Hello, best snake for me?

Hello! I am new to this site after being a long time lurker.:P After not being able to receive specific answers just by looking at old threads, I decided to make an account, so here I am! I am really wondering about what is the best snake for me. I am a responsible pet owner who will take care of it for the WHOLE it is alive, whether it's 3 years or 30 years. Some things I am looking for in a snake:

Docile

Medium size (5-7 feet)

Not too skinny ( I like a bit of girth)

Not too expensive ($200 and under)

Cage no bigger than 4' x 2' x 2' ( I am looking at modifying a christmas tree tub- seems to be the best and cheapest way to go)

Although I am perfectly aware that snakes can be unpredictable and bite, I would rather it not be something that is know for being aggressive/ defensive (like GTP and ETB)
I myself am fine with being tagged a few times, as I know that is part of owning a snake:)

The three options I have really looked into are:

Dumerils boa (probolly my #1 choice)

Carpet Python (jungle or iran jaya)

Columbian BCI (male- how big have you seen males get? I have heard contradictory things.)

Thank you all in advance:):)

I've been doing some research on Dums since I'm thinking about getting one and can tell you that they tick all your boxes. Honestly everyone I've talked to that has one seems to be in love with them.

Dumeril's meet all your requirements easily, as a whole and for what they're known for. The other two species can too, but it depends more on finding the right individual, especially in carpets, than it is "as a species".

Dumeril's rarely reach 8 feet, even females (of course there are outliers though). The average seems to be between 6'~7' for females, and smaller for males!

Your gut seems to be leaning towards dumerils so that's what I'd choose. They're gorgeous critters that come in a wide range of colors. I personally dig the lighter animals but they all look nice.

I can tell you from experience the Carpet python and BCI are easy beginner snakes so far. I say so far because I am new to snakes and these two in particular are still young and I've only recently had them. My boa so far has been excellent. He is very hissy when in the tub but once removed he is very docile having not even struck at me once. My Jungle Carpet was very, very nippy the first few weeks and I was bitten repeatedly. She is still very nervous (still a tiny baby) but I have noticed her nervousness has no longer led to bites, she now head buts and prefers to escape. I try to handle her as much as possible and will relax fairly quickly so as long as I make no fast movements or movements over her head. So far the Jungle Carpet is my favorite and I am excited to grow her into and adult tame Carpet. If you don't mind a few baby bites, I would say the Carpet will definitely be more exciting than the BCI, I can't give an opinion on the Dumerils boa as I don't keep this species.

Carpets are my favorite snakes to keep. Every keeper should have at least one :).

Dumerils is going to be your best bet. I have all 3 of the snakes you listed the dumerils is the easiest to take care of as far as requirement. They don't need high humidity, don't need need high temps and generally don't hide much. They are fine with 40-60% humidity, 88F hot spot and around 75-79F ambient/cool spot.

Although as for favorites, toss up between my retic, bci boas or dumerils. They are all loungers except Caesar today who was kind of cranky and didn't want to sit on me lol. He went and curled up under a pillow and sat there. He just shed so I'm figuring that's why he was cranky lol.

If you are going to do a carpet, I have been told Bredli and Inlands are probably the most laid back. Been told by a lot of people that jungles are always a little higher strung. My JCP was a terror when I got her. She still will bite at the drop of a hat if startled. She does eat like a horse though. She's about 3.5 ft and eats a small F/T rat every week.

Wow, thank you all so much!!! I won't be getting the snake for a long time, so I'll have plenty of time to research :)

I was thinking about this tub: https://www.walmart.com/ip/IRIS-Holi...#about-itemand than cutting a 3'x 1' hole or so and putting some glass in there for better viewing. Does this sound like a good idea? Thank you all, you have been super helpful!

I have four snakes - a normal ball python, a Hog Island boa, a young, female jungle carpet and a young Brazilian Rainbow boa and love them all for different reasons. The ball is just so laid back and easy to deal with (except fasting). My Hog Island is two and a half years old and almost five feet - great guy that likes to hang out on the back of our dining room chairs (hunting, I guess). My jungle carpet is a little over a year and can be a bit aggressive but never bites and is generally a great little girl. And my rainbow is such a spectacular snake - beautiful, strong and eats/sheds well. I couldn't pick one as my favourite because they are special in their own ways. The boas are going to be big guys but easy to work with. I'm not sure what to expect from my Carpet as she is long but skinny. I bought these snakes because I didn't want huge snakes that I could not handle on my own (it can be scary when the Hog wraps around my neck and squeezes when I'm moving him around, indicating to me that I can't hang him around my neck much longer).Snakes are such interesting animals!

