Choosing a species

Hi! I'm not exactly sure what to call this thread lol
So I want to get another snake next year (most likely February as there's a reptile show a few days after my birthday & I can justify a big-ish purchase to myself lol), and it's kind of far off right now but I'd like some opinions.
I love bps, they're what made me fall in love with reptiles and that's what I was originally planning on getting, but this forum has introduced me to so many amazing species and now I'm not so sure!
So I'm wondering what's exactly is out there that's still fairly beginner friendly? I can't house anything that gets too much bigger than a bp, and I'd like something that would tolerate handling (and preferably not tooo expensive lol)
and I know there's been a billion threads about this before, but I was looking and it seems even the most recent ones have been buried lol, sorry for being kind of repetitive!
thanks for reading! <3

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Garters, rats, kings and corns. Also dwarf boas are nice.

Yep lots of bright colored colubrids that are cheap and I think they deal with frequent handling much better than BPs.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Garters, rats, kings and corns. Also dwarf boas are nice.

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I will always recommend woma pythons. They are super hardy, great eaters and they are very inquisitive. When I enter my snake room the ball pythons retreat to their hides and the womas and black-headed pythons come out to investigate. As adolescents they do require a snake hook due to their insane feeding response but as adults most mellow out and become quite pleasant to work with.
There are numerous species out there that fit the same bill however. I would look for something that is visually appealing to you, tolerates the level of interaction you want and has fairly lenient husbandry requirements.

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Depends on what you like there are smaller species of pythons if you want to stay with pythons such as IJ, or Darwins.

After that there is the world of colubrids usually people's favorite are Corns and Milksnakes if you like slender snakes.

Thank you all for your replies! I think I'm gonna look into some colubrids and dwarf boas
Does anyone here keep hognoses? I think they're absolutely adorable but I've heard they can be pretty difficult

I love my garter snake, such great little characters, always busy and fantastic feeders. I'm treating mine for a mouth infection ATM but even after being man handled and having iodine in her mouth she feeds. She is only the size of a pencil ATM too.
As above, dwarf boa or smaller carpet or even a male blood (or Borneo or Sumatran short tail) python if you are willing to keep humidity right, with all these tho don't buy online I'm, buy one that's chill from the word go, from someone you can actually handle it.
Bhb have nice scaleless Texas rats too.

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Thank you all for your replies! I think I'm gonna look into some colubrids and dwarf boas
Does anyone here keep hognoses? I think they're absolutely adorable but I've heard they can be pretty difficult

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I do and I also breed them.

They are adorable and they are not difficult (well at least not the females), I always recommend people looking for pet hognose to get a female, male have a tendency to be difficult and picky feeder at times.

One thing I also always remind people is that while they are not prone to bite (I am usually a bite magnet and never been bit) and that they are read fanged (which is a poor venom delivery system) they are however considered mildly venomous, nothing that will kill you, generally speaking it's a bit of swelling but some people have had swelling up to their arms, your possible reaction really comes down to your immune system, if you are allergic to bee stings and such I would not recommend them but instead recommend sand boas which are similar in size.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I do and I also breed them.

They are adorable and they are not difficult (well at least not the females), I always recommend people looking for pet hognose to get a female, male have a tendency to be difficult and picky feeder at times.

One thing I also always remind people is that while they are not prone to bite (I am usually a bite magnet and never been bit) and that they are read fanged (which is a poor venom delivery system) they are however considered mildly venomous, nothing that will kill you, generally speaking it's a bit of swelling but some people have had swelling up to their arms, your possible reaction really comes down to your immune system, if you are allergic to bee stings and such I would not recommend them but instead recommend sand boas which are similar in size.

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I've heard the picky eater thing but I didn't realize that it was mostly the males, interesting! I'm not worried about the venom as my body doesn't really react to anything negatively, and even if I did have a reaction I highly doubt it'd be anything bad
How do they do with handling?

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Originally Posted by Ditto

I've heard the picky eater thing but I didn't realize that it was mostly the males, interesting! I'm not worried about the venom as my body doesn't really react to anything negatively, and even if I did have a reaction I highly doubt it'd be anything bad
How do they do with handling?

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They do great, they tend to be vocal when you open their enclosure (huff and puff) must it's all bluff, once you handle them they are fine and not prone to stress at all.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

They do great, they tend to be vocal when you open their enclosure (huff and puff) must it's all bluff, once you handle them they are fine and not prone to stress at all.

