YES getting a snake

[It_Glows]

but.... my choices are limited

1. i'd like a snake that would eat a variety of things (i personally enjoyed the garter snake when i was younger eating minnows)

2. my parents will only let me get a snake that stays relatively small(her friends 21 year old son was strangled by an average store shop boa, so my mom is terrified of the larger snakes, plus with the larger ones you need to feed rodents too, which is a no-go with her)

 

[titus]

Well, as a breeder of mainly large snakes and a father. Keeping and handling practices play alot into the role of getting killed by snakes, even smart keepers have done stupid things thats gotten them killed. Rule of thumb don't do stupid things. Any snake you keep is going to need rodents (outside of a few that are not very avilible in the hobby). The matter is the size of the rodent. For first time keepers and smaller snakes. I'll recommend the following; Rat/corn snakes, King/milk snakes, Sand boas, rosy boas, Ball pythons, Western Hog nosed, and House snakes. Garters are good snakes but filighty and hard feeders at times. They also need a fair amount of room for their size as they like to have their space.

 

[It_Glows]

hmm... i guess i could sneak in a mouse, my mom is never home, so she'll never know... but again... size is a big factor, she wants nothing that will grow too a potentially dangerous size (i know garters are pretty weak, so are green vines)

also... how can you determine the size of the prey you should feed your snakes?

 

[titus]

None of the snakes I've listed get much over 3 feet and many are smaller. Most will feed on large mice to med rats as adults. Frozen mice are a good bet if your mother only has a problem with live. Plus feeding frozen is safer for the snake. If your speaking of the Green vine snake of the genus Ahaetulla, they do have a weak venom a bit stronger than Hognosed snakes, and they are a lot more likely to bite. When they do expect bleeding for a while. They also get rather long up to 5-6 feet as adults. Another down side is the majority are wild caught.

 

[pitbulllady]

None of the snakes I've listed get much over 3 feet and many are smaller. Most will feed on large mice to med rats as adults. Frozen mice are a good bet if your mother only has a problem with live. Plus feeding frozen is safer for the snake. If your speaking of the Green vine snake of the genus Ahaetulla, they do have a weak venom a bit stronger than Hognosed snakes, and they are a lot more likely to bite. When they do expect bleeding for a while. They also get rather long up to 5-6 feet as adults. Another down side is the majority are wild caught.

It's also nearly impossible to get a Vine Snake to take rodents, ever. They are pretty much exclusive lizard-eaters, so they do not eat a variety of things at all. They need a lot of arboreal climbing space and high humidity, so the Vines are definitely for the very advanced snake keepers who have a ready supply of live lizards. A Garter or Water Snake which has been "taught" to eat scented frozen-thawed rodents is probably the best bet, with regards to size, diet, temperament, etc.

On the topic of keepers being killed by their own snakes(excluding venomous), I don't know of any of the case-by-case incidents of large constrictors having killed humans in which I'd describe the owner as a "smart keeper", not by a long shot. Their husbandry practices were appalling at best. Anyone who would try to feed a large constrictor while HOLDING it is an idiot, as is anyone who'd try to handle one while ****-faced drunk, and these are just two of the scenarios that have led to people being killed by pythons, along with someone feeding a large snake by hand, without using tongs. Fortunately, given the numbers of large constrictors in captivity and the number of really stupid people out there, snakes just aren't interesting in hurting us, and these incidents are extremely rare.

pitbulllady

 

[firefly]

my personal favorite first time snake is the ball python. It was my first snake and at the time i was terrified of snakes. i just love that mine is mellow wasn't hard to get him on frozen rats.

 

[sarraceniashawn]

Here's a thought, a Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)

They don't get very big, are generally docile, and eat insects. They do require an arboreal setup and have specific humidity requirement. Just do your research and make sure you can provide its requirements before buying one.

 

[ZergFront]

Here's a thought, a Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)

They don't get very big, are generally docile, and eat insects. They do require an arboreal setup and have specific humidity requirement. Just do your research and make sure you can provide its requirements before buying one.

Is there any hobbyists breeding Opheodrys or Diadophis species? Those look like nice snakes but I haven't seen them around the FS.

Found quite a few Missouri species that might fit you.

http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/snake/snake1.htm

 

[Takumaku]

Define small? It's a relative term and what is small to me is no necessary small to someone else.

Will your parent allow you to keep frozen mice in the freezer? If so, your selection of what snake to get just grew exponentially.

You mentioned you kept garter snakes in the past. Personally, I think this would be the best snake for you since it can be fed a wide variety of food. Not to mention, the variety of morphs that have come out since I was a kid is amazing. At last count, I got my pair of checkered garters to eat: mice, worms, guppies, thaw salmon, thaw white fish, tuna, and garter grub. I am still amaze at what these guys will eat.

