I'm convinced the universe is mocking me, or I'm just torturing myself

[Bogertophis]

If you think that rat snake is laughing, you don't know rat snakes. Then again, maybe he IS laughing, an evil laugh...& waiting for you.

I haven't kept any VBBs, but I actually prefer the colors of the Taiwan Beauty rat snakes & didn't find them hard to manage at all. They DO have an endless appetite, & they ARE fast & active snakes (more like a "racer"), but when handled from hatchling size, I didn't have many nips at all- much like other rat snakes I've lived with. But they DO get quite large.

Good luck with your VBB-dream.

[Snagrio]

If you think that rat snake is laughing, you don't know rat snakes. Then again, maybe he IS laughing, an evil laugh...& waiting for you.

I haven't kept any VBBs, but I actually prefer the colors of the Taiwan Beauty rat snakes & didn't find them hard to manage at all. They DO have an endless appetite, & they ARE fast & active snakes (more like a "racer"), but when handled from hatchling size, I didn't have many nips at all- much like other rat snakes I've lived with. But they DO get quite large.

Good luck with your VBB-dream.

The friend said he was laughing. I know better.

And the details you listed are why I'm interested beyond their aptly named "beauty." It's a perfect contrast to my BP in every fashion. More active, more feisty (not that I WANT to get bit obviously but more of a challenge), more size without being dangerous (as in one can't strangle me by accident as far as I'm aware), and I think at adult size one would be big enough to take any potential refusals my BP would have.

The size of course though is one of the reasons why the dream has to be on the backburner for now. By my estimations an adult would need something the size of my 125 gallon aquarium plus an extra foot or so in height for climbing purposes.