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Q: What size do corn snakes settle into adult colors?
Posted By:

SteelCityScales

In Relation To:

Snakeface aka Cornball aka Noodle [SSS_122213]

So I got my first snake and I love the everliving crap out of the little noodle.  I am excited to get a second noodle!  

In planning to get my second noodle, I would kind of like to know if my first snake would be useful for breeding or not.  In order to know this, I would have to have some idea of adult colors since I know morph wise I have a normal.

I would like to work with the Tessera morph, so having a normal isn't so bad, but I wouldn't want to work with the brownish buff base color.  

I am wondering at what size I can start to get an idea of my snake's final base color?  He's greyish with a bit of orange between the saddles right now (around 15g).

Thanks!   


Points: 50
Topics: Genetics
Tags: Color, Cornsnake
Species: Other Colubrids > Other Colubrids > Elaphe guttata guttata
Administrative: Show/Hide

Accepted Answer 3/11/2014 11:13:29 PM

Doomtrooper

Corn's don't usually  have a color change (IMHO)  they more or less just dull down as they grow ..

 
Author Comment 3/12/2014 12:03:13 AM

SteelCityScales

Really?  I was looking on this site and it seemed like there was a pretty big change from the grey and orange and red hatchling to the almost entirely orange adult.  Or are those different representations of "normal"?

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 12:31:05 AM

Chad A Edwards

Corns can experience a surprising amount of ontogenic (age related) color change. Some may retain more or less the same markings they have as a hatchling. Others may darken or lighten dramatically or even lose/gain markings as they grow. I would say a 2-3 year old snake likely has its adult coloration, but there may be morphs that present changes later in life. Tiki 108 and The Pope are probably the best to talk to about color change, but Corns can be remarkably variable over time. Might be how they finally sucked me in after 20+ years of trying to resist them.

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 1:47:23 AM

NWHeather

They can change quite a bit. It depends on the genes.

Your baby looks Miami-ish, my guess would be came from Miami lineage. There's orange on yours that will likely develop more (making it more of a Classic/Normal) coloring.

Here's a Miami I had, you can look at the pics that show baby to adulthood. http://www.iherp.com/Public/Animals/AnimalPhotoGallery.aspx?AnimalID=48101

Here's another one I had, that has Red Factor, (he is the sire to my recent Tessera clutch) Check out the change he went through!  http://www.iherp.com/Public/Animals/AnimalPhotoGallery.aspx?AnimalID=72660

My guess would be yours will have a Miami-ish base, with some Classic orange coloring as well.

 

 

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 8:52:27 AM

Sonja K. Reptiles

Yellow seems to be the last pigment to come in. I would agree that at 2-3 years you'd have a better idea, and I also agree that Corns typically dull out with age.

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 12:10:07 PM

aSnakeLovinBabe

corns do change a lot from the hatchling stage... I mean if you look at pics of a hatchling corn growing into an adult they look nothing like they do when they're all grown up! I would agree with everyone here.... at least around 2 years of age you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect, but they can take longer than that to settle into their coloration. Personally, I have had my Orangetime for about a year now and he has grown, and his base color has brightened as opposed to dulled out. He was more of a rusty orange, but it continues to get lighter, oranger and cleaner looking with each shed.

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 1:39:02 PM

Candycornsnake

I want to add to...they never really stop changing color. It might slow down...but even my old old sunglow has changed in recent years. And my once pink ghost corn has gotten more grey after the age of 4 or 5 years.

 
Assisted Answer 3/12/2014 2:25:26 PM

FyreFocks

As everyone, pretty much, has stated, it never really stops. 2-3 years will give you a solid idea of the overall, but some produce extra melanin, some produce less, some snakes do dull out, but some brighten. The genes at play will also affect this.

 
Author Comment 3/12/2014 8:21:41 PM

SteelCityScales

Thanks for the info everyone!  I'll just have to wait I guess :)

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