 

[It_Glows]

i've read that a sand boa requires the floor spacing of a fifteen gallon, but would that six inches make that big of a difference between a ten and fifteen gallon? i suppose i could just buy a stronger heat mat and a lid for my twenty gallon, but from my understanding 99% of the snakes need a twenty gallon by the time they are fully grown

 

[Mack&Cass]

A milk snake is a good idea, as they are pretty small, however, they're shy. Mackenzie got me a pueblan for Christmas and since we got it I've never seen it come out. I've only seen her when I dig her out haha. I know she's alive because the mouse we put out disappears overnight and there is an occasional shed skin. We're trying to get her used to tweezer feeding, but in order to do that we have to dig her out, and by that time she's too stressed to eat.

A sand boa is a good suggestion, however, they're another snake that you don't see often. I've also heard that people have a hard time feezing frozen/thawed with them because of what I mentioned with our pueblan (having to dig it out and then the snake is too stressed to eat).

I would personally recommend a corn snake. Our two are eating machines, and our female comes out at around 7pm so we see her quite often. Our male is out constantly, all day every day. He seems to think he should eat every day. The only time we don't see them is when they're in shed.

I know you didn't mention that you wanted a snake you see often, but I think with a first snake, you want to see it every now and then. That's how I was when I first got into snakes.

Good luck

Cass

 

[It_Glows]

i also forgot too mention... i'd like a snake that is relatively cheap(the snake alone, i'll still end up spending a couple hundred for the setup and whatnot)

EDIT:i just looked up prices for... just about every snake mentioned, is the garter seriously the only snake under 30 dollars?

 

[Thoth]

i've read that a sand boa requires the floor spacing of a fifteen gallon, but would that six inches make that big of a difference between a ten and fifteen gallon? i suppose i could just buy a stronger heat mat and a lid for my twenty gallon, but from my understanding 99% of the snakes need a twenty gallon by the time they are fully grown

For a male kenyan sand boa a 10 gal is sufficient.

As for size of prey for a snake, rule of thumb is the diameter of the prey item shouldn't be thicker than the widest part of your snake.

 

[It_Glows]

true or false: garter snakes can be kept in semi-aquatic terrariums? (half land and half water) i know they live near water in the wild but are there any risks of the snake gaining health problems?

 

[pitbulllady]

true or false: garter snakes can be kept in semi-aquatic terrariums? (half land and half water) i know they live near water in the wild but are there any risks of the snake gaining health problems?

Sure, if you want a dead snake. Garters and Water Snakes are HIGHLY susceptible to necrotic skin conditions from being kept in a humid environment, and these are almost always fatal. Despite being fish eaters, they need to be kept as DRY as possible in captivity. There are people who keep them successfully in semi-aquatic set-ups, but those set-ups are huge, and have to be carefully maintained, which includes a filtration system, so you're looking a large financial investment. For a pet snake, that would be highly impractical.

Another poster also mentioned just what does the OP consider to be a "small" snake? I raise Boa Constrictors, so a six-foot-long Rat Snake is "small" to me, while MY snakes are small to someone who breeds Reticulated Pythons. Most Milk Snakes(which were mentioned)actually reach lengths of five or six feet, and some, like the Black Milk and Andean Milk, can exceed 7 feet and are chunky snakes to boot. Many of those little burrowing snakes, like the Ring-necks(Diadophis) and the Storerias can often be difficult to keep, owing to them refusing to eat, ditto for the Green Snakes(Opheodrys). Getting one that will actually feed in captivity is a matter of luck more than anything else, and this is why no one is breeding them in captivity, so the only ones available are wild-caught. One of the main criteria for choosing any snake species is the ease of care, since if it won't eat, or you can't obtain the food for it on a regular and consistent basis, there's not much point in having it. Take the Mud Snake for example; it's very docile and simply does not bite, it's very attractive, it's large enough to be noticeable yet small enough for anyone to manage, it's not venomous and it's not a constrictor. However, they feed pretty much exclusively on totally aquatic amphibeans like Mudpuppies and Amphiumas, so if you can't get a steady supply of these(and they have to be alive, too), you can't keep a Mud Snake. Being able to house and feed a snake should be considered first, THEN size, unless you're talking about a snake that has the potential to actually become unmanageable or dangerous due to its size.

pitbulllady

 

[It_Glows]

Sure, if you want a dead snake. Garters and Water Snakes are HIGHLY susceptible to necrotic skin conditions from being kept in a humid environment, and these are almost always fatal. Despite being fish eaters, they need to be kept as DRY as possible in captivity. There are people who keep them successfully in semi-aquatic set-ups, but those set-ups are huge, and have to be carefully maintained, which includes a filtration system, so you're looking a large financial investment. For a pet snake, that would be highly impractical.

