#cornsnake as my familiar

[sarcasticsweetlara]

The cornsnake would be so useful

just having some fun with interesting fantasy imagery! Give it a reblog, if you play, please? And tell me WHY you picked what you picked if you want?

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

my dad got this beautiful boy today, we were told that he was an anery strawberry motley, which is a lot of words but i know for certain he is a good boy. we were told he's three years old, but to me he looks a little small (i'm not super familiar with cornsnakes and how big they get in terms of, like, width.) it might be hard to tell from the photo, but does three sound right? or does he look to little?

also, his name is currently shortcake but my dad wants to change it, so any name suggestions are appreciated.

He's very cute!! Congrats on this adorable new family member.

He is definitely a bit on the small side for a 3-year-old, but snakes all grow at different rates so I wouldn't be too worried about that!

[omg-snakes]

Hey, I was wondering if you could identify the morph of my cornsnake? I bought her as an ultramel motley before I knew anything about snakes, but she doesn't match the description of the morph I've seen. Her belly lacks the checkerboard pattern completely, and instead is white that fades to yellow/orange lower on her body.

Hello and what a lovely lady!

Thank you for sharing her. I think she is an Ultramel Motley from what I can see here, and a very pretty one at that!

It sounds like the description you found may have discussed Ultramel but not Motley.

For those who aren't familiar with the morph, Ultramel is a combination of Ultra and Amel, which are allelic. An allele is a specific spot on a DNA molecule where a certain gene sits, and the term allelic means two genes that do different things but occupy the same allele. Ultra is a gene introduced by breeding corn snakes with grey rat snakes, and it results in hypomelanism and some yellow/red pigment enhancement. Amel is a total lack of melanism (duh). Since these two genes sit in the same spot on the DNA molecule in corn snakes, they can mix and match to create an Amel snake, an Ultra snake, or an Ultramel with some features of both morphs: heavily reduced melanism to where it's nearly completely removed, enhanced red/orange pigments.

Motley is a pattern-altering gene, and it causes the blotches on a snake to be concentrated along the spine with reduced or absent patterning along the sides, and absent belly checkers. A high-quality Motley snake will have a solid white tummy with no checkers, usually with some red/orange color bleed towards the back half as they get older. Motley is another allelic gene, but its possible allele cohabitant is the Stripe gene!

Anyways she's gorgeous and looks very healthy and loved. Please give her a gentle pat for me.

[kog0ruhn]

Lair Review (Moons, #108830)

Beginning notes? Your lair was so hard to narrow down to six that I like. There is just a wonderful aesthetic all throughout, and I won’t lie and say that (being a bit of a TES nerd myself) I didn’t nearly pick some dragons based off of name alone. I love your use of Ayleidoon. And I just want to give a shout-out to essentially every one of your Imperials because you’re a boss at dressing what I believe is the most difficult breed to dress.

Now to the six I picked:

Konahrik was an easy selection, though I won’t lie and say it’s not because of a personal bias. Guardian dragons are the best dragon, and males typically don’t get a lot of love seeing as a lot of folks aren’t fond of their pose or find them hard to dress. And heck, they are hard to dress, which is why I’m impressed with this absolutely handsome Fire rep. Everything is just coordinated together wonderfully, from the skin you’re using to the apparel you chose for him. I’m usually not keen on using straight sets of apparel on a dragon, but the Brutal outfit looks like a whole new beast with the touches of festival apparel given to him to bring out his inherent fiery nature.

Also, while probably not intentional, I like how the skin he is wearing has areas of glow that seem to correspond with his halo and embers. It gives him a dynamic appearance that I don’t see in a lot of dragons, and was initially what made him catch my eye in your lair.

Duneripper is magical. Most of the desert-themed dragons I see on site have more of a survivalist adventurer look to them, but I don’t see a lot of survivalist nobility. His accent matches his colors and genes perfectly to a point that I almost couldn’t tell where he ended and the accent began, and I love the clever use of the seraph jewellery and light halo to enhance what his genes and accent bring to the table instead of covering it up. I honestly thought the jewellery was part of his accent at first, they match up so well. That’s to say nothing about how clever it is to “complete” the halo added by the accent, which is a really lovely touch.

