Questions from a novice bloodred female caregiver..

[variableenigma]

So I've picked out a pretty little bloodred baby girl at my local pet store. I won't be taking her home until after Christmas (reasons being that the store holds the babies in quarentine until they've had two sucessful, consecutive meals, and that I won't be home for the holiday). I'm really excited, as I've always wanted a snake, and I'm finally getting one!

I was wondering what I can expect as a new corn snake caregiver. I've cared for many, many animals in my life, but I've never had a reptile. I've read books and websites, but I've really only gotten the bare-bones basics. I'm sure some of you have advice for a novice like me!

Some questions that I have:

How can I "play" with her (for lack of a better term)? Do corn snakes enjoy handling, or do they just put up with it? I would love to be able to handle her, but I want the experience to be positive for her, too!

How will her colors change over time? I know that she will end up being patternless (or almost so) red with a white or grey belly. I've noticed that there are many varieties of bloodreds, but the breeder just labeled this one "bloodred", so I'm guessing she's a "normal bloodred"? She is a deep red with black and grey markings.

Is it normal for a virgin female to periodically lay eggs? What's the probability that they could be fertile? I have read that snakes (including corns) can be parthenogenic, but I'm not sure how common it is.

Would she benefit from an "enriched" environment? Would she enjoy new scenery now and then, or would she be more comfortable with a constant, unchanging home?

Any other information that I may not have read anywhere else would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance,
Amanda

 

[wade]

Hi Amanda
Welcome to the world of corn snakes. You will never be normal again.

If the pet shop just called it a Bloodred then you are right it is probably a normal bloodred. The attached picture is one of mine that is an Amel Bloodred, meaning it lacks the gene that produces the pigment melanin. The easiest thing to see about a bloodred is that it has no belly checkers. If you look at the belly it will be white or white with reddish blotches but no black checkers like a normal corn.

Snakes in general don't like to be handled. That doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't. But make your handling sessions short. I hate to see people who want to drape a snake over their shoulders and then walk around town with it. Too much handling is stressful for the snake.

Her color will probably darken over time. Bloodreds take on more of a blood color, as they grow older. The really dark ones do become almost patternless.

Virgin mothers, parthenogenesis has been reported a couple of times and in a few cases from pretty well documented sources. Don’t count on it. It is incredibly rare, if possible at all. Snakes won’t really lay eggs without mating although they will sometimes pass what we call slugs or unfertilized ovules.

Don’t worry too much about enriching the environment unless you enjoy the enrichment. Snakes have basic needs and I don’t think their thought process goes much beyond that. They will need a heat source with at temperature gradient. A couple of secure hiding places. A water bowl with fresh water. Food on a regular basis. That is about all she will ask for.

Hope you enjoy your new pet.

 

[variableenigma]

Haha, as if I was ever "normal" to begin with..

Thanks for all the information!

 

[wax32]

 

[tbtusk]

haha, good way of putting it, "You will never be normal again"

So a few things, mostly different views. As said, don't expect your snake to pass eggs of any kind with out breeding. It's rare, but some snakes do insist on doing it every year, whether bred or not.

Bloodreds originally were the trade name for nearly patternless, dark red corns expressing the diffused gene. Bloodred is now used to refer to all corns expressing the diffused gene, no matter how 'fully' they express it. This means that your snake may not become completely patternless, or even close to that, but it will gain more of the classic diffusion (hence the name of the gene), starting along the sides, that the diffused gene causes.

I believe that corns don't fully enjoy handling, but I think they don't only tolerate it either. I think at some point they can learn to like to curl up around a warm neck, even if its only because its warm. In general people do say that handling is just tolerate though.

As for enriching their home, I think it's a good idea. I'm not sure changing the cage is the way to do it, and I'm actually not sure how you should do it, but I wouldn't say it's a bad idea. Corns do have incredibly small brains though, so if you don't do anything I'm sure they won't be affected too much. I like to think they would be, though, like a lot of us do. It's that darn habit of forcing human features on animals (what's the word for that?).

So there's my take on all this. I hope it helps, and post some pictures of your corn when you get her!!

 

[edd.roadrunner]

It's that darn habit of forcing human features on animals (what's the word for that?).

Thats an Anthropermorfic personification... damn im out of breath just typing it :bang:

 

[wade]

Oh you have got to love that word.

 

[tbtusk]

Thats an Anthropermorfic personification... damn im out of breath just typing it :bang:

Thak you. i knew I learned that word in some english class a few years ago.

 

[Sanebedlam]

The only thing I have to add is although corns may not completly love being handled (although some of mine don't really care at all and are perfectly content to chill with me for as long as I like. Handling is good for them as they will often move around a lot when you are handling them which gives them a good amount of exercise! Hatchlings you want to handle far less then adults though. Currently as I have 7 corns I handle hatchlings only before feedings for the most part but once they hit yearling I start handling more regularly.