Not a fan

Why can I not get myself to like any colubrid? I want to like them but it's like my mind won't let me, I want to add at least one to my collection but when i am at a reptile show and I see one I do like my mind tells me whats the point of getting it? Can anyone help me? I want one that is out of the ordinary and not to expensive maybe in the ball park of $175-200.

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Originally Posted by Masonic

Why can I not get myself to like any colubrid? I want to like them but it's like my mind won't let me, I want to add at least one to my collection but when i am at a reptile show and I see one I do like my mind tells me whats the point of getting it? Can anyone help me? I want one that is out of the ordinary and not to expensive maybe in the ball park of $175-200.

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Personally,
I'd look at a nice, big Eastern King snake. It's the KING of snakes in North America! They are diurnal, fast and will eat damn near anything. If I were to add one more snake, I'd strongly consider one.

Other factors are that they keep easy, and are vastly different from boas and pythons. They eat more frequently, actively forage/hunt for food and are a favorite of many keepers and this applies to several of the colubrids not just kings.

I am not into morphs, and prefer natural "Mother Nature" colors and find fascination with the various snake species for what they are.

Sadly, I probably have all of the snakes I'm going to own.

If you add a king snake of any kind, chances are it will be the most active snake in your room at least during the day time hours. That goes for a lot of other colubrids, but I like kings because they'll eat those other ones in a snap or anything else they think they can swallow.

Eastern kings have size, and pound for pound are one the strongest snakes around.

I think that's pretty cool and reason enough to look into colubrids and that's coming from somebody who doesn't have one,,,,,,,,,,,, yet.

well, what do you like in a snake?

Attitude? - Bullsnake
Banded? - Milksnake
Stripes? - Garter snake
Morphs? - Cornsnake
small size? - Hognose
Large size? -Cribos
weird looking and mildly venomous? - Barrons Racer

The sky is pretty much the limit, you just have to figure out what interests you most in a snake.

I'd say go for Hognose. I am the same way, and I just can't like them for some reason. But a Hognose is an exception, I adore them.

What's the point of getting a colubrid? Well...
- They are fun to handle. Not quick like my boas, not a ball of unmoving snake like my BP's... they just cruise around and check you out. I've never had one bite, but two did musk a bit as babies until they learned that being handled was ok.
- They don't get too big, unlike my boas, so they're not intimidiating if I introduce the whole snakes-as-pets idea to a non-snake-owning friend.
- Many are quite pretty even if they don't come in "morphs".
- They're active during the day so they make good display snakes.
- They have great appetites so they act as the clean-up crew for my picky baby or juvenile ball pythons.
- They don't need super-expensive enclosures and it's easy to maintain their temperature and humidity requirements, so they don't have to be housed in my "herp room" with the boids.

Mark made some great points.

I would say that Hognose fit in several of his category (small size, morph and attitude)

What has always attracted me to colubrids coming from the BP world were 1/ Their inquisitive nature and attitude of colubrids vs the laziness and boring aspect of BP (don't get me wrong I love my BP but to me they are eye candy only) and 2/ Vibrant colors that you will never see in BP

I am a big fan of Red and High Orange, to me nothing beats a Extreme Red Bullsnake or a nice Extreme Hypo Tangerine Honduran Milksnake.

I want something that is maybe going to be the same length or a little longer that a ball and is easy to handle. I want something that is going to pop when it is in the enclosure. I mainly want something that you don't always see.

I keep corns along with my ball pythons and a few milksnakes. A nice gold dust or butter stripe or motley will pop. I guess its all in the eye of the beholder.

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Originally Posted by Fraido

I'd say go for Hognose. I am the same way, and I just can't like them for some reason. But a Hognose is an exception, I adore them.

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that's exactly how i felt so I added 2 little hoggies to my bp collection. Funny little buggahz.....

Put this on aspen, and it will "pop"! Black and cream against white aspen,, forget about it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUUThBiDuK0

Also, if you are looking for more length than a royal, these have potential to get to 6-7 feet, with some girth. Look at how effortless their movement is.


If all you own are royals, a nice colubrid will be something completely different!

The Cal Kings come in some very groovy colors and can get 4 feet long too.

There are speckled kings that almost have a diamond python look to them.

What's not to like?

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Originally Posted by mandalorian

that's exactly how i felt so I added 2 little hoggies to my bp collection. Funny little buggahz.....

