Docile, and beautiful snakes for newbies

PredatorPraetor · 04-23-17, 08:35 PM

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 · 04-23-17, 10:53 PM

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.

dannybgoode · 04-23-17, 11:02 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-24-17, 01:48 AM

Quote:

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.

jjhill001 · 04-24-17, 01:51 AM

Quote:

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.

Tiny Boidae · 04-24-17, 03:58 AM

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.

**Aaron_S** · 04-24-17, 07:13 AM

If you're jumpy you'd want to look into slower moving snakes than the smaller, faster colubrids.

Spotted pythons, sand boas, rosy boas are all good choices. I also recommend buying an adult. A little tougher to find than babies however you'll already know the temperment so you can expand on what you're looking for easier.

Honduran, sinoloan, nelson's milksnakes would be good choices as well. Achieve a good size but also are colourful. I've found the larger milksnake species tend to be better with handling especially if you find an adult already accustomed to it.

**Andy_G** · 04-24-17, 07:18 AM

As Aaron and others have said, if you don't want jumpy stick with adult colubrids or some kind of small boa or python.

Scubadiver59 · 04-24-17, 07:44 AM

I'll second this advice! My two juvenile snakes, a King and Corn, are nothing but jumpy and "let me out of here" squirming, etc. The BP I have is nothing but slow, twist into a ball, type of movement, and the 7yr old Albino King I picked up the other day is as docile as can be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

As Aaron and others have said, if you don't want jumpy stick with adult colubrids or some kind of small boa or python.

TRD · 04-24-17, 04:29 PM

I always handle the young snakes that I get before buying them from a breeder... if they are already calm when just 2-3 months old, they will likely be nice and calm later on too. I'm more going towards personality than looks, as long as they are healthy.

Given the kingsnakes, milksnakes, and sandboas that I have, I find the sandboas the least comfortable to handle. They really do not seem to appreciate it one bit. Yes, they are slow, but to me there's nothing worse than holding a snake that obviously does not want to be held. If you have any intention to handle the snake 1-2x per week, I wouldn't get a sandboa. Besides you won't see them a lot if they have anything to dig into, they will hide completely out of sight 23.5 hours a day.

Out of the kingsnakes and milksnakes, the kingsnakes seem to be calmer, milks seem to be a bit more appreciative of privacy. Then out of the sexes, the guys seem to be the least concerned about humans and more bold in their actions. But this is just my observation.

PS. Any snake may bite you at some point, due to misunderstanding or just generally doesn't want you to come near him that particular day. Even my calmest snake that never had any form of aggression had a "mood" last week and instead of coming out onto my hand when I opened the terrarium (as he normally does) he just struck me on my finger and gave me a good chew, all for nothing really, maybe I smelled like mouse, dunno. It hurts some, sure, it draws blood too. But heck - it simply happens, and besides the initial "scare" it is really no big deal with smaller snakes. It's not like when you keep cats or a dog that you never get scratched or bitten.

ttreptile1 · 04-24-17, 07:08 PM

It really comes down to the snake, previous owner etc. For me personally I have had snakes that run the gamut. However, some of my best beginner experiences from long ago were with Rosy boas, Sand boas and Eastern Indigos. The first two being better for beginners.

PredatorPraetor · 04-24-17, 10:01 PM

Quote:

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.

PredatorPraetor · 04-24-17, 10:03 PM

Quote:

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

PredatorPraetor · 04-24-17, 10:09 PM

Quote:

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

PredatorPraetor · 04-24-17, 10:20 PM

Quote:

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.