Docile, and beautiful snakes for newbies

[PredatorPraetor]

Hello, I was wondering if there are snakes that -aren't- ball pythons, that had many color morphs and were docile, easy to handle and do not bite people?

I was looking for something small or medium- nothing bigger than a corn snake. I wanted something that won't bite or affect my reflects essentially as I am a tad jumpy sometimes.

I am not exactly looking to handle it often, but just that when I did I didn't want to get bit or hurting it by accident.

I am 100% a newbie in this and don't know where to start. I used to own a garter snake when I was really young and liked them because unlike turtles they didn't stink up the room.

The only corn snake that I can legally keep- that I also liked was the blizzard corn snake (the white one with no pattern and black eyes). I live in NJ if that helps.

I was hoping for a easier snake to keep. Alternatives would be nice as well. Just no ball pythons please. Had an accident with one once so no thank you.

[toddnbecka]

I have a couple dozen 2016 Dominican mountain boas available. Very docile and easy to handle regardless of age or size, worst they ever do is musk. They grow to about the same size as a rat snake, slender-bodied like a carpet python rather than heavy-bodied like a red tail or Dumeril's boa. They do need more humidity than a corn or king snake, so I use cypress mulch in their enclosures, but the temp requirements aren't very high. Definitely more active than a ball python, but not flighty when picked up.

[frankadank]

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

I have a couple dozen 2016 Dominican mountain boas available. Very docile and easy to handle regardless of age or size, worst they ever do is musk. They grow to about the same size as a rat snake, slender-bodied like a carpet python rather than heavy-bodied like a red tail or Dumeril's boa. They do need more humidity than a corn or king snake, so I use cypress mulch in their enclosures, but the temp requirements aren't very high. Definitely more active than a ball python, but not flighty when picked up.

jumping in to say i would love to see some pics on your dominicans.

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by PredatorPraetor

Hello, I was wondering if there are snakes that -aren't- ball pythons, that had many color morphs and were docile, easy to handle and do not bite people?

I was looking for something small or medium- nothing bigger than a corn snake. I wanted something that won't bite or affect my reflects essentially as I am a tad jumpy sometimes.

I am not exactly looking to handle it often, but just that when I did I didn't want to get bit or hurting it by accident.

I am 100% a newbie in this and don't know where to start. I used to own a garter snake when I was really young and liked them because unlike turtles they didn't stink up the room.

The only corn snake that I can legally keep- that I also liked was the blizzard corn snake (the white one with no pattern and black eyes). I live in NJ if that helps.

I was hoping for a easier snake to keep. Alternatives would be nice as well. Just no ball pythons please. Had an accident with one once so no thank you.

For what reason can you only keep one morph of corn? Surely a corn is a corn but I don't fully understand the vagaries of state law so interested to learn.

Trouble is I wouldn't say any snake is 100% docile-the worst bite I've taken from a snake (so far) was from a corn for example so anything you get could nip of it felt threatened. If one incident can put you off an entire species perhaps snakes are not a good choice full stop.

What was the accident with the ball and perhap that will help us determine better what puts you off and can make better recommendations.

[jjhill001]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

For what reason can you only keep one morph of corn? Surely a corn is a corn but I don't fully understand the vagaries of state law so interested to learn.

Trouble is I wouldn't say any snake is 100% docile-the worst bite I've taken from a snake (so far) was from a corn for example so anything you get could nip of it felt threatened. If one incident can put you off an entire species perhaps snakes are not a good choice full stop.

What was the accident with the ball and perhap that will help us determine better what puts you off and can make better recommendations.

Cornsnakes are native to New Jersey and are considered endangered there. So in natural American fashion they decided to be morons and pass legislation to prevent the sale of normal corn snakes.

I will say this to Predator, if you keep any NON-natural color morph I'm gonna say that you'll be fine. I know what the law says but to be honest no one is gonna know the difference.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Cornsnakes are native to New Jersey and are considered endangered there. So in natural American fashion they decided to be morons and pass legislation to prevent the sale of normal corn snakes.

I will say this to Predator, if you keep any NON-natural color morph I'm gonna say that you'll be fine. I know what the law says but to be honest no one is gonna know the difference.

Would a vet know? I mean you have to take snakes to vets right? But yeah, if a cop came t my house they probably wouldnt know.

To be honest, I wanted a docile snake about the size or less than a corn snake because I have family that comes over and I dont want them to be freaked out if they saw a big snake either.

I am actually fine with snakes, just that one incident freaked me out...

