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Beginner Snakes

5K views 56 replies 12 participants last post by  betta lover1507 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I was just wondering if I can have some kind of help. I am trying to plan ahead and save up a bunch for a small snake. I'm doing research as always, but honestly don't know where to start. Are there any snake/reptile people on the forum that can contribute to my questions?

No, I don't have the set up nor the snake in mind yet. I want it to be small enough to be in my room if that'll give you an idea. I have a queen sized matress, a 40 inch tv, large dresser, and plenty of room left to fit about a 10-20 gallon tank. Maybe that can give you an idea of what I'm able to work with.

I was wondering, from a milk snake or a corn snake...which would be best? I've seen some snakes just 6 inches (still a baby of course) and some can live in a 10 gallon? I dont know how much of that is true, but it's just what I've heard and seen. There are just so many kinds of snakes that I have no idea where to start. (DEfinitely not ready for any big snakes like boas, ect.) I was thinking a corn snake would be nice to have. They are relatively small and seem to be a great beginner snake.

Are there any articles that you guys may suggest? Any breeders that I can speak with via e-mail or someway? I doubt they are on the forum, but you never know. Can anyone help or at least point me in the right direction? I'm willing to read and do my homework first also I know that snakes and other reptiles are expensive to set up. (Well most of them) Would this be true for a snake small enough to live in a 10 gallon?

Also my cousin has a 5 foot boa in their 55 gallon tank. Is that even advised or okay?

I really am looking towards Milk snakes since the colors on them are amazing, but would settle for a corn snake, if in my predicament, I can.

I want one small enough that I could possibly hold at the computer or have on the bed, ect. Also I know that snakes are escape artists so that won't be a problem either.

Thanks

-BL2033
 
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#2 ·
Hmmm, I'd say that a sand boa would be the best choice for a small snake. They do perfect in 15-20 gal. tanks and only get up to 2'-3' in length. So do some research on them! ;) I have one as well. :p I also have 2 corn snakes. Those also do well in 20 gal. tanks and can get up to 5'.
It's also best to just get the biggest tank possible, regardless of size - saves you money on buying another tank later. :D

A 5' boa in a 55 gal.? mmmm sounds small to me. What kind of boa is it?
 
#7 ·
Sand boas to me look weird. They look like fat large worms when they are adult size. The head looks a bit weird. They are nice snakes with all the colors and such, but I don't think they are for me lol.

My cousin "had" not has sorry. I don't remember what kind it was. It was the common ones I saw all the time in pet stores and such. Like the yellowish spots and a whitish beige color of the rest of it.

Looks exactly like this:
What my cousins boa looked like.



Yeah I figured it would be best to always go with the biggest tank just like fish. Hey would prefer the space than risk having themselves cramped as I would.

When I asked if there was any breeders I could speak to, I was meaning just to speak with them. Is there a way I can get in touch with one of the breeders you are familiar with?

I like the stripes of the milk snakes and the corn snakes I think may be smaller?

A sand boa would be cute. ^-^
Always go for the biggest tank you can get, not the smallest.
Looking for a breeder, I'd join a reptile forum and ask around... I'm only familiar with Canadian breeders, sorry :(
I don't think there are huge differences between milk and corn snakes, both are often recommended as starter snakes for people. Corn snakes also come in a plethora of colours. :D
Thank you for that. That's pretty interesting. I didn't know that.

I've noticed dormancy in balls is most common before a shed or during the winter months.
An idea of their pickiness- my ball only eats white rats. I hear being picky over colour is pretty common with this species. Good thing most feeders are albino. xD
Ball python. I don't think I want one of those just yet. I want to start out really small and basic. They might not be so complicated, but they don't stay too small. I think my limit of size for right now would be 2-3 feet preferably 2, but 3 foot sounds like a nice sized snake to have. The markings on them are very unique and usually I see just a small difference on each of them.

So basically you mean they are stubborn when it comes to eating? I there a reason why they don't eat for so long?

I have a ball python. They are easy to find, available in a range of colour phases, docile and slow moving. I like the shape of their heads and their markings.

I bought mine as a hatchling about 11 years ago. He's about three and a half feet long. Balls can get up to 5 feet long (females) but that's smaller than most boas.

In all the years I've had and handled mine, he has never bitten. The name "Ball" python comes from the fact that they defend themselves by curling into a tight ball with the head in the middle.

I have mine in a 30 gal tank but you could probably get away with 20. They don't move around quickly or too much.

The only drawbacks are that they can be picky eaters, and they will take long breaks from eating (months). As hatchlings they eat fine, but older ones can go into long dormant periods. Balls eat rats and mice, size depends on snake body girth.