Again, thank you all for your help:)

Would you recommend hook training a Dumerils? It seems a lot of people do, though maybe I'm wrong. Any suggestions or tips for what age (I know they are slow growing) to get? I kind of want an older one (maybe a yearling or two) because of size and all, but then again, I think I might want to go with a baby just so I can watch it grow (slowly:D)
What are your guys' thoughts?

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Originally Posted by JessPets

Again, thank you all for your help:)

Would you recommend hook training a Dumerils? It seems a lot of people do, though maybe I'm wrong. Any suggestions or tips for what age (I know they are slow growing) to get? I kind of want an older one (maybe a yearling or two) because of size and all, but then again, I think I might want to go with a baby just so I can watch it grow (slowly:D)
What are your guys' thoughts?

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No you don't need to hook train a Dumerils. Their feeding response isn't crazy like a retic or burm.

As for age, I prefer to get my babies as young as I can so I can watch them grow. With that said, if you get a dumerils baby, make sure it is eating good, that's the biggest issue with babies. And as for growing slow, like I mentioned, my little girl was about 2 months old and 18 inches when I got her. She is now 5 months old and about 32 inches so she almost doubled her size in about 3 months. Babies tend to grow fast but then slow down. Also it will depend on the baby. Luna LOVES to eat and will eat anything dangled in front of her beezer lol. If you got a problem feeder, then it might grow slower plus all snakes grow at different rates anyways.

My vote is find a little youngin' and raise him/her. It's really rewarding looking back after a few years and thinking of how small your snake was. I look at Rosey and think of that all the time as she was about 18 inches also when I got her and now she is pushing 7' but still thinks she's a baby who can fit on stuff she cant lol.

Male Dumerils. Females can get quite large though it takes a decade for them to get there.

BCI is an option if you stick to dwarf localities, as they don't get massive. They run the gamut from flighty to chill but that's based more on the individual than the specific locality.

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Originally Posted by JessPets

Wow, thank you all so much!!! I won't be getting the snake for a long time, so I'll have plenty of time to research :)

I was thinking about this tub: https://www.walmart.com/ip/IRIS-Holi...#about-itemand than cutting a 3'x 1' hole or so and putting some glass in there for better viewing. Does this sound like a good idea? Thank you all, you have been super helpful!

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I wouldn't use glass being that it can cut the snake. Use plexi and sand the edges. Then use a hero safe caulking to seal it. I thought about the same idea as well honestly


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Originally Posted by Cwilson187

I wouldn't use glass being that it can cut the snake. Use plexi and sand the edges. Then use a hero safe caulking to seal it. I thought about the same idea as well honestly


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I didn't even think of that! What if I sealed the edges with tape or such, would that work?

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Originally Posted by JessPets

I didn't even think of that! What if I sealed the edges with tape or such, would that work?

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Tape should never be used in a snake enclosure. It tends to come off of what it is supposed to stick to and ends up sticking on the snake.

I would recommend a Carpet Python. They may start off nippy at first but they mellow out with age really well. They also get the length as adults that look impressive but not so large that they can't be handled solo.

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Originally Posted by crenfrow524

I would recommend a Carpet Python. They may start off nippy at first but they mellow out with age really well. They also get the length as adults that look impressive but not so large that they can't be handled solo.

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Not sure getting a nippy kind of snake as a first snake is such a great idea ....

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Not sure getting a nippy kind of snake as a first snake is such a great idea ....

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Sure it is, if you know ahead of time and learn how to properly handle them. A Ball Python will bite just has hard as a hatchling Carpet Python.

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By that logic, you might as well get a mainland retic hatchling or burm hatchling. They bite as hard as any other baby. But I do think you should get a super dwarf retic. They are awesome and will keep you on your toes :D Although if you do, prepare for a serious food bill lol. They eat as much as small human children :P

I did say that a Carpet is also something when full grown can be handled solo. Which is not advisable for a full grown retic... please reread before putting words in my mouth. There is enough arguing on this forum as it is. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

By that logic, you might as well get a mainland retic hatchling or burm hatchling. They bite as hard as any other baby. But I do think you should get a super dwarf retic. They are awesome and will keep you on your toes :D Although if you do, prepare for a serious food bill lol. They eat as much as small human children :P

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They sound really cool, but too be honest, I don't think I could afford the food :P

What is the largest prey a male dumerils will ever eat?

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Originally Posted by JessPets

They sound really cool, but too be honest, I don't think I could afford the food :P

What is the largest prey a male dumerils will ever eat?

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I have heard people feeding rabbits to adult female dumerils. I think Redshepherds dumeril is eating XL rats.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I have heard people feeding rabbits to adult female dumerils. I think Redshepherds dumeril is eating XL rats.

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But males shouldn't ever get that big, right?

Nah males stay smaller but I would still imagine they would eat large rats.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Nah males stay smaller but I would still imagine they would eat large rats.

