I see the “bloodred” label used a lot - with apparent lack of consistency in definition. I had understood the label to indicate the diffused trait - but I have seen animals identified on MM as “bloodred” without any indicator that the diffused gene was present - including ads for animals from reliable/reputable breeders. Can anyone wade into this issue and provide clarity for someone (me, lol) who is still struggling a bit with cornsnake genetics?
9 Likes
The terms can be used interchangeably, depending on who you ask! All bloodreds are certainly diffused, but some would say that not all diffused are bloodred. Ideally bloodred is a combination of masque, diffused, and a reddening gene.
6 Likes
I agree with this.
6 Likes
Yep. What they said, lol. Diffused plus Masque plus red enhancement. Not everything labeled as bloodred necessarily fits this definition for at least a couple of reasons. The original Bloodreds were selectively bred back when much less was known about what traits were involved. Red enhancers weren’t recognized, let alone their mode of inheritance. Masque wasn’t recognized as a separate trait from Diffusion. The term Bloodred was used for snakes with that look. Outcrossing these Bloodreds into other available morphs led to names like Caramel Bloodred and Lavender Bloodred. The “-red” was often dropped and they were just Caramel Bloods or whatever. Some of these combos, like Lavender Bloods, picked up their own names (that one is Plasma). Time passed, people learned, and the hobby decided that it didn’t make much sense to keep using Bloodred for animals who weren’t red.
Bloodred was around long enough as a synonym for Diffusion that it still gets used that way sometimes. Folks who are more casually involved or new to the hobby, maybe even people who were involved way back when, are understandably confused by this. There is no breed registry type organization for corn snakes, so the confusion just goes on.
8 Likes
Thanks to all who replied. Great answers.
4 Likes
I’m late to the conversation and agree with all that’s been said. The only thing I would add is a direct answer to the observation in your first post. You mentioned the fact that even some reputable breeders aren’t listing the diffused trait while still selling animals with the title “bloodred.” Just know that sometimes people don’t use the trait listing feature properly. Mistakes happen, even for reputable breeders. If you’re interested in purchasing a snake whose traits have mistakes in the listing, I’d suggest just reaching out to clarify if the snake is diffused in that case.
3 Likes