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Oh that's great! I think hognoses may have just made it to the top of my list lol (just based on these basic things, of course I need to do lots more research), thanks for answering my questions!
One last question for now, what kind of price range would I be looking at?

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Oh that's great! I think hognoses may have just made it to the top of my list lol (just based on these basic things, of course I need to do lots more research), thanks for answering my questions!
One last question for now, what kind of price range would I be looking at?

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Depends what you look for normal go from $75/$100 for female and you have mutations that will set you back a few thousands

You can easily get an albino female for $150.

Hognose are awesome little snakes. I cant give you the knowledge Deborah can, but I will advocate for them being great pets.

They're such cute, goofy, little snakes. Lots of fun. They are hilarious when they are bluffing, they let out this adorable little hiss, hood up their necks, and sometimes bluff strike. Priceless really.

If you're looking for something small that handles well a hognose is a great choice.

My two cents.

I personally have the following snakes:

0.1 BP
1.1 Corn Snakes
1.0 Carpet Python (50% Irian Jaya and 50% Darwin)
1.0 Venezuelan True Red Tail/Dwarf BCC
0.1 BCI

I love my corn snakes. They are incredibly easy to keep, are generally very cheap, eat like clockwork, and 99% of the time are docile as can be. They also come in virtually any color or pattern you can think of.

The downsides are that they are really tiny as babies and can be nippy (not that they can do any damage - they also tend to grow out of this in days or weeks) and tend to be more active when handled than many pythons or boids. Having said that, Figment, my adult male has been a total spaz since I've had him at 9G (he's now 650G and 5ft). He's crazy active. Harmless, docile, wouldn't hurt a fly, etc. However, not a great snake to show people who are timid, etc. Solana, my now 40G scaleless corn, calm as can be. So, the individual snake matters. In my experience, most corns are somewhere in between.

I've personally had bad experiences with kings, but many others love them. I've also heard mixed things with milksnakes, but again, many others love them too.

I've only had my Carpet Python for a little bit and he got lost in shipment and has been recovering from an RI. He's really chill and inquisitive though. I'll defer to others for more info on them.

BCI is too big, so we will skip that, but they have incredible personalities.

I asked a few top breeders about Dwarf Boas, including Vin Russo (Cutting Edge Herp) and Tommy Carpenter (TC Reptile), and in general, they are both more active, and often, more nippy, then their bigger BCI and BCC cousins. I did luck out and Tommy sold me a Venezuelan BCC holdback he had. Very rare and about the chillest and smallest BCC's out there. Feliz is amazing.

Vin has incredible animals, and if you can meet him at a show, and see an animal before you buy, then I would definitely recommend him. His animals are top notch and he is a stand up guy. When I contacted him and said I wanted BCI personality in a small package, he basically said he didn't want to sell me a dwarf boa and to look for something else. However, he is not necessarily the type of breeder to pick an animal for you if temperament is important to you.

Tommy worked with me and might do the same with you and help you choose an individual animal.

I also do like hognose, but being immune suppressed because of a kidney transplant, and them being slightly venomous, I didn't want to take the risk. They are adorable and very chill.

Bottom line:

I would go corn snake if you want ease of care and choice of color or pattern.

I would go dwarf boa if you want a little more of a challenge and can work with a breeder and get one that fits with you.

Any further questions or points of clarification, feel free to post here, or PM me.

Links:

My review of Don Soderberg and SMR, where I got Solana, my Scaleless Corn Snake:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ntain-Reptiles

My review of TC Reptile, where I got Feliz, my Venezuelan BCC:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...le-Boa-Breeder

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Originally Posted by dakski

My two cents.

I personally have the following snakes:

0.1 BP
1.1 Corn Snakes
1.0 Carpet Python (50% Irian Jaya and 50% Darwin)
1.0 Venezuelan True Red Tail/Dwarf BCC
0.1 BCI

I love my corn snakes. They are incredibly easy to keep, are generally very cheap, eat like clockwork, and 99% of the time are docile as can be. They also come in virtually any color or pattern you can think of.

The downsides are that they are really tiny as babies and can be nippy (not that they can do any damage - they also tend to grow out of this in days or weeks) and tend to be more active when handled than many pythons or boids. Having said that, Figment, my adult male has been a total spaz since I've had him at 9G (he's now 650G and 5ft). He's crazy active. Harmless, docile, wouldn't hurt a fly, etc. However, not a great snake to show people who are timid, etc. Solana, my now 40G scaleless corn, calm as can be. So, the individual snake matters. In my experience, most corns are somewhere in between.

