BLIZZARD CORN SNAKE GUIDE (Color, Traits, Characteristics, FAQ)

Interested in Blizzard Corn Snakes? This guide is for you!

The blizzard white corn is a designer snake species created by progressive breeders. This is one of the many pure white corn snakes that have emerged in recent years.

The blizzard corn snake commands a high price because of its beauty and striking appearance. Its color, traits, and characteristics carry the designer morphs of charcoal corn snakes and albinos. When the qualities of these two snakes are combined, they produce a pure white 100% blizzard corn snake.

As this designer morph gets older, it may turn slightly yellow. This is normal for most small reptiles as they age; it’s nothing to be worried about.

What Does a Blizzard Corn Snake Look Like?

Blizzards are pure white designer morphs that may turn slightly yellow as they age. This snake looks very much like snows – solid white all over.

Because they are bred from albinos, they spot red eyes. However, unlike albinos, blizzards may have a tinge of pink or yellow as they age.

Blizzards get their characteristic look from albinos and anery/anerythristic B corns. Albinos lack melanin pigmentation, while the anery/Anerythristic B corn snakes don’t have yellow markings.

When you combine the characteristics of these two snakes, you get a snake with no color at all: the solid white blizzard.

Indeed, blizzards are so white that you can see the pink of their blood through the skin.

Characteristics, Colors, and Traits of the Blizzard Corn Snake

Crossing the charcoal genes of the anery/anerythristic B corns and albino genes creates a pure white snake.

Blizzards lack color or dark pigmentation. Also, from the albino genes, they get red eyes.

What Are the Characteristics of Blizzard Corn Snake?

Blizzard corn snakes are curious, friendly, and docile. As such, they make an excellent beginner species.

Indeed, blizzards bred in captivity have one of the most welcome temperaments of snakes and reptiles.

Blizzard babies are between 11” and 14” inches long. By 18 months, they will have grown to 3 to 5ft long.

A well-taken care of blizzard corn snake lives to about 15 to 20 years old.

If you are new to caring for snakes, consider starting with this species as you learn the ropes of this hobby.

You just need to give your new blizzard corn snake time to acclimate to your home. Once this happens, its friendly and curious demeanor emerges.

Blizzard corn snakes have no issue with handling. To keep your pet happy, handle him at least once a week.

What’s the Color of Blizzard Corn Snake?

Blizzard corn snakes are solid white because they bear recessive homozygous snake genes. These are obtained by cross-breeding a charcoal snake with an albino.

The result is a pure snowy white snake, with no dark pigmentation whatsoever. However, you may see some pink coloration on the blizzard snake.

This is the result of seeing through their skin to the blood underneath. Therefore, blizzard corn snakes can be confused with snow corn snakes.

However, unlike the blizzards, the snow corn snake has a tinge of color. Blizzard corn snakes are solid white with no tinge of melanin.

What Are the Traits of Blizzard Corn Snake?

Blizzard corn snakes are as curious as they are docile. However, you may not realize this immediately with your new blizzard corn snake.

You need to give him some time to get accustomed to the environment. When this happens, he will feel safe and secure enough to venture out.

With time, you’ll even realize that your snake likes to be handled.

How Do Snake Genetics Work?

Each snake inherits two sets of genes, one from the father and the other from the mother. These genes are often in competition with each other.

Each snake has three kinds of genes inherited from the parents: dominant, co-dominant, and recessive.

What Are Dominant Genes?

These are the more prominent and active genes. The snake’s color, characteristics, and traits make these genes more easily expressed.

What Are Co-Dominant Genes?

This gene appears alongside the dominant gene. However, it is not as strong or prominent as the dominant gene.

What Are Recessive Genes?

These genes are hidden. They don’t express themselves in any way. However, the snake still carries this gene, although it is recessive and may be passed on to subsequent offspring.

Heterozygous vs. Homozygous Snake Genes

A heterozygous gene is a different copy of a gene that a snake possesses, whether dominant, co-dominant, or recessive.

In other words, the snake has two different copies of one type of gene. Furthermore, these copies interact differently depending on whether they are dominant, co-dominant, or recessive.

For example, suppose the snake inherits an albino gene from its father and a normal gene from its mother. In that case, the albino gene will be heterozygous.