Another poster also mentioned just what does the OP consider to be a "small" snake? I raise Boa Constrictors, so a six-foot-long Rat Snake is "small" to me, while MY snakes are small to someone who breeds Reticulated Pythons. Most Milk Snakes(which were mentioned)actually reach lengths of five or six feet, and some, like the Black Milk and Andean Milk, can exceed 7 feet and are chunky snakes to boot. Many of those little burrowing snakes, like the Ring-necks(Diadophis) and the Storerias can often be difficult to keep, owing to them refusing to eat, ditto for the Green Snakes(Opheodrys). Getting one that will actually feed in captivity is a matter of luck more than anything else, and this is why no one is breeding them in captivity, so the only ones available are wild-caught. One of the main criteria for choosing any snake species is the ease of care, since if it won't eat, or you can't obtain the food for it on a regular and consistent basis, there's not much point in having it. Take the Mud Snake for example; it's very docile and simply does not bite, it's very attractive, it's large enough to be noticeable yet small enough for anyone to manage, it's not venomous and it's not a constrictor. However, they feed pretty much exclusively on totally aquatic amphibeans like Mudpuppies and Amphiumas, so if you can't get a steady supply of these(and they have to be alive, too), you can't keep a Mud Snake. Being able to house and feed a snake should be considered first, THEN size, unless you're talking about a snake that has the potential to actually become unmanageable or dangerous due to its size.

pitbulllady

i'm actually not sure what my mom means by small, i'd probably say the skinnier variety? but from what i see most of them do get nice and thick by adulthood, i'm thinking a corn snake-like size would be nice

 

[Thoth]

i'm actually not sure what my mom means by small, i'd probably say the skinnier variety? but from what i see most of them do get nice and thick by adulthood, i'm thinking a corn snake-like size would be nice

Then why not just get a corn snake?

 

[hassman789]

Sure, if you want a dead snake. Garters and Water Snakes are HIGHLY susceptible to necrotic skin conditions from being kept in a humid environment, and these are almost always fatal. Despite being fish eaters, they need to be kept as DRY as possible in captivity. There are people who keep them successfully in semi-aquatic set-ups, but those set-ups are huge, and have to be carefully maintained, which includes a filtration system, so you're looking a large financial investment. For a pet snake, that would be highly impractical.

Another poster also mentioned just what does the OP consider to be a "small" snake? I raise Boa Constrictors, so a six-foot-long Rat Snake is "small" to me, while MY snakes are small to someone who breeds Reticulated Pythons. Most Milk Snakes(which were mentioned)actually reach lengths of five or six feet, and some, like the Black Milk and Andean Milk, can exceed 7 feet and are chunky snakes to boot. Many of those little burrowing snakes, like the Ring-necks(Diadophis) and the Storerias can often be difficult to keep, owing to them refusing to eat, ditto for the Green Snakes(Opheodrys). Getting one that will actually feed in captivity is a matter of luck more than anything else, and this is why no one is breeding them in captivity, so the only ones available are wild-caught. One of the main criteria for choosing any snake species is the ease of care, since if it won't eat, or you can't obtain the food for it on a regular and consistent basis, there's not much point in having it. Take the Mud Snake for example; it's very docile and simply does not bite, it's very attractive, it's large enough to be noticeable yet small enough for anyone to manage, it's not venomous and it's not a constrictor. However, they feed pretty much exclusively on totally aquatic amphibeans like Mudpuppies and Amphiumas, so if you can't get a steady supply of these(and they have to be alive, too), you can't keep a Mud Snake. Being able to house and feed a snake should be considered first, THEN size, unless you're talking about a snake that has the potential to actually become unmanageable or dangerous due to its size.

pitbulllady

i keep my garter in a bone dry tank with a big water dish. he loves it. i just have to change the water often. and i found the snkae in a swampy area so i dont think he minds it being unfiltered lol.

 

[Mack&Cass]

Then why not just get a corn snake?

Agreed.

I don't know where you live, but in Canada you can get some really nice yearling corn snake morphs for ~$40.

Cass

 

[Lorgakor]

I'd recommend a rosy or sand boa over a corn snake any day. Or how about a small python? Like a Children's or Spotted python? Sand boas do tend to burrow and hide most of the time, so if that is an issue then I wouldn't get one.

Corn snakes and milks and kings have a faster metabolism, so more poo. Plus it is runnier and messier and stinkier. They (in my opinion only) also seem to have less personality than boas and pythons.