Is there such a thing as a Dwarf Morph Corn?

[nfafan]

After learning that mine will get about 4-5 feet, looking for a smaller corn.

Is there one corn subspecies that are generally smaller than all others - 36" or less would be great!

Thanks!

 

[bitsy]

Nope! The best you can do is find someone with a pair of smaller-than-average Corns and buy one of their offspring. Even then, there's no guarantee that the hatchling will end up taking after its parents. Adult Corns under 4 feet are pretty scarce and there's pretty much no way you'll find one 3 feet or less.

If you need a snake guaranteed to be 3 foot or less as an adult, then you're looking for a different type of snake.

 

[nfafan]

Thanks Bitsy... I see from your sig that you have a Mtn Kingsnake - is it true that these are under 36" snakes?

I thought I read somewhere that Miami-phase corns are 36" sixed snakes, is this true?

 

[Floof]

Just curious, but is there a particular reason you want a snake under 3 feet? A rule where you live, or just preference?

For their length, corns are not big snakes at all. It's misleading to judge what kind of size you'll be dealing with based on length.

If you have to stick with something that is guaranteed not to get over 3 ft, you need to look at completely different species. Kenyan sand boas are a possibility, especially if you get a male. Maybe a smaller locality rosy boa (male) or look into Children's pythons. I really can't think of a rat/king/corn species off the top of my head that absolutely doesn't go over 3 ft, but you should be able to find one if you look well enough.

 

[bitsy]

Thanks Bitsy... I see from your sig that you have a Mtn Kingsnake - is it true that these are under 36" snakes?

Particular types of King can be 3 foot or less. My little guy is an adult around three feet long and the largest food he eats is a small mouse.

However some Kings are easily as long as Corns so you'll need to do more research.

ETA: You mentioned Hognoses in a previous post. That might be a good direction to check out.

 

[nfafan]

Thanks Bitsy!

Floof - I need to keep (any) snake kinda "incognito" around the house.

I think I can get away with her a bit longer, but it will only be harder to part with her later, when it becomes a larger suprise than it has been so far. I am hoping if I keep the diet to a single F/T pinkie/week, I can keep her smaller and under the radar, longer.

 

[rainkeltoia]

I don't think that underfeeding would be a good idea, that's somewhat neglectful.

 

[Shiari]

Do not underfeed and attempt to stunt your corn snake. Would you underfeed a dog to try and "keep it small" as well? If you are not supposed to have a snake, fess up and rehome it now. Your pet must have first priority, and if that means you shouldn't have that pet then so be it.

Your profile claims your age to be 56 years old. Why do you even have to have an "incognito" snake?

 

[5 Star Serpents]

Yes, underfeeding any animal to keep it "incognito" is careless, think of how you would feel if say your mom did this to you as a baby "oh I'm just not going to feed my baby properly so maybe I can hide him from my husband a bit longer, maybe he won't notice I've given birth to a small person"! It's absolutely no different, neglect is neglect. If you aren't supposed to have it or someone in your home has a legitimate fear of them be respectful of everyone, including the snake and the other people involved rather than looking for a smaller snake you can hide better. All I have to say is WOW!

 

[diamondlil]

Stunting your snake deliberately to try to restrict its size is a totally abhorrent idea. Please rehome it with someone who will be able to care for it properly

 

[Chip]

Before we start lighting torches here; the OP said a pinkie a week, which before the Munson plan was routine for feeding hatchlings. There was a time when a 4-5 day schedule was called "power feeding!" As long as Nfafan feeds an appropriate meal every seven days, that is perfectly alright. It's not going to slow things down that much, though!

 

[Pugsley]

I seem to remember reading that some of the locality corns run a bit smaller, on average. Was it the Keys? Rosy Rats? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Quixotic]

After learning that mine will get about 4-5 feet, looking for a smaller corn.

Hey, how do you know that? How old is your snake? If it's a yearling or younger, there's really no way to tell how big it will eventually grow. It could end up being on the small side. And not to be rude, but you should've learned how big corn snakes grow before getting one...

As others have said, if 4 feet is too long you'd have to go with a smaller species. Ball pythons are shorter but also considerably thicker. Corns stay relatively svelte.

Snakes can squeeze themselves into such a small little bundle. I'm also wondering why you need such a small snake...

