What kind of snakes make good pets?

Answer 1

The ideal snake varies from person to person, depending on several different things: the amount of time and money they have to spend on the snake, how much room they have for the snake and its tank, etc. If you ask a hundred different people for a list of the best snakes to keep as pets, you will get different lists. It all depends on how much you are willing to commit to your pet snake. Here is my personal list of the best snakes to own as pets:

1) King Snake--very docile, 3-4.5 ft long, will readily eat frozen food, which is easier to acquire and feed, come in many beautiful colors

2) Milk Snake--very similar to king snakes in terms of size, temperament, and feeding habits, almost always come in some color variation of yellow, red, and black bands

3) Corn Snake--extremely docile, sometimes even more so than the king and milk snake, are good escape artists from their tanks, easy to feed either frozen or live food, come in many colors, generally about 4-5 ft in length

4) Ball Python--about same length as a king or milk snake but are very thick snakes, generally very docile and will not move so much in your hands like the colubrid snakes will (king, milk, corn, hognose, etc), generallly do not come in the amount of color variations that the other snakes do but are still very beautiful, can be difficult to feed because they may only prefer live or frozen mice and may be hard to get them to eat the other, they may also not eat for long periods of time for seemingly no reason

5) Western Hognose--generally very small snakes I've never seen one over 2 feet long, very entertaining and cute little snake they have an upturned nose (hence the name) and will play dead if scared, I've only ever heard of/seen the regular brown spotted coloring but it is still pretty looking, very docile and eat frozen mice easier than live, this is the snake I would recommend most for someone who has never owned a snake before

These are my top five favorite beginner snakes that I have owned myself. There are definitely others that you could try, but whatever you choose, make sure to do the proper research and not just use answers such as my own to make the decision. Talk to local breeders and other experienced snake handlers. DO NOT GET ADVICE FROM MAJOR PET STORE CHAINS SUCH AS PETSMART AND PETCO! THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE WORKING THERE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT! I have heard them give ridiculous advice to people dumb enough to listen to them, such as one man working there saying that corn snakes are usually "very feisty, aggressive, difficult to feed, and not a good choice for a beginner."

***Whatever snake u get, make sure to find out the life expectency and current age of the snake! Many snake can live to be 20 years old or even older and are a big commitment!!!***

Some other snakes that I have not personally ever owned but have hear from experience snake handlers that r said to be good beginner snakes are:

1) Gopher Snake

2) Rat Snake

3)Kenyan Sand Boa

4) Bull Snake

5) Pine Snake

6) Garter Snake (NOT WILD CAUGHT EITHER! PLEASE DO NOT GO OUT AND CATCH A GARTER SNAKE FOR A PET!)

Whatever you decide to get, I hope it works out for the best and you enjoy your new pet!

Answer 2

This is, of course, a matter of opinion, but I'm going to take this opportunity to promote my absolute favorite species of snake: the Western Hognose. Western Hognoses are a great little species of snake that are pretty ideal, even if you've never had experience with snakes before. The first thing that set these guys apart for me are their cute little faces. They have a little turned up nose (which is how they get their name). Here's a photograph of Zot, a hoggie who seems to be becoming quite famous on the internet for this picture: http://snakeskii.deviantart.com/art/Zot-in-a-Knot-27650280 Also, they're dinural, which means they're active during the day and so you can play with them when you're awake. Western Hognoses are not violent at all. They're rear-fanged and are considered slightly venomous. It has been speculated that the venom wild hognoses have is actually from the venomous toads that they eat, so there's some controversy as to whether or not "domestic" hognoses are venomous at all. Their fangs are used for "popping" toads who swell up to make them hard to swallow and to envenom their prey as they eat it. They're relatively small snakes. The females will usually grow to around 24" and the males are about 6" shorter (..so 18"). One of the most interesting things about Hognoses is their defense mechanism. They're the best snakey actors out there. When threatened, the Western Hognose will curl it's body and "periscope" (lift it's head up) and flatten it's head like a cobra. It will then "jab" quickly with a closed mouth (and not always in the direction of the danger) to imitate a rattlesnake. It's almost cute to watch them as long as you know this is just an act. Hognoses do not bite in self defense. It is possible to be bitten in a SFE, or Stupid Feeding Error (I don't know if that's a commonly used abbreviation or not, but I saw somebody use it and I like it), but even that is rare. Anyway, if imitating other poisonous snakes doesn't work, the hoggie will play dead. They will flip onto their backs, let their mouths hang open and with their tongue out of their mouths. They will occasionally "go to the bathroom" to complete the facade. They are completely convinced that they look more dead on their back than on their belly, and so if you flip them over they will promptly role back onto their stomachs, which I find entertaining. Once you pick them up they will generally "come back to life". If you do decide to get a hognose, the Western Hognose is definitely the best for beginners. The Easterns do apparently make good pets as well, though the feed almost exclusively on toads, which can be hard to find/expensive, and need a very high level of humidity. The tri-colors are generally accepted as the hardest type of hognose to maintain, and the Mexican is not too much easier. So that's all I have to say about the Hognoses at the moment. Regardless of what kind of snake you decide to get, please research the breed further than just the answers you get to this question. :] I hope you're happy with your new pet, whatever it ends up being!

Answer 3

If you are new to snake keeping probably a corn snake or milk snake. These snakes are quite easy to care of and can be quite tame. They are relatively cheep to keep once the enclosure has been initially set up. If you have had experience before and want a more challenging snake pythons and boas may be a good idea. They can get quite big though so make sure you have enough space for it when it is fully grown

Answer 4

That depends what knowledge you as a potential owner has ! Snakes are 'specialist' animals, requiring knowledge of the species to keep them successfully.

Answer 5

a Western hooked-nosed snake. Corn snakes and King snakes are among the most recommended.

Answer 6

Chose a snake that has no poisons or the snakes that has been cutted off by people!!

Answer 7

The best snake for a beginning reptile owner would probably be a corn snake.

Answer 8

corn snakes