Coming out of the Closet!

**HanneysCorns** · 12-09-06, 06:17 PM

I'm so happy to see a sub-forum for hybrids and intergrades. For some reason hybrids seem to carry a stigma; it's not pure corn, so where does it fit in?

I received a gift of an adult gopher x corn in Red Deer this year. When I was invited into the breeder's snake room, he showed me corns, boas, womas, balls and then brought out another rubbermaid container. The first thing he did was apologize to me. Knowing my passion for corns, he thought he would offend me by showing me a hybrid. He told me gopher folks didn't like the fact he'd muddied the water so to speak, and he hoped I didn't feel the same way being a corn folk.

When I saw Ben, I feel instantly in love. He looked like a normal corn but 'different'. When I felt Ben's keeled scales and felt that gopher throaty trill as he slithered thru my hands, I knew this hybrid cross was something I could really project on.

When we took Ben to display at reptile shows, I couldn't believe the number of folks who approached me in disbelief that a cornaholic had something not 100% corn in their collection and was promoting hybrids.

Creamsicles have become accepted; jungle corns too but not as many are involved with that cross. I'm sure there are many other corn crossings which have been tried. Having a forum such as this truly allows those who have an interest in corn hybrids to feel comfortable discussing their projects.

Kudos to the administration for giving us this forum. It is a 'first' to my knowledge and I belong to several cornsnake based websites.

Now, here's Ben...my pride and joy.

In 2007 we are hoping to breed Ben with Casper, our ghost female, and Candy, our amel female. The purpose of the project is two fold. I want to see if the hatchlings (now 75% corn/ 25% gopher) will still retain the keeled scales and throaty trill of the gopher heritage. Ben's dam was normal corn; her hets if any are unknown. Since amel, hypo, and anery are some of the most common hets, I hoping to discover if Ben carries any of these genes recessively.

I've lots of plans for Ben in the future, but am just taking one year at a time.

Ruth

**Becky** · 12-12-06, 12:25 AM

I love this hybrid combination. He is a handsome guy, Ruth. Thanks for posting him. Good luck with his breeding plans.

**vanderkm** · 12-12-06, 02:59 PM

He is a great looking hybrid Ruth - will be very intersting to see what develops from that line,

mary v.

**Mrs. InsaneOne** · 12-13-06, 02:31 AM

He doesn't really show much traits of a gopher, that I can see from a picture, though he does have a bit of a different look to him. Do you have any belly shots of Ben? I definately love to see how his first offspring turn out too.

There are only a few hybrids out there that I really, really like and this guy might just add gopher/corn to the list if his children look just as handsome as papa.

Jenn

**poppycorn** · 01-04-07, 02:15 PM

felt that gopher throaty trill as he slithered thru my hands

Ben is definately a handsome boy but not being familiar with gophers, what do you mean by a "throaty trill"?

**Joni Garcia** · 01-04-07, 02:19 PM

Ben's a very nice looking boy! I can see why he's your pride and joy. He's awesome!

**HanneysCorns** · 01-04-07, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by poppycorn

Ben is definately a handsome boy but not being familiar with gophers, what do you mean by a "throaty trill"?

Well, gopher corns make this funny vocal noise, very gutteral in sound, not a hiss as such...best way to desribe it is...like a rattle. From what I have read, they expand their lungs, you can actually see their sides expand just before they do this, then they exhale air back out very rapidly and in short spurts.

With Ben, you can actually fell the air passing over his throat but the sound is no where near as loud as a true gopher. His tends to sound more like a succession of ticking noises.

I also have a Sonoran female gopher. She uses the trill, as I call it, as a defense mechanism. Gophers tend to be all noise and no bite. Her's is much more hiss and rattle, then tick.

Sorry I can't describe it any better than that. I can make the noise...to bad we don't have audio....

Thanks for all positive comments about Ben, they are appreciated.

Ruth

P.S. Jenn, belly shots are coming up in the next post for you. Sorry it took so long.

**HanneysCorns** · 01-04-07, 04:30 PM

Jenn, here's the belly shots you requested...very much resembling corn.

He's been off his food for two weeks now. Has been introduced to one of his ladies but so far shows no interest. The ghost female I have picked out for him has just now gone into shed. We'll see next week how he acts post shed. I may have to cause a little 'friction' or 'competition' by introducing a corn male if he doesn't get the idea himself. Just hope he doesn't decide to remain celibate!

Ruth

Snowfyre · 01-04-07, 05:50 PM

Or if he is coming out of the closet then he might go for the male corn snake instead.

Fenderplayer108 · 01-04-07, 10:44 PM

Woah! I love that face. Looks like a pure gopher, with a corn pattern. I love the pituophis and elaphe hybrids. That one has gotta be one of the more interesting ones I have seen to this day.

Thanks for the post!