Albino Corn Snake

Family: ColubridaeElaphe guttata

   Like all corn snakes, the albino corn snake makes an excellent pet for the advanced beginner.

   These colorful snakes will tame down in a short time becoming very docile, even tempered, and tolerant of frequent handling. They are very hardy and easy to maintain.

For more Information on keeping Snakes see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Herptile

Description:   The albino corn snake also referred to as the "amelanistic" or "red albino" is one of the most beautiful of the corn snakes. As an albino, they have striking, ruby-red eyes. Their body coloring is a pattern of dark red blotches on a deep orange background with a white belly. They have no black pigment. Like all corn snakes, their scales are lightly keeled.
   This snake will grow to the same size as a normal corn snake which is between three and five feet. Cornsnakes are a heavier bodied snake than the garter snake or the kingsnake, though their length is about the same.

Feeding:   They are a constrictor and their diet consists of mice and other rodents, chicks, and lizards. Feed once or twice a week, depending on the size of the food and the size of the snake. As you get to know your snake, you'll learn what its feeding needs are. Fresh water in a shallow dish should always be available.

Environment:   They do not eat other snakes, and so they can be housed alone or in groups with other snakes of similar size and habits.
   You can set up their terrarium as either a woodland type, a desert type, or a combination of the two with moderate humidity. See the terrarium types described under Basic Reptile and Amphibian Care for more information.
   This snake needs a hiding place and a small water dish. It also likes to climb, so a vertical or semi-vertical tree limb with some plant vining is great.

Temperature and Lighting requirements:   They do well at 75° to 85 F in the daytime, and 65° to 72° F at night. Because they are albino, they do not do well in bright lighting. You can use a substrate heating device for basic heating. For additional heat you can add a blacklight bulb or red incandescent bulb. Be sure you use a thermometer so you don't let the terrarium become overheated.
   For more detailed information see the Basic Reptile and Amphibian Care: Housing.

Distribution:   The albino corn snakes are breed in captivity.

Breeding/Reproduction:   These snakes, if not babies, need to be probe sexed for positive sex identification. Like all corn snakes they are egg layers and breed readily.

Availability:  The albino corn snake has been successfully bred and they are generally available as pets.

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Jillian - 2012-04-15 Angel is my Snow Albino Corn snake which I acquired as a 10 inch baby in February of 2006. At approximately 54 inches long and a circumference of about 5 1/2 inches, after the cloaca the circumference drops to about 2 inches. This has been like this for about 4 years. Just recently I noticed brown spots on the underside for approximately 6 inches from the cloaca up towards the head. She (I don't know the actual sex) has not eaten for 6 weeks, rejecting 5 different frozen mice. She is very active and has a new 'playmate' in our cat. He loves to sit atop her aquarium and watch her and she loves to reach to the top and they sniff each other through the screen. Is it possible she wants to eat the cat? Are any of these things related??? Thanks for any help you can lend :) Jeremy Roche - 2012-04-15 I have had boas that have almost seemed to make friends with the feeder I have put in. Biggest issue is that the cat can easily hurt the snake. Sounds like a curiousity thing over a food thing. Still wouldn't chance hurting eother. Anonymous - 2012-06-01 My corn snake rejected frozen pinkies for almost a month. Today I fed it a live pinkie for the first time. It pounced on it after 30 seconds of examining it. Anonymous - 2012-06-20 Look I am a beginner and does it have teeth is it venimous? Reply

Brandy - 2011-01-10 We have an albino corn snake that was a Christmas Present for our then 10 years old. We have had her for a little over a year now. Her name is Zero. Everyone that finds out we have her are always asking what we were thinking and honestly at first I didn't think that I would like or have much to do w/ her. But, over the last year I have grown to love her as much as our other pets. She is very much a part of our family. She has a personality of her own, would never dare to bite one of us (altought I'm sure if she didn't feel safe she would for protection). She is beautiful, white w/ the pinkish spots and of course her red eyes are so amazing. She has gown quite a bit since we first got her. Honestly, I would much rather get another corn snake then a cat, dog, bird, or any other kind of pet. With the proper care they do not stink, or make a mess. They are easy to feed and care for. They make a really wonderful pet for our sons and our family. We hope she will be in our family for many, many years to come. Random person - 2011-10-22 Really! My snake kind of smells....is that bad her cage can get messy from poo...are those bad!? Mikayla - 2012-01-13 Below Yes that's bad! They could crawl over it and then get so used to it that if you do clean it, they'll probably strike you( Which isn't a big deal really) and get really mad at you. Just letting you know. Reply

