Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Folks, I own 2 beautiful Ball Pythons and am absolutely loving the experience of taking care of snakes. I'm sure as many of you can understand, I dont want stop there. I am researching on getting another type of snake but am completely at a loss as to what. What I do know is that I would like a bigger animal but not too big,so say between 6 feet to 8 being the big Max. I was thinking the carpet python or the rainbow boa or anything else you might suggest. What is important here is that I have children and my choice will be made firstly by the temperament of the snake specie. I would need a snake that is really placid and predictable but a bit bigger then the BP. Any advice?

Thanx in advance.

You are probably already aware of this, but just in case,...no matter what type of snake you end up choosing, some are definitely as a general rule more easy going than others. But NEVER take for granted the possibility that a good sized snake of six or eight feet that is "normally" fairly predictable and placid can't inflict serious damage unexpectedly, especially where kids are involved. Kids make much more erratic movements around animals than a self-controlling adult would. And medium/large sized snakes should ALWAYS be handled with extreme caution,..especially around children.

It's sort of difficult to really nail down a particular species, or subspecies though, as they are all individuals that can have very different temperaments from one another, but the Brazilian Rainbows, and Colombian(B.c.imperator) can make good handleable pets, especially when fed well and taken out fairly often. But again, things can change suddenly sometimes,.....this I know from several decades of experience.

Good luck with acquiring a nice suitable pet!

best regards, ~Doug
her in beginning of '06.....very cute and harmless

her many months ago eating XXXLarge rats at about 13 pounds or so.

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Remember that all things being equal, females get larger than males do in many Pythons/Boas, so use that to your advantage when choosing as well. Unless you are getting a sexual pair to breed of course..LOL!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

It would be a pair!!!

Would love to breed them, As for the children, Never are they allowed to even touch the snakes without our presence. Its more of a rule that my wife has set .

Thanx!

Columbian, Central American, Guyana, Surinam... they're all Redtail boas in essence, and I would go with that.

Makes usually max out at aroun7 feet. Females around 9 or 10. And IMO they don't grow too fast, at least not when considering how fast a Burm grows, etc.

Maybe you could start with babies... as you work with them, you can learn to trust them, and they learn to trust you. Tame them with age.

By the time they get older, they'll be a member of the family with the work you've put into them. Any snake can be tamed with the correct amount of time, a little patience, no fear, a lot of respect, while being smart about it.
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

Great Thanx alot folks

I agree with the suggestion of a Boa Constrictor but I would restrict myself to a Colombian Red-tailed Boa. The Suriname and Guyana boas are beautiful, but they get larger and they don't have the same docile temperament as the ones from the "colombia" area (most "Colombian" boas don't come from Colombia anymore). Make sure you get a captive born one!

I would be a hesitant about Rainbow Boas. Most of them are pretty docile, but I find them, as a rule, unpredictable. I have had a few of them, and while some where were dog tame, a few of them had the disconcerting habit of striking at your face without warning, particularly when they were young.

I wouldn't overlook some of the large colubrids. A big Bullsnake or Pinesnake makes an impressive pet. A 6 foot jet black Black Milksnake is another impressive species and they are very trustworthy docile animals.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

just my 2 cents,but you might want to give some consideration to my personal favorite,the coastal carpet python.a big female is around 9' or so,my males averaged about 7 1/2'.very reliable eaters(trash cans,really),and ,with consistant handling,usually turn into very calm,tractable adults.i will admit,as babies they are borderline psychotic,fairly evil bitey little creatures,but it doesn't really hurt,and they grow out of it by 6 months or so.
they also have smaller cousins,the jungles,irian jayan,diamond,and bredls carpets,all awesome snakes as well.do yourself a favor and give aussie pythons a look.you won't be dissapointed.
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
1.0 cb homo sapien(kaelan,5)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

I've had really good luck with the one jungle carpet I have. He wasn't even too psycho as a baby and only ever nipped me once. I would even call that a real bite. He is over 6 feet now.

I consider jungles to be as suitable a snake for beginners as a ball as long as the nipping isn't a deal breaker.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

http://www.cafepress.com/shedz

So then based on what everyone has posted, the most docile snakes after many handlings would be : (in no specific order):

1-Carpets
2-Aussi pythons
3-Comlobian red tailed boa
4- Bullsnake Pinesnake and milksnakes

and to stay away from rainbow Boas.