Also, the shadow tertiary and secondary? What perfect choices! They complement the gold on him very well, and make him match his familiar oh-so well. And, well, can I just say I am getting some kick-ass post-apocalyptic vibes from this dude? If Xerxes and Max ever had a kid, and that kid was a dragon, it’d look exactly like Duneripper.

I already said I wasn’t a fan of straight sets of apparel, but Karan is just… wow. Despite being a XXX dragon, there’s enough variation in his genes to make him visually appealing and the color itself, umber, is one of the most underrated colors to date. It’s just so smooth and dark and velvety to look at, and with the autumny oranges added by his butterfly do well to add a lovely pop of color to him. It also goes well with the greens and grays of his apparel, since everything is otherwise so muted. Warrior he may be, he’s absolutely gorgeous and calming to look at.

Also, the headdress. The headdress looks like it’s a part of him instead of a lion skin, like he’s the big scary cat in question himself. The lighter beiges almost match the sparkles of his glimmer, and the darker bits match the fade of his wings. Everything just flows so well, making him one of the most appealing dragons in your lair.

Alasilnen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more fitting Water dragon in my life, despite being a Lightning dragon (we’ll just ignore that). Everything about her is just so free-flowing and ethereal, from the kelpie mane to the sage attire, all of which gives her one hell of a personality just from a glance. I didn’t even have to read her bio to know she was very obviously an oracle, as everything from her apparel to her regal stance to her apparent Water affiliation screams “mystic.” It’s so hard to put into words just how pleased I am to see somebody put into pixels the aesthetic I’ve had in my head for Water dragons since the get-go, let alone using the “right” breed.

I love the “extra fins” she has in the Sylvan apparel. I love her colors and her beautiful, beautiful accent that draws the eye and helps her wisps fit in with the rest of her outfit. I love how well her kelpie mane matches her safe apparel, right down to the kelp itself matching the edges of her shawl and sash. She’s beautiful, she’s wonderful, and she’s a dragon you should be very proud of.

Satakal. Just… Satakal. There’s not much written about him aside from the fact he’s a gem trader, but I can definitely see it just by looking at him. Like Duneripper, he has a very distinct desert-dweller feel, though his choice of apparel conveys his profession perfectly. A mantle and goggles to help him brave sandstorms, or perhaps the goggles are magnifiers that allow him to inspect the integrity of his stock. The Gem Thief apparel for him to carry his wares as he travels from one prospective trade area to the next. The adorable little cornsnake travel buddy sticking out of his scarf, which is both precious and practical. Pets are good for stress, and a merchant’s life is stressful.

That’s not even getting into what an absolutely beautiful dragon he is beneath all of that. I never would have imagined that algae opal, of all colors, would look so fitting for a desert-dweller theme, and the contrast of his obsidian is to die for. Then, there’s the accent, which practically glows against that sleek backdrop of black before fading into the larger patches of opal on his wings. Just, everything about him is so perfect!

I picked her because of her name. As previously mentioned, I’m a bit of a TES geek myself. But, the more I looked at her, the more it became apparent that this is undoubtedly one of the prettiest dragons you have in your lair. She has a dark elegance and refinement about her that I’ve not seen in other dragons in a very long while and is extremely hard to place. It’s haunting and beautiful, kind of like flowers growing out of a bleached ribcage. That sounds angsty as all hell, sure, but it’s the same kind of aesthetic she gives off with her golds, her violets, her roses, and her dark past.

I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but considering the Argonian-related name she has, I’m assuming her past as an assassin is a nod to the concept of Shadowscale assassins. In which case, I 100% approve and also like the way you made her actually have shadow scales, seeing as her skin almost matches the color. And if that’s not intentional, you’re more than happy to claim it is now, haha.

