Kisatchie cornsnakes, commonly misspelled as corn snakes, are currently a topic of hot debate.  There seems to be a big argument among keepers and researchers over exactly what they are and what they aren't.  They have historically been called pure E. emoryi and pure E. guttata.  A recent published paper hypothesized they were their own species, Slowinski's Cornsnake (E. slowinskii), but that project leaves much to be desired in the way of scientific validity.  New researchers are considering them a subspecies of the eastern cornsnake, or E. g. slowinskii.  This is the nomenclature we choose to follow. 

Regardless of what you call them, we do know that they are locality pure animals that show traits somewhere between an Emory's ratsnake and a cornsnake, and that they are drop-dead gorgeous!  As far as cornsnakes go, no other naturally occurring coloration out there can compare to these guys!  We strongly feel that these are the results of historic, natural, intergrades between Emory's ratsnakes and Eastern cornsnakes that only occur in an isolated portion of west-central Louisiana and east Texas. They do not look anything like the man-made cornsnake X Emory's ratsnake hybrids that are already too common in the pet trade.  This hasn't prevented some hybrids from having been marketed as Kisatchie cornsnakes.  If you really want Kisatchie cornsnakes, make sure you get the real deal.  Not only have hybrids been marketed as Kisatchie cornsnakes, but Kisatchie cornsnakes have been hybridized to cornsnakes (especially albino cornsnakes) and erroneously marketed as Kisatchie cornsnakes. 

True, pure, Kisatchie cornsnakes have an appearance all of their own that could not be easily recreated in captivity. You really have to see them to believe! As with normal cornsnakes, the possibilities with these guys are potentially limitless.  As far as husbandry goes, Kisatchie cornsnakes can be kept exactly like cornsnakes and reach similar sizes.

My current colony consists of only wild caught, captive hatched, and captive bred individuals of known origins.  This allows me to be able to produce completely unrelated offspring.  For simplicity, I have split up this page to show the animals I have by locality and morphs.  I'd like to thank all of the people that helped me acquire and improve upon my current colony over the past decade or so. For more detailed information or discussions on these guys, please feel free to email us or visit the Snakes of Louisiana page. 

On a final note, I am aware of the hypothesized taxonomic name change from Elaphe to Pantherophis (or even to Pituophis).  Furthermore, I agree that a name change is warranted.  However, hobbyists have jumped on the name change - ignoring the fact that taxonomy is nothing more than a hypothesis of relationships - while ignoring the glaringly obvious problems with that study and the problems with prematurely accepting such a drastic name change.  Although I agree that a split is warranted, I'll await further developments before making a decision to use the newly hypothesized nomenclature. 

Make sure to check out our care sheet for cornsnakes. 

Texas Kisatchie cornsnakes, often referred to as "Texas cornsnakes," are darker colored than Louisiana Kistachie cornsnakes and possess a more "metallic" sheen to them.  The blotches, which sometimes have a greenish tinge to them, are more of a stark contrast to the background coloration than what is seen in Louisiana locality animals.  Some individuals also possess some red specking between the scales as adults.  Brazos and Grimes Counties, Texas, are about as far east as Kisatchie cornsnakes go in the mid-part of their geographic range.  They seem to be able to get a little larger in size than their Louisiana counterparts and look a little more Emory-like in general coloration.   Reproduction is more reminiscent of Emory ratsnakes than cornsnakes, too.  However, we have had a WC gravid female lay as many as 33 eggs a week after she was collected.  My colony originated from specific localities in Grimes and the adjacent Brazos County.  Sometimes, I'll generalize (a little erroneously) and call ones from either county (or a cross between these two counties) a "Brazos Valley locality ratsnake"  Chalk that up to artistic license, I guess, but I think it is important that you understand what I mean by that term. 

Make sure you let us know if you are interested in Louisiana locality, Texas locality, or generic Kisatchie cornsnakes - we produce all three varieties.  Most of the normal Kisatchie cornsnakes that we produce are by-products of our other Kisatchie morphs, so the offspring are usually possible hets for one trait or another.

Kisatchie cornsnakes are burrowing cornsnakes that are naturally hypermelanistic in appearance.  A true anerythristic animal just takes it one step further, and it would probably have similar survival rates in the wild as more typically colored normal ones.  For us captive keepers, they are justas hardy and fast growing as normal Kisatchies.  My dark-eyed anerythristics are unique in the cornsnake world in that there is NO YELLOW present on them at all.  I hope this continues to be true for all future generations.  We produce specific and general Louisiana locality dark-eyed anerythristics, so make sure to inquire about the ones that interest you the most.

I'm not going to say much more about it until it is proven inheritable or not, but I will let his appearance speak for itself.