Okay, so to everyone, is there a rule of thumb wi placing snakes and the amount of gallons? Like with fish it's about 1-2 inches to every gallon. So how would it work with snakes?

Which would be the smallest snake to get besides a sand boa.
 
#3 ·
A sand boa would be cute. ^-^
Always go for the biggest tank you can get, not the smallest.
Looking for a breeder, I'd join a reptile forum and ask around... I'm only familiar with Canadian breeders, sorry :(
I don't think there are huge differences between milk and corn snakes, both are often recommended as starter snakes for people. Corn snakes also come in a plethora of colours. :D
 
#5 ·
I have a ball python. They are easy to find, available in a range of colour phases, docile and slow moving. I like the shape of their heads and their markings.

I bought mine as a hatchling about 11 years ago. He's about three and a half feet long. Balls can get up to 5 feet long (females) but that's smaller than most boas.

In all the years I've had and handled mine, he has never bitten. The name "Ball" python comes from the fact that they defend themselves by curling into a tight ball with the head in the middle.

I have mine in a 30 gal tank but you could probably get away with 20. They don't move around quickly or too much.

The only drawbacks are that they can be picky eaters, and they will take long breaks from eating (months). As hatchlings they eat fine, but older ones can go into long dormant periods. Balls eat rats and mice, size depends on snake body girth.
 
#6 ·
I've noticed dormancy in balls is most common before a shed or during the winter months.
An idea of their pickiness- my ball only eats white rats. I hear being picky over colour is pretty common with this species. Good thing most feeders are albino. xD
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
A lot of small snakes that come to mind are mean...
Egg eating snake is small and toothless, but I've read that feeding can be a problem and you gotta force it down.
The one other small boa are Hogg island boa, they are gorgeous, but I think they can get up to 4' as well.
I'd go for a corn or milk snake...
Find a breeder, and ask for a male, males are often much smaller than females.
 
#10 ·
You could also look at kingsnakes, they are easy to find and brilliantly coloured.
 
#12 ·
LOL I guess my tarantulas distract me. :twisted:

But snakes in general don't wriggle or move about much. My python stays curled under his cork bark most of the time. The spiders hide or sit still most of the time too. Both species are beautiful and interesting in their own way.

That's why I like bettas, they move around more and are beautiful in a different way.
 
#14 ·
i do agree with going to reptile shows for the animals. i could've taken a asian vine snake home for $30. didnt do so as i had no space, no ideas on care requirements and to tell the truth glad i didnt. vine snakes are picky, apparently intermediate level, wont take too well with rodents and prefer lizards as food. some breeders might not drop prices as willing as others, saw many cresties going for atleast $60 minimum.
 
#15 ·
NEVER GET A KINGSNAKE AS A FIRST SNAKE NOR MILKSNAKE
they are very hard to handle, and can easily bite. i would suggest:
ball python
corn snake
hognose
garter snake
florida green snake

there might be more, but those are the ones we had before and nothing ever went wrong.
though getting a hognose is pricey, the good thing about hognoses that they rarely ever bite, they'll bluff what i mean by bluff is that instead if taking a grab of you they some what head-but you. bad thing is there hyper and they have a certain poison that swells where you have been bitten, it's not fatal. females reach to 4 feet, and male reach to 2 feet.
ball pythons are easy to find and really calm with you, sometimes there mean. we only have one out of like 5 pythons we have one mean one because she isn't used to people and she is just a hatchling. but there big reach to like 5 or 6 feet (i forgot around that) though females will always be bigger.
there slower and won't go crazy all over the place when you hold them, because since they have a bigger body they won't move as much.
corn snakes these are great beginner snakes, not as pricey as the other two but they reach to 6 feet as well (for females). they are really nice and gentle, but they are energetic since there body is more slim. they have beautiful colorations that don't reach to like $1000 like hognoses or ball pythons. we have a juvenile, and she is really loveable, though kinda hyper.
garter snakes i don't know the average size of them since i haven't had them for a long time. good beginner snakes, you could also feed them crickets or worms unlike other snakes eat mice, toads, etc. so there more simpler for care as well. not much of a wide coloration. but they are nice to have around :) i think they don't really have razor sharp teeth either (am not sure)
green florida snakes i think they get a bit bigger than garter's, but they have a beautiful green, and a unique face. good beginner. they also have a nice yellow on them to. also we haven't had one for a while, and they don't live as long as pythons or anything, i think it was 4 years. am not sure with the colorations. but we fed ours pinkies (new born mice).
so i wouldn't get a king snake as a first snake.
pics:
ball python:

hognose:

corn snake:

garter snake:

green Florida snake:
 
#17 ·
BL1507.... I can't believe you'd have your king snake around your corn... That is a horrible thing to do. King snakes SPECIALTY is eating other snakes. That's the main component of their diet in the wild... They are even immune to venom, and are often released to control venomous snake populations in urban areas... Of course he tried to eat your corn, that's his favourite food...

