Most beautiful pet snake you've seen

Kreptzor · 04-18-13, 04:40 PM

Hey guys! I'm actually new here, but I guess that this would be the best place to ask about this.

I'm currently thinking about getting a new snake, but I actually want to invest a bit into it because of how much I love snakes. So I've been thinking of trying to get a, maybe exotic, beautiful snake. I was looking into albino lavender strike corn snakes, mexican king snakes, etc.

I happened to stumble upon a Blue Beauty Snake, and fell in love immediately.

Thus, before I buy a snake, I would like to ask an opinion from you guys of what the most beautiful looking snake you've seen as a pet was? Also the price, because I kind of want to stay below 200$ haha

DeadlyDesires · 04-18-13, 05:43 PM

i think BRB's, BCC's and BCI's are beautiful snakes.. my top 3 fav.

stephanbakir · 04-18-13, 06:17 PM

You may want to list your past experience so we don't list animals outside that ability range.
Blue beauty snakes, and most Asian rat snakes are definitely not starter snakes

Mexican black king snake, most corn snakes, more info can give you a more personally directed list

Starbuck · 04-18-13, 06:25 PM

Something that you can take out and handle i would definitely recommend a corn or king, they come in amazing morphs well within your price range and experience level.

Though you posted under colubrids, if you start to think about boas and pythons, there are lots of beautiful snakes there as well (some ball python morphs, rosy boas, etc).

If you are only looking for a display snake (something that you wont be handling much), this certainly opens up your options, though you still need to take your ability level into account, as you WILL need to maintain and clean the tank, feed the snake, and handle the snake for transportation etc.
Again, more info from you will help us (to help you).

Kreptzor · 04-19-13, 10:44 PM

Sorry about that!
I actually looked up some more information on Beauty snakes, and they're all generally Asian-based (which is awesome), and tend to grow 8 feet (not so awesome), which was not what the picture looked like hahahah.

Honestly I've only had experience with corn snakes. I definitely want to handle my snake a lot.
I'm looking for a snake that'll fit in a room, so at most around 3 feet I think (So I believe the BRB, BCC, and BCI are out of the choices also

)

I did hear that corn snakes have the most variation, but there was not really one that caught my eye.

So, all in all, not too much experience (though definitely willing to learn), snake ~3 feet maximum (as long as I can fit the cage on a desk or something), and able to be handled.

rmfsnakes32 · 04-19-13, 11:04 PM

Corns come in so many colors your choices are better at getting some little eye candy

Hannibalcanibal · 04-20-13, 09:27 AM

Ball python morphs can be really pretty, but expensive.... and if you want to be different, there are always those amazing garter snakes...

Mark Taylor · 04-20-13, 09:40 AM

Gaboon viper would be my first choice if I knew how to handle a hot lol.

But for you I would start with a milk,corn or king, even a garter.

Or as suggested a ball but not my cup of tea they are lazy.

smy_749 · 04-20-13, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Taylor

Gaboon viper would be my first choice if I knew how to handle a hot lol.

But for you I would start with a milk,corn or king, even a garter.

Or as suggested a ball but not my cup of tea they are lazy.

I think I hate ball pythons....and blue tongued skinks. The only two I really don't like. But yea, garters are cool too. I say corn first pick and garter second (only because corns dont musk, have more color variation, and get a big bigger)

StudentoReptile · 04-20-13, 11:49 AM

To the OP, how much space can you afford for this new snake, and how much is in your budget for the initial cost? The answers to these questions can help narrow down your search.

Personally, I suggest a YEARLING kingsnake (CA, speckled, eastern, Florida, desert, or Mexican black) or cornsnake. The reason I suggest a yearling is that when at the hatchling size, these snakes are very squirmy and small, and more prone to musking. Once they hit a year (i.e. the 18"-24" mark), they have mostly grown out of that, and are pretty durable snakes that tolerate regular handling, feed well, and are about as low maintenance as you can get with snakes. Also, most are available in a wide variety of color/pattern morphs at a low cost (less than $100, sometimes around $50, depending on the source). Any of them will do fine in a 20-gall LONG glass tank. As always, CBB is the best.

