The color pink invokes imagery like a baby’s cheeks, a cuddly bear, a cute puppy, an adorable snake, or the pink ribbon on a little girl’s dress. Wait, what? An adorable snake? Can snakes be pink? Well, if you rustle through the corn snake morph collection, you might be able to get yourself a pink corn snake for this Christmas!
Yes, pink corn snakes indeed exist. But are they actually the color pink, or is there some mystery behind that look? No, a pink corn snake does not blush or wear makeup, they look like that for a reason and we will soon get to know why. Corn snakes in the United States look mostly orange and red, so a pink one raises an eyebrow! Let’s explore deeper!
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Pink Corn Snake: Wriggle Through Jelly-Like Pinky Cuteness!
In the following segments, you will get to know if pink corn snakes are actually pink or is there more than what meets the eye. Let’s wriggle out of our burrow and slither forward.
What Do Pink Corn Snakes Look Like?
Indeed, there are some pink corn snakes in the large corn snake morph collection. Hybrid- ization and inbreeding between different wild-types and captive-bred morphs have given rise to a completely new generation of corn snakes that look quite different from their ancestors. There are all sorts of colors available, pink, lavender, white, black, yellow, red and even blue!
A snake cannot produce the color “pink” exclusively because there is no dedicated pigment that can produce that color. However, subdued hues of red and orange colors may create the illusion of pink. Most pink corn snakes, however, are actually white but may look pink, depending on the angle of illumination, like snow or opal corn snakes.
How Can A Corn Snake Be White And Pink At The Same Time?
Owing to certain gene combinations, some morphs of corn snakes may have genetic conditions like amelanism (albino), hypomelanism, leucism, and anerythrism (anery). The first three cause little to no production of melanin pigment which is responsible for the black coloration in the body of the snake. As a result, the corn snake may be bright orange or red, with no black visible. The eyes may be red, and the edges around the red saddles may be white or gray.
The last one, anerythrism, causes the snake to not manifest colors like red, orange and yellow. So a snake that is an anery, will have only black or brown colors (melanins) on its body. For the snake to be completely white, as in the case of pink corn snakes, the snake needs to be both amelanistic and anerythristic. Corn snakes like blizzard and snow are good examples.
Now, due to the lack of melanin pigment, the blood vessels under the skin of the white corn snakes are more visible to the eye, thus creating the illusion that the corn snake is pink. A reduced production of red pigments may also create pink coloration on the body, like in the case of coral ghost corn snakes that are pink with light gray saddles. Coral ghost corn snakes are born to strawberry (bright red, hypomelanistic) and anerythristic parents.
In the case of blue and lavender corn snakes, a pigment cell called ‘iridophore’ may play a role. Iridophores, together with some crystalline chemochromes, act as a reflective mirror on the surface of the snake’s skin. This creates an optical illusion of blue and green colors!
Does The Whole Body Of A Pink Corn Snake Look Pink?
In a coral ghost corn snake, which is one of the most pink-looking corn snake morphs there is, one can observe the strongest pink hues emitting from its head and flank region. Their ventral parts are mostly white, with faint gray checkerboard patterns.
An opal corn snake may not be that pink, but when an opal is bred with an anerythristic corn snake, it produces another pink morph called the “Snopal”. Believe it or not, a snopal is even “pinkier” than an opal. They look purple and pink all over, and glisten in the light.
What Do The Eyes Of Pink Corn Snakes Look Like?
As most pink corn snakes are amelanistic, their eyes appear to be pink or red. The pupil is red, instead of the usual black, and the rings around the pupil are pinkish. and glossy. The eyes look red or pink for the same reason why their body looks pink. The blood vessels that function right beneath the retina are quite visible due to lack of melanin, creating a pink illusion.
How Many Types Of Pink Corn Snakes Are There?
For a corn snake to be completely whitewashed for the pink to show through, it needs to be both amelanistic and anerythristic. Let’s meet some beautiful corn snakes with pink to purple hues.
- Coral Ghost: These are interbreeds between anerythristic and strawberry corn snakes. They look maroonish and white when they are young, but turn into these pink snakes with grayish saddle markings. They are a blurred shade of red from strawberry corn snake parents.
- Salmon Snow: One of the most pink-colored snow snakes there is that retains their pink color into maturity. These snakes have a beautiful mixture of pink and purple that seem to diffuse with each other producing a candy-like, delicious look. They are a version of strawberry snakes.
- Snopal: They are a mixture of anery, amelanistic and lavender corn snake genetic materials. Hatchlings are pink with white saddles. They grow to be pearly white with pink hues radiating.
- Citrine: They are yet another pink version of corn snakes to go ga-ga over. As hatchlings, these babies look pink with white saddles, but as they grow, they look princessy pink with purple saddle markings. They are a caramel snake morph.
- Amel Cinder: Needless to say, they are amelanistic versions of cinder corn snakes. They look pink as hatchlings and retain their pink coloration to adulthood. As adults, they look mostly white with the most beautiful perforated look on their baby-pink saddle markings.
