Sunkissed Corn Snakes

The Sunkissed gene in corn snakes reduces black pigment while also changing the pattern. It produces a bright orange snake with a scrambled head and softened saddles. This gene is behind a series of named combos including Orchid, Honey and Inferno.

Appearance

A Sunkissed has a hypomelanistic look where the black is reduced and the ground colour is a brighter orange than a normal corn snake. You can tell by the saddles. Their edges are rounded or squared off rather than the jagged, pointed edges of a wild-type saddle. The borders around these are usually thin, but some lines with heavy borders are sold as Sunkissed Okeetee. The head varies more than the body. Most are blobby or messy with extra dots, and a few have a near-normal head stamp. A break in the cheek stripe is the most reliable cue even in those cases. To match the saddles, the eyes are usually brown or orange with black pupils. Some animals pick up yellow along the neck as they grow. The belly has the usual checker layout, but the checkers are often half orange and half black or dark grey. The tail follows the body. A Sunkissed can be hard to tell from a Hypo by eye even with those cues.

Genetics

Sunkissed is a recessive gene. It sits at its own locus and is separate from Hypo. Because it belongs to no allelic complex, both genes must be tracked as different genes even where the animals look alike. Carriers are sold as Het Sunkissed, 50% Het Sunkissed, 66% Het Sunkissed or Pos Het Sunkissed, and the gene itself also goes by Hypo B and Sunkist. Named combos are Inferno (with Amel), Honey (with Caramel), Orchid (with Lavender), Hazel (with Toffee), Solar (with Sunrise) and Saffron (with Amel and Caramel). Rich Zuchowski proved it as its own recessive gene. The gene came out of the 1990s Okeetee breeding of Kathy and Bill Love.

Known issues

Stargazer was first found in Kathy Love's Sunkissed breeding projects. This recessive neurological condition affects a snake's sense of balance. It is a separate gene rather than an effect of Sunkissed, and it has no impact on pattern or colour. Because the two travelled together in the early lines, breeders used stargazer animals to test their Sunkissed stock, and stargazer is uncommon in the hobby now. Ask the seller if the line has been tested for stargazer if you are buying Sunkissed to breed from.