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I hope to one day add them to my collection.(:

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Originally Posted by Masonic

I want something that is maybe going to be the same length or a little longer that a ball and is easy to handle. I want something that is going to pop when it is in the enclosure. I mainly want something that you don't always see.

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A California High-White King with dark cage decor will pop.

I've got a few CA kingsnakes and Nelson's milk snakes, along with my BPs and rosy boas. I love them. I want to add honduran milk snakes to the collection, and I'm eyeing some garter snakes and indigo or massurana. For me, I love that they are something different. They are beautiful. The kingsnakes and milk snakes come on all kinds of different and amazing colors, but their price point tends to run lower than some BP morphs too. They don't get too big, but big enough. They eat like pigs, never refuse a meal. They have their own attitudes without being outright aggressive. They move a lot more, more fun to watch and handle. And they are easy to house, I don't need to offer any supplemental heat (except in winter, if i don't want to let them brumate ),because the ambient temperatures where I live are suitable for those snakes. Considering this, I would say check them out, see if it's something you want to try.

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Originally Posted by sorraia

I've got a few CA kingsnakes and Nelson's milk snakes, along with my BPs and rosy boas. I love them. I want to add honduran milk snakes to the collection, and I'm eyeing some garter snakes and indigo or massurana. For me, I love that they are something different. They are beautiful. The kingsnakes and milk snakes come on all kinds of different and amazing colors, but their price point tends to run lower than some BP morphs too. They don't get too big, but big enough. They eat like pigs, never refuse a meal. They have their own attitudes without being outright aggressive. They move a lot more, more fun to watch and handle. And they are easy to house, I don't need to offer any supplemental heat (except in winter, if i don't want to let them brumate ),because the ambient temperatures where I live are suitable for those snakes. Considering this, I would say check them out, see if it's something you want to try.

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Great points on a lot of the native, North American species. Husbandry can often just be change of seasons.

Mussurana Clelia are amazing! Mild venom, not dangerous to humans, and a constrictor to boot.

Big, thick and will eat anything, even large venomous snakes.

Colubrids are just another great option for diversity in a collection.

I want to thank you all you have gave me some things to look at and then make the decision.

I'm with you, I am just not interested in almost all colubrids; except Hognoses, I like their patterns and their heads. I can't stand Corns, that ugly orange and red color combo is hideous to me, and their head shape is ugly. Sorry, being an artistic person, I notice things like shapes, colors and patterns. I don't understand why anyone would want to keep a Garter as a pet, that's about the only snake we see here in my area in the wild and I couldn't be more bored with them, and they stink. I don't mean to offend anyone, to each their own, these are just my opinions, but I'm a python and boa guy all the way.

I guess I'm the opposite. I find ball pythons soo boring and too picky. I love to look at pictures but I don't see myself owning one. I do love my boa though.


I adore corn snakes. They come in such a huge variety of morphs, from pink to solid white to all sorts of patterns. I have a snow corn and an extreme okeetee. I hope to add a sunkissed anery motley as well. I also have a black milk snake. Milksnakes can be obnoxious due to being so jumpy and they can musk, but the colors are incredible.

Lastly kingsnakes are just fun. I think they have a cool head shape (also an artist) and I love their feeding response. Serious garbage disposals.

Hognoses are cute but really too small for me.

Colubridae is flipping huge, if you can't find a flavor you favor in that pile of mess you haven't looked very hard.

If you're looking for visually stunning creatures here are a few you might want to further research. I've added a couple thamnophis because they never get much love even though they're beautiful snakes.

Oreocryptophis porphyraceus

Euprepiophis mandarinus

Rhynchophis boulengeri

Thamnophis infernalis

Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii

my vote goes the the hognose too. i think they have more character than just about anything meaning even a normal is fun but if you want colour you can get some lovely morphs now. Also you will never have that 'my snake isn't eating' worry. They are like vacuum cleaners.

Just a warning... Not all hognoses are vacuums... My male goes off food for months at a time (not necessarily when it's cold either). You might have more luck with a female, but be wary.. I've heard many people complain about hoggies not eating well. This is not to contradict you guys, but I wanted to note it. I love my hog, but am considering rehoming due to this issue.