[dr-gloom]

But Who Here Would Ever Understand

Day four of Spook Month! This was really hard to write tbh but once it turned into a vent fic it was easier

Prompt: Sweaters and Sunsets

Fandom: Sander’s Sides

Pairing: Moxiety

Words: 3,023

Summary: Patton and Virgil have both had hard days at work, so they decide to take a little walk and talk about Serious Business(tm).

Tags/Warnings: Virgil has Borderline Personality, Patton is a transmale, poor bois, hot chocolate, sweaters, sunsets

Enjoy! 

AO3

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@sanderssidesspook​ 

Taglist:

@hungry-red-panda​

Virgil slams the front door shut, grumbling as he enters the apartment he shares with his boyfriend of four years, Patton. He’d just come home from possibly the worst day of work this year – no, not quite, don’t be dramatic. This month. – and honestly, he just wanted to punch a hole in a wall, scream into the abyss, and take a really long nap (though you’d be hard-pressed to find a day where he didn’t feel that exact feeling at least once). Patton would be home soon, but for now Virgil had the place to himself, so he paced back and forth across the living room in front of the couch, his thoughts running rampant.

He knew rationally that he should be calming himself down, that letting himself be swept up in these big mood swings wasn’t good and he wasn’t helping himself in the slightest, but that’s the thing about going from zero to eighty in two seconds; he didn’t care. His hands move up to grip his hair, his teeth grinding, his pulse racing as his feet work a groove into the carpet. He lets a frustrated, almost animalistic scream rip from his throat and he kicks the couch, his boots keeping him from hurting his toes. He falls out of step when the front door opens, startled slightly by the noise (how long has he been pacing?), Patton shuffling through the doorway and setting his messenger bag on the dining room table.

He looks up, noticing Virgil for the first time, and frowns. Without a word, he crosses the apartment and stops Virgil’s pacing by pulling him into a hug. Virgil huffs, though he’s not mad at Patton; he just needs to get all of this pent-up energy out. He hugs Patton back, resting his chin on Patton’s head. Patton speaks up, voice slightly muffled by Virgil’s hoodie. “You too, huh?” Virgil frowns at the implication of the question but nods nonetheless. Patton sighs, squeezing Virgil a little tighter. Virgil chews on his lip, a cornsnake of anger slithering in his chest. He knows whatever happened with Patton is just going to piss him off more, but not knowing is going to drive him crazy, and Patton needs to talk about his feelings.

“What happened with you?”

Patton was reluctant to answer, Virgil could feel it in the way his shoulders tensed up. Virgil taps his boyfriend’s back between his shoulder blades, and Patton forces himself to relax, refusing to let go of Virgil as he finally mumbles out, “Got misgendered a lot today.” Virgil blinks. Did he hear that right? “You got misgendered?” Patton nods. So he had heard correctly, then. “Yeah, lotta my coworkers misgendered me. It’s fine though, really, I promise!” He rushes to reassure Virgil when he feels the other tense up under his hands on his back. “Virge, baby, they were probably distracted and forgot, it happens!” Virgil shakes his head, face already set into a grimace and hands fisting in the other’s shirt. “No way, Pat. You’ve been working there for two years. There’s no way they weren’t doing it on purpose.”

When Patton only sighs in response, Virgil pulls away to resume his pacing, shoving his hands in his pockets. After a moment, he pulls them out to drag one through his hair. His hands flex, clenching and unclenching, and he shakes them out, if only to dispel some of the manic energy he’s feeling. Patton watches patiently, eyebrows knit slightly with concern.

“Honestly, how fucking hard it is to not be a fucking piece of shit?”

“Language.”

Virgil ignores him. “It’s a fucking pronoun, it’s not rocket science. Oh, you prefer male pronouns? Fuckin’ sweet, guess you’re a bro now. You prefer they/them? Okay, you can be my palhoncho, or fuck, who even cares, just use the right pronouns I’m not speaking fucking Latin. And how hard is it to just sit on a fucking horse and let it take you somewhere? Don’t fucking dig your feet into its ribs, don’t send it sprinting down the goddamn path, don’t make me have to chase you for two fucking miles! It’s common fucking sense!”

