Incectivors? rough grass snake?

[peterm15]

hey everyone im new to the sie and relitavely new to the reptile world.... at the moment i have a chameleon and leapord geckos...
im looking into getting a snake but i would perfer one that eats incects...

ive looked into the rough grass and it seems to be up my ally... so my question is where could i find one and where could i find info on houseing feeding... general care... and second... is there any other incectivor snake that is worth looking into...

[herpslave]

I belive the smoothe green is a insectivorous snake only also. I have found one site that sells roughs. LLLreptile.com
Though if this is your first snake you should not buy a rough green nor smoothe. Most of these snakes are wc, like tokays. Some ca be really aggresive and they are mostly a show animal. Not a touch. Also due to them being wc and not to common in the mass trade of reptiles, alot of the caresheets are awful. Rough greens are sometimes so misunderstood and wc they will die a painful life in anyones care. So if your a medium snake keeper or a extreme care taker of snakes I would reccomend you get a rough. These I believe or I was told are the only kind of snake that eats 100 percent insects.

[herpslave]

For a beginner snake I would try a corn. They eat rodents only, but are great for handling, don't get large, and there are many beautiful morphs of a corn. Just like a leo.

[peterm15]

oh i know about the corn and king and milk snakes... but my problem is i couldnt bring myself to feed them live rodents... i could only feed them frozens... and ive heard there are some bad things that can happen if not done properly... and also i could have gotten away with a rough grass cause there thin.... im looking for something quite small... otherwise my second choice is the hognose but i still run into the mouse problem... the one that ive been looking into only eats live...

with my luck id get a snake that wouldnt eat frozens and id end up with one sick snake and 100 pinkies that id have to take care of... i dont have a prob with snakes eating mice... just id have to be the one throwing them in there.... thats why i wanted an insect eater...

do you have any other suggestions...

[HeatherRose]

oh i know about the corn and king and milk snakes... but my problem is i couldnt bring myself to feed them live rodents... i could only feed them frozens...

It's quite easy to find a corn snake that will take frozen mice, just ask your local breeders. Seeing as you seem to be in the general Toronto area, there is a show coming up where you could find one. A list of vendors and other information can be found here: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57151

There are a TON of breeders in Ontario, finding a snake to suit your needs shouldn't be hard at all.

Good luck!

[peterm15]

ive had plans for like 2 months to go... i just dont wanna go blinsided.....

is there any other small breeds of snakes... like 2 feet or something.... i also like the climbing aspect... but that really doesnt mean that much to me...

[RepTylE]

I applaud the fact that you are taking your time and learning about your options before you buy. I once was interested in smooth or rough green snakes for the same reason that you are. I had issues with feeding rodents to snakes but I got used to the idea and haven't looked back since. Now I love snakes so much that they have become a part of my life and feeding f/t rats or mice is not a big deal. As Heather stated, there are tons of breeders in Ontario and finding a Corn snake breeder would be easy. Do yourself a favour as a new snake enthusiast and keep looking into your options. There's no hurry, snakes are always going to be around lol.

[peterm15]

thanks alot...... i always seem to do overkill before i purchase an animal... before i got my chameleon i reasearched the animal and built a tank for about 4 months.... and i still wasnt finished... its just i always jump into things and screw somethin up..... even with the chame... i should have searched temperments cause i really wanna handle mine but i cant do it he hisses and gets stressed...

the problem is that 3 feet is a little two long unless its really thin like the rough grass... thats why i was thinking hognosed... i know there rear fang poisioness but is it really harmful to ppl...

in all reality i would like to have a boa or python... one of the ones that just curl up and hang out in a tree, i think thats cool lookin... but i have alot of animals as it is... 11... 3 sharks, 1 turtle 2 leapord geckos, 1 veiled, 2 cats and 2 dogs. well 12 if you count the turtles best friend.... the feeder fish we got him 2 years ago... they hang out its kinda cool...

[HeatherRose]

From what I understand about hognoses, their venom is comparable to a bee sting. If you're allergic to bee stings, it can be quite dangerous...I'm not an expert though.

As for boas or pythons, if you're looking for something that doesn't get too big, rosy boas, sand boas, childrens pythons and ball pythons are some options. These all feed on rodents however.

Arboreal snakes like emerald tree boas and green tree pythons (the ones that 'curl up in trees' as you said) involve more advanced husbandry, but that doesn't mean you need to limit yourself. They are expensive, however, with ETB's being in the 500-800$ range and GTP's being in the 800-1200$ price range. They also feed on rodents.

Good luck...

[peterm15]

i just looked up the rosy boa and childrens python and they seem great... as long as frozen is ok...lol... im gonna do more reasearch and come back to keep checking and asking... thanks for such a great site...

