Category: Old Shop

Western Hognose

 

 

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Corn Snakes In Captivity

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In the Summer of 2006 Corn Snakes In Captivity, my first (and to-date ONLY ) corn snake book was offered for sale.  Corn Snakes In Captivity offers over 35 years of my experience in keeping and breeding this fascinating serpent species.  With over 113 pages of text and 70 photographs, everything you need to know about keeping and breeding corns is detailed in an easy-to-read and understand format.  In sequence from acquisition of your corn snakes to breeding and reproducing them, I have detailed successful corn snake keeping from A to Z.

At $12.95 USD (which includes $4.00 usd processing and 1st Class postage for U.S. destinations), each copy of Corn Snakes In Captivity shipped is personally autographed by me.  

Ever since the 2006 release date of Corn Snakes In Captivity, I have been working on (actually more off than on) a bigger Corn Snake book.   It will be a much larger and hard-bound book offering far greater detail for the novice corn snake keeper OR professional corn snake breeder.  It will include maps, diagrams, and hundreds of photographs of the processes in maintaining corns, as well as descriptions, histories, and photographs of many of the myriad current color and pattern morphs in our hobby. 

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Show & $ell

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This female 2009 proven-breeder Tessera Corn is now 46″ long, eating frozen/thawed adult mice.  She is het for Stripe.  She is visibly ovulated now and must be shipped very soon if you want her to lay eggs for you.  She has not been with a male yet this year, but if she has not sold in four DAYs I’ll be keeping her until she lays eggs for me.  Her $425.00 usd price includes     

Banded Candy Cane

Banded Candy Cane (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Banded Candy Cane
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of the single recessive mutation, Amel
Eye Color: Red pupil


Candy Cane mutants are selective variants of the basic Amel mutation that have been selectively reproduced by promote the target look (red or orange bands on a white background). The Banded Candy Cane takes the basic Candy Cane morph to the next logical level; banded (like their holiDAY candy namesake).


What to expect:
Our Banded Candy Canes always have obvious elongation of markings, essentially changing the dorsal blotches to saddle-like markings that render some degree of an obvious banded appearance.  As neonates, our Candy Canes have red or orange markings on a white background, but with maturity, the first third (or more) of the body’s ground color zone changes from white to soft red or orange.  It does not detract from the overall candy cane look, but this anterior ground color area will never be as white as the ground color zone seen in the last half (or more) of the snake.

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Banded

Banded (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Banded
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant (wild-type) + selective variation
Morph Type: Selective variation of wild-type

 

This is another example of manipulating the shape and size of a corn snake feature (markings, in this case) through selectively breeding only specimens that had a degree of the desired traits.  In other words, since progeny of snakes tend to resemble their parents, alteration of pattern features (banding, in this morph) via polygenic trait production was relatively simple to achieve in just a few generations.  By pairing two corns with laterally stretched markings, and breeding two better ones together from each generation, in roughly three generations we produced corns with blotches that generation-progressively change to saddles, and then, to bands.  Color schemes in our lines aren’t that variable, since the first specimens used in breeding projects had the Miami look (brick red markings on gray backgrounds).  Don’t worry, we outcrossed to novel genes every chance we could, and it would have otherwise been achieved sooner.  These are guaranteed to be sufficiently outbred.


What to expect:

In the 10+ years we’ve been producing these, I’ve never known one to change markings from hatchling-to-adult, so expect the adults to be essentially larger versions of their neonatal pattern scheme.  The main variation we’ve seen in this line is that of color de-saturation, so if some of them vary from their neonatal coloration, it will be in the direction of the wild-type color scheme.

 

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Striped Pastel Motley

Striped Pastel Motley (aka: Striped Ghost Motley)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Pastel Motley
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Mutation compound (+)
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris (usually silver)

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Striped Miami Motley

Striped Miami Motley (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Miami Motley
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Selective Variation + Recessive Mutation
Morph Type: Selective Variant of Single Recessive Motley
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris

 

OUR Striped Miami Motleys are just what the name suggests; Striped Motley corns in the brick red and gray Miami color scheme.  The amount of striping can vary, but some of the Motley markings will be connected in striped fashion.  These are selective variations of Motleys so the colors are products of selective breeding. 