This means the snake carries that gene – expressed or not – and can pass it on to its offspring.

On the other hand, homozygous refers to the same gene from the mother and father. For example, the snake may inherit an albino gene from the father, and a similar gene from the mother.

In this case, the snake is homozygous for the albino gene. In this case, such a gene is expressed.

The blizzard corn snake is heterozygous because it receives one copy of the albino gene and one of the charcoal genes.

The charcoal and albino snakes are homozygous because they bear the recessive genes of their respective morphs.

How Big Is a Mature Blizzard Corn Snake?

Baby blizzards measure about 11” to 14” (inches). They reach full maturity are around 18 months, and measure about 3ft to 5ft.

You need to install a good-sized vivarium for this size of a snake. To give it comfort and freedom of movement, house your snake in at least a 20-gallon terrarium.

Despite its docile nature, blizzard corn snake can be pretty active. However, your snake may suffer adversely if it doesn’t have enough space to move around.

A good-sized vivarium is needed to make your blizzard snake live a happy, healthy, and comfortable life.

Are Blizzard Corn Snakes Poisonous?

Although blizzard snakes are not poisonous, avoid handling them before he gets accustomed to your home.

This snake’s bite can be rather painful, although not poisonous. Therefore, treat a new blizzard corn snake with care.

You should not approach this snake from above as he perceives this to be predatory behavior.

Snakes and other reptiles dislike being approached from above, as this is the approach used by their natural enemies.

The best approach for this snake is either from the side or in front.

If your blizzard corn snake bites you, treat it like any other scratch. The bite may hurt initially, but don’t panic. It doesn’t have long terms health impact.

All the same, you wouldn’t want to be antagonistic with your snake. If you treat him carefully, he’ll learn to reciprocate by allowing you to handle him.

Is a Blizzard Corn Snake an Albino?

The blizzard corn snake has both the albino and the charcoal corn snake genes. Because of this cross-breeding, the blizzard corn snake has solid white skin and red eyes.

These are characteristics of albino snakes.

Because of their pedigree, blizzard corn snakes are some of the most striking snakes. In addition, they are aesthetically appealing, which makes them a welcome addition to any home setup.

The physical similarity between albino snakes and blizzard corn snakes is that they both have the albino gene.

The albino and charcoal corn snakes carry homozygous genes. As such, the blizzard corn snakes have the genes of both snakes, resulting in a total lack of dark or light pigmentation.

How Do You Get a Blizzard Corn Snake?

You get a blizzard corn snake by combining the genes of an albino snake with those of an anerythristic B snake.

Genes from both types of snakes lack dark and light color pigmentation. This is why the blizzard corn snake is pure white in color.

Many snake breeders and keepers find the blizzard corn snake’s white color and red eyes desirable.

To get a blizzard corn snake, you should consider the following:

• Genetic mutations like albinism result in striking white snake color and red eyes.
• Both albino and charcoal snakes are homozygous. As such, the blizzard corn snake takes genes from both.
• Albino snakes are amelanistic. This means they lack dark pigmentation.
• Charcoal snakes are also known as anerythristic B corn snakes. They don’t have yellow pigmentation.
• Combining the amelanistic corn snake gene and the lack of yellow pigmentation from the charcoal corn snake gives you a total lack of pigmentation.
• The blizzard corn snake’s pure, solid, bright color makes them highly attractive.

What Are the Blizzard Corn Snake Housing Needs?

Blizzard corn snake is one of the easiest snakes to care for. Its accommodation needs are modest and easy to meet.

To keep this pet happy and healthy, ensure his accommodation arrangements suit his needs. You need to provide the blizzard corn snake with a safe and secure environment.

You’d also want him to have adequate space to move around and exercise a good level of freedom.

Here are a few things you should consider:

The Proper Size of the Tank

Your blizzard corn snake will spend its entire life in the tank or vivarium. As such, this part of his accommodation needs to be spot on.

The most fundamental thing about the tank is its size. A 3 to 5ft mature blizzard corn snake requires at least a 20-gallon tank.

Anything smaller than this would be too restrictive, traumatizing your pet psychologically.