Patton has to stop Virgil pacing again, taking Virgil’s hands in his to keep them from pulling on his hair. Patton uses a hand to grip Virgil’s chin lightly and force Virgil to look at him, exaggerating his breathing. Virgil takes the hint, remembering Dr. Picani’s instructions and taking a moment to calm himself down. Once Patton was sure he was okay, he let go of Virgil’s shoulders, studying the other’s face in silence for a moment.

“C’mon, let’s go get some air.” He smiles gently at Virgil, who takes a step forward and wraps his arms around Patton instead, one hand rubbing his back softly as he kisses his temple. His hand pauses and he sighs through his nose. “Pat, you should probably take the binder off.” Patton whines, shaking his head. “I don’t want to… Besides, it hasn’t been 8 hours!” Virgil pulls back, squinting down at his boyfriend. “Like hell it hasn’t, you got dressed an hour early today, remember?”

Patton sighs and nods. “Okay… I’m putting on one of your big sweaters then. You wanna change too? You smell like horses. And poop. Actually, I’m pretty sure horses smell like poop.” Virgil laughs and nods, following Patton to their room and digging through the closet for his winter and fall clothes before handing Patton a sweater. He turns so he’s facing away from Patton, stripping out of his shirt and pants and changing into a sweater and sweat pants. “Pat, you should change into sweat pants too.”

“Oh, good idea! Okay.”

After they’ve both changed, they grab their wallets and keys and head out. They link their fingers together, Patton smiling brightly and the corners of Virgil’s mouth upturned just enough for someone to notice. They head down the stairs, Patton humming softly under his breath and Virgil pretending to be annoyed. They walk in relative silence for a while, both having a general idea of where they were going, and when they end up at the local park Virgil can feel himself relaxing further, taking Patton along the familiar path that winds along the perimeter of the park until they end up at a small hill.

Patton lets go of Virgil’s hand to run to the top, Virgil following behind at a much more carefree pace, and the two sit together, pressed against each other’s sides. The park itself is above a large portion of the city, so the two can see plenty of their home from up on the hill. There are splotches of reds, yellows, and oranges interspersed throughout the city, moving gently in the breeze and broken up by buildings (or maybe it’d be more accurate to say the buildings are broken up by the trees?). Patton rests his head on Virgil’s shoulder and Virgil wraps an arm around Patton as the two of them gaze silently over the city.

The sun starts to set not long after they get there, Virgil feeling an odd (at least, for him) sense of peace as pinks and purples bleed into the blue that had dominated the sky for so long. Clouds capture the colors and make them appear more vividly, as though an artist had been testing colors before diluting them to use them as the final product, the sunset. He looked over at Patton, taking in the other’s serene expression, the way the sunlight brightened his face, the glimmer of happiness in his eyes. Virgil’s chest hurt, a knot forming in the base of his throat, and he had to fight to keep a smile off his face. God, he loved this man so much.

Patton looks over at Virgil and his smile widens. “I love this weather, I wish it could be fall all the time!” Virgil scoffs lightly, looking away. The pain in his chest only lessens a tiny bit. “I don’t; winter is where it’s at. Constant rain, cloudy skies, biting winds and shorter days.” Patton hums. “But you like fall too.”

Virgil nods, then shrugs slightly. “Well, yeah, but it’s still hot like eighty percent of the time.”

Patton laughs. “True! But that just means you can enjoy the pool!”

“Patton.”

“What?”

“You know how I feel about public pools.”

Patton just laughs louder at that. “Yeah, I know. Maybe someday we can get a house with a real pool! One we don’t have to share with little kids.” They lapse back into silence after that. Virgil doesn’t think he’s felt this calm in a while; a few weeks at least. It’s nice, but he can’t help but worry it won’t happen again. That’s how it always was with him; he could guarantee you that he’d go into a rage or be too depressed to move, but he could never say for certain when’s the next time he’d feel content to just be. “Hey Virgil?”

Virgil blinked, startled out of his thoughts, and glanced at Patton. “Yeah, Pat?”