What to expect:
As with most corn snake neonates, expect young Striped Miami Motleys to be lackluster in color for at least one year, and considerably darker than their adult parents. All markings will be half (or less) what they will be as adults, but they do resemble the Miami Phase coloration scheme. None of them have the infamous bad appetites of wild caught Miami Locality corns, so stock up on pinky mice prior to receiving yours.  The amount of striping is variable from dorsal Motley-striping between one or two markings TO dorsal Motley-striping nearly all the way.

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Striped Ultramel Motley

INTERSPECIES  HYBRID

Striped Ultramel Motley (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Ultramel Motley
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Codominant (Ultramel) & Recessive (Motley)
Morph Type: Mutation Compound – recessive & codominant
Eye Color:  Dark red pupil & body ground colored iris
See ULTRamel for an explanation of the genetic mechanics of the ULTRA codominant mutation.
Note:  Ultramel is the heterozygote of the the mutation, Ultra.

INTERSPECIES  HYBRID

The founder (discoverer) of the Ultra mutation states that he originally paired a gray rat snake with a corn snake, in the discovery of this mutation.  By the time most of us were made aware of the HYBRID origins of Ultra types (originally named Ultra Hypos), we had already bred it into many other corn snake mutations.  It was therefore collectively decided that in so much as it would be virtually impossible to track down (and eliminate) each and every snake containing the Ultra gene (surely thousands of individuals in the collections of hundreds of breeders and keepers), the mutation would be treated like other pure corns.  In so much as it generally did not alter the corn snake appearance, it was known that even if peoples’ snakes had the Ultra gene mutation, they would either be unaware or could avoid mentioning it.  Those of you out there that are boycotting HYBRID corns are advised to avoid acquisition of suspicious-looking corns with the word ULTRA in the morph description. Likewise, purists that admirably endeavor to promote only the genetically purest of corns are urged to question corns that have suspiciously abnormal features that have been historically identified as hybrid markers.  Not that all such markers are proof of alien origins. Especially because of the difficulty and expense of formulating a DNA base line for all North American colubrid snake species, and in the absence of expensive DNA testing to identify authenticity of pure corns, without obvious visual and/or genetic distinctions, identification of legitimately pure (or impure) corns is difficult at this time, if not completely impossible.

Other than appearance, the primary (and inherent) value of Ultra Type Corns (Ultras and Ultramels and their color and pattern compounds) is their mode of genetic inheritance.  Since they are co-dominant to Amelanistics, pairing any Ultra Type to ANY Amel corn (or Het thereof) will render Ultra types in the F1 (first) generation of out-crossing to non-Ultra type corns.  The results of pairing an Ultra-type with a non-Amel corn (or Het thereof) will render Mendelian results that parallel recessively-inherited mutations; no Ultra-types will result and all progeny will be Het for Ultra when bred to non-Amels.

Combining the Striped Motley pattern mutation with Ultramel results in this deeply hypomelanistic corn. 

What to expect:
As hatchlings, they resemble some of the best Hypomelanistic corns on the market.  Some have traces of white on parts of some scales (a trait almost never seen in other Hypo mutants), and of course, they have about the same number of black scales seen in most Hypo types.  Being Striped Motley, most of the black scales will fade to dark gray or silver.  The eye pupils of neonates are between red and dark red in color, but throughout maturity, they darken to a very dark red — almost black.

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Eye comparison between
Hatchling and Adult Ultramels

 

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Striped Snow

Striped Snow (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Snow
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Type: Triple mutation compound (Stripe + Amel + Anery)
Eye Color:  Red pupil

Combining the three recessive gene mutations; Stripe and (Anery & Amel = Snow) renders these beautiful Striped color mutants.

 

What to expect:
Both male and female hatchlings look alike (essentially pink or white snakes with slightly darker pink or white striping), and adults are essentially larger versions of that color scheme, except for possessing carotenoid yellow they develop as they mature.


Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site).  We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form.  Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity. While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.