*Waves* HI, new fraidy cat of snakes

HI! So, I've had an irrational fear of snakes thanks to my mom. But I'm working through it for my kiddo who is obsessed with snakes. My husband had a boa a long time ago, so we aren't completely uneducated. I've been reading a lot on here. We picked up our 40gal tank this weekend. Cleaned it up and waiting on the supplies to get here.
I have a couple of questions, but not completely sure which categories to post them.
Like is there a sex preference. Males or females, behavior wise, maturity wise?
Do the females lay eggs fertile or not? Chameleons do, but I can't find that info for corns.
Lastly, how do you find a responsible breeder? What do you look for? What are red flags to stay away?
TIA
Kat
(complete snake novice, but wanting to learn)

il try my best from what i know i only have cornsnakes tho

Yes you can get male or female snakes,

Corn snakes become sexually mature between 18 and 24 months before this time it is very difficult to tell what sex they are because there reproductive organs have not developed enough to be noticeable.

Male Corn snakes have more slender tails (the tail starts where the single scales on it’s belly meet the double scales on it’s tail) that taper gradually from a wider base.

Female Corn snake has slightly shorter tails that taper more abruptly from a relatively narrow base. This way of identifying males and females is a bit, hit and miss. So to know definitely you will have to have your snake probed this evolves inserting a metal pole with a smooth ball on the end into the snake’s vent, you can then tell what sex it is by how deep the probe is inserted. This is a very delicate procedure so only experienced people should perform such a task. You can have your snakes probed by asking a reptile pet shop owner to do it (they may charge you for doing it) or a vet that has reptile experience.

females In rare cases, may lay a clutch of eggs without mating, which are infertile if she isn't able to fertilize them herself. These eggs are called slugs and won't hatch.

you can tell responsible breeders, by condition of the snake in question and there knowledge of the snake/s in question, and one thing i look for is how active and how the snake handles etc...

if the snake/s have mites or a (RI) Respitory infection i would be put off,

This is all i can think of at the momment, hope this helps and welcome to the site

Most people who have snakes as pets and not for breeding purposes, don't even know the actual sex of the snake. I've had both males and females and I don't breed them, they are strictly pets, and every snake I have ever owned (2 boas, a ball python, a California King snake, and currently a corn snake) have all been sweeties. So for me, there is no real preference between the sexes.

Yes, some female snakes will lay eggs without being with a male, but it is rare. Of course they will be infertile and if that happens you can just toss them out. (None of my female snakes have ever produced any eggs).

As far as what breeders can you trust? That's a tough one. I prefer to actually see and handle what I am purchasing. I would never buy one online and have it shipped. But that's just my opinion and I'm sure most of the people around here will disagree with me. (But that's nothing new).

Depending on your location, there may be some local breeders or an occasional "Exotic Pets Expo" or "Reptiles Expo" that you can actually go visit and talk with a multitude of breeders and actually see their animals first hand. (We just had a big weekend Expo here in the Nashville Area last weekend and lots of snakes were on exhibit.)

If you scroll down the main page here on the forum, you can actually find some of the corn snake breeders that are also member of this site, and you can discuss purchases with them.

There's not much difference between the sexes, as far as being tame enough to handle. Males will sometimes be a bit on edge during breeding season, and could stop eating for a while. That usually scares novice snake owners, but is a common occurrence. Females can lay infertile eggs with no male present, but it isn't a real problem, unless they become eggbound. Depending upon the time of year, several forum members have snakes for sale. Scroll down to their blogs and you can read some of the interaction they have had with other members or prospective buyers. You can also check out the Fauna classifieds, just scroll down to the link to that site. There are corn snakes for sale in Texas on that site. While I prefer buying snakes that I can see and handle, I have bought a few and had them shipped and was quite happy with the quality.

Originally Posted by Rubyredslithers

HI! So, I've had an irrational fear of snakes thanks to my mom. But I'm working through it for my kiddo who is obsessed with snakes. My husband had a boa a long time ago, so we aren't completely uneducated. I've been reading a lot on here. We picked up our 40gal tank this weekend. Cleaned it up and waiting on the supplies to get here.
I have a couple of questions, but not completely sure which categories to post them.
Like is there a sex preference. Males or females, behavior wise, maturity wise?
Do the females lay eggs fertile or not? Chameleons do, but I can't find that info for corns.
Lastly, how do you find a responsible breeder? What do you look for? What are red flags to stay away?
TIA
Kat
(complete snake novice, but wanting to learn)

Welcome Kat!
Kudos to setting up an enclosure before getting the snake!

As mentioned, there's really no difference, temperament wise between males and females. Yes, males can sometimes go off food during mating season, but it is nothing to worry about.

Females can and do sometimes lay infertile (slugs) eggs without a male. It's how I found out a "male" I had was actually a female. LOL

As for finding a good breeder, I'd suggest looking at the BOI (Board of Inquiry) on fauna classifieds HERE before buying from someone. If you find a snake that you're interested in, check the BOI for any posts about that breeder. There are some "big name breeders" who have a bad reputation for selling snakes with mites, sick, some have died, etc. It can save you a lot of heartache.

I would browse the forum, and see if there's a particular morph (color) that you really like, and go from there. You can search for certain morphs, or just check out the for sale section and see if there's one available that you like.
They vary quite a bit in price, depending on the genetics.

There is a lot of information on this forum that you can find by using the search function at the top of the page.

We're glad you're here!

Heather

Thank you all for the info! I'll definitely check out the buy/sell section and read what I can there. There is a reptile show in a few weeks here, was thinking of purchasing there, but I didn't know what to look for really. I know my son is going to want red/orange.