Am used to kingsnakes but now have a corn...

Hello, everyone!

I am an experienced kingsnake owner (meaning I've had one escape on me and have managed to keep another one safe in his cage!) who now has a corn. I just rescued him after finding out about him through a shelter in the Philadelphia area. He is a creamsicle corn, much bigger than I expected, and seems to be perfectly healthy and docile (and lovely). I had thought corns were as small as kings but he dwarfs my variable king!

No problems so far, but I welcome any tips via this forum or email from anyone who has kept this breed and is familiar with it. I have plenty of adult mice in the freezer and will attempt to feed him tomorrow - he shed today just as I was bringing him home. Even in the dry winter air he shed quickly and with no problem, so that's a good sign. He's in an aquarium that is 3" by 1" and has one heat lamp above on one end.

Thanks!

S

Hello and welcome to the forum!
A creamsicle is actually a hybrid that is half cornsnake and half great plains ratsnake.
They do tend to get large.
I believe corns and kings are kept similarly.
Please post pics of your new baby as soon as you can, we would love to see him!
Have fun

Snakeophelia
Welcome to my world. An aquarium 3 inches by 1 inch is very small. 36" x 12" will work.

I've raised variable kings and even as kings go they don't get huge so I would imagine this corn seems big. Corns are easy to keep. Much less stressful than L. thayeri. L thayeri seem to be high strung and corns are definately not. Should you decide to breed, corns are easier to deal with, and the babies will eat pinkies readily which thayeri won't.

I think you will like your corn.

Yes, you're right, 3 inches by 1 inch would be a bit small! That's what I get for posting late at night.

And I agree with you about the temperament - even though I've only handled the corn (whose name is now Durazno, or Spanish for "peach) a few times, I can definitely tell a difference between him and my variable King ("Sabio"). Kings are manageable, but the corn is almost blissfully laid-back about being handled.

You mentioned breeding, but aren't Creamsicle corns sterile because they're hybrids? Or is that only certain hybrids?

Anyway, here he is shedding last night:

that is only certain hybrids. Cream sickles are able to reproduce just fine.

What a great shed shot!
And he's beautiful!

Yes, he can breed. Any babies he has will also be hybrids, and should be sold as such. He just told me he wants a creamsicle girlfriend!

starsevol said:

What a great shed shot!
And he's beautiful!

Yes, he can breed. Any babies he has will also be hybrids, and should be sold as such. He just told me he wants a creamsicle girlfriend!

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Good to know you can speak snake - or should that be, Parseltongue?

I have never bred snakes and am not sure I'm ready for that phase yet, but it's good to know I could breed him (or even hire him out for that sort of thing).

I was so happy to see that he shed so quickly and easily last night, even in the dry winter air in this house. Everything I own is full of static electricity, but he seems just fine.

Snakeophelia said:

Good to know you can speak snake - or should that be, Parseltongue?

I have never bred snakes and am not sure I'm ready for that phase yet, but it's good to know I could breed him (or even hire him out for that sort of thing).

I was so happy to see that he shed so quickly and easily last night, even in the dry winter air in this house. Everything I own is full of static electricity, but he seems just fine.

Click to expand...

Yup, I'm a Parselmouth
Get ready, because you are going to LOVE this cornsnakey world you just entered!