Beginner small snake breeds

[Westicles]

G

Feeding is easy.
Earthworms.
So they can be kept in a truly natural, bioactive display viv.
I've kept ringnecks before, which were WC (when we used to get these imported into the UK) and they were so easy to keep.
Dekays occasionally appear here, again wc, but are equally easy to keep.

Gotcha. Where I live wild ones are pretty common, but I've never caught one and kept one. I probably saw 5 or 6 this summer hanging out in my driveway

 

[Ian14]

G

Gotcha. Where I live wild ones are pretty common, but I've never caught one and kept one. I probably saw 5 or 6 this summer hanging out in my driveway View attachment 402192

Gorgeous little thing.
Sadly we have nothing in comparison here. Three species, one is only found in a tiny handful of locations and so protected you can't even photograph it, one venomous, and another species that can be very hard to acclimatise in captivity.
The UK is without doubt the grey man of wild herps!!

 

[Ian14]

You get to see 5 or 6 snakes on your driveway.
I get to see a few slugs on mine

 

[Westicles]

Not to rub it in, but the better sightings are in my backyard! Lol!! All jokes aside, a huge benefit for reptile lovers that live down here in the southern states is there's no lack of opportunities to spot 'em.

 

[Ian14]

Not to rub it in, but the better sightings are in my backyard! Lol!! All jokes aside, a huge benefit for reptile lovers that live down here in the southern states is there's no lack of opportunities to spot 'em.

Must be amazing to have such a variety of wildlife, not just herps, literally in your backyard.
In mine I get shrieking parakeets (an invasive non native species), and flocks of starlings.
And that's basically it.
I live in a small close with 9 flats and 6 houses, and a fenced in park at the end. There was a thriving population of slow worms (like your glass lizard) but in the last few years they have just vanished. My step kids used to go to the park to play and come back holding one each. We would keep them for a few days, then let them ago again in the same spot they were found.
Hedgehogs have also disappeared.
Even foxes. We used to get woken up most nights by the pack living in the copse behind our row of houses, but they seem to have gone too.

 

[Arthroverts]

What are the actual dimensions of the enclosure? From a quick Google search, it appears that would be about 24 x 12 x 12 inches?
If that's the case, then you can discount all the suggestions. There is no way a 4 foot ball python or corn snake can live in that. Even a house snake at 3 feet is a push.
Sinaloans again get to around 4 feet, too big. Rosy boas, again, it's a push.
Male western hognose would be ok, or a male or female Mexican hognose (just make sure it is a true Heterodon kennerlyi, not nasicus being sold as one).
A male Kenyan Sand Boa would be ok, but not a female. But you'll hardly ever see it!
Depending on the material of the enclosure, and availability/state laws, a small group of ringneck snakes could be an option. Or Dekays? Or Red bellied snakes?
Rough greens are also best kept as a group but do have very specific, often hard to provide, husbandry needs.

Rosy boas do fine in 10 gallons; the Reptiles magazine care sheet for them actually notes that 10 gallons work great for adults. I've kept my own adult male measuring something like 3' 6" in an enclosure that has a 10 gallon footprint but is a bit shorter (as they really don't climb at all in my experience) for over a decade.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Ian14]

Rosy boas do fine in 10 gallons; the Reptiles magazine care sheet for them actually notes that 10 gallons work great for adults. I've kept my own adult male measuring something like 3' 6" in an enclosure that has a 10 gallon footprint but is a bit shorter (as they really don't climb at all in my experience) for over a decade.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

I wouldn't keep a 3'6 snake in something that small. If 15 gallons is 24 inches long then I'm guessing 10 gallons is only about 18 inches long. That is way too small. You will struggle to provide a decent thermal gradient in a 24 inch enclosure, nevermind in am even smaller one.

 

[Jonathan6303]

Here’s a pick of the enclosure. Got to dump all the garbage out and would like to make bio active. Also if possible I would like the snake to feed on mice. Live mice I would want it to be as naturalistic as possible. If there is no snake that fits my parameters what wouldyou consider to be the next best thing. I am willing now to go to 40 gallons. I just wanted to use the enclosure I have.

 

[Ian14]

Here’s a pick of the enclosure. Got to dump all the garbage out and would like to make bio active. Also if possible I would like the snake to feed on mice. Live mice I would want it to be as naturalistic as possible. If there is no snake that fits my parameters what wouldyou consider to be the next best thing. I am willing to go to 40 gallons. I just wanted to use the enclosure I have
View attachment 402289 View attachment 402290

No.
There is no way that could be used for a snake. Not sure either why you only want to feed live mice.
I'm going to strongly suggest you do some serious research into snake keeping.

 

[Jonathan6303]

No.
There is no way that could be used for a snake. Not sure either why you only want to feed live mice.
I'm going to strongly suggest you do some serious research into snake keeping.

Let me explain my reasons. Yes I am absolutely a beginner when it comes to snakes and yes I understand that you usually feed dead mice to your snake. What I would want is an enclosure that would imitate their natural environment. So I will buy a large enclosure for a small snake and set it up bio active. My reasoning is that if snakes eat live prey in the wild then why can’t they in captivity. I’m coming at this from a imaginative view point. If I were to get a snake then I would feed it the appropriate prey.

 

[Westicles]

But there's absolutely no reason to feed live prey. Yes, sometimes a few stubborn hatchlings may require a live pinky or so, but beyond that there's no reason whatsoever for that

 

[Jonathan6303]

But there's absolutely no reason to feed live prey. Yes, sometimes a few stubborn hatchlings may require a live pinky or so, but beyond that there's no reason whatsoever for that

I know I’m just trying to mimic a naturalistic lifestyle

 

[Westicles]

I get that, but do that with your enclosure not with feeding. I assure you, the snake will not know it's eating a pre killed rodent. Also, even a small mouse can inflict serious damage to a snake

 

[Jonathan6303]

Will it still have a feeding response because I really don’t want to hold the mouse in my tongs when I feed it. I think I will go with this 36"w x 18"d x 18"h

 

[Westicles]

Will it still have a feeding response because I really don’t want to hold the mouse in my tongs when I feed it. I think I will go with this 36"w x 18"d x 18"h

I've been feeding frozen/thawed for 20-25 yrs. Every snake I've ever had immediately attacks as though the prey item were alive. It's safer all around, not to mention being fair to the mouse or rat that you don't have to see get brutally attacked while it's alive. I use tongs when I feed, but some people just place the prey on a dish or whatever.

 

[Jonathan6303]

So change of plans. With a 36"w x 18"d x 18" enclosure. I would like a snake with. Long lifespan, great feeding response, out a lot, husbandry not to complicated and able to be handled often. Should I create a new thread for this?