Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I already own 2 corns and i'm looking for a new snake.
Between ratsnakes, boas and ball pythons, what would be the best choice considering their behaviour and their adult size!?

Thx

It really depends on what YOU are looking for. If you like the qualities that you find in your corns, then I think you would LOVE the other North American Ratsnakes. They are very similar in terms of ease of care. They tend to get a bit larger, depending on the one you choose. They are fairly easy to handle and work with. I have black, texas, and "greenish" (black X yellow intergrade)ratsnakes. All are great snakes. They tend to be relatively thin-bodied, like the corns, where the boas and balls are much heavier snakes. A five foot boa or ball is a much larger animal than a five foot ratsnake.
If you want a ball or boa, do some more research, if you have not already, in terms of specific requiremants. If you go for another ratsnake (keep in mind, corns ARE ratsnakes), then you already probably have a good idea as to their care. I just love the N. Am. RAts, including the corns. Good luck, whatever you choose. Duffy

You might look into E. obsoleta, whether it be a Texas rat, black rat, yellow rat, gray rat, or everglades rat. They are as easy to care for as a corn, but get a lot bigger (often 5-6 feet) and have different coloration. Just find a subspecies with a coloration that you like.

Balls and boas are cool too but they are also lazier. The thing I like about rats, even though they are skinnier, is that they are quite active.

I heard ratsnake were sometimes agressive, is that true?!

By the way, ratsnakes sound like a good choice for me, i love their patterns and color, if they are in the same familly as corn, then they should be good snakes.

I particularry love that kind of rat, can you tell me what it is!?
Link

Also known as a stripe-tailed ratsnake or racer. They're called ratsnakes, but since they're from Asia they're only a distant relative of American rats and corns. However, I have one, and they are usually very tame and great feeders. They can get QUITE long though, up to 9 feet. I think they're extremely awesome. Mine's a Taiwan beauty, I'm not sure exactly what the one in the pic is. There are a couple different kinds. Have you seen the 'blue beauties' and the Ridley's cave racers?

No! i never seen those ones, can you show me some plz!!

Here's a Ridely's cave racer from www.ratsnakes.com

http://www.ratsnakes.com/images/Etridleyi3.jpg

And here's an ad for blue beauties showing them both as juveniles and adults

http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=6&de=129167

And here's a link to pretty much everything in the world that's considered a ratsnake, so you can compare.

http://www.ratsnakes.com/species.html

Classified ads are a good place to see pics of various things.

I like very active large snakes and would not consider either anymore.....Ok Ok the Rats. I would would get a Bullsnake. Lots of fun and very easy to care for. They average 5-6 feet...and can get to 8 ....... especailly in captivity. Nice looking Morphs are emerging too. I have a Hypo and it has become my favorite alltime snake in 44 years. I am looking for more of them now for breeding purposes. Pythons and Boas that may grow over 8 feet should not be purchased or kept unless they are prepared to handle and keep a snake of that size properly.......an 8 foot Bullsnake and an 8 foot Python are two very different animals. Just my opinion.