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So I know it will vary, but what is an average/fair price to pay for a large rat? And is it worth ordering online? (i'm thinking it's not)

If you want to stock up then online is much cheaper. If you buy as you go though or want to feed live you'll need to find someone local for decent prices. Craigslist or Facebook groups help to find local rat and rabbit breeders. Not sure on pricing for that size though, sorry.

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Originally Posted by JessPets

So I know it will vary, but what is an average/fair price to pay for a large rat? And is it worth ordering online? (i'm thinking it's not)

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My local Mom and Pop sells live large rats for $12. They don't carry frozen, but out new Petco does. I don't remember their prices, but I buy online. I pay $2 for Large and $2.25 for Jumbos.

For just one snake I dont don't know if you could take advantage of the pricing or not. I didn't go online until I had multiple snakes.

To defer the the cost of the freight you want to order in quantity. The shelf life of frozen is roughly 6 months. So you need to figure out that balance.
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Originally Posted by JessPets

So I know it will vary, but what is an average/fair price to pay for a large rat? And is it worth ordering online? (i'm thinking it's not)

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My reptile shop sells large F/T rats for $8. As for ordering online, not really worth it for 1 snake as the shipping is a killer. Now if you have a lot of snakes, its worth it.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

My reptile shop sells large F/T rats for $8. As for ordering online, not really worth it for 1 snake as the shipping is a killer. Now if you have a lot of snakes, its worth it.

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That's what I figured. But by the time he is big enough to eat large he wont be eating every week, just bi-monthly or every three weeks, right?

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Originally Posted by JessPets

That's what I figured. But by the time he is big enough to eat large he wont be eating every week, just bi-monthly or every three weeks, right?

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Yeah, I'd say if its a male, once every 3-4 weeks should be fine. But you will really have to play it by ear as not every snake is the same just like some people.

This once its an adult. I would feed once a week until he/she is up to small rats, then cut back to once every 2 week. Then when up to medium/larges, once every 3-4 weeks.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Yeah, I'd say if its a male, once every 3-4 weeks should be fine. But you will really have to play it by ear as not every snake is the same just like some people.

This once its an adult. I would feed once a week until he/she is up to small rats, then cut back to once every 2 week. Then when up to medium/larges, once every 3-4 weeks.

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Thank you!

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Originally Posted by crenfrow524

Sure it is, if you know ahead of time and learn how to properly handle them. A Ball Python will bite just has hard as a hatchling Carpet Python.

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They're not quite as bitey though - are they really ??

The Ball or the Carpet? I have a Ball that is just a demon and snaps at everything. I have also seen Carpets that have never been bitey their entire lives. It just depends on the personality. No matter what you get you'll learn their personality and plan according to their mood. I'd say get a Carpet. They aren't hard to manage and you'll learn as you go.
Now if we were talking something that were to get larger like a retic or burm. I would try to steer you away as a beginner because the fact that when they are full grown it is not recommended to handle when you are alone. An accident with one of them could turn bad very fast. Over time you'll find your limitations. I would like a Retic but knowing that my wife isn't going to be much help in handling one I will have to wait.

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That's why you get a super dwarf. They top out around 10' which is easily a 1 person snake. Plus I would put Caesar up against any other snake for mellowness. he actually escaped his cleaning tub a couple night ago and I found him about 10 ft away curled up under a swivel recliner sleeping. And he must have been out around 8 hours. I lifted the chair and just scooped him up and he didn't even uncoil. he just calmly looked up at me and then laid back down on his coil haha. Personally I would recommend a super dwarf retic over any of the snakes listed so far. Retics are by far the most interactive snakes I've messed with. They will literally watch you do stuff around the room and they aren't shy either. If Caesar sees something that interests him, he will come up and check it out haha.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

That's why you get a super dwarf. They top out around 10' which is easily a 1 person snake. Plus I would put Caesar up against any other snake for mellowness. he actually escaped his cleaning tub a couple night ago and I found him about 10 ft away curled up under a swivel recliner sleeping. And he must have been out around 8 hours. I lifted the chair and just scooped him up and he didn't even uncoil. he just calmly looked up at me and then laid back down on his coil haha. Personally I would recommend a super dwarf retic over any of the snakes listed so far. Retics are by far the most interactive snakes I've messed with. They will literally watch you do stuff around the room and they aren't shy either. If Caesar sees something that interests him, he will come up and check it out haha.

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I'm hoping my SD Purple Albino will be topping out at no more than 7' or even less -parents were 6' and 7' respectively ...