To be honest I did something stupid once and I am not proud of I kind of tried to herp with a copperhead around here and I am lucky it didnt strike me. lol i didnt know it was a copperhead at the time, but I am always careful with any wild animal I cant 100% ID

[jjhill001]

Originally Posted by PredatorPraetor

Would a vet know? I mean you have to take snakes to vets right? But yeah, if a cop came t my house they probably wouldnt know.

To be honest, I wanted a docile snake about the size or less than a corn snake because I have family that comes over and I dont want them to be freaked out if they saw a big snake either.

I am actually fine with snakes, just that one incident freaked me out...

To be honest I did something stupid once and I am not proud of I kind of tried to herp with a copperhead around here and I am lucky it didnt strike me. lol i didnt know it was a copperhead at the time, but I am always careful with any wild animal I cant 100% ID

Honestly, the intended purpose of the law is to keep people from collecting normal wild corn snakes from the State of New Jersey. There are several morphs that ARE naturally occurring. Like Okeetees, blood reds, Miami, sunkissed (isn't natural but the snake looks normal for the first part of its life)

This link has a list of cornsnake morphs. About 3-5 of them are normal wild type. There are tons more to choose from to be honest.

All About Corn Snakes

I wouldn't be my life on a veterinarian knowing crap about morphs. There is always a chance to be honest but I doubt that if it wasn't a normal morph that they would even say anything. If you're close to the border you can go to a vet outside the state or if its that much of a worry for you just get a king snake or something like that.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Honestly, the intended purpose of the law is to keep people from collecting normal wild corn snakes from the State of New Jersey. There are several morphs that ARE naturally occurring. Like Okeetees, blood reds, Miami, sunkissed (isn't natural but the snake looks normal for the first part of its life)

This link has a list of cornsnake morphs. About 3-5 of them are normal wild type. There are tons more to choose from to be honest.

All About Corn Snakes

I wouldn't be my life on a veterinarian knowing crap about morphs. There is always a chance to be honest but I doubt that if it wasn't a normal morph that they would even say anything. If you're close to the border you can go to a vet outside the state or if its that much of a worry for you just get a king snake or something like that.

Yeah I just didn't wanna be one of those idiots on the news who goes and owns like a crocodile/alligator/giant potentially dangerous animal in the suburbs(or at all). It doesn't have to be dangerous, what I mean is, if it's going to attract unwanted attention by some chance I'd rather not go for it. But then again, if it's a corn snake I doubt anyone would even know if it's a corn snake or a rat snake. They maybe essentially the same but to them it could be a different species(sub species) or I wasnt the wiser or something... just dont want to deal with cops. NJ cops aren't particularly the most pleasant folk to deal with(no offense to any police officer out there)... from the kind of behavior I witness to regular law abiding citizens I'd rather not be giving them a reason to.

Anywho I am up north, so the border is a bit ways off.

[Tiny Boidae]

Anything with a mouth can bite, not just snakes in general but any animal you get. If they're hurt or feel threatened, they can bite. The only thing I will say is that I'd much rather be bitten by a snake than any mammal. That being said, if you're super concerned about a bite, get a yearling or adult animal. That way you could be certain of it's temperament because baby snakes of any species tend to be more nervous.

I would second the Baird's Rat Snake, as they're pretty much as tame as a snake comes and they have a natural beauty to appreciate. Might be a little harder to find but you could get into contact with some breeders who might be able to find you one. That being said, they have an insane feeding response. You'll never have a problem getting one to eat, but if one would bite you it'd be during feeding. And those tend to prompt the worse bites. This isn't a species-exclusive thing to be bitten out of a mistaken feeding response, so it's something to keep in mind regardless.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by Tiny Boidae

Anything with a mouth can bite, not just snakes in general but any animal you get. If they're hurt or feel threatened, they can bite. The only thing I will say is that I'd much rather be bitten by a snake than any mammal. That being said, if you're super concerned about a bite, get a yearling or adult animal. That way you could be certain of it's temperament because baby snakes of any species tend to be more nervous.

I would second the Baird's Rat Snake, as they're pretty much as tame as a snake comes and they have a natural beauty to appreciate. Might be a little harder to find but you could get into contact with some breeders who might be able to find you one. That being said, they have an insane feeding response. You'll never have a problem getting one to eat, but if one would bite you it'd be during feeding. And those tend to prompt the worse bites. This isn't a species-exclusive thing to be bitten out of a mistaken feeding response, so it's something to keep in mind regardless.

Well I mean yeah anything with a mouth can bite. I've been bitten by fully grown common snapping turtles and while it hurt I tolerated it more. Because it didn't really startle me as much as a "right in my face, kind of whiplash bite" .

