Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm a new poster here, and I'm hopefully going to be a new snake owner within the next year or so!
I've been reading over info sites and care sheets trying to decide on a snake. I think I've narrowed it down to three types that look promising, but I want a snake with the calmest temperament possible as my first. No site seems to list snake species tameness comparatively, so I was hoping some experiences fellows here could shine some light on this for me.
The three species I was considering:
Corn snake
African house snake
Hognose

Thanks a lot for reading this!

havent kept the other two but corns are extremely calm if kept right

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Jake Barney and Brandon O'Dell
eight02exotics

current (small) collection
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns
1.0 cal king
0.0.1 wc garter

I've kept and bred all three of those species.

Of the three, the best guaranteed temperament is probably the hognosed. They simply don't bite out of aggression or fear. Corns and Housesnakes, particularly when babies might sometimes do this.

However, all three of these are VERY docile snakes and completely trustworthy. A bite from a baby corn or housesnake is so painless as to be practically unnoticeable. Go with the species you want, don't fret the calmness thing.

And I might add that although Western Hognosed are the most docile of the three, they are probably the most difficult to keep. Many young hogs (and older males) can be difficult feeders.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

My vote goes for the corn snake. We have MANY different snakes, and corns are easy to feed, they can withstand the simple mistakes that we all learn from in the beginning, and are very calm for the most part.

One thing that you please need to understand, each snake is an individual, just like people are. And if you acquire one, you have to approach it the same as if you were adopting a child.

Nurture and care for your new friend, and it will trust you with it's life. After all it's very survival depends on you and your commitment to feed and provide for it's needs.

Many snakes can live for a decade or more, so it is not a choice to take lightly.

Take in all the information you can, there are many sites out there, all published by individuals with varying opinions.

Please don't just accept what you are told by any one person, listen to several different people and look for the common denominator.

When choosing an enclosure, resist the temptation to buy a 10 gallon for the baby, and just go straight for a 20-50 gallon, Corns grow fast, and will reach a few feet in length in short order.

Good luck, and happy Easter.

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

Some of our snakes - Click here

If it is your first snake both corn and African house are a great choice. Both are usualy realy laid back snakes. Depending on what you are looking to do they are both easy to breed. African house snakes are easier to breed than corns. I was into them about 10 years ago. All you need is a pair and females multiple clutch a year. Also there is no need to cool them down. There are many diffrent locality House snakes. Corns are beautiful, and if you are a morph person the possibilites are endless. I see new "designer" corn morphs constantly. In fact I posted on another fourm the other day how I hate the term designer used to describe a snake. Some day we may see the Gucci corn snake. Stay away from the Hognose for now unless you get a western. Easterns and Southerns can be tough to feed. Also they are a rear fanged snake. Even thoug they are known to be harmless. If you are seriously allergic to things like bees, etc. You never know what can happen. I saw a guys hand blow up and turn black and blue from a garter snake. And yes garters do have enzymes in their saliva one can be allergic too. Cheers Greg

I wanted to drop by again and say thank all of you so much for your feedback! There's a reptile showing coming in Calgary at the end of next month and I think I'll be looking at corns a lot while I'm there. Probably won't commit myself to one quite yet this year (dirt poor from college) but I graduate the next, and I'll hopefully be ready! I'll talk to a lot of the breeders there for sure.
Thanks again! hope you had a good easter.

I used to have hognosed in my yard a few years back. They were awesome to watch, as I called them the actors of the snake kingdom. When discovered, they would first coil up and shake their tails, then puff out their heads in a cobra-fashion. Finally, if the big two-legged intruder didn't go away, they played dead. Very entertaining, but I never kept any as pets because they were so useful in the yard, eating palmetto bugs mostly.

A friend of mine in college was asking about keeping a snake and I steered her toward corns. She loves the color variations that are available and their temperment reputation. ^_^

All three of those choices are excellent. Definitely go with whichever one you like the most. Remember there are a lot of color combinations out there these days, so you can also get a very beautiful snake that you'll love showing off. ^_^

And post pictures when you get one!

And... maybe get the tank all set up first, before purchasing?
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)