Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Y'all...

After keeping a couple of snake species,
I've decided that I would like to purchase a snake species which would be more attractive...

As for my parents don't like reptiles, the snake which I am going to purchase will (Unfortunately) be my only snake...

I still can't decide whether I'd like to purchase:

A nelson albino milksnake (Which costs really alot where I live ~400$).

A tangerine honduran milksnake (Which costs really alot as well ~200$ and most tangerine hondurans over here are not so clean...)

A thayeri/variable kingsnake (Which costs ~250$ over here).

At the moment, I think I prefer a Tangerine honduran..

What would you guys do?

Thanks for replying,
Jonathan.

Those cost seem very high. Where do you live? There are some breeders around that can ship overseas and they have some quality animals at more normal prices. Though honestly I dont know what shipping cost would be.. I have both nelsons and honduran milknsnakes. I love them all and would say the choice betweeen those two would be on size. The nelsons are smaller than the hondurans.

Thx for the quick reply.

I live in israel... I don't know if the trouble of getting an import authorazation for a snake would worth it, as for there are new regulations which keeping Corn snakes and Pine snakes out of law- for they're invading species (There are a couple species of Elaphe in my place..) So I think it would be pretty hard to import a snake.

What gets to Israel is basically Europe's junk- The non-clean and basically not so pretty snakes of NERD especially, gets to Israel...

If I'd be lucky and convince my parents to allow me to keep a couple of snakes- I think I'd go for a nice couple of Tangerine hondurans- Costs like a Nelson.. and 2 Nelsons are just too expensive for me...

I see your logic there. It is sad that there are laws that keep people from having such wonderful creatures as pets. You will love the hondurans if you get one. Mine are breeding right now and so I am looking forward to hondurand babies this season for the first time. Best of luck to you.

Get some Hondies!!!

I keep all three of the species/sub-species you are considering. I would be hard pressed to pick between the Thayeri and the Nelson’s as my number one choice. Both are extremely easy to keep, stay small (3 to 4 feet), have great dispositions as pets, and, in most cases, are beautiful. I guess I would give the “nod” to the Amel Nelson’s because they maintain their bright colors well as they mature while the Thayeri tend to have a gray (grey) wash develop over the entire animal.

Hondurans are not bad but, I think they are still “nervous” even as adults compared to the other two, they get big, thus require a big cage (mine are between 5 and 6 feet), and the majority loose color as they mature becoming more black (black tipping increases with time).

I have no feeding problems with any of them.

I did not consider the cost in my ranking. I guess the bottom line is, any of the three are fine.

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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

The adults that I have seen are pretty clean and seem relatively calm (for a milksnake).

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phflame
kingsnake.com host

in my previous post, but one of the nicest Hondurans that ever lived.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host

I do not usually do this... But, in this case I feel that I can answer for the group on this one..

We would start with the Albino Nelsoni.. Then in a few weeks we would buy the Thayeri.. Then we would get mates for both of them. Then we would build a nice heated rack system and by the end of the year we would have 30 of the nicest snakes we ever dreamed of!

~ Mike Russo

Only I figured I would have also succumbed to the Hondo (Honduran) hype too (as I have) and I would have a couple pairs of them by the end of the year too. Of course, you cannot have just one pair of Thayeri either because they are all so different. Have you seen the striped/splotched Sinaloans? I would have to get a pair of them too. How can you not have a pair of AZ Mountain Kings? So, after I filled up a couple racks with breeders, in two to three years I would have a bunch of babies. At the end of three years, I would have 2 to 3 incubators and a whole wall full of racks. But that’s just me. I would probably get serious after that and get in way over my head.

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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

either related or both suffer from the same disease..LOL.
Nathan

n/p
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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

Unfortunately- There are no striped sinaloans where I live.
The whole "pattern thing" is not really developed.

I think I'd go for a Nelson (Albino if I'd find one) due to it's fairly little size and moderate temprance.

Thank you,
Jonathan.

P.S- A picture of my old desert kingsnake