Granted every snake has its own personality making some dolls and some devils, you can learn a lot about a specific species if you look at where they come from, what they eat, how they hunt, what eats them and if they are nocturnal or diurnal. Some species will be much more outgoing and inquisitive by nature and some will be more reclusive and less tolerant to interaction.
With most animals you can train past one instinct at a time but you cannot completemy change how an animal is wired. I would say you first need to decide what you want out of this new pet then decide what species is best for you based on that.

That's what I did, because I really wanted to make sure I got something that was (know to be) docile, not too big, not too large enclosure size, etc.


Can you post some of your guys' dumerils? Males, females, ages, and sizes? Thanks!

Heck, go for a Hog Island bci. I just picked this little danger noodle up today. He's about 18 inches of sheer terror :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9ea222a1_b.jpg

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Heck, go for a Hog Island bci. I just picked this little danger noodle up today. He's about 18 inches of sheer terror :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9ea222a1_b.jpg

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Thanks, now I have another option to chose from:D:P

For you that own both a Hoggie and a dumerils, which do you like better?

So, i just read a little more about HIB, and they seem wonderful!! Which do you guys like better?? They are both so beautiful in their own ways...

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Originally Posted by JessPets

So, i just read a little more about HIB, and they seem wonderful!! Which do you guys like better?? They are both so beautiful in their own ways...

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I have both now so wasn't much a pick for me :)

But which do you like better? Or do you not have a favorite of the two?

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Originally Posted by JessPets

But which do you like better? Or do you not have a favorite of the two?

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No one?

I see a few comments about getting a super dwarf retic, I just picked one up and I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you are an advanced keeper. I told myself I'd never get a rat snake because of how aggressive they are, and my SD is every bit as aggressive as a King rat or Texas rat snake, fast, and totally unpredictable. And if you ask around that's the general attitude of most super dwarfs, especially when young. With a lot of handling you can tame just about any snake but snakes have a certain behavior pattern to the certain type of snake in general and I believe super dwarfs can just be plain difficult.

It also depends on how much super dwarf blood they have in them, the one I have is super dwarf + Jampea dwarf + mainland all mixed in one snake. They say the more mainland blood the bigger they get but also the more chilled out they are. I plan on breeding my super dwarf to my dwarf 50% mainland, so the babies should get bigger having more mainland blood but should be easier to tame down. That SD wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so dang fast! I swear, it's like catching a wild snake in the tall grass, that thing is just wild. Only rat snakes come close to an SD as far as behavior. Check out this video and see what Brian says about the King rat or Texas rat snakes, I think it's similar to an SD retic. There are exceptions and some can become really tame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3CGuRpF8I

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

I see a few comments about getting a super dwarf retic, I just picked one up and I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you are an advanced keeper. I told myself I'd never get a rat snake because of how aggressive they are, and my SD is every bit as aggressive as a King rat or Texas rat snake, fast, and totally unpredictable. And if you ask around that's the general attitude of most super dwarfs, especially when young. With a lot of handling you can tame just about any snake but snakes have a certain behavior pattern to the certain type of snake in general and I believe super dwarfs can just be plain difficult.

It also depends on how much super dwarf blood they have in them, the one I have is super dwarf + Jampea dwarf + mainland all mixed in one snake. They say the more mainland blood the bigger they get but also the more chilled out they are. I plan on breeding my super dwarf to my dwarf 50% mainland, so the babies should get bigger having more mainland blood but should be easier to tame down. That SD wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so dang fast! I swear, it's like catching a wild snake in the tall grass, that thing is just wild. Only rat snakes come close to an SD as far as behavior. Check out this video and see what Brian says about the King rat or Texas rat snakes, I think it's similar to an SD retic. There are exceptions and some can become really tame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3CGuRpF8I

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You make some decent points although I can say that my beaut SD Purple Albino is a little darlin' . Nice and inquisitive but not at all aggressive or flighty . He's about 8 months old around 24" and in tap training . He's kinda like a very inquisitive Royal thus far and a damn site friendlier than my previous Retic , a Dwarf White phase .

Funnily enough I've also got a couple of yearling Luicistic Texas Rat snakes that are little psychotics AND also one of those Rhino Ratsnakes in your video .... he was bought purely for display but he's absolutely great to handle as well - bonus :)


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

You make some decent points although I can say that my beaut SD Purple Albino is a little darlin' . Nice and inquisitive but not at all aggressive or flighty . He's about 8 months old around 24" and in tap training . He's kinda like a very inquisitive Royal thus far and a damn site friendlier than my previous Retic , a Dwarf White phase .

Funnily enough I've also got a couple of yearling Luicistic Texas Rat snakes that are little psychotics AND also one of those Rhino Ratsnakes in your video .... he was bought purely for display but he's absolutely great to handle as well - bonus :)


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Great info, thank you both. I looked into SD, but decided against them, as I have heard VERY contradictory things.