Reptiles that don´t require daily maintenance

[Nir Avraham]

Why would you recommend a milksnake or a kingsnake over a ball python or a cornsnake?

I have a ball python, and I had about 4 corn snakes.
My dream for few years was buying a milksnake. They are very colorful animals, and very easy to care for. Small sized snake. I bought a milksnake 2 about weeks ago.
There is no big diffrence between the care of a cornsnake, milksnake or a kingsnake. It's all up to you. Ball pythons are boring...

 

[TownesVanZandt]

I have a ball python, and I had about 4 corn snakes.
My dream for few years was buying a milksnake. They are very colorful animals, and very easy to care for. Small sized snake. I bought a milksnake 2 about weeks ago.
There is no big diffrence between the care of a cornsnake, milksnake or a kingsnake. It's all up to you. Ball pythons are boring...

Hmm. So there´s two more species for me to consider I read somewhere that milksnakes are a bit more tricky to handle than cornsnakes and ball pythons and that they might be more suitable for someone with some previous snake experience. I really like the look of the kingsnake, though, so that might be an option as well.

 

[Crone Returns]

Hmm. So there´s two more species for me to consider I read somewhere that milksnakes are a bit more tricky to handle than cornsnakes and ball pythons and that they might be more suitable for someone with some previous snake experience. I really like the look of the kingsnake, though, so that might be an option as well.

Kingsnakes are cool. Used to have one. She wad a lot of fun, and docile. Except when she was shedding. Ate like a pig. Used frozen or prekilled mice.

 

[dragonfire1577]

Having kept king snakes, milk snakes, corn snakes, carpet pythons and ball pythons I can say right now if you have never kept snakes before I wouldn't actually suggest the ball python. They are often considered beginner snakes and are very docile but honestly I see way more new keepers stressing out about their new ball python refusing food, having a bad shed because they can't get humidity right and developing a respiratory infection. The carpet pythons are my personal favorite and are pretty hardy but all locales except Irian Jaya and Darwin can get over 6 foot and they are nippy as babies until you tame them down. The corn, king and milk snakes are all great snakes with the milk being more shy than the other 2. These snakes are not picky about humidity and can take lower temps than a ball python due to being temperate species plus have great feeding responses, are not prone to being nervous or defensive (especially the corn) and they are not very big snakes.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Yes, colubrids (rat-snakes, corn snakes, etc) are a lot less demanding. And more active than ball pythons from what I have seen, I've never actually owned a ball python or any other non-temperate climate snake, mainly for the reasons given above.

In regard to lizards, your best bet might be a leopard gecko. They are not super demanding, but not as easy as many snakes. But, they do not require special UV lighting as some lizards do. However, they do need vitamin and mineral supplementation to avoid metabolic bone disease and higher than room temperature heating (depending on the room, of course), which is not that difficult to achieve under ordinary circumstances and with the proper gear. They can be handled in most cases if you are into that. They come in very many colour and pattern morphs and are considered by many to be the "cutest" of lizards. I have two, an adult that was given to me and a baby that I am rehabbing.


That said, I'd still consider a snake given your requirements for periodic low-maintenance.


I also have a black rat-snake Elaphe pantherophis (I think, they've switched classification a time or two and I always think of it as Elaphe obseletus obseletus in spite of that) and apart from water concerns, I would not be afraid to leave it alone for a week. I'm sure it would not be a concern for the other temperate colubrids such as corns.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Thanks a lot for all the helpful advice I have been given in this thread . I have decided against getting a gecko until I find a job that will allow me to be home more. I will however get a snake, but given the information in this thread I will go for a kingsnake or a cornsnake rather than a ball python. Since they are kept in similar setups, I will buy the necessary equipment for housing a juvenile specimen and take my time to find the right one. But now I know what kind of reptile I should look for.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

I think you are making the right choice. For what it's worth, I'd really like to keep a corn snake, but I'm just out of room between my tarantulas, my two geckos, two scorpions and my rat black rat snake.
I think too many people rush ahead when choosing an exotic pet, often without considering the pros and cons, and ignoring advice offered. You apparently are not one of those types, and I applaud you for that.

 

[Nir Avraham]

Give us more information about what you're looking for, it will be easier for us to help you.
What is going to be the size of the cage? How much money you want to spend on this animal?

 

[silverhaze269]

My vote would be for a ball python - but make sure you have someone that could come and check in on it when you're away. While you can leave them for long periods pretty easily, you'd want to be sure they didn't run out of water or that there wasn't an issue with an under tank heater malfunctioning or something. My snakes are by far the "easiest" pet I've had in terms of their care. I have 2 BP's and they're both fantastic eaters, but that's not always the case with those guys. Corn snakes are pretty hearty, so they would be a good option as well. I wouldn't recommend a gecko because you can't really leave them alone - most of them need daily misting, at the very least.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

My vote would be for a ball python - but make sure you have someone that could come and check in on it when you're away. While you can leave them for long periods pretty easily, you'd want to be sure they didn't run out of water or that there wasn't an issue with an under tank heater malfunctioning or something. My snakes are by far the "easiest" pet I've had in terms of their care. I have 2 BP's and they're both fantastic eaters, but that's not always the case with those guys. Corn snakes are pretty hearty, so they would be a good option as well. I wouldn't recommend a gecko because you can't really leave them alone - most of them need daily misting, at the very least.

Aesthetically speaking the ball pythons are my favourite snakes by far. They have a "kind" face and seem to be so docile and sweet to handle. However, I have decided to get a cornsnake or a kingsnake at this time. As several people pointed out here the ball pythons are more demanding in terms of husbandry and since this will be my first snake I think it will be less stressful for me to have a snake that rarely (if ever) goes on a hunger strike. I also have the impression that ball pythons will be more prone to respiratory infections if humidity and temperatures aren´t on point at all times? If I enjoy having snakes as much as I imagine I would however, I might look into getting a ball python at some point in the future after raising a corn- or kingsnake and gaining some more experience.

I have bought pretty much everything I need to house a small corn- or kingsnake now (heatmat, thermostat, hygrometer/thermometer, two small hides, water bowl, and an escape proof plastic box that I have drilled ventilation holes in) and is now experimenting to get the hot side and colder side properly before adding a snake to the enclosure

Oh, and I have read a lot about keeping snakes and are now a bit freaked out about snake mites! How common are they? I live in a smallish apartment with a bunch of tarantulas and cannot possibility treat a snake for mites in there without risking the lives of my Ts, so I am going to do everything in my power to get a healthy snake without mites.

 

[silverhaze269]

Oh, and I have read a lot about keeping snakes and are now a bit freaked out about snake mites! How common are they? I live in a smallish apartment with a bunch of tarantulas and cannot possibility treat a snake for mites in there without risking the lives of my Ts, so I am going to do everything in my power to get a healthy snake without mites.

Our first snake was a corn snake! Great choice

We've never had mite problems so I can't really speak to that too much. That being said, we keep our snakes on news paper/paper towel substrate (two layers of news paper, two layers of paper towel), so maybe that has something to do with it? It's nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as using a "proper" substrate, but it's really easy to clean up, and it's also a good way to monitor if there any health issues happening. We only had a respiratory infection scare once with a BP, and after the fact we figured it was actually just stuck shed on her nose, and not an infection at all. We wanted to be safe though, so we treated her just in case, under the recommendation of the vet.

From what I hear though, mites are a pretty common problem and while they can be a nuisance to deal with, but they're not the worst.