Jason - 2012-08-03 My corn snake is rolling on his side what could be wrong Jeremy Roche - 2012-08-04 Is the snake doing anything else?  Did it just feed?  Anything startle it? Jason - 2012-08-04 He ate last week. He died in my hands last night. he was rolling on his side and I went to check on him. he went limp in my hands and just died? i don't know. Charlie Roche - 2012-08-04 I am sorry. Reply

Kevin - 2010-02-24 What is the proper way to handle an albino corn? I just got one but I'm a little hesitant to handle him because a) I don't want to improperly handle him. The floor manager at the petco were I purchased him referred to him as trouble and took him out of his terrarium with a stick which raised my eyebrow a bit. Well he is the furthest thing from trouble so far, just curious, he seems to love his new home and ate his first fuzzy. The only downside so far is he seems to be shy or afraid to be handled. As soon as I open the top of his cage he hides and buries himself or curls up in the corner. This is where I think he is afraid in which case I don't want to handle him if he is in fear, but how do I get him use to being handled then? Is it okay to pick him up if he buries himself or curls up? I don't want my snake to be afraid of me every time I open his cage. And lastly, does it hurt if he gets frightened and he bites? Lol. dan - 2011-07-31 First off never hold him if you have just fed him within the last few days this will stress him out. To pick up the snake put your palm of your hand down and pick him up from his mid section. allow his head to move freely and always use two hands. Anonymous - 2012-07-17 We got a baby albimo snow corn about 2 ft long not sure how old, maybe 1-2 yrs. Very timid but find if handle with confidence and go in, let her know your there 1st for a min, b4 you approach then make sure u support her weight and go in with one hand on neck and one on mid body.(heavy part). But they usually will get used to you. It may be a shock if bites, thats it.It's over after it done. It's just a little shock if they do. It doesn't hurt really but persevere it wll pay off. The sooner you do it the better. The more u show fear the worse it is. good luck .Our is bootsy not sexed yet from Rochester Kent, UK Reply

Marsha C. Mais - 2012-05-24 So, exactly 1 week ago, I bought a Snow Corn that I named Rexx, since the labeling said it was a male. Hadn't had the chance to pop him to confirm since he's milked me twice in attempt. Anyways, I want to say he was a hatching since he was very tiny, about 4 or 5 inches long and as thin as a pencil. I put him in the same vivarium with our older female Albino Corn, Phoenix, who is about 2 feet long and as thick as my thumb. Anyways, last night, I saw Rexx climbing the top edge of the tank, which has a VERY secure lid. That is his normal behavior thus far since he was very active from the start. This morning, he's gone. Is there a chance that my older snake ate him since today or tomorrow is supposed to be feeding day for both? Or is it more possible that he still snuck out? There are 2 very small holes at the back corners of the lid to allow wires to go through but I never gave much though to them til I started looking for the snake this morning. A lot of professional articles I've read said putting 2 corns together is just fine..while a few personal opinions of keepers either agree or say otherwise, or that it's more likely that hatchlings will eat each other. Tracy - 2012-05-25 My daughters baby albino corn snake escaped from a tight sealed enclosure. It managed to slip through the tiniest if graps near where the lid secured. We were assured that the lid was escape proof, but I am now a believer that nothing is truly escape proof. We then went out and purchsed an Exo-Terra enclosure for it. As for the vent holes at the back we were told by two breeders to make sure that they were closed. Our daughters snake turned up inside her dresser drawer after we had ripped her room apart looking for it. Reply

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