Quote:
Originally Posted by jawramik
I'm not 100% if this thread is in the right place, so I apologise in advance if this is misplaced.
I've been a lifelong lover of snaked, but never really had the chance to seriously having one of my own pretty recently. I've been doing some research, but much of the information is often contradicted in another source.
Basically, I'm just trying to figure out what snake I should get.
I don't have a lot of space, so I definitely need a small snake that doesn't need a massive enclosure. I also want a snake I can handle, not just something that's pretty to look at.
Most people seem to be in agreement that corn snakes are good "first" snakes, and I have no objection to corn snakes. They're beautiful. I'm just curious if a corn snake is the absolute best snake for a first-time snake owner.
I've always loved king snakes and milk snakes, but from the reading I've done, there seems to be some inconsistencies regarding how easy they are, specifically with king snakes. Do milk snakes generally have similar temperaments to king snakes, and are king snakes easy to handle or not? Some sources I've read say they make the best pets, and some sources have said that they're just plain mean.
I also LOVE pythons and boas, but I'm not aware of any that don't grow to enormous sizes. What is smallest python/boa, how big do they get, and how would they compare to, say, a corn snake in terms of temperament?
I had a bearded dragon for about ten years and loved him dearly, so I'm not a total herp virgin, but I'm aware that snakes are very different.
any and all insight would be greatly appreciated.
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I'm speaking from my own experience. Kingsnakes will eat everything that moves! There are many that are docile however all the kings I used to own tried to eat me. They never struck at me defensively, every time they bit me they constricted. I'm only speaking from experience and there are kings out there that are not like this.
Again, speaking from experience milks tend to be "tamer". They seem to be more flighty and nervous than kings but all the adults I have owned were very calm. I've never been bitten by a milksnake either. However most subspecies of milksnake like to burrow so you won't see them out much during the day.
There are many python and boa species that will stay small. I don't know how small you want to go but I think one of the smallest group of pythons are the Spotted/Stimsons/Childrens(I group these together because they are similar to eachother).
For boas you can look up Dwarf/Island boas. The smallest mature at 2-3 feet and the larger mature around 4-6. There are too many to name. If you go to kingsnake classifieds and look under " Hog Island and insular boas" or " locality subspecific boas" you should find a whole list that fits you. You could also check out rosy and sand boas. Or Dwarf Indonesian tree boas.
If you don't mind something that can get 6-7 ft you should check out carpet pythons, brazilian rainbow boas.
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