Noob Question

The reptile place I got my snake from mainly deals with pythons and boas. So I'm not really sure how knowledgable they are when it comes to corns. In fact, they had a "red rat snake" label on mine. After looking at all the morphs it's really got me wondering what mine is exactly. Is there a difference between a "classic" and a "normal" or are they the same? Then the hypomelanistic thing has me wondering too because mine don't have much black at all. After looking at a bunch of pictures they start looking the same to me. (Does that make me some sort of snake racist?) Heck, I'm not even sure if it's a he or she anymore. Can one of you 'leet experts take a gander and give me a qualified opinion?

Red Rat Snake AKA Corn snake:

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Scientific Name: Pantherophis (Elaphe) guttata
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: 4 to 6 feet
Range: Covers most of the eastern United States as far north as New Jersey and west into parts of Utah and Colorado.
Habitat: The corn snake's name is derived from the fact that it is frequently found in corn fields.


Classics vs Normals:
- Normal, or classic, corn snakes show colors that corns have in the wild, although they can greatly vary in color. Normal corns will usually show colors of red, orange, brown, and black.

Some people refer to normals that look more Wild Caught in coloration as being "Classics" vs other "Normals". So your Red Rat is a Corn snake and it appears to be a "normal" but does seem to have little to no black so it could be a hypo.

What color are the checkers on its belly? Can you get a good picture of the belly?

Hope this helps.

She just shed real early this morning (just after midnight) and it's been three days since she's been fed so I'm anxious to finally get her out for a while. After I wake her up of course. But I'll try to get a belly pic up within the hour.

Oh, and thanks for the insight. I was thinking normal with hypo but was afraid I was being overzealous.

She really don't like being on her back. The pic is probably more orange than real life. Her belly starts out pretty much white under the chin and slowly turns more orange towardsd the tail where it's pretty much just orange.

Yup I would say you have a Hypo adult corn snake on your hands!

Welcome to your newest addiction! :dancer:

Yay for me! I'm kinda partial to normals. I kinda like the Okeetees too but that Granite that Nanci hatched is just downright adorable. I wonder when I'll be allowed to get another one?

Yep I vote Hypo as well, means they have reduced black pigmentation. Yours is more red/orange than mine Hypo Chedda (named for her cheddar cheese like colors) is here are a few pics of her

Yikes, she looks skinny! I am glad you got her so you can fatten her up! I vote hypo too.

She just turned over a year so she's still a young 'un. The reptile place told me to feed her every 1 1/2 weeks but I scrapped that and went with the Munson plan. She's a real good eater and is at 113g right now so we're getting there.

This forum is awesome. The collective knowledge and expertise is just amazing. Thanks again for all your input.

Tons of pictures, tons of information, and tons of great people around here! Welcome aboard and have fun!

Only test breeding will prove if your new snake is a hypo or not. You can't always go by a lack of black and faded belly checks. Some normals can have those characteristics also.