Is this an Albino??

[Albino Billy]

I have a new snake and I have named him Albino Billy. He is without a doubt the sweetest snake I have ever handled but I don't know what kind he is... I was told, by describing him over the phone, that he is an Albino Corn snake. Do any of you own one and if so, is this indeed an Albino?? :shrugs:

 

[Serpwidgets]

Looks like a butter. He would be both amelanistic (albino) and caramel.

 

[Albino Billy]

Thanks! I have never seen a butter. My brother studied herpetology and we always had snakes when I was a kid but my husband and I actually walked up on this big guy lying in the middle of our condo's parking lot. He doesn't act like he was a wild snake and was probably someone's pet that got loose. We have created quite a vivarium for him and HOPE we are doing everything right. Do you know much about butters?

 

[dionythicus]

I know that to come across an adult butter corn out and about is an incredibly, amazingly lucky find. I would guess that it definitely belonged or belongs to someone and did not occur in the wild. An adult butter corn mostly likely was somebody's pet. They are worth $150 to $200, thereabouts.

You might want to post a Found Snake ad in your condo manager's office. The owner might want it back. Because of reptile prejudice, the owner may not want to post a Lost Snake ad to avoid freaking people out. I'd hate to give it up, but I think someone is looking for it.

If not, great find!

 

[Serpwidgets]

Thanks! I have never seen a butter. My brother studied herpetology and we always had snakes when I was a kid but my husband and I actually walked up on this big guy lying in the middle of our condo's parking lot. He doesn't act like he was a wild snake and was probably someone's pet that got loose. We have created quite a vivarium for him and HOPE we are doing everything right. Do you know much about butters?

Ya, it would be highly unlikely that he's a wild snake. I think you're right that it's probably an escaped pet. Butter corns are not super rare in the captive population.

They have the same requirements as any other corns. The only thing different is that he may be more sensitive to light since he's an albino.

Also, if he's been out for a while and eating wild prey, you might want to bring him in to a vet and have him checked out for parasites.

 

[Albino Billy]

I am so glad I found this forum! You guys are awesome. I think I will put a note up at our clubhouse and let them know that he has been found and is in good hands. I don't think I can bring myself to give him up though. I usually get attached to furry creatures but I have really gone out of my way to make sure he is in the right environment. I have a four foot aquarium that has been set up as a snake cage with heavy duty wire mesh tops. He has a cool side and a warm side with a hide at each end. I have one of those lights that sits on top of the mesh. (Is this good?) He has fresh water in a good size artificial rock bowl, a couple of climbs and newspaper as his substrate. The only worry I have is the lamp. I have read that underneath heating pads that attach to the cage are good. (Are they?) He is also eating well. Since I didn't know how long he had been on his own but guessing not very long since he is in pristine condition, I got him two frozen rat pups. I tried a small rat but it was too big and he wouldn't eat it. He ate one pup and I tried the second and he took right to it. He is VERY docile and once I placed the thawed and warmed rat pup in his vivarium, he went right over and ate. He has been in his warm hide ever since though. Is this normal??

 

[norsmis]

Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Good job. The heat lamp is fine as long as it doesn't get too hot. I would suggest a thermometer or some way to monitor the heat so you have a gradient of around 83 at the hot end to around 75 at the cool end if possible. This allows the snake to thermoregulate. Everything else sounds great! Good luck in finding the owner (or keeping him!).

 

[Albino Billy]

Thanks! I am sure trying. He is SO beautiful and about 4 feet long. I talked to a guy who raises snakes and he said that for this size and type, a frozen (and then thawed, der) breeder mouse once a week would be good for him. Does that sound adequate? Or should I go longer between feedings? He is long but has a very small head and the rat pups were the perfect size but I don't want to keep feeding him two at a time. He said the breeder mouse would be good once a week. How do I check to make sure the temp is correct? I have the vivarium in my bedroom and my husband likes it cold in our room at night. I don't want Billy (lol) to get too cool and I turn off his lamp at night. Will he still be ok all curled up in his hide without the heat lamp? Sorry for all the questions but I want to make sure I am doing right by this snake.

Holly

 

[Serpwidgets]

So, what morph are you getting for your second corn? :sidestep:

(They're addictive, don't say nobody warned you! :grin01: )

The undertank heaters are generally better since they can be left on 24/7. You don't have to stick it to the bottom of the aquarium. In fact, they often run a little warmer than needed, so you might want to try sitting it under the tank with the tank raised up a bit, using this to control the temperature.

Newspaper is fine as a substrate, too. If you want something prettier, other options are available, like shredded aspen or repti-bark. (Aromatic bedding is bad though, especially cedar.)

 

[Piper]

Wow, wish I found a beauty like that in the parking lot :wavey:

Usually after my snakes eat they stay in their hide (on the warm side) for 1-3 days. I don't handle them for 3 days - this gives them time to digest ....or the snake might regurgitate it's meal. Regurg is quite a stressful experience for a snake. uke01: Think of swimming laps after Thanksgiving dinner.

That butter looks like it's in perfect condition

 

[Mary-Beth]

He's a beautiful snake and it sounds like you're taking good care of him, but how can you keep someone else's pet?