A small tank means your snake won’t have adequate exercise, space, and stimulation to grow and develop.

However, don’t make the tank too big so the snake feels insecure. Most breeders and hobbyists prefer to upgrade the tank as the snake grows.

At the same time, you should make the tank secure enough to discourage your snake from escaping. Unfortunately, snakes are some of the best escape artists we bring into our homes.

Have a front entrance to grab the snake from in front for handling. As earlier noted, snakes (and other reptiles) dislike being grabbed from above.

Your snake pet may become uncooperative if you insist on handling it from above.

Heating Requirements

Because they are cold-blooded, snakes depend on external heat sources for thermoregulation. For example, your blizzard corn snake requires temperatures between 24⁰ C and 29⁰ C (75⁰ F and 85⁰ F) in their tank.

Create the proper temperature gradient so that the warmer side of the tank is 29⁰ C (85⁰ F). The cooler side of the tanks should be 24⁰ C (75⁰ F).

Your blizzard snake will move between these points to warm and cool his body as needed. The cool hide should be located on the cooler side of the tank.

This way, it will not be heated by the heating pad.

At the same time, your blizzard corn pet snake will need humidity levels of 40% to 50%. To maintain this humidity level, use a high-quality substrate and put some water in the bowl.

You may also have to mist the enclosure occasionally.

Lighting Requirements

Blizzard corn snakes that grow in the wild cannot do without sunlight. However, captive-bred blizzards don’t need sunlight.

Actually, you should not place the tank in direct sunlight as this could hurt your pet. However, your snake needs light in the tank because you need to see it and enjoy its beauty.

If possible, use natural light ((not direct sunlight), as this allows your pet to maintain its circadian rhythm.

However, avoid using a heating lamp, which may negatively affect your pet’s skin. Albino snakes have susceptible skins.

Décor Needs

Using the right decorations makes your pet’s life safe, comfortable, and secure. At the same time, it gives the tank a visual appeal.

Your blizzard corn snake will need objects and plants for climbing. It will also need a water bowl and a hiding place where it can retreat whenever stressed.

The climbing objects provide your pet with the opportunity to exercise. In addition, the hiding place provides this animal with a safe haven whenever he feels threatened.

Without a good hiding place, the blizzard corn snake would feel vulnerable and exposed. The water bowl is vital to ensure the snake stays well-hydrated.

Your snake may be the type to lie in the water to be fully hydrated. If it is of this type, ensure there’s enough water for this.

High-Quality Substrate

In the wild, blizzard corn snakes like to dig and burrow into the substrate. As such, the right substrate is vital to your pet’s accommodation.

The substrate should be soft enough for your pet to dig into. For example, you can use shredded newspaper as this material is soft enough.

It also holds moisture, which is essential to maintain the humidity level in the enclosure. Consider using commercially available high-quality snake bedding.

Choose material that’s easy to burrow into. It should also hold moisture to keep your blizzard corn snake well hydrated.

Conclusion…

The blizzard corn snake is easy to breed and maintain. Therefore, it is an excellent designer species for the beginner keeper.

Its striking appearance will enliven your home and serve as a great conversation starter with your guests.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are Humid Hides?

This is a cozy, safe spot for your blizzard snake to hide when they feel stressed. A humid hide provides a good environment for your snake to safely shed or escape a real or perceived threat.

The humid hide should be in the cool area of the tank, as this gives the best results.

What Are the Best Humidity Settings for a Blizzard Corn Snake?

The ideal humidity setting for your blizzard corn snake tank should be between 40% and 50%.

What Are the Best Temperature Settings for a Blizzard Corn Snake?

Your snake’s tank should have a gentle temperature gradient, with the basking area being 29⁰ C (85⁰ F). The cool area should be 24⁰ C (75⁰ F).

The average ambient temperature should be 27⁰ C (80⁰ F).

Do Blizzard Corn Snakes Need Misting?

Misting your reptile tank helps improve the humidity levels for your pet. However, blizzard corn snakes don’t require regular misting.

You can do it when the snake is shedding, as this helps to make the shedding process more effortless.

The main reason blizzard corn snakes don’t need regular misting is that they like soaking themselves in bowls of water.

This is your cue to keep a large water bowl in the tank for this purpose.