As far as small contrictors go, there is the perennial fav: ball python. I don't care for them much, as they are by far, one of the most boring snakes you could get. Babies can be finicky, and often they don't do well in glass tanks. They "can" make a good beginner snake, but there's a little more to setting them just right than with most colubrids. If you want something super easy you can just throw in a glass tank, I would suggest NOT a ball python.

Rosy boas are okay, but can be pricey up front. Same with sand boas. Both species rarely get longer than 3 ft. If you can afford a CBB animal, and its eating well, they can be great, easy snakes.

I also personally like African house snakes, but finding a reputable dealer who has CBB stock can be a chore. They are more or less the African equivalent of a cornsnake. Avoid WC animals.

**Aaron_S** · 04-20-13, 01:54 PM

Spotted pythons. That is all.

Kreptzor · 04-20-13, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smy_749

I think I hate ball pythons....and blue tongued skinks. The only two I really don't like. But yea, garters are cool too. I say corn first pick and garter second (only because corns dont musk, have more color variation, and get a big bigger)

This is interesting, because I was considering getting a Blue-tongue Skink in lieu of a snake because I thought it'd be more fun to handle and more exotic. But then I realized snakes were better again :P

Also, speaking of musking, I WAS considering a garter snake, but after doing some research on musking, I feel like I don't really want to be musked

. Is it a habit that goes away after a while if handled often (for garters especially)?
Also I think I read that garter snakes are aquatic. How does this change the handling?

Kreptzor · 04-20-13, 04:10 PM

Thanks for all the replies guys!

So, so far I've liked:
Spotted python
African House Snake
Some kind of corn snake
------------------------------
so, some questions:
I realize that Pythons are not a type of colubrid. While this definitely does not rule it out as a species of snake that I want to consider, what difference does raising a python have against a colubrid?

Are there any specific breeds of African House Snakes/Corn Snakes that come to mind that look more beautiful than others?

----------------------------------------------

As for my personal situation:
Initial cost: ~$300 (for just the snake, though this is definitely on the more expensive side. I'd prefer $70-120, but definitely can make an exception ;o)

Space: I will be living in a house with a few friends, so the snake will be confined to being in my room. I'd say I could probably give around 4ft x 2ft of ground space (height wouldn't matter to me), give or take.

Any other questions that'll help narrow down good snake species?

P.S.Yeah, and definitely no wild-caught animals bahaha.

StudentoReptile · 04-20-13, 05:35 PM

As far as African house snakes go, the most common ones on the market are:

-Cape house snake (Boaedon capensis): available in albinos, striped, as well as normal
- Striped house snake (B. lineatus): available in normal
- "Common brown" house snake (B. fuliginosus): available in olive/black [NOT to be confused with the uncommon Olive House snake]
- Dotted house snake (B. maculatus): available in unproven color pattern mutations, quite variable

A lot of US dealers are still behind in the times when it comes to house snakes, Most still routinely use the old genus name Lamprophis instead of Boaedon, and several lump any house snake they find as "Lamprophis fuliginosus." So you have to do a little research to know what you're getting, because most of the species will NOT interbreed with each other. The only sure-fire way of knowing is if you see an albino anywhere, it is B. capensis. No other snake is proven to have amelanism...yet.

Ironically, what is so fun about AHS is that they are almost like little pythons (especially theire heads and eyes) trapped in a cornsnake's body shape

Kreptzor · 04-20-13, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

As far as African house snakes go, the most common ones on the market are:

-Cape house snake (Boaedon capensis): available in albinos, striped, as well as normal
- Striped house snake (B. lineatus): available in normal
- "Common brown" house snake (B. fuliginosus): available in olive/black [NOT to be confused with the uncommon Olive House snake]
- Dotted house snake (B. maculatus): available in unproven color pattern mutations, quite variable

A lot of US dealers are still behind in the times when it comes to house snakes, Most still routinely use the old genus name Lamprophis instead of Boaedon, and several lump any house snake they find as "Lamprophis fuliginosus." So you have to do a little research to know what you're getting, because most of the species will NOT interbreed with each other. The only sure-fire way of knowing is if you see an albino anywhere, it is B. capensis. No other snake is proven to have amelanism...yet.

Ironically, what is so fun about AHS is that they are almost like little pythons (especially theire heads and eyes) trapped in a cornsnake's body shape

Wow, I was just actually thinking that I loved the corn snakes' colors, but pythons have amazing eyes. Hahahaha