Patton wasn’t looking at him, eyes instead trained on the city below, as if he could see the people milling about from this distance and he was just people watching. “So you have BPD.” Virgil raises an eyebrow, waiting a moment to see if Patton will continue. When it’s obvious he’s waiting for a response, Virgil sighs softly and says, “Yes, Patton. I had it before we met and it hasn’t gone away. Your point?” He could feel himself get annoyed, and now he was getting annoyed that he was getting annoyed. God dammit.

“Well…. What’s it like? I know you tried to explain it once, but… Can you try again? I really want to understand.”

Virgil rests his elbows on his knees, leaning forward slightly and picking at his cuticles. “There’s a lot, Pat.”

“Just tell me what you know. And what you’re comfortable talking about.”

Virgil nods, pulling at the skin of his ring finger as he begins. “Well…. It’s really intense. And fast, I think. It’s like someone took the dial for emotions, cranked it to eleven, and broke it so I can’t turn it back. Everything kind of has a… physical effect? When I’m happy, it’s kind of hard to breathe, and my chest feels like it’s full of helium. When I speak, it feels like my words are people, running down my tongue and tripping over each other to get out. I get really jittery- you know what I mean, you’ve seen it.” Patton flails his hands, and Virgil nods.

“Yeah, like that. And when I’m angry, it burns. Like there’s acid in my chest and in my stomach. Everything is tense, and it feels like the only way to let the acid out is to say what I’m feeling, or just… yell. It’s… too easy to say horrible things, which kind of freaks me out. It’s like the words have no weight to them, they just fly out of my mouth. When I’m sad, my head feels full of water, or cotton. Kind of depends on the kind of sad, I think. My words get stuck in my throat, like they’re too sticky. Being anxious isn’t too different, honestly, except it’s static. And all of this is happening multiple times a day, without my control or say-so, and it’s kind of exhausting. And that’s just the emotions.”

Patton turns so he’s fully facing Virgil, who’s picking at his cuticles in earnest now, his heartrate picking up slightly. “From what I understand, there’s like… nine things we all have in common. People with BPD, I mean.” He glances at Patton quickly before staring at his hands again. “An unstable self-image, as well as an unstable image of other people and relationships….” His words catch in his throat. He thinks back to the fights they’ve had over the years, most of them because Virgil tried to break up with Patton but Patton wouldn’t let him. Even back then, Patton knew Virgil better than he knew himself, where it counted.

Patton puts a hand on Virgil’s knee, and that’s all the encouragement he needs to continue. “It tends to fluctuate between idealization and devaluation. Uh… Makes keeping people around really hard, even if you want to. Figuring out what you actually want is pretty frustrating too, honestly. It’s ironic, because it also comes with this intense fear of abandonment.” He laughs a little brokenly, picking at the skin of his finger until it’s started to bleed. “Can you imagine how many people I’ve annoyed and pissed off because I go from worshipping the ground they walk on to treating them like an annoying customer, then get clingy when they want to leave? Then there’s the compulsive behavior, which is honestly probably the most normal thing about all of this shit; everyone’s got some kind of compulsion. And when you’re not severely emotional or worrying about being alone you’re just fucking- empty. Everything’s empty, that’s your baseline. There’s no content-to-exist, happy-go-lucky, or any of that. You just exist, and you don’t know why and it feels like you can’t feel, until you inevitably blow up on someone and then you’re starting the whole thing over again.”

He looks up, the sun finally dipping below the horizon and the sky darkening into deep purples and blues. They should probably head home soon, but he doesn’t want to get up. Besides, Dr. Picani had suggested he find someone to talk to in his extremely limited circle of friends; who better than his boyfriend, who’s seen him at his worst? “Did you know uh…. There’s like, fuck, I think it’s somewhere between a fifty to seventy percent suicide rate for people with BPD? We kind of uh… self-harm. But you knew that.” He picks at the chapped skin of his bottom lip, muttering to the clouds. “I worry about that a lot. On empty days I wonder why I haven’t just done it yet, because if there’s a fifty-fifty chance it’ll happen – at least that – then what’s the point in resisting? But then I remember you.”

