New corn snake owner!

Hi everyone! My name is Stephanie, and I got my first corn snake back in September of 2005. He was about a month old when I got him, only about 12-14 inches, and I named him/her Garak. Garak is now about 22.5 inches long and eats a fuzzy a week (I might try 2 soon). He is my first reptile and now I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to have so many more in the future!

I actually almost didn't buy a corn snake. My story is as follows: I originally saw a sale for corn snakes in a paper, and had wanted to get a new pet so I decided I wanted to look into corn snakes. I went to a local pet store (Petco) and the perso that I spoke to tried very hard to convince me not to get one. He gave me a great deal of requirements to care for a corn, and even though I was very eager and willing to abide by them all, he gave me a near impossible description of care guidelines (which I now know were completely exaggerated...he told me, for instance, that I needed to buy two forty gallon tanks immediately and had to use heat lamps, no exception). He convinced me that a leopard gecko was a better purchase for me (not to stereotype, but I feel he might have tried to steer me away from a snake because I was a female in my mid-twenties and "not capable" of caring for such a pet)

Anyway, I visited pet stores in search for a leopard gecko. The first place I went to seemed rather unsanitary, and the staff knew next to nothing about reptiles. When the salesperson offered to let me hold a leopard gecko, she couldn't even hold it without it running away. (This worried me of course. Being a first time reptile owner who wasn't used to handling them, I wanted a pet that I wouldn't have to chase around the house) So then I visited another reptile store, Cold Blooded Pets in Acushnet, MA. They had such a great selection, especially of snakes. I spoke to the friendly staff there, and told them I was interested in a leopard gecko, but was concerned about handling it. The staff member then recommended that I consider a corn snake. I told him my story about originally wanting one, and he reassured me that I was more than capable of caring for one. I was ecstatic, and within a week had purchased my first beautiful black and white baby corn.

Two of the reasons that compelled me to join this forum were that I am not sure what sex my snake is and would like some advice as to how I could find out, and also, to get help identifying the color and pattern variation on my corn. Also, I would love to learn anything I can about corn snakes so as to care for mine as best I can!

Here are some pictures of Garak that I took very recently:

<A HREF="http://home.comcast.net/~nimrandir9/livejournal/mini-Picture_027.jpg">Picture 27</A>

<A HREF="http://home.comcast.net/~nimrandir9/livejournal/mini-Picture_030.jpg">Picture 30</A> (This picture most accurately reflects his/her coloring. You can see the yellow stripe in this one)

<A HREF="http://home.comcast.net/~nimrandir9/livejournal/mini-Picture_031.jpg">Picture 31</A>

I thought Garak was a Ghost corn, but now he/she has developed a yellow band on his sides that go from after his/her head to about 7 inches down his/her body. It's not blotchy or anything, so I don't think he/she is ill or injured/burned. I would appreciate any feedback at all! I look forward to being a member of this forum.

Welcome to the forum, Stephanie

It does look like Garak could be a ghost, or possibly an anery. It's sort of tough to tell from the pics, but he does seem to be a bit lighter like most ghosts. The yellow color is completely natural for ghosts, anerys, snows, etc... He looks like he has some really intense yellow already! That is somewhat unusual for younger snakes, but not abnormal so I wouldn't worry.

Sexing a snake should only be done by someone who has experience with the process. Young snakes can be "popped" or as they get older they can be probed. There is also a method of counting the belly scutes or by looking at the shape of the tail below the vent, but these two methods are less accurate and can often be wrong. A herp vet or an experienced staff member at a good reptile shop should probably be able to help with determining the sex of your snake.

There are FAQs at the top of each sub-forum on the main page of this sight. They have tons of great information about health, basic care, etc... The search function is also great, because 9 times out of 10 (okay maybe only 8 times out of 10) questions that new owners have have already been asked and answered more than once, but don't hesitate to ask any questions that you can't find an answer to.


As for your sneaking suspicion that you will end up with more in the future, if you spend much time around here, you certainly will end up with more!

Welcome to the forums Stephanie Beautiful snake you have there!

Hi Stephanie, welcome to the Forum!

There is a lot of very nice people here with a lot of good advice and remember: "there are no stupid questions if you don't know the answers" so if you have a question….
Also, it might already have been asked/answered and there is a search option which is very handy.

Also, when I first joined the Forum, I was given two very handy/interesting url ( Lennycorn ) and it is now my turn to pass them on:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28341
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342

Here are also some websites which was recommended to me and some that I have myself found interesting and with good advice:
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn%20Ut...0cornsnakes.htm
http://www.themousefactory.com/rates/rates.html
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/
http://www.moreptiles.com/cornsnake-lifecycle.htm

Also, here is a discussion about cohabitation, be prepared, it is graphic:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31192

Welcome!

Welcome! You've already learned the most important lesson! Never listen to the staff at Petco! Most don't have a clue! (ok there are a few who know their stuff, but ...)
There's lots of nice people with lots of info here! Congrats on your new corn!

Thank you, everyone, for your replies! I've been doing so much reading about corns over the past week, mostly on this forum. After viewing trillions of pictures, I agree with zwyatt that Garak is most likely a Ghost or a type A anery. Once I get some better pictures I'll be sure to post them! Thanks again!

it looks like an anery to me i have one as well he's ma baby!!!

is it true you can tell the sex by looking at the shape and length of the tail males tend to be longer and pointy whereas the females are shorter and not as pointy am i right in reading this as it's in one of my corn snake books!!!!

actually, looking at the tail is not an accurate way to tell if it is a boy or a girl. The best way to find out is to either to "pop" it or have your snake "probed".

VERY IMPORTANT:
Please do not do it yourself if you have never been shown how to as you can cause a lot of damaged to your little one.