what colubrid should I get?

What colubrid should I get? I like hognose, corns, kings, bulls. What one should I get? Everyone says corns are really easy but I really like hognoses too. I just want to know your opinion and maybe some basic care about the species you reccomend even though I already researched them at least a little bit.

Out of those, I would say corns make a great "gateway" colubrid. Smaller, tame, fantastic eater, and some of the hardiest snakes ever. They help you get a feel for how different a colubrid is from other boas/pythons that you might be used to having. Personally, I've become infatuated with Pituophis lately (bulls/gophers/pines), but they get much larger and their bluffing/defensive mechanisms can make them a little more challenging for some. As far as hogs....I've been there, done that. I had a small collection of 6 hogs, from 4 gram babies to 400g females. I found them to be extremely tricky feeders, I was worried about the possibility of having a negative reaction to their mild venom, and for as much work as they were, I didn't find them to be nearly as rewarding as the other colubrids that I have (which are corns, honduran milk snakes, and a sonoran gopher snake).

All that being said, you never know if you will enjoy keeping a species unless you give it a try. Everyone has their own experiences with these animals, so you need to keep that in mind when making a decision. Maybe visit some expos or see if there are local breeders/keepers around you that will let you interact with some of their colubrids so you can get a feel for them?

Yes that's what I have been hearing and corns are very easy to get, not very expensive, and so many morphs. I know a couple breeders near buffalo so I will check that out. Thank you.

Yeah I would go with a corn as well. Super tame and super easy to care for.

Well I'm going to get a corn or leopard gecko at the next show around where I live which I know there is one in November.

Cali king!!!! King snakes are awsome, our johnny has a quite a personality on him, always a pleasure to interact with him

Corns are cool but kings are AWESOME! Same husbandry as corns, very similar in size, lots of cool morphs, inexpensive, and hard hitters at feeding time. They have a reputation for being feisty but I think it's a bit unfounded. My Cal King and MBK are both super sweet. I'm also a big fan of the Pituophis breeds (bulls, gophers, and pines). Honduran or Black Milk snakes, Leucistic Rat snakes, you really can't go wrong with any colubrid IMO. The ease of care, manageable size, wide range of morphs, and affordability make them great snakes to keep. Best wishes with whatever you choose. :)

I had a teacher with a California king and it just passed away I heard. She said it was a very interesting pet.

There are plenty of California kings at the breeder in buffalo and milk snakes and other types or kings. Chinese rat snakes look cool.

I'd have to cast my vote for a hognose since you've already got experience with some snakes. Of course that may just be because I want one :D

Overall colubrids garters are my absolute favorite though so I'd encourage you to give them a shot. Easterns have a huge variety of morphs and I've never worked with another species that has as much curiosity toward humans or is as interactive as they are.

Taking your age into account I would vote for a corn. They are a great first snake and a good choice for a younger keeper that will not have you buying to much gear.

Also make sure you are ready to care for a snake as many can live a very long time. Much longer than most cats and dogs. You are going to have many life changes over the next several years and it is all to common to see a free snake being offered by parents that were left with their kids pet when they went off to college.

Make sure you are really ready for it.

I already have a snake and I want to go to college and I have thought of this. My dad would take care of it but I sure hope I can bring my snake to college.

Just casting my vote for Kings. I love mine. :)

KMG- I have read so much about snakes since I was 6 or 7 I already knew they can live a long time. I have a 3 year old normal BP right now. He could live 40+ more years if I provided excellent care. Thanks for the info anyway. Many people are surprised about what I know about animals. Specifically snakes and other reptiles. I am sorry if I sound rude. If I do, please forgive me. Have a nice day.

Asherah: thank you for your opinion. Have a nice day.

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Originally Posted by midgard

KMG- I have read so much about snakes since I was 6 or 7 I already knew they can live a long time. I have a 3 year old normal BP right now. He could live 40+ more years if I provided excellent care. Thanks for the info anyway. Many people are surprised about what I know about animals. Specifically snakes and other reptiles. I am sorry if I sound rude. If I do, please forgive me. Have a nice day.

Asherah: thank you for your opinion. Have a nice day.

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That's great and I applaud you for doing the research. I just wanted to make sure the point was brought up as we have had plenty of young snake keepers get into things without their parents and them both knowing what a snake can entail.

Many colleges do not allow animals and this is also true for many apartments around colleges. Im was just trying to make you aware of some things I have seen over the years. It sounds like you have things under control.

I have heard that many colleges and apartments do not allow pets. Hopefully I go to one that does.

Best to plan on letting your parents care for them while you're in college. I'm not aware of any college that will allow pets other than betta fish and many require freshmen to live on-campus for at least one year. There's where it's really important to make sure they understand the husbandry as well as you do. I almost lost one of my frogs because my parents didn't follow my instructions like they should have. Luckily I caught it in time and was able to bring her back to health (and she's been sitting in dirt, doing absolutely nothing ever since :P)

My dad knows how to care for my ball python so I'm sure he could care for a colubrid. He has taken care of him while I was on vacation before.

Take a look at the Bairds Ratsnakes over at vivid reptiles. It's what I got and so far they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

The boards rat snake is really awesome.

You may want to talk to your parents and make sure they are willing to watch them for an extended time if required. Sure your parents can watch a snake while your on vacation. I have left my collection several times for over a week without anybody caring for them. That's one perk to them. Parents however can get tired of dealing with YOUR pets after they have to do it for a long time. This can cause them to be neglected or given away. Just food for thought.