He looks over at Patton finally, shocked to find tears on his face. Virgil never understood where the expression “white-hot shame” came from; his shame always feels like dumping ice water on a campfire. He pulls Patton close, hugging him tightly and running his hand through the other’s hair as he shushes him softly. “No, hey, come on… Please don’t cry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. That was fucked up, really. I’m sorry.” Patton shakes his head, pulling away so he can look Virgil in the eye.

“N-no, don’t be sorry, I’m sorry. You’ve been going through all of that alone for years and I haven’t done anything to h-help you.” Virgil frowns. “Babe, you help me every day, honest. You’ve calmed me down at least what, twice? Today alone? You give me a reason to stick around. You convinced me to start seeing Dr. Picani. You give me more happy moments, which is huge. I’d much rather be suffocating with happiness than burning with anger, trust me.” Patton smiles weakly, allowing Virgil to pull him into another hug and press a kiss to his hair.

“I love you so much… Don’t ever forget that. I know sometimes I’m really bad at showing it, but I’m working on it. Me and Picani, remember? He’s helping me. I want to love you for the rest of my life, I mean that.”

Patton nods against Virgil’s shoulder, content to just sit there hugging Virgil for as long as they both need to. That turns out to be five minutes, because it’s quickly getting dark and the temperature is dropping. Virgil stands up, pulling Patton to his feet and lacing their fingers together. “Come on, let’s go home and have some hot chocolate, okay?” Patton nods, the two of them making their way back down the trail. The sleeves of the sweater Patton is wearing are a little too long for him, covering his hands partway, but Virgil thinks it’s adorable and doesn’t comment when Patton pulls his hand away to rub his hands together to keep them warm.

When they finally get home, Patton sits on the couch tiredly and Virgil heads to the kitchen to make their hot chocolate. He sets the kettle on the stove, leaning against the counter as he waits for it to boil and thinking over everything he said. He’d been scared for the longest time that telling someone all of that would drive them away, especially Patton. It wasn’t that he thought Patton was the kind of person who heard “mental illness” and ran, but… this was a lot, especially since on of the big things was unstable relationships. It wouldn’t be fair to date someone and not tell them though. He was just glad Patton didn’t seem too put-off by it, both when they’d first met and now.

The kettle starts whistling, making Virgil jump and he shoots it a glare as he turns the burner off. He goes to get two mugs, filling each with the powder and water, mixing them before bringing both out to the living room and setting them on the coffee table. He sits next to Patton, and Patton curls into his side before grabbing his own mug and taking a tentative sip. “Thanks, Virge. I love you.”

Virgil purses his lips, his chest tight and his eyes burning. “Love you too, Pat.”

Later that night, after Patton had fallen asleep watching Frankenweenie and Virgil had carried him to bed, Virgil lay beside his sleeping boyfriend, curled up on his side and studying the other’s face. Patton looked absolutely beautiful, face calm and peaceful in his sleep, eyelashes fluttering slightly but eyes staying closed. Virgil had no idea how he got so lucky to end up with someone as amazing as Patton, but he thanked whatever deity was out there that he had. He brushed his fingers against Patton’s cheek, reveling in the warmth that chased up his fingertips.

“Thank you, Patton.”

[rainhearts-hatchery]

