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Description
Corn Snake (Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless)
Scientific Name: Pantherophis guttatus
Common Name: Corn Snake
Species Overview
Size: Adults typically reach 3–5 feet (0.9–1.5 m) in length, with a lean, muscular build and smooth, glossy scales.
Appearance: The Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless Corn Snake combines two powerful pattern-reducing traits to create a smooth, clean, and modern appearance. This Corn Snake displays rich tones of orange, red, or copper over an evenly colored body with minimal contrast. The Motley gene connects or eliminates dorsal blotches and removes belly checkering, while the Diffused (Bloodred) gene further reduces or erases dorsal patterning entirely—often leaving only faint traces or none at all. The result is a sleek, uniform snake with a glowing, gradient-like appearance and a spotless underside. Hidden within, the Pied and Scaleless genes add tremendous breeding potential: Pied introduces patchy white patterning when expressed, and Scaleless produces a glass-smooth, pattern-enhancing effect. The overall look is warm, simple, and polished—an exceptional example of minimalist beauty in Corn Snakes.
Distribution: A selectively bred morph of the Corn Snake (P. guttatus), combining Motley and Diffused visual traits with recessive carriers for Piedside and Scaleless.
Habitat: Wild Corn Snakes inhabit open forests, grasslands, and agricultural zones across the southeastern United States. In captivity, they thrive in naturalistic terrariums that offer hiding spots, climbing structures, and soft substrate for burrowing.
Behaviour: Calm, intelligent, and steady. Corn Snakes are crepuscular, most active around dawn and dusk. The Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless Corn Snake is both visually appealing and behaviorally reliable, maintaining the calm, adaptable nature typical of the species.
Captive Care
Enclosure: A naturalistic 40-gallon terrarium (36” × 18” × 18”) or larger is ideal for adults. Use a soil-based or bioactive substrate layered with leaf litter to promote burrowing and natural exploration. Provide multiple hides, cork flats, climbing branches, and plant cover for enrichment and visual security.
Temperature & Humidity: Maintain a daytime gradient of 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a basking area around 86–88°F (30–31°C). Allow nighttime drops to 70°F (21°C). Keep humidity between 40–60%, with a humid hide provided during shedding.
Diet: Feed frozen-thawed rodents every 7–10 days for juveniles and every 10–14 days for adults. Prey should be roughly 1.25× the width of the snake’s mid-body.
Behaviour in Captivity: Calm, confident, and easy to handle. Corn Snakes thrive in structured naturalistic setups. The Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless Corn Snake’s smooth appearance and genetic potential make it an outstanding display animal and breeder alike.
Special Considerations: This morph carries two recessive genes with strong visual impact when expressed—breeding to compatible partners can produce Scaleless, Piedside, or combination patternless offspring of exceptional visual quality.
Genetics Note
Motley (Recessive)
Removes belly checkering and connects or eliminates dorsal blotches, creating smooth, linear, or uniform body patterns.
Diffused / Bloodred (Recessive)
Removes both dorsal and ventral patterning, producing rich, even coloration and a clean, patternless underside.
het. Pied (Recessive Carrier)
Carries one copy of the Piedside gene, which creates irregular white patches along the sides when expressed. (“het” is short for heterozygous, meaning one copy is carried but not displayed.)
het. Scaleless (Recessive Carrier)
Carries one copy of the Scaleless gene, which removes external scales when visual, producing a smooth, glass-like surface.
Genetic Combination Summary
The Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless Corn Snake expresses two visible recessive traits and carries two hidden ones:
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Motley = Removes belly checkering and simplifies or connects dorsal pattern
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Diffused / Bloodred = Reduces or removes dorsal and ventral patterning entirely
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het. Pied (Piedside) = Carrier for white-sided pattern expression
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het. Scaleless = Carrier for scale-removal mutation
Together, these genes produce a Corn Snake with minimal patterning, a clean appearance, and outstanding genetic versatility. The Motley Diffused het. Pied Scaleless Corn Snake embodies modern Corn Snake refinement—simple, elegant, and capable of producing some of the most visually breathtaking combinations in captivity.