Snake Species Question

Varden

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
704
I've never had much fondness for those "What should I get?" Threads, but here I am about to post one anyway.

I've wanted to get into snakes for the last few years now. Every time I go to the shows, I find myself lingering longer and longer over the reptile displays. But I don't know what kind of beginner-type snake I should look for. I don't want a corn snake. I've never found them even the slightest bit interesting. I like size, but no boas or pythons, either. If I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night in a snug embrace, I'd rather it be the husband's.

Can someone familiar with snakes recommend a fairly docile, handleable species, preferably with some color or contrast to it, that I can start researching?

Thanks!
 

hermitman64

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Messages
141
Well, my favorite snake which is pretty good for beginners is the rosy boa. I also very much favor the Kenyan sand boa, so you might want to look into those two.

If you're really looking for size, red tailed boas are fine snakes with generally (in my experience) docile temperaments, though honestly, I really don't think they suit beginners.

Some other favorites of mine which you might want to consider are the California kingsnake and the Children's python.
 

Schlyne

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
Messages
845
If you're not interested in pythons or boas (that being said, there are a lot of smaller pythons and boas which do not top 5 feet.) what about looking into kingsnakes or milksnakes?

If size ends up being a huge issue, there are even kingsnakes that max out at 3 feet. (You're probably going to want something larger for handling though.)
 

KJE

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 21, 2004
Messages
808
I know you said you didn't want a python, but you might want to look at the ball python.

I am picking up my first on Monday. My 13 year old daughter fell in love with them at the last show we went to. I told her we might get one after we do our research and have everything set up for a few days to make sure we can maintain the proper temp. and humidity.
 

markface

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
157
i know you said no boas or pythons , but keep in mind that there are alot more than just red tail boas and ball pythons . here's a couple to think about

coastal rosy boa


mexican rosy boa


kenyan sand boa


paulsoni (soloman island ground boa)


spotted python


carpet pythons (in this case an irian jaya carpet)


also some others would be things like childrens pythons , blood pythons(though not really a beginers snake) , rubber boas and so many others , that the list could just go on and on .
 
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