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Snake recommendations for beginner?

P

procyonloser

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Hi, so I own reptiles but I've never owned a snake before aaaand I'm thinking about bringing one into the family later off in the year

But I can't decide what species would be best

I'm hoping for a snake that won't be large enough to move up to full sized rats - so ball pythons aren't on the page (I've also gotten the impression that BP's are often finicky?

So right now I'm most fond of Rosy & Sand boas, w. hognoses, and corn snakes (but open to suggestion. Price isn't a big deal, but I'm not interested in expensive morphs - just pets)

I know corn snakes are pretty standard beginner snakes, but I'm worried about them being handling them in a house with cats? (I've heard they're harder to handle but again I don't know a ton)

Meanwhile I hear very mixed comments about hognoses, some people say they're beginner snake, others say they're hard to keep.
Rosys are what I'm leaning towards the most, but I don't see much about them.

So if anyone has any suggestions to what they feel is a good beginner snake that's more in the smallmedium size spectrum - I'm all ears

I'm not going to just immediately run out and buy anything, I just want to hear back from some owners themselves. I do as much research as I can on the species I buy beforehand, so I'm just curious.
 
Whatever you ultimately choose, the cats and the snake should be apart even while you are handling the snake out of the cage, and the cage should be secure enough so that the cats cannot get in.
 
Lucille said:
Whatever you ultimately choose, the cats and the snake should be apart even while you are handling the snake out of the cage, and the cage should be secure enough so that the cats cannot get in.
Click to expand...

Oh, I don't intend to have them anywhere around eachother, I have a completely separate room for my reptiles - but I have this paranoia of a snake getting out of hand and getting under the door before I can do anything. I've just heard corn snakes have a tendency to be more escape artists, so it gets me worried.
 
Any of the species on your list would be suitable for a beginner. However I would lean more strongly towards the corn snake, if for no other reason that I can not think of anything even slightly negative to say about them.
 
By far the easiest is the corn snake, and they are wonderful pets even if you're not a beginner: they come in beautiful color choices, are generally docile & curious, EASY to feed on frozen-thawed rodents, do not usually go off-feed in the winter, & their cage temperatures are easy to maintain: they do fine if the air averages 70-75*, similar to what most of our houses are, and they need only UTH heat under one end of the cage (not more than 1/4th of the cage unless your house is very cold) so they can use it as needed to digest. If you start with a hatchling, they are delicate & should be allowed to eat & grow (ie. settle in) for a while before you handle them. Any snake will bite in self-defense if afraid, but you'll be hard pressed to even FEEL a bite from a baby corn. By the time they grow (& have bigger teeth) they'll be tame anyway. I wouldn't call them "hard to handle" at all, but like most snakes, they don't naturally sit still, that's all.

Yes, ball pythons are far more difficult, needing a very warm cage & prone to being fussy eaters. I've raised rosy boas for years, & while I like them, they stay small & are normally docile, they typically go off-feed for several months in the winter, which can frustrate anyone new to snakes. For that reason, I'd say they're better as a second snake (once you have a bit of experience), same for W. hognose snakes. Sand boas are cute little snakes but tend to hide under substrate to pounce on prey above them: some find them nippy, less social. King snakes are easy to keep, but while all snakes are "food focused", let's just say that king snakes make more mistakes than most- sort of a "bite first, ask questions later" in case that hand is edible? (lol) Milk snakes are very colorful, but very quick & hyper, a challenge to hold, better to just look at.

A few other snakes you might want to consider:
Trans Pecos rat snakes only get about 4- 4.5' long (similar to corn snakes) & perhaps are my favorite kind. Very laid back- gentle & slow moving- nosy- & good feeders year-round. If you start with a hatchling, make sure it's well-started (ask to see feeding record)- actually that applies to all 'baby' snakes, especially if you're new at this.

Australian spotted python (Antaresia Maculosa)- stays a bit smaller than a corn snake, prefers pre-killed small mice (f/t is fine) easy to feed, tends to cling when held (sits still, lol...that's rare); does need a warmer cage & a humid-hide to shed well. The only one I've known (& currently keep) to judge from has a ferocious appetite, but has never bitten me. (Then again, you need to learn how not to confuse any snake so they know you aren't prey: most are easy, but as I hinted before, king snakes can be rather obtuse.)

My top suggestions (corn, Trans Pecos, spotted python) all enjoy climbing branches, & my spotted python & Trans Pecos rat snakes all love to bask under black lights for warmth at night. (they still have UTH heat at all times too) This makes them interesting to watch & easier to interact with. In fact, I've wired baskets into the corn & Trans Pecos' branches & they often like to sleep curled up in them, which is awfully cute.
 
By the way, Trans Pecos "rat snakes" eat mice just fine, they never need rats (& couldn't eat more than a baby rat anyway)

Another small snake you might look into (one I've never kept)- African House snakes.
 
hotlips said:
By the way, Trans Pecos "rat snakes" eat mice just fine, they never need rats (& couldn't eat more than a baby rat anyway)

Another small snake you might look into (one I've never kept)- African House snakes.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! I appreciate all the advice. I'll definitely be doing more research on the species you recommended
 
Happy to help. As far as caging, most of these do great with a 40 gal. tank when fully-grown, if space matters. Corn snakes can actually get 4'-5' long- slender snakes never seem that big because they're not bulky, it's only when they stretch out that you realize.
Another thing that corn snakes appreciate is a 'humid hide'- a plastic box with damp moss inside. One of my (5) corn snakes can usually be found under his damp moss, peeking out at me- it's pretty funny. Only by offering choices do you find out what they like best. (Trans Pecos are desert snakes, so I've never offered humid hides to them.)
 
Definitely the corn or trans pecos. AHS are inquisitive and delightful, but fussy eaters as babies; you’d need to make sure you were getting a100% guaranteed F/T eater. And they are incredibly slim and lightening fast babies.
 
Thanks again all, I'll probably be looking at a corn smaller but I think I'll check out my local reputable pet shop ( not PetSmart or Petco -I did see a I believe a tessara? Looking Corn snake at PetSmart and fell in love, but didn't want to act hastily), and going to a reptile expo or two to talk to folk.
(It's funny, when I told my 63 year old mother I was thinking about getting a snake, she was upset ... Not because of a fear of snakes, but because she wanted me to get a rubber boa instead of anything else. )
 
May I suggest to you Cornsnakes.com, owned by the same person who owns this site? It is a veritable encyclopedia of great information, very nice people, and some wonderful vendors.
 
I breed both rosy boas and east African (Kenyan) sand boas, and I used to breed cornsnakes. All of these species make excellent first snakes, and I have a litter of sand boas ready soon if you're interested. I have also worked with hognose in the past and found that many of them are finicky feeders, so I wouldn't place them at the top of the list of easiest snakes to care for, but they don't require an expert by any means.
 
Your mom sounds cool. Rubber boas are similar to rosy boas only from higher elevation (hence a different coloration, presumably to absorb more heat/sun); I've never kept any but I'd assume they might be a little fussy too.
AHS- agree with the cautions, only mentioned because you didn't say whether you're looking to get a hatchling, & often you can find great well-started pets (all kinds) that are yearlings+ (someone's breeding 'hold-out' etc).
We'll be curious to see what (or how many, hahaha!) you end up with? Hard to choose!
 
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