Thinking of getting a Corn... - Page 2

Charis · 12-11-13, 05:49 PM

Answers in red.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I've spent months wobbling back and forth between MBK, Mountain King and Okeetee Corn and I think I like the idea of a Corn better. I will know better when I handle one.

I will probably be getting it in the spring, around March (I don't want to rush it).

I want to buy it as a baby. I want an Okeetee that looks like this when it grows up:

Not this:

I've seen both referred to / labeled as an Okeetee.
How do I determine the difference in a baby? Is the top example what's referred to as an Abbott's Okeetee?

The term Okeetee is tricky and is often misused by those who don't know much about corns and the difference, making it even more confusing. Okeetee is properly used either to refer to locality, corns collected and bred only from The Okeetee Hunt Club area and for line bred "look enhanced" corns, although purists often call those lookeetees. The corns found on The Hunt Club tended to have wider black borders and more vivid colors, so a number of breeders, including Abbott and the Loves, etc. line bred them for years to enhance the appearance of them and most of those breeders also out crossed corns not from The Hunt Club into those lines, so from a pure locality standpoint, they are not actually Okeetee corns but have the idealized look of them. The first example is one that has been line bred for the ideal look, although the different lines can look pretty different. That one is more like an Abbott's than a Love line one, although it might not be an actual Abbotts.

The third example could be a locality Okeetee, some of the pure ones look like that, but unless one knows that it is pure, they shouldn't call it an Okeetee. The last example does seem to be a Love line snake, according to the writing on the picture, maybe. Unfortunately "Okeetee" must sound better than normal or classic because everyone and their dog seem to call their normals that, especially if they are trying to sell them, which just confuses things more!
I will post some baby pictures of both young normals and line bred Okeetees in a bit so you can see the difference, it's much easier to tell once they have shed at least four or five times though.

My second question: I think I want a female, because they get the biggest. I've heard that a 38qt tub will be big enough. is this true?

Male and female doesn't seem too matter much as to how big they get but Okeetees do all tend to be on the larger side for corns. A 38 quart tub should be big enough but one would probably use more room if you can provide it.

Should I feed rats, mice, or both? Do they get stuck on one food like a BP and not want the other or do they not care?

Most people feed mice throughout their corn's life, generally most adults will not get big enough to require anything more than a large adult mouse. But *most* corns are not terribly picky about their food and should be fine with switching it around, although there are individuals with strong preferences out there.

Mikoh4792 · 12-11-13, 08:17 PM

Does this fit into your preferences?

**Pareeeee** · 12-11-13, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

Does this fit into your preferences?

Woah that one is crazy looking!

Really black saddles, he looks...expensive!

Charis · 12-11-13, 09:10 PM

A newly hatched Classic or normal. Not my pictures, collected from around the web.

A few months old normal hatchling with decent borders.

A few months normal hatchling that should have some great color.

Used with permission from Nanci at Snickersnakes.
These are two Okeetee hatchlings from the same clutch. Day of hatching, in July.

After first shed.

And a few days ago.

Continued ...

Charis · 12-11-13, 09:17 PM

Kind of hard to tell you what to look for, you just kind of get to know after you've seen a ton of pictures and snakes in person. But you should look for thick borders and as much orange between saddles at a young age, that *usually* means that they will color up well. However, some of the darkest, drab looking babies at hatching often turn out the most colorful.

**Pareeeee** · 12-12-13, 07:22 AM

Thanks Charis! Very helpful.

hutt132 · 12-12-13, 05:07 PM

Those snakes look beautiful. Love the orange.

Sharlynn93 · 12-12-13, 05:17 PM

here are my 2 corns...my lavender, and my okeetee...

LiL Zap · 12-24-13, 09:47 AM

If you get a corn snake, you definitely won't regret it. I've had my girl for 10 years now (bought her as a hatchling) and she has been nothing but a blessing to have. She's VERY sweet and has always been easy to care for. Don't get me wrong, I like MBKs too but a corn snake is a great snake as well.

LiL Zap · 12-24-13, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharlynn93

here are my 2 corns...my lavender, and my okeetee...

Reminds me of Starbursts lol.

exwizard · 12-24-13, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiL Zap

If you get a corn snake, you definitely won't regret it. I've had my girl for 10 years now (bought her as a hatchling) and she has been nothing but a blessing to have. She's VERY sweet and has always been easy to care for. Don't get me wrong, I like MBKs too but a corn snake is a great snake as well.

Very true. There are nothing but advantages to having a Corn. I have 8 of them, 4 of which I produced, myself last year. Thay are certainly a lot of fun, no matter what morph you get.