- Platinum: Platinum corn snakes are silvery to look at, but certain versions like the diffused platinum corn snakes have a pinkish glow to their body. They are hypomelanistic charcoals.
- Ghost Bloodred: These morphs of corn snakes have a brown and white appearance when they are young, but metamorph into purplish-pink snakes as they mature. They are an interbreed between anery, dffused, hypomelanistic, and motley versions. There are scaleless, motley and tessera versions of these snakes that look phenomenal.
- Opal: As hatchlings, they have salmon pink colors on their tiny body. However, as they mature they turn completely white, radiating soft pink glow at certain points of illumination. They are a breed between an amelanistic and a lavender corn snake.
- Lavender: One of the most popular corn snakes are the purplish-pink lavender corn snakes. They have whitish saddle markings and look exquisite.
- Snow: Snow hatchlings look dreamy pink but turn completely white as they grow older. As they mature, they develop yellow coloration on their saddles.
What Do Baby Pink Corn Snakes Look Like?
Pink corn snake babies look exactly that– “baby pink”. They grow anywhere between 5 and 12 inches and weigh about 35 to 50 gm. Snopal corn snake babies, for instance, look pink overall with beautiful ornate saddle marks all over their tiny little body. Citrine corn snake hatchlings, that are caramel morphs, look pink too, with white saddles.
However, certain corn snakes, though they look pink or white when they grow older, have a completely different color when they are young. Take opal corn snakes as an example. They look quite orange when they hatch out, only to look completely white when they mature. Ghost bloodred babies look purplish-pink both in their young age and mature age.
How Do Pink Corn Snakes Reproduce?
In the wild, the classic Carolina corn snakes usually mate in the spring, right after the winter brumation, and the female lays eggs sometime in the summer. They usually lay their eggs in a warm and moist place so that the babies inside get the correct temperature and humidity. The babies hatch out from the eggs by using their egg-tooth to break through the leathery eggs.
Pink corn snakes are captive-bred and are not found in the wild. At first, breeders make sure that the parent snakes are healthy before they mate, because if they are not, they may perish during the brumation period or other complications may occur. In captivity, pink corn snakes undergo brumation within a temperature range of 60 to 70°F. The temperature should be lowered as time progresses and this should continue for 2-3 months.
Right after brumation, the females release pheromones that attract the males, resulting in successful copulations. Before brumation and after copulation, the females develop a voracious appetite. 20-30 days after mating, the gravid female is ready to lay eggs. The mother snake stops eating 1-2 weeks before egg-laying time to gather energy for laying eggs.
Care-Sheet For Pink Corn Snake!
As pink corn snakes are amelanistic, you would do them a favor by keeping them away from harsh bright lights, and prolonged exposures to sunlight. Other than this, taking care of pink corn snakes is just the same as with other corn snakes. A temperature gradient should be maintained within the terrarium. Humidity could be maintained with water pots and misters.
Within a closed environment, a pink corn snake does not have to face food crisis or predation by larger animals. It is always well-fed and cherished by its human owners. Pink corn snakes thus thrive in a controlled habitat and may live for longer than 20 years! In captivity, they are fed frozen mice and rats, and sometimes bird eggs.
How Much Do Pink Corn Snakes Cost?
Morph prices could be checked here. Pink or white corn snakes are a bit on the costlier side but you will get the value for your money. Below is a price range list of a few pink corn snakes.
- Lavender: $45 to $400
- Snow: $90 to $440
- Opal: $55 to $500
- Ghost Bloodred: $80 to $325
- Coral Ghost: $150 to $200
FAQ
You should know as much as possible about pink corn snakes before adopting or buying one. They are beautiful snakes but you do not want to regret later.
Q: Are pink corn snakes albino?
Ans: Pink corn snakes are actually white corn snakes that look pink because of a lack of melanin. They are amelanistic or albino.
Q: Are pink corn snake bites poisonous?
Ans: Pink corn snakes rarely ever bite. But even if they do bite, there is no need to worry. Corn snakes, be they any color, are non-venomous. They do not even have fangs.
Q: How to handle a pink corn snake?
Ans: Place one hand below their head and another below their stomach region, and keep alternating, and let them wriggle along your arms. Also, always wash your hands before handling a snake to remove the smell of food or other animals.
Thoughts
Let’s face it, pink corn snakes are gorgeous. Most pink corn snake hatchlings look baby pink in color, though they may look more white or purplish when they grow older. By far, the pinkest corn snake morphs would be the coral ghost, snopal and salmon snow morphs. Lavenders are more purplish than pink, though extremely popular as pet snakes.
Pink corn snakes are actually white corn snakes. They are albinos, and because they have reduced amounts of melanin in their body, their blood vessels are more visible creating the illusion of a baby pink coloration. They are amazing and highly sought-after world-wide.
