What are the most attractive and/or unusual species of colubrid available for keeping

[imnotarobot]

Just what the title says. Always on the lookout for my next potential snake. Looking t maybe get exposure to something I didn't know about.

[reptiledude987]

Mehelya capensis and Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus these are a couple very cool species I heve. theyre fairly simple as far as care goes the downside is they are quite difficult to find and typically more expensive than most colubrids.

[EL Ziggy]

I like the diversity in your collection dude. Very impressive.

[toddnbecka]

Ornate flying snake comes to mind, if you want something for display only.

[Sylphie]

I don't know how unusual these snakes are in US, but:
Persian Rat Snake
Korean/Russian Rat Snake
Radiated Rat Snake
Trans-pecos Rat Snake

And I'll post more when I remember something interesting.

[pet_snake_78]

Gonyosoma frenatum - Find a bluish specimen, very worth the effort to obtain. Seems to be easier to find in Europe so you may need to have it shipped back from Hamm. Aquaterra Shop can do this for you.

Gonyosoma oxycephalum - I believe these are among the most beautiful of snakes and are not hard to find, but I would hold out for a LTR or cb one. Fresh imports can need a lot of care that will cost you frustration and money at the vet.

Elaphe c. carinata - The normal phase is quite attractive.

Spalerosophis diadema atrciceps - Very attractive, barely available in the US. I've not seen any for sale in Europe in a while. The commonly available subspecies is not nearly as attractive. Very easy to care for.

Oreocryptophis p. coxi - I cannot help but think a bright red snake is cool. Best of all, they are commonly available. Very easy to care for as long as you can keep them cool.


Sometimes various snakes come in from places like Suriname so you have to really watch the ads and keep asking around.

[imnotarobot]

Thank you for the thorough response

Originally Posted by pet_snake_78

Gonyosoma frenatum

This led me to find Gonyophis margaritatus which is very pretty

Gonyosoma oxycephalum

Forgive me if it's an ignorant "newbieish" question (although I would consider myself an intermediate level snake keeper) but what is ltr and cb. If possible could you post pics of these morphs? I'm not sure I was looking at the right thing.

Spalerosophis diadema atrciceps

I think this is a contender right here. Very pretty and care sheets say they are easy keeping. Only downside is it seems like a bit of a crap shoot as to what you get as far as the amount of patchiness in the patterning (I liked especially the ones with lots of black.) Seems like the kind of snake you definitely want to buy in person and I'm not too sure what the chances of actually coming across one of these is.

Oreocryptophis p. coxi

Was already aware of and considering these though I think I would go for a Japanese forest rat snake, though they seem hard to find, I do have a soft spot for red snakes.

[trailblazer295]

Indonesian vine snake. .... I might be biased.

[toddnbecka]

If you like red snakes how about a Dominican red mountain boa? Obviously not a colubrid, but certainly easier to find than a Japanese forest rat snake. A bit larger adult size than the O. coxi, 5-7' average (males are smaller) but much more handleable and a great disposition in general. Here's a pic of one of my sub-adult males:

[Aaron_S]

100 flower ratsnake

[pet_snake_78]

1) cb=captive born, ltr = long term relationship.. apparently I was thinking about dating at the time lol meant long term captive.
2) The reason the color is so variable is because 99% of what's out there is not the more attractive subspecies. Kevin Brown breeds the royal diadems which will grow up very attractive.
3) I believe Matt Moss and Powley Exotics both post some Asian ratsnakes for sale from time to time. I would see what they have available.

Originally Posted by imnotarobot

Thank you for the thorough response



This led me to find Gonyophis margaritatus which is very pretty

Forgive me if it's an ignorant "newbieish" question (although I would consider myself an intermediate level snake keeper) but what is ltr and cb. If possible could you post pics of these morphs? I'm not sure I was looking at the right thing.



I think this is a contender right here. Very pretty and care sheets say they are easy keeping. Only downside is it seems like a bit of a crap shoot as to what you get as far as the amount of patchiness in the patterning (I liked especially the ones with lots of black.) Seems like the kind of snake you definitely want to buy in person and I'm not too sure what the chances of actually coming across one of these is.




Was already aware of and considering these though I think I would go for a Japanese forest rat snake, though they seem hard to find, I do have a soft spot for red snakes.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

Zerkle Reptile Co has some great, unusual colubrids.

Seconding Russian Rats though, they are lovely and have a delightful personality. Definitely a snake to interact with and not just display--not that they'll give you a choice, open the tub for any reason and they're likely to come say hi.

[imnotarobot]

Thanks to the previous two posters for the breeder suggestions. I'll keep an eye out on those guys. I just gotten a couple of snakes recently so I'm not n looking to buy till probably about a year from now and can afford to play the waiting game. But if I choose something really hard to find, or expensive, or both having plenty of time is certainly not a bad thing. If I'm prepared I can just buy when what I want becomes available or available for a good price.

As far as handling goes I could go either way as both my current snakes are handling snakes. I definitely wouldn't mind having another but wouldn't mind a display snake either, I wouldn't be deprived of snake interaction . A mangrove snake is currently in the running so wouldn't really be handling that excessively beyond feeding. Even though pythons and boas are not my thing (hence posting in the colubrid forum) I'm currently really drawn to woma pythons as well.

That all being said I'm just starting to really think about what my next noodle may be and I'm not necessarily limited to just one, so keep those suggestions coming, though I'm not going to be amassing one of those HUGE collections that some people have. I think 4 or possibly 5 is the limit as I'm not a breeder and want to be able to give everyone proper attention. I already have a blue beauty I'm in the process of taming so needs daily handling.

[Roman]

If you look at the current pet trade, any colubrid which is not a corn- / king- / milksnake, a hognose or a garter snake is unusual. There are the occasional rat snakes of the Pantherophis obsoletus group, but that’s about it. So maybe 10 to 15 species out of about 2,000 species of colubrids.

So to narrow it down a little – what are your preferences? Terrestrial or arboreal? Min/max size? Climate (“local”, tropical, desert, rainforest)?

Some examples of colubrids which are unusual but may be found if you search for them

Small to medium size (<= 6 ft)

Asian ratsnakes
Rhinoceros ratsnake (Gonyosoma (Rhynchophis) boulengeri)
Gonyosoma (Rhadinophis) prasinum
Red-tailed green ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Bamboo snake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)

European ratsnakes
Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus)
Leopard snake (Zamenis situla)

European watersnakes (like the American Genus Nerodia)
Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)

South American snakes
Baron’s racer (Philodryas baroni) (rear fanged! )


Large size (> 6ft)

All indigosnakes (Drymarchon)
Indigo snake (Drymarchon corais)
Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi)
Texas indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus erebennus)
blacktail cribo (Drymarchon melanurus)

Mangrove snake (Boiga dendrophila) (rear fanged! )

You already know the Beauty snakes (Orthriophis taeniurus ssp.)

and of course my favorites

Tiger ratsnake (Spilotes pullatus)
Yellow-bellied Puffing Snake (Spilotes (Pseustes) sulphureus)

Roman

[Joshchimera]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

100 flower ratsnake

From what I could find, the 100 Flowers rat snake Orthriophis moellendorffi is rare in collections. Has any been available cbb? It is related to my Beauty rat snake.