Which snake

[AndrewBobDrew]

Well I have narrowed down my selection for my next pair of snakes and need some help and suggestions.

1. Jungle/irian carpet python

These sound like great snakes and can be kept on large mice which is a plus, they are beautiful but the only thing that worries me is their aggressiveness and whether I will be able to get a pure strain here in south Africa. what you think?

2. Ball python

My main concern with the ball python is obviously the feeding, to spend quite a lot of mone and then get a snake which does not eat will be terrible. The other thing is how large a prey size do you move up to, bunnies will be a mission to get.

3. Columbian Boa constrictor

My only concer here is that they are not great looking as adults compared to that of the other three snakes here but as far as I know can be kept on large mice and have good temprements.

4. Brazilian boa constrictor

The most expensive of the lot but also one of the most beautiful. what you think of these guys. If I created an enclosure big enough with a heating pad on one side with a large water bowl on top of it, a few branches and hides, would this suffice for humidity and temp or are they really fussy?

I am basically thinking of adding a pair which will add to my collection of three corn snakes which don't get too big and will not pose too grat a problem finding food for them.

The more you write the better

andrew

[Bartman]

I say ball python. Thats the best next step from a corn snake imo

[AndrewBobDrew]

sorry what I meant was columbian rainbow boa and brazilian rainbow boa

[varanus69]

all of those with the exception of the balls need to be fed more than just mice. Rats definetly.. evan the balls should be on rats but with that said go for the brazilian rainbows

[VI Reptiles]

Go for the bp! At the moment bps are really popular and alot of people have them. They can get to 6 ft but rarely. Slow moving (thats what I like about them) because they are not slender like the corn snakes, king snakes and milk snakes.


Thanks

[daiyoukai]

BRB all the way, AND CREATE A HIDE BOX FOR HUMIDITY!!!! our rainbow is in a 55gl breeder with a screen top but we use moss in a hide box and she has never had a problem shedding or anyother humidity realated problems. They are nippy at first but I got my friends/ours to calm down with alot of gental handling. now she is a dream to work with and can do the "yoyo". The yoyo is when you put only one tail loop around your finger and pull the snake off the ground, the snake cant double back it's wn length so it coils straight up around your finger like a yoyo. Only snake Iv ever seen do this is a rainbow . Pretty cool eh?



EDIT: I know some people say rainbows are hard to take care of but Iv never had any problems with care for ours. and Im not super anal about anything either.

[VI Reptiles]

but you cant do that unless they are under 5 ft.....


lol

[daiyoukai]

Originally posted by VI Reptiles
but you cant do that unless they are under 5 ft.....


lol

the "yoyo"? Our is about 3 feet. but weve had her since she hatched.

[HeatherRose]

I know some people say balls are the 'next step' after corn snake, but I don't necessarily agree. I went backwards, and got a BRB first, then a BP. As long as you can keep up the humidity (If you are talking about a Colombian Rainbow Boa instead as you mentioned, they need a tad less humidity anyway) then you'll be fine.

Good luck :D

[smallball]

Go with the jungle or the BRB, balls and Columbians are everywhere and no matter what snake you choose good luck feeding them mice for the rest of there lives. Unless you plan on feeding them like 5 - 10 a feeding.
They all come close to the same size as well aside from the ball which you would be lucky if it got to 5 feet.
So yeah go with the JCP awesome snakes, they feed well, they look nice and they get to a good size not to big and not to small.

[marisa]

Pick whatever one YOU like the most. That's the ONLY way to purchase snakes. Finding out where YOUR personal interests are, researching the crap out of the snake, and getting it.

All those need to be fed rats. A ball python will not need bunnies and could eat mice forever. The others will get a bit to large for mice, but I am sure anything is possible. If you have access to rats, then your on easy street for any of those species.

Marisa

[Bartman]

If you get a ball python make sure its on rats imo. It will help you a ton in the long run.

I didnt even notice the jungle carpet option hehe, GET THAT! I have one and its one of my favourite snakes, if not my favourite.

But id have to agree with Marisa, and say that get what YOU want. We can only suggest but you have to make the final decision so pick something you'll be happy with.

[Darren179]

I could have read that wrong but adult BCI cannot be kept on mice. I guess in theory they could but it is in no way practical.

[Slipknot]

Originally posted by marisa
Pick whatever one YOU like the most. That's the ONLY way to purchase snakes. Finding out where YOUR personal interests are, researching the crap out of the snake, and getting it.

I totally agree! I was having trouble for a while deciding on what snake I wanted but I did exactly what is quoted...although none of my friends think it is a good idea for me to get a Burm. :rolleyes:

[hhw]

All of the snakes you listed should be on rats; unless you're willing to feed a LOT of mice at each feeding. The rainbow boas will require more humidity, so I would avoid them for now unless you're really confident about your husbandry. If you do decide to get one of them though, I would definitely go for the Brazilian over the Columbian. They're just much nicer in my opinion.

Of the other two, I would go with the ball python. I'm not sure why you would need to spend a lot of money on them, as you're pretty close to the source there and I would think they would be pretty cheap. Of those two, I would go for whichever you like better.