 

[Chip]

I seem to remember reading that some of the locality corns run a bit smaller, on average. Was it the Keys? Rosy Rats? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Locality Miamis are known for being smallish. I don't know that's the case with Miami "phase" animals, which would account for most of them in the hobby though.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

The Keys corns do tend to run a little smaller, Pugs. But even within a morph size is still variable from snake to snake. I would not expect a keys snake to grow as big as some of the Okeetee. Knowing the size of the parents helps.
Feeding a baby snake a pinky once a week is not starving it. It won't grow as fast as a baby fed every 4 days, but unless you are in a hurry to grow up a snake there is really no absolute need to feed them more often. If it's a bigger snake then it needs to be on something bigger than pinkies but the weekly schedule is fine.
I am mainly posting because of the "once a week" thing, I feel this needs to be defended for some reason. I feed all my snakes on a once a week schedule including babies, they might not grow as fast as other people's babies but I have never had a customer complain that the snake I sold was undersized, either.
I also don't expect them to be a certain size by a certain age, I just keep an eye on their overall condition - if a snake is shaped like a "loaf of bread" it is healthy. Some of them just grow faster than others. A chart is a handy tool but it does not replace your eyes and hands as you look at or feel the snake. Is it strong, alert, active? Forget about how many grams it should be by that age, that is a number someone put out there because they think it's right- but the bottom line is that condition is what;s important, not size.
I was one of the people who felt a great deal of resistance to that munson plan from the start and even Roy Munson did eventually revise it because some of his own snakes became a bit overweight on the first version, There is a fine line between wanting your snake to grow and power feeding and it is a lot harder to take the hips off the overwieght snake once it reaches that point, than it is to prevent it by not overfeeding in the first place.

 

[starsevol]

OK here are my thoughts on this one....
For one thing, if the snake is being hidden, an extra foot or 2 of snake really does not make too much of a difference. They don't chew or make noise and even a 5 foot corn is a nice quiet houseguest, but on "poop day" it might be noticed! I am wondering if perhaps a smaller snake might be less scary to whomever is sharing the house with the op. The best way to get around that, I think, is to fess up and show her your scalebaby. Hatchings are CUTE and SMALL and by the time your snake grows perhaps your significant other will be over her/his fear. I have a friend who used to be absolutely terrified of snakes, and got over her fear when I got my first one, mentioned later in this thread. As an amel yearling, she said he looked just like a "Disney snake".


As far as feeding...when I got my first snake many many moons ago, feeding once a week was the norm. As a hatchling I fed him once a week. Trouble was, as a big adult he was fed once a week as well. He is now 17 years old and has been on a diet for 4 years and is still a fatty.....but I digress.....

I don't think that feeding a pinky once a week is a horrible thing....but not moving up his/her food sizes as he/she grows would be a horrible thing.
You want to give your pet what it needs to be healthy, and food is pretty darned important!!

 

[rainkeltoia]

I don't think that feeding a pinky once a week is a horrible thing....but not moving up his/her food sizes as he/she grows would be a horrible thing.
You want to give your pet what it needs to be healthy, and food is pretty darned important!!

This is what I was thinking when I posted. Not the once a week thing, nothing like that, but underfeeding the animal with too small food and not meeting their basic nutritional needs. I'm sorry if it came off any other way, I did not mean it as such. I simply meant that it seems neglectful to not meet an animal's needs because you got it without fully understanding it and are hiding it from parents/SO/roommate or whatever.

 

[diamondlil]

This is what I was thinking when I posted. Not the once a week thing, nothing like that, but underfeeding the animal with too small food and not meeting their basic nutritional needs. I'm sorry if it came off any other way, I did not mean it as such. I simply meant that it seems neglectful to not meet an animal's needs because you got it without fully understanding it and are hiding it from parents/SO/roommate or whatever.

That's pretty much the angle I came in at, as to me it sounded as though the OP wanted to stick to feeding pinks to retard the snake's growth. If that's not true, I apologise. If it is true, I stand by my assertion that it's really not a great idea.

 

[Shiari]

I am hoping if I keep the diet to a single F/T pinkie/week, I can keep her smaller and under the radar, longer.

The bolded part is what I reacted to. KEEP the diet to a single pink.

 

[starsevol]

The bolded part is what I reacted to. KEEP the diet to a single pink.

Yes, that is BAD. nfafan, you really don't want to hurt your scalebaby, do you?