I think you could find a lovely well handled king/milk snake at a reptile show, already sexed so you have a good idea of future size.
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#18 ·
i only keep an albino ball python and a hog nose. the rest aren't mine my brother done that. that's why i said "Our"
we gave away the king for a spider ball python female, she had a respiratory infection, 4 days before the machine we bought came in she passed away.
 
#19 ·
I think going to a reptile show would be a good thing to do. We had a member here, CodeRed who has 2 cornsnakes and an African house snake. Too bad she doesn't come to the forum anymore. She knows a LOT about snakes. I think she started out by going to reptile shows if I'm remembering correctly.
 
#20 ·
My daughter has an albino jungle corn (cross between king and corn). He is really nice and won't bite unless he is getting ready to shed. I think he bites at that time because he can't see very well, and only sees movement.
My personal favorites are the corn snake. They come in a LOT of beautiful colors.
 
#23 ·
It takes about 2 days for a snake to digest it's food. Sometimes it's less, but that all depends on heating. Also you don't want to handle it after feeding, as it might regurgitate it's food...nasty business. My middle school teacher had 2 corns as class pets and she let us take them out. She had apparently forgotten that she had fed them 3-4 mice about 12 hrs. earlier...poor thing threw up 4 half-digested mice all over my desk. xD
Anyways...
Corn's should be in 75*F with 80-85* on one side a cool area on the other. I just keep my lamp on during the day & turn it off at night. It gets to about 80 one the hot side and 70-73 on the cool side. Then it drops to 68-70 at night. They live around central areas of the US and can thrive in many different climates. :3 So they're an ideal first snake to own.
You only need to feed them once a week and the sizes of the mice should increase when they get bigger. You only need to feed them one mouse though.
 
#24 ·
Thanks! That's perfect. I will just have to research a bunch more...my brain hurts already, but I got it.

So they are best kept with the light on all day and off at night. Thanks, youlovegnats!
 
#26 ·
An UTH (Under Tank Heater) is preferred, as they enjoy belly heat, and when they burrow (which they will) they will still be warm enough to digest their last meal. I'm getting a corn soon, I have the whole set-up. I've got a 48g tank, and everything I need but the mice and the corn. Oh, except for more screen clips, LOL! I would really advise that you go with the biggest tank you can fit in your room, because it saves you from buying a bigger setup later, and your future gaffer would appreciate it as it grows. I think go with the 20g long! Not tall, long. Hope I helped some!
 
#28 ·
Thanks. Yeah I wouldn't want to have a 20 gallon ish for any kind of snake because it defeats the purpose of getting a snake in that tank or any other lizard/reptile.

About how long do they get? What is a healthy thickness they should be about?

Where did you start when first researching about them. What articles did you read? (if you remember).
 
#29 ·
Corns can get from anywhere to 3' to 5' in length. The healthy size (adult size) should be as round as a half-dollar.
 
#30 ·
Okay. Perfect! Thanks.

Just another question, how would you go about heating the bottom of the tank? Without it being so hot or not hot enough?
 
#32 ·
You can get heating pads that can be stuck under the tank (not inside). If the pad doesn't come with a regulator switch, you can buy those separately to plug your heating devices into.
 
#31 ·
There are heating pads that have sticky stuff so you can adhere it to the bottom of the tank. My issue with under-heaters is that you can't control the temp. After my turtle flipping over and over-heating, I prefer to use lamps. ;___;
 
#33 ·
Okay I see. So what about the "flooring" or "bedding?" I heard sand is comfortable, but obviously not for every snake.

So what would you need to use for the bottom? Newspaper?
 
#36 · (Edited)
I found this green carpet thing for under $10 that you can clean and wash so its re-usable.Zoo Med Eco Reptile Terrarium Carpet - Reptile - Sale - PetSmart

I got a green one.

I would really suggest a corn snake for you because the Garters and Ribbon snakes are harder to handle. They want to just run away from you. They are very fast.

Corn snakes can be more docile. I just got mine two days ago. Here is us feeding it :D


Still learning a lot.

I think Pythons get too big and you need more than one person to handle it with you when it gets that big.

Oh and here is the snake in her cage so you can see the carpet thing. I need to cut it like a half inch to fit it perfect though:


Good luck!
 
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