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First time poster...Morph question

B

Bethanne

New member
Hi, I have consented to let my 10 year old research getting a Corn and present me with his reasoning/finacial projections of snake ownership...but I really like snakes (tho Ive never owned one)...so Im pretty sure he'll get a yes. In any case is there particular Morph that TYPICALLY stays smaller that others? I know they range from 3 to 5 feet and I have no desire to willfully underfeed...so are there variants that just are more petite? He greatly prefers ones with a good bit of orange in them.

Also...pet shop vs. online breeder vs. reptile show? There is a show nearby in 10 days but I don't think Im that ready yet. But it seems wise to handle the baby before buying...see if they seem to already like it. I worry about pet shop animals in general being less healthy. any thoughts?
Thank you in advance!!
 
The different morphs won't really affect the size of the snake. I think males tend to stay a bit smaller... (Somebody please correct me on this if I'm wrong).

I would definitely recommend either ordering online from a breeder or purchasing from a reptile show. You may get lucky and find a great pet shop with healthy snakes, but that is more of the exception than the rule. Hope this helps!
 
Size will vary from snake to snake, and they take several *years* to reach even 3 feet on average.

"Good bit of orange"... have your son look into okeetees and sunglows, maybe even hypo bloods as some of them can be very orange indeed.

As for handling, very few snakes as babies will already "like it". Many will flail or rattle or even strike. It is consistent handling that gets them used to it. My Dier, one of my most docile snakes, struck at me when I picked him out, and that same day tried to eat my finger.
 
Hi Bethanne...Miami corns "generally" stay smaller than most corns, but they all can range in size...Okeetee corns are the opposite end of the spectrum; they are "generally" larger than other corns :*)

Some pet stores get their snakes from local breeders, so if you go that route ask the shop owner where they are from...Online breeders and reptile shows allow you the opportunity to get answers about your snake pet stores may not be able to answer...

All babies are "squirmy"; you might want to consider an older, more "settled in" snake for your son :)
 
Although there are always exceptions to generalizations, I would probably say that many of the Sunkisseds I've seen are a bit smaller than the average corn snake, and the Upper Keys locality corns tend to run smaller and leaner as well. As for a difference in sex and size, I haven't seen it. Most of my largest snakes are males, but I have several females that are also large. However, many of my snakes run smaller than what I see other members post as their average size snake, and I've gotten proven adults from other breeders that are even smaller still.

I would recommend that if a smaller than average corn snake is what you want, you need to either do lots of research into a hatchling's lineage to determine the size of it's parents and grandparents and hope your new snake follows suit, or purchase an adult that you already know is going to stay on the smaller side. And even then, there is no guarantee it will stay that small once you take it home as the change and all that includes may give your new snake a bit of a growth spurt.
 
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