If it were readily available, I would love to have an Eastern Indigo Snake. Talk about large, beautiful, and interesting. Nothing native ot the US can surpass it. However, until there is a real push for a captive breeding program so they can increase the numbers, they will just be a dream of mine.

House Snakes... Easey to handle great eater kills with full constriction... They have those almost viper eyes making them really cool... They look and behavr like minipythons... Look on someof my threads you will see some of color examples

I had a variable kingsnake and he was awesome. Average size, easy to handle, easy care, inquisitive and never missed a meal, even in shed. Mine was 7 when I had to rehome him. Best snake ever.

I can't relate at all. I LOVE colubrids. I have a Cal King, MBK, an albino bull snake and a snow bull snake and they are all AWESOME. They're active, super easy to care for, large but not too big, come in some great morphs, have just enough attitude, and they're absolute eating machines. What more could you want in a snake? :)

Northern pinesnake. Arboreal and different

I have 2 milksnakes 2 kingsnakes and a hognose. I think they're all beautiful (though I am concentrating more on BP's now) but my hypomelanistic tangerine Honduran milk with vanishing pattern is just stunning. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...35a1ca931a.jpg and he's such a good Eater. I have a Sinaloan milk too, he's not the best Eater but he's so bright and sharp looking http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...9942c89267.jpg Anyway that's just my 2 cents, hope you find one you like! (Oh and my hognose girl is 3 feet long and eats like a pig)

These were mentioned earlier, (Mussurana Clelia) but if you like a bit of size, these can go 7 feet. They are pretty thick, beautifully smooth looking with an intense shine.

This linked video is the best example of anything I've seen relating to these guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh1uoC_eCCo


The pied is unreal!

I really like that hypo tangerine honduran, but then I like the pied mussurana. I think I am going to decide between a mussurana and a milksnake. I just need sone help with some breeders of both animals.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

What's the point of getting a colubrid? Well...
- They are fun to handle. Not quick like my boas, not a ball of unmoving snake like my BP's... they just cruise around and check you out. I've never had one bite, but two did musk a bit as babies until they learned that being handled was ok.
- They don't get too big, unlike my boas, so they're not intimidiating if I introduce the whole snakes-as-pets idea to a non-snake-owning friend.
- Many are quite pretty even if they don't come in "morphs".
- They're active during the day so they make good display snakes.
- They have great appetites so they act as the clean-up crew for my picky baby or juvenile ball pythons.
- They don't need super-expensive enclosures and it's easy to maintain their temperature and humidity requirements, so they don't have to be housed in my "herp room" with the boids.

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I'd agree with your reasons.
The only thing that draws me towards pythons / boas would be the head. The shape of the head makes a world of difference for me. When there is no jaw line and head just blends into the body turns me away. But, I love my king snake. She's a lot more fun to handle and less intimidating to non-snake keepers.

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Originally Posted by Cold_Blooded_Designs

I'd agree with your reasons.
The only thing that draws me towards pythons / boas would be the head. The shape of the head makes a world of difference for me. When there is no jaw line and head just blends into the body turns me away. But, I love my king snake. She's a lot more fun to handle and less intimidating to non-snake keepers.

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Well What About Those heads ???

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...ps410e1663.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...k/P1000947.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...s/P1010567.jpg

This thread convinced me to buy my Mexican black king on Friday!!

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Originally Posted by the I-Many

This thread convinced me to buy my Mexican black king on Friday!!

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A Black King on black friday? I guess that makes sense. :D

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

Well What About Those heads ???

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...ps410e1663.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...k/P1000947.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...s/P1010567.jpg

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Those are African House snakes, right? They're on my bucket list.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

A Black King on black friday? I guess that makes sense. :D

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hahaha right? Named him Wesley Snipes. The Blackest Snake in Hollywood.

I started out with a corn snake and it was very squirmy and quick, they're hard to get to like as much as slow moving snakes but I find their energy quite enticing.

Any busy patterned colubrids for the lover of giants? (Unfortunately, cribos and mussuranas aren't the most available things in the U.S.)

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

Well What About Those heads ???

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...ps410e1663.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...k/P1000947.jpg

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...s/P1010567.jpg

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Albeit house snakes are small as they are, these are absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful iridescence, stunning eyes, and fascinating head and facial markings. Excellent shots! :gj: I have to get at least one of these whenever I can.

I've seen some good size kingsnakes and milk snakes, but still not quite as big as cribos.