before handling mine.) That way you can see if the little guy is nippy or not. Good luck!There are a ton of people who will help you here. In fact I'm kinda surprised this thread isn't much longer, with a legion of followers/devotees for each morph. For my money,(I'm cheap) you can't go wrong with a nice normal colored snake. Remember the yellow/ orange comes in with age on normals.

[Kathy]

Theres a question for ya, what does the F-1 nad F-2 mean? is that like, first and 2nd generation of that morph?

The thing I don't like about the normals is that they are plain. Well, the ones that I have seen anyways son't jump out and grab me as much as some of the morphs do. All personal preference, and as long as the little guy or gal is healthy thats all that really matters :)

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

@ Katt

I know rat snakes are corns but I was told that Ghosts were origionally produced by being bred with other rat snakes (grey rat)
Maybe i'm mistaken but that's what I was told the reason for mine being so skittish was. False information I suppose?

@crimsonking

What I was talking about was simply that I found ghost corns to be a lot more active and skittish than my normals and albinos. I only have one ghost, maybe it’s just mine that is like that.

[crimsonking]

Could be. We have to remember that all are individuals. My ghosts are very tame. Except for feeding! I have an anery that puts up with no b.s.! There is no gray rat involved in the genetics if ghost corns to my knowledge. As indicated and shown elsewhere, anerythristics (both a & b) are from s.w. FL.--Ft.Myers area. Hypos are everywhere it seems,but I find a lot around here in Tampa. Anery x hypo = 2x hets.- bred together = some ghosts.
Kathy,F1 refers to first generation removed from the wild as I remember.(at least that's how I was using the terms.LOL) I recommend getting Kathy Love's book on cornsnakes. You can see many different morphs in the confines of your living room. Then you will know what to expect at the show. I'm sure you'll pick a winner. Don't forget the pics!.
:Mark

[Kathy]

Ah that makes sense, I know in cats theres a new breed being developed by crossing a regular domestic cat with a small wild cat, and they wont sell babies that are any less than 5 generations back from teh wildcat, and they called them F5s, so yea it all makes sense.

Ive got Kathy Love's site bookmarked and I go and drool at all the different morphs that she's got. I really like the ones that don't have orange (im not a big orange fan) so the ghost/blizards/snows work good with my tastes, but all corns are awesome so even if I get to the show late and get the last corn availible, it will still be amazing :)

Thanks for everyone's help

[Kathy]

Oh and im taking my camera to the show as well, to take pics of all the different morphs even if I don't end up buying that one. Lots of pics for everyone!

[Cas]

<i>Technically</i> the F refers to "filial generation". the F1, F2, etc is just a way to reference the generation of a particular genetic cross. If I breed my captive born and bred for umpteen generations amel with my captive born and bred for umpteen generations anery, we call those parents the P1 (1st parental generation). Their babies will be F1's of that cross. If I breed those babies together, they become the P2, and their offspring will be the F2. If I breed <i>those</i> babies together, they become the P3, and their babies are the F3... and so on, and so forth.

It doesn't actually have anything inherently to do with how far removed something is from the wild. But people use it that way, even if they bring in other blood and technically create a new P1... but the way they're doing it is tracking just the wild blood, and calling each cross with a wild blood carrier a successive number (eg: with cat breeders. if they take a cat that's the offspring of a wild cat and a domestic cat (an f1 of that cross) and breed it with an unrelated domestic cat, they will still call the offspring an F2. breed that F2 with another unrelated domestic cat, and they'll still call it the F3).

Dawn