Miami Corn Snakes
A Miami corn snake carries orange to red saddles on a grey to silver ground, and the saddles are usually smaller than on other corns. The line has a history of small hatchlings that can be slow to take their first meals, so make sure a youngster is feeding before it comes home.
About the Miami gene
The Miami is a corn snake look rather than a single gene. It features warm orange to red saddles on a cool grey to silver ground. It was bred up from the corns once common around Miami in South Florida. It is also the base of Crimson.
Appearance
The ground colour can be silverish grey or tan, while the saddles range from reddish burgundy to brown. Some animals show bits of orange. Because the saddles are typically smaller than those of other corn snakes, more of the grey shows between them. These saddles are edged in black. Look for that grey ground behind the warm saddles. Animals vary in where they sit within those ranges.
Genetics
Miami is not a single gene but is line-bred. Because there is no het Miami, the look does not pass on by dominant or recessive odds. Breeders create and strengthen this look by selecting animals that show it. The name started as a place and, the same way Okeetee went, selective breeding has turned it into a description of the look. A Miami phase corn does not need to trace back to South Florida. Crimson is Hypo combined with Miami. Milksnake Phase is a line that came out of Miami. Miami Stripe and Miami Motley put the Miami colouring on the Stripe and Motley patterns.
Known issues
Corns from the Miami region tend to produce larger clutches of smaller hatchlings compared to those from other areas. These babies can be hard to get started on food. While experienced breeders have been selecting away from both traits, it is still worth seeing a young Miami take a meal before you buy it.