Cinder
Gene
Cinder names a recessive color morph of the corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus, selected for an ash-gray cast rather than the red-orange contrast of a normal corn. Visual cinders often show pewter, taupe, charcoal, or smoky brown tones with softened saddle borders, and juveniles may retain warmer brick or rust colors before they fade. The gene is distinct from anerythristic and charcoal, so gray-looking corns are not automatically cinders; line information is useful when several muted morphs are in the background.
Keeping a cinder corn snake does not differ from keeping other captive-bred corns: a secure enclosure, a thermal gradient, tight hides, clean water, and appropriately sized thawed rodents cover the basics. Breeding projects need clear records because two carrier parents can produce visual cinders, while a visual bred to an unrelated normal will usually make normal-looking het offspring. Buyers interested in future pairings should ask whether the animal is visual cinder, possible het, or combined with other genes that may change the expected adult color.