I've personally had bad experiences with kings, but many others love them. I've also heard mixed things with milksnakes, but again, many others love them too.

I've only had my Carpet Python for a little bit and he got lost in shipment and has been recovering from an RI. He's really chill and inquisitive though. I'll defer to others for more info on them.

BCI is too big, so we will skip that, but they have incredible personalities.

I asked a few top breeders about Dwarf Boas, including Vin Russo (Cutting Edge Herp) and Tommy Carpenter (TC Reptile), and in general, they are both more active, and often, more nippy, then their bigger BCI and BCC cousins. I did luck out and Tommy sold me a Venezuelan BCC holdback he had. Very rare and about the chillest and smallest BCC's out there. Feliz is amazing.

Vin has incredible animals, and if you can meet him at a show, and see an animal before you buy, then I would definitely recommend him. His animals are top notch and he is a stand up guy. When I contacted him and said I wanted BCI personality in a small package, he basically said he didn't want to sell me a dwarf boa and to look for something else. However, he is not necessarily the type of breeder to pick an animal for you if temperament is important to you.

Tommy worked with me and might do the same with you and help you choose an individual animal.

I also do like hognose, but being immune suppressed because of a kidney transplant, and them being slightly venomous, I didn't want to take the risk. They are adorable and very chill.

Bottom line:

I would go corn snake if you want ease of care and choice of color or pattern.

I would go dwarf boa if you want a little more of a challenge and can work with a breeder and get one that fits with you.

Any further questions or points of clarification, feel free to post here, or PM me.

Links:

My review of Don Soderberg and SMR, where I got Solana, my Scaleless Corn Snake:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ntain-Reptiles

My review of TC Reptile, where I got Feliz, my Venezuelan BCC:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...le-Boa-Breeder

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Thanks so much for your reply! Very helpful :D
Taking into account what you've said, I'm actually not sure I'm ready for a more challenging animal like a dwarf boa considering this will only be my second snake. Corns are very intriguing though! I'll definitely take them into consideration. Plus I think having an "easy" snake would boost my reptile keeping self esteem haha

I kind of stalked through your progression thread for Figment a few days ago lol! He's absolutely beautiful, you've really got an amazing collection

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Thanks so much for your reply! Very helpful :D
Taking into account what you've said, I'm actually not sure I'm ready for a more challenging animal like a dwarf boa considering this will only be my second snake. Corns are very intriguing though! I'll definitely take them into consideration. Plus I think having an "easy" snake would boost my reptile keeping self esteem haha

I kind of stalked through your progression thread for Figment a few days ago lol! He's absolutely beautiful, you've really got an amazing collection

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Thank you, I really appreciate it.

You should check out Solana's thread; she's off the charts!

I think you would be VERY wise to get a corn snake if you are building up your "reptile keeping self esteem" as you say so well.

Check out Don's site (South Mountain Reptiles) and give him a call if you have questions (tell him David from CT with Solana sent you), he's an awesome guy and will answer any and all of your questions and can help find a snake for you in any color, pattern, and price range.

Again, handleable, eat like clockwork, virtually bulletproof from a husbandry standpoint, etc.

An adult can live in a 40G breeder (and since humidity isn't a big deal with these guys - literally a 40G breeder) with CHE and/or UTH depending on room temps. If it's really dry where you are, I would mist when they go into shed or provide a moist hide, or both.

Hot side temps/hot spot temps: 82-85F (tops) - shoot for 82-84F

Ambient temps: 78F

Cool side: 72F+

I have mine in boaphiles and they are so well insulated, my cool side is a little warmer, which is fine.

Mine are:

Hot side: 83-84F

Ambient: 78-80F

Cool side: 77-78F

Again, feel free to ask questions here or PM me anytime.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by dakski

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

You should check out Solana's thread; she's off the charts!

I think you would be VERY wise to get a corn snake if you are building up your "reptile keeping self esteem" as you say so well.

Check out Don's site (South Mountain Reptiles) and give him a call if you have questions (tell him David from CT with Solana sent you), he's an awesome guy and will answer any and all of your questions and can help find a snake for you in any color, pattern, and price range.

Again, handleable, eat like clockwork, virtually bulletproof from a husbandry standpoint, etc.

An adult can live in a 40G breeder (and since humidity isn't a big deal with these guys - literally a 40G breeder) with CHE and/or UTH depending on room temps. If it's really dry where you are, I would mist when they go into shed or provide a moist hide, or both.

