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Normal?

Gintha

Gintha

*stretches* I'm out!
I've been reading a lot of info on morphs lately, 1/2 out of curiosity and 1/2 out of need for knowledge for when I start to breed my snakes. What is the difference between a normal and a hypo? I've read that hypos have greyed or reduced black borders, which makes me question why Treasure is considered normal and not hypo. His "borders" barely exist, they appear as very thin, grey-ish brown lines with some black spotting. Below is a pic of his back, will try to get a better one later, if I can find some batteries.

His borders look much darker in the picture than they appear in reality, maybe I need a room with better light for the next picture.
Treasuresback.jpg


Is it the saddle / backround contrast that defines him as a normal? Hunter is a hypo, and has much heavier borders than Treasure, so this is confusing me hehe.
 
Here are some comparison pictures of my boys, Hunter IS hypo (hes a Kathy Love boy hehe, I trust she knows what shes talking about =D)


Hunter (hypo) is the one closer to the top of the picture, the lower one is Treasure.
Piccies3068.jpg


This time Treasure is the top snake and Hunter is the bottom one hehe.
Piccies3069.jpg


Treasure left, Hunter right.
Piccies3070.jpg


I personally don't see much difference. Any comments are appreciated hehe =)
 
The biggest difference between normal and hypo is that hypo cornsnakes are homozygous for whatever type of hypo they are displaying. While in general hypo (and Hypo A in particular) refers to a snake with reduced borders and less black, there are other things which can cause cornsnakes to have similar appearances. Upper Keys corns, for example, are normals that can resemble hypos.

Long story short, there is no 100% way to tell hypo from normal without breeding trials or knowledge of the parents' genetics... though I'd imagine it would be much easier to tell as a hatchling.

Treasure is most likely a normal... but if you want to be sure, breed him/her with a hypo and see what hatches out.

-Kat
 
Oh yes... having a black 'wash' over the colors is one flag that does show a cornsnake isn't hypo. Now that I take a closer look at your pic, Treasure seems to be showing a bit of this black wash. Not all normals will show this, though.

-Kat
 
I think the side by side pic shows the difference between the two the best. I would have to agree with Kat that Treasure would appear to be a lighter normal, but there is a black wash there.

Here's a pic of one of my Hypo's I hatched out in '04:
HY001m.jpg


You also have to remember the HUGE degree of variability within any morph's coloration. You could lay pure homo examples from any color morph side by side and point out differences that make them not similar.

D80
 
Hrm.. okie. Treasure is the basis of my genetics project anyhow hehe.. trying to figure out what he is. He was sold to me as Okeetee homo stripe, het butter. Okeetee being what the idiots here call any normal coloured corn... and they call actual Okeetees "Californian corns". He was sold to a Petco by a breeder that actually frequents these forums a lot hehe, then shipped up here to Pets Unlimited and sold to some idiot (me) for $200. Not really sure what to breed him with ~.~ I have an Anery girl, and am going to bet one other girl, butter stripe maybe?
 
"He was sold to me as Okeetee homo stripe, het butter."

If he is a supposed 'homo stripe' he would be displaying the 'stripe'.

"Okeetee being what the idiots here call any normal coloured corn... and they call actual Okeetees "Californian corns"."

I've never actually heard that phrase 'Californian corns'...must be an East Coast 'oddity'. Normals or classics are often 'mis-represented' as Okeetees in Ontario as well. But, it's not the breeder who does the classifying, but the wholesaler who has bought 'leftovers' from the breeder. Petco and most large chain pet stores don't deal directly with the breeders; they buy from the wholesalers. The pet stores will call them 'whatever' to make the extra dollars. If you are looking for 'special' genetics, my advice would be.....buy directly from the breeder. The wholesaler is buying 'corn snakes' to resell; genetics is the last thing on his mind.

'Not really sure what to breed him with ~.~ I have an Anery girl, and am going to b(g)et one other girl, butter stripe maybe?'

A Butter Striped female would be ideal to test his possible hets for amel, caramel, and 'stripe' if that too is het; but a butter stripe female in Canada could be a very costly investment at this stage as they have not been readily available in Canada. My suggestion would be to contact a breeder and purchase a normal, who is a known het for perhaps 2 of the 'genes' you wish to prove out in your male, or perhaps an amel, who is a known het for caramel (there are more of these around). Rome wasn't built in a day and proving out hets in a corn takes time as well. I have both an anery male and normal female who with this year's breedings (not to each other) proved to both carry the hypo gene recessively. This year's breeding plans could prove out a few more adults in their hets as different breeding combinations will be used. It's when those little heads pip out and you go.....that's a surprise.....that makes proving out hets so rewarding.

Just my humble opinion on all this for what it is worth.

Ruth Hanney
 
I had thought about getting a normal, but I really don't want another orange snake. I have breeding access to around 100 corns at the veterinary school, so I can breed him to just about anything there, guess at the genetics, and have my guesses appraised by the professor of Genealogy. I'm not worried about finding a supplier in Canada for my other female, I go to the US once a year and can transport a snake back to Canada very easily. Air Canada requires a certificate from a veterinarian, stating that the owner is capable of caring for the animal, and the US government requires a veterinary health certificate from a US vet to cross back into Canada... both are easily obtained. Other than that... snakes cannot be carry on, and there is a $40 charge for putting them in the pressurized "pet" compartment.

Treasure is the only snake I bought locally, the other 2 are from Breedingcolors, and my Anery is still with her until the weather is nicer. Its SO much better getting a nice healthy snake from a breeder than getting a 3/4 dead snake from a stupid pet store ~,~
 
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