Pondering 'sweet corns'.

So, I've been rolling this idea around in my head for a while, and decided that I *do* want to do this. I am going to start a line bred purely for temperment and health. If I end up with a line of purely normal corns, that doesn't matter to me. I figure it should be an interesting task.

The hatchling I kept from my clutch last year is actually a great example of what I want to breed for. She's never struck, coiled, or even tail rattled. She's currently fully into her blue, can't see worth a darn... and didn't even try to dart away when I picked her up this morning.

So I figured that I should try to create a fairly objective way of evaluating my snakes for temperment so that out of the clutches I produce, I can keep back the 'sweetest' tempered of the lot.

Each animal will be first evaluated for health upon first shed, checking for obvious deformities and spinal kinks. Any with such will be automatically removed from consideration for breeding. They will then be evaluated in response to the stimuli of being examined, given a score of 0 to 3 for defensiveness and flightiness.

Defensiveness- 0 = no defensive behaviours. 1 = tail rattling. 2 = S-coiling. 3 = striking/biting.
Flightiness- 0 = none. 1 = short motions to avoid capture. 2 = extensive attempts to avoid capture. 3 = extensive attempts to avoid capture, musking, flailing, etc.

Feeding response will also be closely monitored, and any animal that will not eat on its own by the end of the first month will not be considered for breeding. Equally, bites that occurred from a strong feeding response rather than defensiveness (as evidenced by continued contact and obvious 'gonna eat you!' attempts) will NOT be counted against a hatchling.

Each week before each feed the hatchlings will be re-evaluated. They will only be handled immediately prior to feeding to help prevent false numbers from acclimatization to handling, and each handling session will be brief.

Hatchlings will be evaluated weekly for 3 months, including once monthly checks for any kinks that may not have been apparent after the first shed.

Color morph will not be taken into account for choice of holdbacks.


That's the basics for the moment... so... thoughts, ideas for other criteria to try to evaluate?

Great sounding project best of luck with it.

I definitely understand this. I have a pair that I just love their temperament and each of their babies are the same way. I have never had a feeding problem with them. They never darted even as babies.

I don't have any ideas to add but I would love to see data once you get going. I think it would be interesting.

I loooooooooove this idea. I would SO buy a snake from you if you had a line like this, providing I have space at the time.

This is a really cool idea for a breeding plan. Good luck working with a multigenic trait! (I know firsthand how frustrating they can be)

I don't think they should get points off for tail rattling. I don't think that indicates a "bad" temperment at all.

And it would be nice to get points for searching out human contact when you open their bins, for coming to you instead of running away.

Fascinating idea! Nanci's point about them coming to you is an interesting one. (I, for one, would love to have a snake come to me unbidden.) Are snakes who exhibit curious behavior considered "sweeter" in disposition?

I also LOVE this idea! ( I am a bit of a temperment snob with any animal. ) Although I do believe that corns MAY get nicer with age and some tail rattling must be forgiven when the snake is at a tender age. I have no idea what Draco was like as a wee little one but he does frequently come slithering on out the minute I start fiddling with the lid. Wishbone I have seen get defensive one time as a hatchling and now as a juvenile, if I knock on the tank she comes out to see what's going on.

I will be very interested in your observations and results.

Devon

Re: tail rattling- That's part of why it's a- the lowest number off, and b- I plan on doing the temperment checks weekly over 3 months. Lowest scored male from Tor's clutch that is due to be laid will be kept... even if he has a few points off. I don't expect to get all zeros right away, or even necessarily ever.

When i go into the room i have 3 corns who come out of their hides and start climbing up the sides of the tanks/tubs. When i open the lids they climb on my hands. Of course those are my three favorites
I will say that one of the corns who climbs my hands was a non feeder (with a kink) when i first got him. He is the sweetest worm i have.

I love this project! I agree with Nanci, ones that seek out attention should be given points

If I get that lucky, for snakes that seek out the contact, that will definitely influence whether they get kept or not. Right now, of my adults, the ones that come out when I go to handle them are all just hoping for food. When they realise I have no mouse, they all slither right back. XD

I have many snakes that come out either of their own accord or if I invite them!

I like this quote from Sean Niland, in his section on hybridization, speaking on the domestication of cornsnakes:

"At some point, the domestication of captive reptiles is going to be accepted as fact. There are already more known morphs of cornsnake available than there are for the parakeet (which is already considered domesticated by most states), With many agencies, evidence of hybridization plays a role in the definition of domestication and with current trends in legislation outlawing the keeping of wildlife, declaring our little herp friends as domestic animals may play a key role in preserving our ability to keep these animals."

This is a very interesting idea! One thing I'm curious about.. are you going to handle all of the hatchlings the same amount? It seems like even unconscious favorites that get handled more might have some kind of advantage. In order for the experiment to work best it seems like having human interaction be one of the controlled variable is essential.

Does that make sense?

The 'handling' will be confined to the checking for kinks once a month, and removal from viv to feeding tub, and back again.

Any updates on this project? sorry if this is a noobish way to ask. I'm not used to forums like this.

I had a couple bad fertility years and then had to downsize quite a bit and so basically gave up on it. It would have been nice if I'd had the space/time/health for it as it would have been very fun to do.

Oh, that's unfortunate. I hope you'll be able to pick it back up sometime.