Expanding the Possibilities

[DDW]

Hello! Long time no see, though my husband and I have been talking about expanding our snake collection (beyond Glitch, my albino ball python). He wants to look into the giants, but I also want to look into some of the smaller species. We are talking about getting a red tail boa for our next snake, but I'm wanting to prepare for the future.

I'm thinking a rack system but also want something that can be decorative to an extent. We don't have a lot of funds, so maybe something we could build would be nice, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about it, so I wanted to ask the experienced first.

[chairman]

If you're looking for a snake that is bigger than a ball python but smaller than the giants then I would look at carpet pythons or possibly bull snakes. They're typically good looking snakes that are easy to care for, have healthy appetites, tolerate handling well, and make a habit of being visible/active in their cages. Boas, of course, are popular as well.

On cages, I'd seriously consider an Animal Plastics cage. Their PVC cages are a little pricey compared to a homemade wooden unit, and they take 12 weeks to arrive, but I think they're worth it. They're not exactly decorative but they're clean and modern looking. I have three 10 year old AP T-10s that are still in fantastic condition. I'm pretty confident that I'll be keeping snakes in those same cages for another decade or more. I currently keep my ball pythons (4 of them) in a rack but I ordered more AP terrestrial cages to move my pythons in to so I can look at them more easily.

[DDW]

Thanks for the tips! I was thinking about expanding to some colubrids. Some can be longer, though not as thick. I'll definitely check out some of those PVC cages though!

I've had my eye on the Brazilian Rainbow Boa for years now tbh.

[EL Ziggy]

My female bullsnake is a solid 8ft. They're awesome colubrids. Carpet pythons are my favorite snake species. My adults are 6-7ft and pretty slender. My boas are both young and still smaller. The BI will probably top out at 6ft and the BCO should be 8-10ft. If you're looking for a large snake that eats like a zombie, but is still pretty mellow and fun to handle, take a look at Olive pythons. They're gentle baby giants. My male Olive is definitely one of my favorite critters.

[DDW]

Wow, I'll have to take a look! Thanks for the info. I hadn't considered some of those species!

[Veronica]

Beauty rat snakes get big too! I love them, although I've never owned one.