I like snakes that I've seen in the wild around here... but I am not so sure about pythons I've seen a rosy boa, thought they were cool.

I also saw a video on western hogsnakes from some famous yootoob channel but I cant link it. I liked the hogsnakes a bit but not the whole pretend to strike. That's what throws me off.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

For what reason can you only keep one morph of corn? Surely a corn is a corn but I don't fully understand the vagaries of state law so interested to learn.

Trouble is I wouldn't say any snake is 100% docile-the worst bite I've taken from a snake (so far) was from a corn for example so anything you get could nip of it felt threatened. If one incident can put you off an entire species perhaps snakes are not a good choice full stop.

What was the accident with the ball and perhap that will help us determine better what puts you off and can make better recommendations.

Uh I worked at a petstore long ago, they had this ball python who was mean as the dickens... I was just cleaning his cage and had to remove him at some point but before me even touching him he struck at me several times... and when I picked him up asides from striking at me he was getting tight around the hand which just made me feel uncomfortable.

I've actually seen fully grown green anacondas and not to diss anyone I just don't see them as pets and have my own personal opinions of them, but basically I got freaked out because it was all in my face when I took it out and I almost dropped it because it just kept going at it.

To be honest, I was fine when I handled a garter snake it bit me once but that was about it- the rest of the times it just musked and you know what? I was young and it was wild caught and I wasn't in the state at the time.



Anywho, the whole color morph for corns thing is in on one of their sites for the pet dealer info and html. I'd link but it wont allow m e to.

[jjhill001]

Originally Posted by PredatorPraetor

Hello, I was wondering if there are snakes that -aren't- ball pythons, that had many color morphs and were docile, easy to handle and do not bite people?

I was looking for something small or medium- nothing bigger than a corn snake. I wanted something that won't bite or affect my reflects essentially as I am a tad jumpy sometimes.

I am not exactly looking to handle it often, but just that when I did I didn't want to get bit or hurting it by accident.

I am 100% a newbie in this and don't know where to start. I used to own a garter snake when I was really young and liked them because unlike turtles they didn't stink up the room.

The only corn snake that I can legally keep- that I also liked was the blizzard corn snake (the white one with no pattern and black eyes). I live in NJ if that helps.

I was hoping for a easier snake to keep. Alternatives would be nice as well. Just no ball pythons please. Had an accident with one once so no thank you.

Baird's Rat Snake, not a lot of morphs but I'll bet my life on it that they are legal in NJ.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Baird's Rat Snake, not a lot of morphs but I'll bet my life on it that they are legal in NJ.

What's the difference between a rat and a corn snake? Is there a list of color morphs for these? I actually like the blizzard corns, I just wanted to see other possible alternatives. I would like an active snake but then again I know there is no such thing. lol

[jjhill001]

Originally Posted by PredatorPraetor

What's the difference between a rat and a corn snake? Is there a list of color morphs for these? I actually like the blizzard corns, I just wanted to see other possible alternatives. I would like an active snake but then again I know there is no such thing. lol

Corn Snakes are technically rat snakes. You could get a normal Baird's Rat Snake it doesn't have to be a morph because they aren't from NJ so you don't need a morph. If you go down to the colubrid section of the forum I've got pics of my female and male. There aren't many Baird's Rat Snake morphs just a hypo/albino and a San Antonio Zoo Line (from Mexico) and an Eastern Range in Texas Locality. I keep the East Texas Variety.

I know you want active, my male hides a bit by my female is extraordinarily bold and sits out like an idiot all the time. She's very entertaining.

[PredatorPraetor]

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Corn Snakes are technically rat snakes. You could get a normal Baird's Rat Snake it doesn't have to be a morph because they aren't from NJ so you don't need a morph. If you go down to the colubrid section of the forum I've got pics of my female and male. There aren't many Baird's Rat Snake morphs just a hypo/albino and a San Antonio Zoo Line (from Mexico) and an Eastern Range in Texas Locality. I keep the East Texas Variety.

I know you want active, my male hides a bit by my female is extraordinarily bold and sits out like an idiot all the time. She's very entertaining.

To be honest I like the idea of an active snake (you know as snakes go anyways) but, if I can't really much have that I'd at least like one that doesn't hide under a hide/cave/rock/wood/etc

I'd like that even if it's doing nothing I could still look at it. I mean it'd basically be a pet rock-- but it'd be a pretty pet rock.

That, and the snake can't be big enough to hurt my dog. Which is pretty small.