[Katt]

<laugh> Everyone in this thread keeps saying frozen and I hope no one gets that idea that people feed their snakes frozen rodents. Although I did read in a book how a person actually did raise their snakes on frozen mice and not frozen/thawed.

[herpslave]

Why are you against a long snake? Corns do not get larger than your arm if that's what your thinking. They usually don't even get close to that. I don't own corns, but I have heard they get up to 5 feet, 6 being the most. Which is not really a big deal with a smaller snake. They won't eat you, don't worry lol. All they really need is f/t rodents that you can order from rodentpro.com for a great price. Did I mention they only need a 20 gallon long tank??:) Compared to sand boas and the other snakes that is probably a great size.
Besides, if you ever do feed live all you have to do is wait until that special bite, turn away, and close your eyes.

[herpslave]

Garters, and water snakes are good pets too. As long as you can handle muskings, and getting a snake that has been specially raised on mice, a small amount of fish every week or two, and earthworms.

[bistrobob85]

I also applause your research on animals BEFORE you purchase them. I wish all herp buyers would be like you, the hobby would have a much better reputation... By the way, it' s not very difficult getting a snake to eat dead food, you just have to be patient a little and it will eventually work for most herps... Good luck to you and keep up with the good will :). I love new herpers with good will and the ones that really care about the animals they buy :)!

phil.

phil.

[bistrobob85]

wow, posted my name twice, i guess i must be a genius...

[peterm15]

Originally posted by herpslave
Why are you against a long snake? Corns do not get larger than your arm if that's what your thinking. They usually don't even get close to that.

its not that im against them... just at the time i have alot of animals and very little room... i have a 10 gal tank that im gonna use for a few small lizzards (anoles ect) and im gonna build a 20- 30 gallon tank depending on the hight... i just always like an animal to have alot of room... my leapord geckos tank is going to be (im in the mists of building) a 2 story 25 galon tank... right now there in the 25 gal without a second story... and my chameleon is in a up side down L shaped screen tank 2'w x 6'h x 5' L at the top and 3' at the bottom... so i would just like a smaller snake that can be housed in a smaller tank.... as well as to get me used to snakes.... ive never owned one so i dont wanna dive in head first... start small then work my way up...

the childrens python seems like a very good handleable snake but i also like the idea of a water snake but whats musking.... im gonna try to find out now... i gotta weigh my options and figure out what im gonna do... thanks everyone

[zero&stich]

Hello,
To add to possiable small snake lists ;) Look into Spotted Pythons. Unless of corse someone already suggested that and I missed it. Maybe Kenyan Sand boas to?

As a side note, if my memory serves me right rough/smooth green snakes are not just insectivores. Like garters they will except earthworms, small frogs, salamanders, smaller species of reptiles(possiably anoles), small rodents, feeder fish(avoid), "grubs", meal worms(depends on size of animal), trevo worms, wax worms and I think thats pretty much it as far as diet.

They are diurnal and is a species of snakes that does require UVB. Since most of the animals they consume in the wild do have much in a way of a skeletal structure(little calcium).

Anyway sry for rambling :P

the childrens python seems like a very good handleable snake but i also like the idea of a water snake but whats musking.... but whats musking

Musking, um, best way i know how to describe it is like a milky white substance, kinda like thin pea soup on your hands. Pending an the animal some snakes when they musk, the smell is enough to gag a magot!! It is a defense mechanism. Instead of biting, they release this "pea soup" and the idea behind is, in the snakes mind, "maybe if i smell like a dead skunk, the animal wont approach or eat me cause ill smell really horriable".

again if my memory serves me right, indigo snakes can be refered to as the "stinking godess" when they musk.

most people will agree on this one, i personally rather be tagged by a nonvenomous animal, with the expection of the large pythons, then being musked.

[thunder]

stinking goddess actually refers to an asian species, the king ratsnake

[Linds]

I'd probably recommend Rosies and Sand Boas if you really want something small. Rosy Boas and Sand Boas can all be comfortably housed in a ten gallon aquarium their whole lives. If you wanted it to be super-spacious and decorative, you could go as far as a 15 or 20. Sand boas however will do better in the smaller sizes, and you will likely never see it unless you take it out, as they spend the majority of their time under the substrate, you might see a nose sticking out. Rosy Boas can be really fun display snakes. They are supposedly fossorial, but if you give them branches and whatnot, they will usually spend a lot of time climbing around. They are typically slow-moving and very calm. Easy to handle, easy to care for. These snakes actually thrive in aquariums. They prefer a dry environment, only give them water once in a blue moon (mine get a small dish of water once a month). They come in all sorts of colour and pattern variations... blues, reds, black, white, orange, etc.

Here's a pic of one of my adult female Rosy Boas for size comparison...
<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/508/22sweetnessinhand.jpg">