How do you get creamcicles?

[MouseKilla]

Which snake? The GP Rat or the Snow Corn?

[vanderkm]

On the progeny predictor I just treat the Great Plains Rat as a normal corn - even though they have quite a bit reduced red, I don't believe they act as a form of anerythristic, although I could be wrong about that. The progeny in corn crosses certainly look like normal corns with a browner tint to the saddles. I suspect a lot of what circulates through pet stores as normal corns has some creamsicle influence as they are quite common here.

As far as attaching the photo, I find it easiest to upload the picture to your gallery and then link to it from the post - lets you put a bigger picture in. Looking forward to seeing your guy. We are picking up the female we have from friends in a week or so and will post photos when we get her before cooling,

mary v.

[MouseKilla]

yeah hopefully I can figure out this uploading business, there's obviously a way to do it LOL!

I had considered actually substituting the GP Rat with anerythristic in the progeny predictor but I figured that wasn't right because otherwise people would just make the creamsicles with those. I didn't consider normal either just because it was missing the red pigment, couldn't decide whether that meant anerythristicism or not ??. I am starting to uderstand the most basic gentic stuff but I still don't quite understand what the influence of the GP Rat is on the corn genes.

Also, what is the minimum weight of sexual maturity for corns (mainly interested in the females)? I know that they're supposed to be there by their second winter but that means very little if you haven't had them since hatching and don't know how it's been eating and so on. The reason I ask is that the 2 corns I have are at least that old but the GP Rat is way bigger. The corns are between 2 and 3 feet, the GP Rat is 4+ and way thicker in the body. I don't know if this is just a difference in between corns and rats or what. Help a rookie breeder out lol!

[vanderkm]

We are pretty much in the category of rookie breeder ourselves, but as far as body weight for female corns - I have been relying on 300 grams as a good baseline, though I believe some people have produced clutches from smaller females. I want our girls to exceed 3 feet in length and weigh at least 300 gms before breeding, but would not pass on breeding a smaller female if I knew she was over 3 years of age because I think some lines end up smaller naturally. Size for males is not an issue unless they are so small as to be intimidated - sounds like yours is a big male for a GPRat.

It is my understanding that GPRats coloration doesn't show the reds of corns, but that it is not anerythristic because the saddle color is still brownish indicating red pigments are present in the skin - unlike the anery corns (though some of them have faded saddles that look brownish especially in the centre). I think some of the features of the saddle shape and the markings down the sides may be more useful in distinguishing true Great Plains rats from anery corns - I still have doubts about the female we have being a true GPRat, so that is why I am quite interested in seeing photos of others.

Good luck with the breeding efforts,

mary v.

[MouseKilla]

I have now measured and weighed them and the female is about four feet long and about 550-600g (confirmed that she's a girl too!) The male GP Rat is about 4.5 ft and a chubby 1200g. I didn't realize how much bigger rat snakes get. The male is going down for cooling tonight and the female is getting a feeding or two first, then a break, then cooling. Hopefully it all works out properly and we get our first clutch this spring, we're virgins at it so we're super excited. I'll get working on the picture business too, I have some on the camera, just have to take it to a friend's place to put them on CD for me...