Inspired by @moons-fr, here are some of my favorite Imperials in my lair... the Male version. Part 1. The top 3 Imps are characters from my novel, turned dragons for FR. Adian is the youngest in canon, sporting both my Leaded Glass skincent and his cornsnake friend. Janus is next, and Adian’s brother. He was my first triple Ice dragon, and has Ice eyes to match. He’s due for a regening. Ulmer is the uncle of the two and dead in canon but *shrug emoji*. He will also be getting a regening, but only after Adian and Janus are done. They’re all wolf morphs in the novel, so they all have wolf capes. :D The XXY Crimson/White dragon is a memorial for my father. He was regened with Skink/Spinner. My dad was a huge Alabama fan (they’re known as the “Crimson Tide”), and a veteran of the USAF, so with that, and his Steam Gyre familiar (since an old Alabama mascot was an eagle), I decided on this as a simple, memorial. Next to Logan is Sunburst. He held the title of oldest in the lair for quite a while, and was one of the first dragons gifted to me by a friend! I replaced his Underbelly with Opal, and he will eventually get Wasp or Pinstripe, and Alloy. On the next line, looking stressed as always, is Shine, who was born the day before my birthday, and was a color match for the breeding project I was doing at the time. His mate will be in the female post. He was the first dragon I leveled to 25, with some help from a friend (they got him to 13, and then I borrowed her pair of 25s to get him the rest of the way). He will eventually get Jag and Glimmer. After Shine is Teague! The first XXY (and I think XXX) Overcast dragon born on site with Primal eyes. There was one more when i looked, but hers weren’t Ice and she’d had them randomized. I replaced his dad with him, and found a new mate (a Noct). And getting to the end, but never the least, is Liam! Liam is a current fave, and he got all the bling from BSJ. Next to Liam is Surprise. Surprise has a brother who is a copy of the Live Update Skydancer, but he was described as a “surprise imp” in the sale post, so I decided that was his name after I brought him into the lair. And finally! Clayheart. He had Contour when I bought him, but after I got him back from a friend, I randomly scryed him with Filigree and loved it... so he got FIligree! And that’s part 1 of the boys! I will pull the other boy and girls posts together... eventually. :x

[lovelyscalies]

Excuse me, hope I'm not bothering you. A friend of mine got her first snake and it's not been eating so she's kinda freaking out. The corn snake was hatched June 6th and she got her July 17. According to the breeder all hatchling were fed three f/t pinkies before being sold. She was briefly handled twice the first week due to finding out they had handled a snake with mites while at the con but hasn't been touched since. Do you have any advice?

I haven’t worked with cornsnakes, so anyone more familiar with the species that wants to chime in here feel free.  Off the top of my head:

Checking to make sure your set up and parameters are correct is always the first thing to do when a reptile is acting off

Check to see if it’s in shed (if you’ve been letting it settle in and not handling at all, this can sneak up on you!)

Check to see it didn’t pick up mites from that show (they can be sneaky: take a damp paper towel and wipe down the snake.  If it comes away with black specks that move, you got mites).

Looks for signs of an RI (mucus, wheezing, clicking or whistling, sitting with it’s head propped up to be more vertical).

If you haven’t yet, contact the breeder and see if they might have some more specific trouble shooting tips.  They know the animal, and may be able to pin point something you’re missing based on experience.  

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I'd been thinking of getting a western hognose as my first ever snake/reptile in general (been doing my homework on their quirks too), but recently I've been seeing about how kingsnakes make fairly good pets, and mexican black kingsnakes in particular have got me captivated by their looks. Of the two, which'd be your preferred referral for a beginner snake and what'd be your reasons for and against each species?

Very cool! Kingsnakes and hognoses are both so much fun to keep, but kingsnakes are typically what I'd recommend for most beginners. That said, though, it's absolutely possible that a hognose would be best for you! Here are a few of the big things to keep in mind with each.

You'll never catch me saying that hognoses make bad first snakes, per se, but they can be a bit tricky for new keepers.

Pros of hognoses:

Hognose snakes have pretty simple care. Their temp/humidity needs are not at all demanding, and they're hardy enough to be forgiving of mild beginner mistakes.

They stay small, and will never need a massive enclosure (unless you just want to give them one!)

They're very much individuals with huge personalities.

Cons of hognoses:

They can be picky eaters. It's important to buy a snake that's already eating well on frozen/thawed, unscented food items.

Depending on your individual, you might get a snake that's very hissy and defensive, one that's super chill, or one that prefers to stay hidden under the substrate most of the time. Like I said, they're big individuals, so you'll never know what you're going to get.

That hiss of theirs can be very intimidating for new keepers. Picking up a hissing snake can be scary if you're not used to keeping snakes, and they're amazingly loud for their size. Legit, I have hognoses that put bullsnakes to shame. If you're already nervous about handling your first snake, they can be tricky.