Hot side temps/hot spot temps: 82-85F (tops) - shoot for 82-84F

Ambient temps: 78F

Cool side: 72F+

I have mine in boaphiles and they are so well insulated, my cool side is a little warmer, which is fine.

Mine are:

Hot side: 83-84F

Ambient: 78-80F

Cool side: 77-78F

Again, feel free to ask questions here or PM me anytime.

Good luck!

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I'll definitely check out that thread, thanks!
Thank you so much for the advice, I don't have anymore questions right now aside from just more general husbandry stuff, I think I'll do some independent research for a while, February is still a ways off after all, but corns are sounding pretty perfect to me right now haha. I'm loving the idea of them not having high humidity needs, that's been my biggest struggle with my bp so far and not having to worry about that as much with a corn would be great
I'll definitely PM you if I have any questions, thank you so much for your help!

Just since they're very unusually kept and I basically never see them recommended anywhere ever: northern pine snakes. Mine is a growing juvie, but has already been the most interesting snake I own. Docile, and alert and comfortable with sitting near me and looking around. Easy husbandry.

My female comes out in the mornings and afternoons to watch the world, and returns to her hide at night. Mine shows very obvious learning capability and clear behaviors, appearing more intelligent than other snake species I've kept.

She becomes obviously comfortable with me with regular handling, and now comes out onto my hand on her own when I open the cage, like a little cat. But when I went on vacation for a couple weeks and came back, she totally forgot me the first day! Hissing and rattling like I was a stranger LOL. Then became my friend again/remembered me and hasn't turned back. :D It was only for that first and second day that she hasn't seen me, so clearly a recognition/learning behavior.

She also rattles at any other person in the room that she hasn't seen before- but is comfortable with me, whether I'm flailing my hands in front of her or sticking a camera in her face. She is very discerning. But since I've moved her downstairs to a room where she sees people and dogs every day (since she comes to the front of her tank to watch the room every day), she's been comfortable around others as well. It's pretty cool!

Since you want a smaller snake, get a male than a female. Females grow up to around 6-7 feet, but males are much smaller.

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Originally Posted by Ditto

...Taking into account what you've said, I'm actually not sure I'm ready for a more challenging animal like a dwarf boa considering this will only be my second snake. Corns are very intriguing though! I'll definitely take them into consideration. Plus I think having an "easy" snake would boost my reptile keeping self esteem haha...

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I'll "second" the corn snake option: I've kept snakes for many years, many kinds (some much more difficult than others) and I still enjoy my corn snakes. They're
easy, that's a big plus: easy to keep (glass tanks work great, w/ screen top; temperatures much easier than BPs or boas, need minimal UTH heat in part of cage,
otherwise they enjoy our "room temperatures" of 70-75*) easy to feed (happy with f/t), & normally easy to handle (docile; hatchlings are too small to even FEEL
a defensive bite, & by the time they grow big enough for you to feel their teeth, they're tame anyway) plus they come in all sorts of beautiful colors. They enjoy and
use branches (as do other rat snakes) & I really enjoy the "connection" & seeing my snakes without having to take them out. They're curious & watch me too.

I'm a fan of most kinds of rat snakes (corn snakes are a type of "rat snake", there are many others!). Two of the most docile kinds are Bairds & Trans Pecos, but
again, many other kinds & colors. (check out Everglades rat snakes if you like the color orange...but they do get bigger than corn snakes & are usually feistier.)
All are generally easy to feed, care for, & handle, but most get larger than a corn snake & will need larger cages.

Another fairly easy snake & small is an Australian spotted python: readily available c/b, they need warmer temps than corns & most colubrids, but are very alert & easy
to feed on f/t (small mice at the most, these snakes don't get any bigger than a corn snake). Every bit a python (heat pits & all) but not shy, at least mine isn't...she
enjoys basking on branches, handles easily. I've had no trouble ever in the 10+ years I've had her so far. Not a fussy eater at all. She needs a humid hide to shed.

Oh, & there's rosy boas too...they stay 2.5-3'+ (males stay smaller, female max about 40"). They often go off-feed a bit in winter,
but not big on fasting the way BPs can be. Usually docile, c/b & take f/t once raised properly. (if you get a neonate, make sure it has
a strong feeding record taking f/t) Males can be fussier to feed than the females, the females eat more & get larger in anticipation of
reproduction.