Are there any snakes that aren't very shy?

[BigCeC43]

I have one BP right now. He is extremely fasinating to me and I feel the need to stare at him at night while he's out and about. Unfortuanetly, he hides when he sees me. I know most are shy and I can understand why, but I was wondering if all species are as shy as BPs.

[Blu Mongoose]

My bp's aren't shy because I handle them often. They are very nice to handle. My rat snakes aren't shy either, but are very aggressive. They prefer that I leave them alone. They are starting to get a little better.

[ladywhipple02]

BOAS!


Lol... nosy big butts...

Really, once you let boas settle in, they can be extremely nosey... always out, tongues flying like crazy. And they will get into anything and everything once they're out of their cages

I love 'em.

[8b8ll]

GTP's, Carpets, Burms, Retics, Boa's....


Mike

[MedusasOwl]

I think it depends on the individual snake, imho, their past how often their handled etc and so on. I've heard of snakes of all different species that aren't shy and that are.

[BigCeC43]

I've only had him about 2 months. He very comfortable when I handle him, he just doesn't like me watching him when he's in his tank. Maybe I'll get a RTB next, it won't be for a while though. Anyway, thanks for the responses.

[jjspirko]

Just about any snake can be shy at times but as other have mentioned there are some that are better "display" animals then others. Mostly it is not that they are "shy" it is simply that some are active at night vs. the day.

I have a Carpet Python and a pair of Spotted Pythons that are perfect examples. About 730 every night out they come, they then do not fear me in any way. They are curious as to what is going on, etc. During they day they hide. I expect the Carpet to get more active during all hours as she grows but for now she is in her hides mostly during the daylight. So even though others recommend Carpets there it is not a definite that they will be out during the day.

Your best bet for having snakes out during the day is to keep a diurnal species (that is active during the day) or an aborial species (which feels save just because it is in a "tree like" environment).

So as some said Carpet Pythons are semi aborial and often do well as display animals. I would say Green Tree Pythons and Emerald Tree Boas are both good display animals but are very "shy" and while they will be easy to see often they don't like to be handled much and stress easy. Rainbow boas are aborial and also tend to stay visible due to that.

Big boas tend to be confident in themselves and don't hide much as do most larger pythons. Each has their own challenges and no one should keep a big snake until they are ready to deal with the issues that come with them.

Moving to diurnal species they tend to be out during the day simply because they are active during the day. The easiest to keep that fit this mold are the various Garters and Ribbon snakes. To me they are underated captives just because they are so common. Garters in particular seem quite intellegent (for a snake) and are very aware of their surroundings and like to look around and travel their cages during the day light.

All the racers tend to be diurnal like Black Racers, Blue Racers, Coachwhips, etc. problem is most tend to be biters and are not that available from breeders. They are pretty and interesting snakes to keep though, just not great to handle.

A lot of the Asian rats tend to be pretty willing to come out during the day especially once they get some size on them and the confidence that goes with it. My Taiwan hid a lot during his youth but now at over six feet he hide only when his belly is very full.

One snake that is always out during the day and never seems to hide is the false water cobra. The big issues are they get big (8 feet) and they are a rear fanged and venomous colubrid. No they have never killed a person and they are not the most prone to bite but they do have venom much like atrox in small quantites. If you wear cloth gloves and long sleves and you are pretty safe from any envenomation but there is a slight risk with them.

What may be the very best fit for what you are looking for is the rufus beaked snake. These are quite new to the herp trade but a lot of dealers are starting to offer them. Even wild ones almost never bite and while "rear fanged" no human reaction to their mild venom has ever been reported. They almost NEVER bite and I can't find one person that has ever reported a bite from a Rufus Snake that was not provoked. They have great bifocal vision and are very alert animals. Their attitudes are quite friendly and inquisitive.

I will be adding a pair at least this sping to my collection. I predict they are going to become very popular the only negative is they get between 6-8 feet long. They are not that big around sort of like most rat snakes of the same size.

All this said just about any snake will feel the need to hide at times and they always need a place to do so. Hope this helps,