Looking to adpot a snake, which kind?

[xC0DEB10C]

Hello!

I've been looking to adpot a snake for a long time now and am a complete noob in that regard. So I'm happy to accept any kind of guidance or tipps in any matter on the subject.


I would like to adopt a easy to take care of snake due to my lack of experience, though I don't mind reading up and gaining more knowledge on the subject.

As to my specifications:

- I would like to adopt a noob-friend/easy-to-take-care-of snake.
- I have a terrarium which is 100cmW/40cmT/40cmD (3960cm³) ready.
- I don't mind spending cash on it's type or environment.
- I don't mind feeding it instects or small euthanized rodents, but I would definitely preffer to feed it chicken eggs if possible, due to the ease of acquiring them.


So based on the above, what kind of snake would you all consider/suggest for me? (Tipps and suggestions for the environment, based on the suggested snake are happily welcomed as well!)

Thank you for any tipps and the following discussions!

[daisymaisy]

Corn snakes, rat snakes, king snakes, African house snakes, small python like a spotted or children's python, ball python, Kenyan sand boa, Rosy boa....off the top of my head these are all good starter snakes.

As to eggs, I don't think there are too many snakes that eat chicken eggs. Some will take eggs I think, and there are a few types that specialize in eggs. But most snakes will take pre-killed rodents.

There are some snakes that eat fish or worms, like garter snakes.

Snakes are great pets!

[craigafrechette]

Some other important things to consider:

- Do you want a snake you can handle often? Or more of a display snake?

- Do you tend to like long, skinny snakes or short, heavy bodied snakes?

- what is the maximum size you're interested in keeping?

You're not going to find many snakes that are going to eat chicken eggs. I only know of a few egg eaters and they are not popular in the pet trade.

You're better off deciding what species you want instead of starting with an enclosure. Enclosures can be cheap to set up. Think of it this way: depending on what species you choose, you could have this pet for 15+ years all the way through 30+ Years. Pick the snake you want for at least 15 years and then provide a suitable enclosure. If you start with a hatchlings or neonate you're going to have to start with a small enclosure and gradually upgrade anyhow.

[IDvsEGO]

Ball Pythons get a bad rap but they are all over the place for a reason. they are pretty mild and easy to care for. I like colubirds (king/corn/milk/rat) but they are squirmy and prone to escape attempts, especially as youngsters. They are still pretty easy to care for though. I have a sand boa and it is a cool snake but stays hidden most of the time. My 19 year old daughter lives at a pet friendly dorm and she has been trying out different snakes at shops for a little bit. She decided on a ball because it was so super relaxed on her and easy to handle. The size is reasonable too.

[Aaron_S]

Adult corn snake. You can find one with the disposition you like, the colour you like and feeding the way you want it. Essentially you know everything you need to know about it beforehand.

[Roman]

Hi,

As the others have already posted, there are several things to keep in mind before you decide which snake might be right for you.

craigafrechette was pointing out some basic questions. There are some snakes which are in general not too nervous or even defensive if you take them into your hand. There is a certain individual variety within a species, some corn snakes might bite after all, some snappy snake might surprise you in being calm most of the time. His second point is about the difference between colubrids (“Nattern” elongated slender snakes most of the time) and boids (“Riesenschlangen” more heavy bodied snakes) like boas or pythons.

The decision between a colubrid or a boid is pretty much your own taste, there are small and large, calm and nervous snakes in both groups.

The terrarium you mentioned, is this the final enclosure you want to use for an adult snake? If so, this will limit the selection of suitable species. In Germany we have an official guideline about the minimum size of a terrarium for reptiles (“Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien”). This is not a law, but if there is any dispute and the local authorities come into play they might inform the official veterinarian (“Amtstierarzt”). This service has the right to survey your setup and they will use this guideline to determine if the size of your enclosure is suitable for your snake. If you keep just one “beginners snake” this scenario is unlikely, but with a growing selection and probably acquiring protected species which have to be registered by the local administration a visit of a representative becomes very likely (here in Hessen where I life the critical threshold is three protected animals, if you have three or more protected snakes the question is not if but when you get a visit).

There are snakes which feed on insects and there are some snakes which feed exclusively on eggs. All of these snakes are not good beginners snakes, the insect eaters will need supplementation of their food and can be difficult to start feeding. Egg snakes (“Eierschlangen”) require smaller eggs as chicken eggs and even if you could get a large enough snake to swallow a chicken egg it will most likely not eat an egg right out of the grocery store, because this egg lacks the typical “nest smell”. On the other hand it is no problem to get frozen food (mice, rats, hamsters or day old chicken) in all sizes, you can store it and thaw one mouse / rat per meal as needed.

All of the following snakes are relative easy to keep, can be handled without too much trouble, eat rodents and are easily available. I will add the German name and the scientific name as well, so you can do some additional research.

Ball python (“Koenigspython”, Python regius), comes in different color forms (Morphs), ranges between pocket change and several thousand Euro depending on the morph. A male might just be small enough to keep permanently in your terrarium, a female will outgrow it and you will need a bigger one.

Children python (“Gefleckter Python”, Antaresia children), another small python

Sand boa or Rosy boa (“Sandboa” Eryx spec (several different species) or “Rosenboa” Lichanura) small burrowing species, easy to keep, but they will stay hidden a lot of time.

Corn snake (“Kornnatter”, Pantherophis guttatus), comes in different color forms (Morphs), ranges between pocket change and several hundred Euro depending on the morph. For an adult snake I would prefer a higher enclosure, they really like to climb.

Californian kingsnake (“Kalifornische Kettennatter”, Lampropeltis getula californiae), one of the smaller kingsnakes

Milksnake (“Koenigsnatter”, Lampropeltis Triangulum), comes in different subspecies, some of the smaller ones like campbelli can be kept in your enclosure as adults

African house snakes (“Hausschlangen”, Lamprophis fuligonosus), small snakes, nocturnal (most active during night time)

There are many more, but this might be a good starting point.

For most of them you can get a small booklet. There is a series covering one species per book (Art fuer Art – Reihe, Natur und Tier Verlag)