 

[Albino Billy]

Good question... I wouldn't want to keep someone else's pet BUT I have absolutely no idea how to find the rightful owner in the area where I live. I live in a condominium and 80% of the residents are elderly. I came to find this out the hard way... Oh well. Now I have lots of adopted grandparents. Anyway, I know almost everyone out here and know for a fact that none of them owned this snake. I would hope a good pet owner would put a sign out saying they lost an exotic pet and that it is harmless and just to call a number if sighted. This might be hard too because too many people are scared of snakes to begin with. On the other hand, I know of too many instances where people get bored with their exotic pet and actually set it free to parish in the wild. So, not knowing how this beauty came to be out in the wilds of our condominiums, I will post a sign saying I have found an exotic pet and that it is in very good hands. If they contact me, I would offer to buy it or hope to at least get visitation. But more than likely, no one will know who owned this snake....
Now, on to the other posts about Billy. My vivarium is a rather large one and is on a stand that is 28 inches high. I got it at a pet store for $100. I hope that was a good price.. LOL! They have the heating pads that attach to the bottom of this bad boy and I was thinking about getting that kind. Any other suggestions before I do that?

Holly

 

[Albino Billy]

What if I build some kind of mini stand underneath the vivarium to put the heat pad a few inches below his heated hide area??? Would that work???

Holly

 

[Mary-Beth]

Good question... I wouldn't want to keep someone else's pet BUT I have absolutely no idea how to find the rightful owner in the area where I live.

.........

...Any other suggestions before I do that?

Holly

Put fliers up at the post office and local grocery stores.
Put a found ad in the news paper.
Just my suggestions.

 

[Roy Munson]

I dunno. Part of being a responsible snake owner is secure containment. If you allow a snake to escape, and in the unlikely event that it somehow eludes predation long enough to be rescued by a responsible and willing keeper, I'm happy to see the snake stay where it is. I don't think I'd even post a notice. I might glance at the 'missing' ads in the paper, or take a quick look at that clubhouse bulletin board, but that's about it. :shrugs:

 

[Mary-Beth]

I dunno. Part of being a responsible snake owner is secure containment. If you allow a snake to escape, and in the unlikely event that it somehow eludes predation long enough to be rescued by a responsible and willing keeper, I'm happy to see the snake stay where it is. I don't think I'd even post a notice. I might glance at the 'missing' ads in the paper, or take a quick look at that clubhouse bulletin board, but that's about it. :shrugs:

I'm kinda surprised Dean.
If that happend with Bill would you feel the same way?
Everyone makes mistakes, should they loose their pet over it?

 

[Albino Billy]

Thank you Roy!! My sentiments EXACTLY! That's even what my husband said. Without knowing where this baby came from and being the animal lover that I am, I went straight out and spent a lot of money to insure a safe and secure environmet for him. He is watched over as if he is one of my babies. I will do everything in my power to make sure he lives a very long and happy life. Being raised with snakes as a child but not having them in adulthood, I am rediscovering the wonder and beauty of them and now my children get to learn about them too.

 

[Albino Billy]

Yikes!! Is it Roy or Dean??? :shrugs:

 

[Mary-Beth]

You're assuming it was something the owner did that let the snake get out.
What if they were out of town and had a snake sitter?
What if someone visited with their child and the kid let it out when no one was looking?
Heck, what if something fell and knocked the viv over?
All I know is that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I found someones pet and I didn't at least TRY to find its owner.
I'm done with this thread now though because it sounds like you had your mind made up from the moment you found it -

I went straight out and spent a lot of money to insure a safe and secure environmet for him

Spending a lot of money wouldn't have been necessary if you were just going to keep it till you found its home.

 

[Roy Munson]

I'm kinda surprised Dean.
If that happend with Bill would you feel the same way?
Everyone makes mistakes, should they loose their pet over it?

Bill may not be the best example.

I don't mean to bash those who have had escapes, and I'm always happy to hear about a recovered escapee. Every situation is different; I have more sympathy for someone who loses a wily 13" hatchling, than for someone who loses a 3' butter. Everyone makes mistakes, and if a mistake leads to an escape, then it is up to the person who screwed up to do what they can to recover the snake. If I find a butter in my driveway tomorrow, I'm not going to put my number out there so that every wacko in the world who wants a free snake can call me. I might look in the paper, or call the rental office at my apartment complex, but that would be the end of my efforts.

Should this butter's original owner lose the pet because of a mistake? I don't know if 'should' has any meaning in this scenario. I would venture to guess that most unrecovered, escaped corns meet very early deaths. All of the corn literature and resources give clear warnings about the ability of corns to capitalize on any escape opportunity. It's like temps. All the lit and resources address this husbandry aspect too. If this butter's original owner had left the snake's viv in direct sunlight, with 2 additional 150W heat lamps on top, should the owner lose the pet because of this mistake?

Even though the lit and resources don't address triple-checking a tub for a snake neck prior to snapping down the lid and racking it, common sense and carefulness should have kept me from making the mistake I made with Bill. But if he had died as a result, it really wouldn't have mattered whether he should have died or not. He would have been dead. Sometimes you get lucky, and the negative consequences of your mistakes are negligible, and sometimes you aren't so lucky. :shrugs: