Snakes for kids?

[boosh96]

My mom and I are thinking about getting my 8-year old brother a snake for Christmas. Of course, he's going to get help caring for the snake, and I'm trying to teach him general snake maintenance and responsibility-type stuff. So what kind of snake would be best for an 8-year old? Right now, I'm leaning towards a Hognose, but I wanted to see what you all thought. Thanks in advance!

[Lankyrob]

Not sure if hognose venom would cause a worse reaction in a kid than an adult but myself i would go down the colubrid route for an 8 yr old.

[SnakeyJay]

Garter or corn... Husbandry is easy, they can take fluxuations in temp and corns are forgiving of handling mistakes. Don't know how garters behave as I haven't had one.

[shaunyboy]

Not sure if hognose venom would cause a worse reaction in a kid than an adult but myself i would go down the colubrid route for an 8 yr old.

have to agree with rob mate

cheers shaun

[boosh96]

Another thing-what kind of snakes can live comfortably in a 10-gallon tank? That question is why I've been leaning toward a Hognose or an African House snake, but would either of those snakes be a good choice?

[jdavy]

Another thing-what kind of snakes can live comfortably in a 10-gallon tank? That question is why I've been leaning toward a Hognose or an African House snake, but would either of those snakes be a good choice?

Don't count on an African house snake staying small. I once had one that grew to be 5 feet long.

I wouldn't give a hog to an 8 year old, personally. I have a friend who was bit by one and had an adverse reaction - she keeps FWC and some other halfway crazy stuff...but the reaction she had to this bite seemed to scare her pretty good. Contrary to popular belief, hogs can catch ya with a fang (especially 8 year old sized fingers and hands). I like 'em (used to keep them), but I don't think they're for kids.

Enclosures are cheap, so don't let the fact that you only currently have a 10 gallon tank stop you from getting a corn. You could pick up a big sterilite container that would fit it for about $10, or a 20 gallon reptile tank for about $30.

My vote is the corn snake. They are colourful, easy to handle, tolerant of small errors in husbandry, etc. If an 8 year old is going to get a pet snake, a corn is the way to go:).

[KORBIN5895]

Definitely go corn or garter. My first store bought snake was a ribbon snake. I was 12

[stephanbakir]

Cor, hoggie, sand boa etc, best of luck

[whoaxmary]

I'd go with a garter. He'll never be bored - if you've ever read Wayne's posts about how active they are you'll know what I mean. ^.^

[alessia55]

Corn snake, sand boa, or rosy boa are also good choices

[Snakefood]

I vote corn!! I have 5 and my 4 yr old can handle (uber supervised!) my adults (except helios as he's cranky)

[snake man12]

Go with corn snakes. Um and sand boas. If he is ready to take on some responsibility them maybe ball python

[MojoHerps]

I'd go with a corn snake but not a hatchling. I'd get a subadult or an adult since they are not so squirmy and are well established so there will hopefully be no unpleasant surprises.

Adult corns can live comfortably in a 20 long but I thing bigger is a bit better.

I think garters are squirmier, musk more and go off feed in winter more than corns. That can be stressful to a new owner.

[Gungirl]

I vote Corn snake..

[whoaxmary]

Getting a sub adult is a good suggestion.

[millertime89]

for a 10 gallon, a male garter or two.

[Rogue628]

Sub adult corn or garter.

[youngster]

Mesa vote corn too, IMO the most forgiving snake there is husbandry wise.

[Glasgow Corns]

shall jump on the corn bandwagon, and as someone above has said though, sub adult or adult.

[Pareeeee]

Rosy Boa. Gentle. Calm. Apparently good with children.

[candyraver69]

I'd go with a corn snake but not a hatchling. I'd get a subadult or an adult since they are not so squirmy and are well established so there will hopefully be no unpleasant surprises.

Adult corns can live comfortably in a 20 long but I thing bigger is a bit better.

I think garters are squirmier, musk more and go off feed in winter more than corns. That can be stressful to a new owner.

Going to agree. A yearling or older corn would make a fabulous choice as a child's first snake. Very easy to care for.

A 34 quart sterilite is a big enough size to provide a good heat gradient, a large water dish, and a couple hides (one on each side). I would recommend something that size for an adult. I think a 20L aquarium is just a bit too small.

[snakehill]

I'd go with a corn snake but not a hatchling. I'd get a subadult or an adult since they are not so squirmy and are well established so there will hopefully be no unpleasant surprises.

Adult corns can live comfortably in a 20 long but I thing bigger is a bit better.

I think garters are squirmier, musk more and go off feed in winter more than corns. That can be stressful to a new owner. I've had both and I agree! ;)

[Terranaut]

At 8 yrs old mom ,dad or big brother/sister will most likely be taking care of it other than feeding and play time. I would first consider the child. Are they active or more the read a book/play xbox type. An active kid will apreciate an active snake like a corn or any colubrid as they like to roam about and can move very quickly. A more sedentary child might like more of a "lap" snake like a ball python or a smaller boa. I agree with getting a sub adult or even an adult snake. Plenty of them needing a good home out there on top of the other reasons posted. Find a snake that matches your little brother and both will be happy. Balls are a bit more work to take care of but again I doubt the 8 yr old will be doing most of it anyway. Regardless of what you choose I think 8-9 is the perfect age for a first snake.
Good luck and happy birthday to your lucky brother.

[Snakefood]

I'd go with a corn snake but not a hatchling. I'd get a subadult or an adult since they are not so squirmy and are well established so there will hopefully be no unpleasant surprises.

Adult corns can live comfortably in a 20 long but I thing bigger is a bit better.

I second the sub-adult or adult, my hatchling is not easy to handle at all and only hubby and I are allowed to handle him because of that. Plus they are small and easy to "squish", they are little escape artists (mine gave me a heart thumping escape just the other day) and I have heard that it's a little hit or miss on raising them up (mortality wise)

Plus (and I am no way saying this is the norm or otherwise) in my house of 2 females and 3 males, I have 2 very "friendly/calm" females and only one male!! The other 2 males?? well one is continually cranky and the other is a downright ***!!

[Strutter769]

My vote goes for a corn snake as well.

[candyraver69]

At 8 yrs old mom ,dad or big brother/sister will most likely be taking care of it other than feeding and play time. I would first consider the child. Are they active or more the read a book/play xbox type. An active kid will apreciate an active snake like a corn or any colubrid as they like to roam about and can move very quickly. A more sedentary child might like more of a "lap" snake like a ball python or a smaller boa. I agree with getting a sub adult or even an adult snake. Plenty of them needing a good home out there on top of the other reasons posted. Find a snake that matches your little brother and both will be happy. Balls are a bit more work to take care of but again I doubt the 8 yr old will be doing most of it anyway. Regardless of what you choose I think 8-9 is the perfect age for a first snake.
Good luck and happy birthday to your lucky brother.

That is a very good point and I agree, but also keep in mind the difficult level difference. A ball python is very hit or miss for being a "forgiving" species. They love to go off feed when not in optimal conditions, and both balls and boas require a bit more difficult temperature and humidity level to achieve than an average colubrid.

Boosh, I suppose a question you should ask yourself is, what kind of experience do you have with snakes that you can be comfortable supervising the situation? If you are a novice as well, I think the corn route is still the best option. They are a happy medium of being semi-active, but not crazy fast like say a garter

The whole hognose thing, they are neat and can be great pets, but depending where you get one might be rather difficult to care for. If you decided to go with a hognose I'd be very choosey who you buy it from, making sure it's several generations captive bred. I've read some of the more wild ones only wanting to eat lizards for example.

[Ridge Runner_20]

I would look very closely at a Variable kingsnake. Also known as a Nuevo Leon or Thayer's kingsnake, they are small (3' max), very docile, and have beautiful coloration in any of their 3 color phases. Husbandry is also quite simple, as with most kingsnake species. They are readily available from several respected breeders on kingsnake.com, and make outstanding pets. My son has a 1.5 yr old male Leonis phase named Pedro, and he's just the sweetest animal ever! Good luck!

Pedro:

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u304/ridge_runner20/pedro_1.jpg

RR_20 (Mike)

[capetonian]

Definatly a corn, ... African House Snakes are also excellent beginner ssnakes but juves can be nippy. A small child might find that a little un-nerving.