They are venomous, and although their venom isn't medically significant to humans, it can still make for a rough day depending on how you react to it. Defensive bites are very, very rare, but they're not the smartest snakes and mistaken feeding bites can happen. It's something to be very aware of before getting one.

Kingsnakes are generally one of my top recommendations in general. They're going to make good pets for most people.

Pros of kingsnakes:

Again, very simple care. They're trickier than a cornsnake, but they're very easy snakes to care for. They're also pretty hardy and essentially bomb-proof as adults.

AMAZING food responses. Like, kingsnakes are the best eaters in the world.

As adults, they tend to have easy-going, confident personalities. They're inquisitive, love exploring, and are super easy to handle and work with.

They stay around 3-4 feet as adults on average. This means they'll need a 4x2x2 enclosure at minimum, but it's a great size for handling and doesn't mean you'll need a massive enclosure (again, unless you want to get one).

Cons of kingsnakes:

Sometimes their food response is too good. Mistaken feeding bites are very possible. They're probably not the best first snake if you're worried about being bitten, especially if you're not familiar with reading snake body language.

They can be tricky to handle when they're hatchlings. Some are squirmy and flighty, and some will musk. This will improve with age and frequent handling.

Both are great choices! Good luck as you decide which is right for you! :)

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Wait did you say the egg eaters don’t have teeth? I assume that means they’re completely unable to bite? That’s so cool that honestly sounds like the ideal snake for me cuz I love them but the fear of being bitten is very high. You think an egg eating snake can be a beginner snake ? Or are they harder to care for?

Honestly, and I mean this with all the love in my heart, if you only want a specific species of snake because it can't bite you, you might not be ready for a snake.

Egg eaters don't have difficult care requirements, and usually make great pets, but there are a few things (aside from the difficulty of finding tiny eggs for them to eat) that don't really make them good for beginners. It's difficult to gauge what size egg is appropriate for them if you're not familiar with snakes, and because of this it's very easy to underfeed them or give them eggs that are dangerously big. Also, most in captivity are wild-caught, and it takes someone who is both experienced with reptiles and who has a good relationship with a local reptile vet to identify any parasites or injuries (common in wild-caught snakes) and get them treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. They can't bite, but when you first get them, there's going to be a good chance the snake will crash on you if you're not confident and experienced with keeping reptiles.

If being bitten is your big worry with a snake, might I suggest a cornsnake for your first? They're very docile and rarely bite, and are a perfect beginner snake.

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Hi! Sorry if this sends twice, I tried to ask this before and my internet flaked out. Is there a type of snake you'd recommend as a pet for someone uncomfortable with feeding them rats? (Even pre-killed ones, as I know live feeding isn't generally a thing you should do in the first place.) I just also love rats a lot, so even seeing dead ones is upsetting for me. Sorry if this is a dumb question-- I've never owned/had to feed a pet snake before, though I've handled some owned by friends and know how to safely handle them.

Not a dumb question at all!

There are a few options for people who don't want to feed snakes rodents, but I'll be honest - they're unfortunately probably not good choices for people who aren't already super familiar with keeping snakes.

The obvious suggestion is an egg-eating snake (any snake in the family Dasypeltis). They're small, easy-to-handle, easy-to-keep snakes, but unfortunately, because of their size, unless you have reliable access to tiny quail or finch eggs, they're not a great choice.

There are also several species of snakes (like vine snakes) who eat small lizards, but unless you have a breeding colony of anoles, those aren't a great choice, either, and they tend to be very difficult to handle.

A possible solution is to feed a snake exclusively Reptilinks sausages - they're nutritionally complete, and mean you wouldn't have to feed rodents at all, just frozen sausages. This would limit you to a snake like a cornsnake or kingsnake that aren't picky eaters, though, and it would mean spending a pretty penny on sausages every few months.

Sorry I didn't have a better answer for you! The fact of the matter is most snakes are just going to do best on frozen/thawed rodents.