Well I guess now Ill just pick which one is most attracive out of the top.

thanx Folks if any other animals pop to mind please reply.

Actually, don't assume all Australian Pythons make good pets, and won't bite though. Some, like the Macklot's Python, and Scrub Python(aka Amythistine Python) and several other's are pretty notorious for being biters. But I will say that I had some Macklot's that ONCE OUT of their cages were fine,....it was when you walked near the cage, and the lid was being taken off they would eat whatever moved, and I do mean that quite literally, not just a nip, but a "full-blown eating assault, complete with grabbing your entire hand and constricting the crap out of your hand/arm for several minutes, until they were finally able to be unwound......very painful, and very bloody when this is done by a large eight foot adult female..LOL!.

Once they were carefully pulled out with a snake hook, they knew food was not being offered, they were absolutely fine though..LOL!. Those Macklot's Pythons are true "eating machines", and many will only wonder what they have grabbed well after the fact. They are not unlike some of the getula complex of Kingsnake, they are also known to charge the lid looking to eat absolutely anything that moves.

The Boa family tend to have a much slower metabolism, and as a general rule, aren't so fast to grab anything that moves to eat it, but that doesn't mean they won't strike with a good bite out of feeling threatened.

I hope all this doesn't turn you off to the idea of owning one of these, as I am just trying to point out some reality about owning certain snakes, as I have had countless many in the past several decades.

The bottom line is there is no real one answer that applies to all, you just have to hopefully begin with one that seems to be a little better than some others, and get to know each other from having frequent handling sessions. Over a period of time, you will get to know the particular animal, and get a good "feel" for how it reacts to different situations. After a while, you will grow to be confident in how it perceives and reacts to it's environment.

This might seem like vague advice, but it really is how it goes with owning certain snakes.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Great thanx Doug and thanx to everyone else who replied, I think I have tons of homework and research to do.

fun fun fun!

peace!

You're welcome!, and yes!, part of the fun is the seemingly endless journey learning all about them.

Have fun!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I keep two of the species you've mentioned, Brazilian Rainbow Boas and Colombian bow constrictors. IMO both are reasonably easy to handle and like others have indicated, individuals are just that - individuals. Each one is different and with all you need to pay attention!!!

Most of mine are quite tame and I pull each and every one out as necessary for cleaning, breeding, showing them off etc. I have one or two of each species that are more aggressive and require more caution to handle. Typically is a getting it out of the cage issue, once out they are fine. EVERY one does have the capacity to inflict a decent bite so always - ALWAYS pay attention. Not trying to scare you away, just trying to be clear, most bites can be avoided simply by understanding your snake and not handling it when it's "in a mood" be it hungry or in shed or????

BRB's do have a higher humidity requirement. That's quite easy to provide with proper enclosures.

One major difference is a BRB will never get too big to handle comfortably by one person. Pretty much any adult comfortable with handling can handle by his/her self. Boa's on the other hand can get large/strong enough that they can be a handful. Not all and not everyone. I can easily handle each and every one of my snakes. But just yesterday a large female who was in shed struck at me while I was cleaning her cage. I was ready for it and she did miss but still was a bit scary!!

Another consideration is how much space do you want to commit to them.

And, IMO a big one - what do you like? Colors, Patterns, size etc. the more you move towards something you like the more you will be happy with it and paying it the attention it needs to be a healthy tame snake!!!!

Just remember, you are used to Ball Pythons, very placid animals. Even affectionately referred to as "pet rocks". ANYTHING else you get is more likely to be more active while being handled.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

You mentioned some tropical constrictors, but have you thought of the obseletas? A leucistic Black Rat can hit 7-8 feet and is a stunning creature to behold.

Also, there's the White Oak Gray Rats. Or the trans pecos.

Most of the ratsnakes (with the exception of the Texas Rats) are pretty calm and I can't think of any ratsnake that could hurt a child as much as a ball python could.

Not sure what you think about this lovely family of snakes, but if you don't want anything bigger than 8', these could do nicely. And did I mention that most are dirt cheap?

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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

carpet pythons are good. they tend to be a bit bitty as babys, but my baby jcp is great once i take him out, but taking him out he can be a bit fussy and hissy but once they get older they grow out of it.