Question about corns

[Frost33]

I recently lost my ball python due to it not eating and assist feeding it too late I really liked the breeds slow moving nature. They take a bit of work to keep their cage at the proper temps, humidity, etc, but she was very cool. My daughter has taken the death pretty hard and I'm looking to buy a new snake in the near future. I'm not sold on getting another BP and I'm considering a corn.

From reading it seems that corns are much easier to take care of, but what has me concerned is their fast moving nature. Do corns slow down as they get older? Or do they stay pretty active throughout their lives?

Thanks in advance.

[joepythons]

I recently lost my ball python due to it not eating and assist feeding it too late I really liked the breeds slow moving nature. They take a bit of work to keep their cage at the proper temps, humidity, etc, but she was very cool. My daughter has taken the death pretty hard and I'm looking to buy a new snake in the near future. I'm not sold on getting another BP and I'm considering a corn.

From reading it seems that corns are much easier to take care of, but what has me concerned is their fast moving nature. Do corns slow down as they get older? Or do they stay pretty active throughout their lives?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear about your ball python .Well corns are nice also.It really depends on the snake as each has its own "attitude" in the flighty area lol.I have had babies that were calm(once they realized your not going to eat them lol) and i have had spaztic adults .In my opinion the more they are handled the more they realize your not danger .The temps are easier to keep(80ish) when compared to ball pythons.If you decide to buy a corn look around before deciding as they come in tons of colors lol.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Hatchlings can be unpredictable. If its a calm hatchling, it will (most likely) be a calm adult. However, calm hatchlings are far and few between. Some of the meanest hatchlings will make the sweetest adults. And some of the meanest hatchlings make the meanest adults. From my experience 95% of corns become docile adults.

They're definitely more active, but not necessarily in a bad way. And several of my adults are couch potatoes, if you get them out they'll crawl around for 5 min, then just chill out the rest of the time.

If you're really concerned about getting one that's calm, then I'd try to get an adult or sub-adult. That way you can find out about how calm it is or isn't.

But yes, in general they're one of the easiest, if not the easiest snake to successfully care for.

[Frost33]

Thanks for the replies. I'm really trying to figure out which snake to get. I only have room for 1 at this point so I want to make sure I make the right choice. I really like how the corn snakes look (beautiful colors) and the ease of care, I'm just slightly concerned about their personalities and activity level.

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

Young corns can have problems (not eating, eating irregularly, being super jumpy and such), so I would recommend you get a yearling or older. Corns are super active compared to BPs (NEVER have I seen a corn do this), but if you get an older individual who is established and used to handling, they're quite nice to handle. Most won't sit on your neck or lap, but they're not flying all over the place.

I've handled only a few very young corns, but every single one looked like it had just hatched no more than 2 weeks prior to shipping, and they were literally like corns. Freaked when you picked them up, wiggled around like a worm, and a few musked, striked, and bit me. Even just corns 1-2 months old (PetCo's typical size) are much more easy to handle.

Here is a good corn snake guide that's free. I personally would recommend a pretty normal/classic or locality okeetee. I have one of each and they are gorgeous. I'm not fond of amels, but they're also a good choice, as they're one of the most popular morphs. The tessera morph is amazing, too, but it's still new, so it's a wallet eater. It's a dominant trait, though, so prices should go down greatly in the next few years.

Also, if you haven't buy Kathy Love's book.

http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn%20Uto...l,%20COVER.jpg

It's one of the best out there. You can buy it directly from her and get it signed, or you can get a lightly used copy off Amazon.com that isn't signed for about 4 bucks + shipping. You can also sign up at CornSnakes.com; very useful forum. I swear by it when I have a question, concern, or want to share a stupid thing my corn/s did. XD


* Also, the corn pictured on the front of the book is basically an amel, but because of the thick white borders, it is called a reverse okeetee or R/O.

[Lolo76]

Sorry about the loss of your BP.

I currently have 8 corns in my collection, and for the most part they're pretty easy to care for... all but one are GREAT eaters, never refusing a f/t or live meal, and even the "picky" one will eat anything live you offer. They have a very different temperament compared to balls, but I wouldn't call them hyper or anything - just a little more inquisitive and fast-moving. I have one Miami phase corn who's a real spaz, and will literally dart from your hands without warning! But she's the craziest of my corns, and the rest are pretty easy to handle. Maybe you can go to a local pet shop, and ask to handle a few? Should give you a good idea of their general personalities, and how different they are from a BP.

Overall I'd say they make great pets, and it's fairly hard to kill a corn from husbandry or feeding issues. So many cool morphs to choose from too, and at more affordable prices than a BP morph. My crew consists of a ghost, ghost motley, granite, Miami phase, reverse Okeetee, 2 amels and a FAT normal... all very unique and cool looking, and I'll probably add some more colors in the near future.

[Lolo76]

I just thought of a good example, to compare a BP's personality to a corn's. When you reach into a BP's tank/tub, they usually recoil or hide from you... when I reach into my corn's tubs, they actually stretch their heads out to "sniff" me. Definitely less shy & fearful, at least in my experiences. Here's my baby granite displaying that curious nature:

[AkHerps]

I choose ball pythons over corns. The corn we have even though she's been handeled since she was a baby explores pretty quickly and if you don't keep an eye on her, you will lose her. I just love the way ball pythons chill out.