What Colubrid...

[Lioness]

what is a good non-nocturnal colubrid?
i have a corn..but i never see him..lol
he only comes out of his hides, or out from under his tree at night..which is unfortunate because we all want to see him do his "thing"..i want to get a MBK or a Cali King within the next year..is that a good choice for an active snake?
(active meaning active during the day)

[marisa]

They are active, sometimes in the day. But both corns and kings are nocturnal/crepuscular.

Marisa

[Lioness]

oh..
well i guess we're just gunna have to get used to watchin them at night..lol
i love to see him climbing trees, burrowing, and drinking, lol..basically doing anything.
o well..i love him anyways

[marisa]

You should also know that normally the younger specimens hide more often.

As your corn grows and gets older he WILL come out more. My adults rarely use a hide, even in the daytime now that they are older and larger. In a young snakes mind, being out AT ALL means possible death. For an older corn, they are more "confident" for lack of a better word, and far more comfortable so they are more likely to be out and about during daylight hours...or at least resting in the open.

Kings are like this as well. My baby kings hide 100% of the time, while my adults are content to lounge out and about in daylight as well as nighttime.

Marisa

[Lioness]

lol..that makes so much sense..
i dont know why i didnt think of that.
thanks marissa..its good to know that he's not gunna hide forever..hehe
thanks again!

[Jeff_Favelle]

Garters, racers, and some rat snakes are diurnal. They'd make GREAT display snakes. Totally cool to set up a nice planted cage with one of them.

[marisa]

Yeah those are good choices that Jeff gave for extremely visible species.

And yes be patient.

My very first snake ever is a snow corn named Loki. Loki was like ten inches when we got him, we handled him three-four times per week....now at almost four years old we couldn't MAKE this guy hide. LOL! He is always out and about, as is his girlfriend who is a year older.

But you'll always have your individuals within a species. You might have one corn who even as an adult appreciates hiding, while another like mine, is always out. But most do get more visible as time goes on.

Good luck!

Marisa

[Lioness]

lol..well he's pretty social when he's out of the tank..so im thinking ur right..he prolly will get alot better as he gets older.
i guess its one of those things u just learn with experience.

ps. how big do garter snakes get..i love their look!

[Jeff_Favelle]

Some subspecies of Garters get quite large! Ribbon snakes are related to Garters, and although quite slender, they can get pretty big too!

[Lioness]

thats interesting..i doubt i'll be getting any..but i think im going to do a search.

[Nicky]

Ya i'd say go for a garter if you want something active, thier relitivly in-expensive, are very active and come in many many subspecies.
I'm hoping to pick up a pair at the feb expo so if I do I'll send you some pics.

here this link should help

http://www.gartersnake.co.uk/

[Lioness]

thanks nicky!
i appreciate it
i love the looks of those

[rwg]

Garters are pretty cool. I have three red-sided garters that my kids just love. Be warned...check the diet of any garter before you get it and make sure you can provide the right feeding schedule and prey items. Many cant/wont eat rodents when young. Some are hard to switch to rodents ever, and some require fairly frequent feedings (in snake terms anyway).

I find that even of they are nocturnal, kings will cruise a lot if they're hungry (which they seem to be pretty much all the time). Our cali is visible quite frequently in the daytime whereas our corn pretty much only comes out at night.

There are some very cool, but considerably more challenging diurnal species to be had as well depending on your experience. Cribos, tiger ratsnakes and Taiwan beauties come to mind.

I've read that bullsnakes and gopher snakes (pituophis) are mostly diurnal, but my bulls hide pretty much all the time. They make pretty good pets although the bite a little when young.

Garter is your best bet for daytime display though.

Roy G

[rwg]

Oh... www.gartersnake.info. It's run by Jonathan Crowe who really knows his Thamnophis. Check it out for sure.

Roy G

[LdyDrgn]

Lioness, is there any kind of size you are preferring? As if anyone couldn't tell, I am in LOVE with the Tiger rats. They are hands down the coolest colubrid out there (in my personal opinion). They get big, they are impressive in many different ways, plus they do not hide that much. Anyone who wants a good diurnal display snake, these are the ones to go with. I adore our adult pair and all the little babies. *happy sigh* LOL

Sorry, heh, I am just so blinded with their awesomeness. Good luck with whatever you decide to go with.