Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since everyone here owns and therefore knows these snakes, what is your opinion of them as first snakes? Everywhere I read recommends Cornsnakes as firsts. I went to the Tucson reptile show thinking I would look at the corns. I did find a lavender corn with beautiful markings that I contemplated purchasing. When I saw the Gopher, I just couldn't say no. He does hiss and strike if I am timid in reaching in his tank, but if I just reach in and grab him, he doesn't have time for this behavior. Their care seems similar to corns, and the SD Gophers seem to get as big as the corns, so aside from the defensive behavior, why are corns so highly recommended?

Defense behavior is enough to deter many people from buying a snake. They want a pet that's not going to show aggression towards them. Gopher snakes are as easy to care for as a corn snake, though in some cases they get bigger than corns and require a somewhat larger cage.

Tim

Third Eye

If you can get past the fact that your snake might often express a bad attitude toward you, then sure, it'll be a great first snake. And quite often, your gopher will hiss and rattle the tail but not actually bite.

My sonoran hisses like a slashed tire, but never actually bites. I recently held an adult bull snake at a local pet store and it seemed possessed. But again, lots of hissing but never a strike.
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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

i think people like corns because they do not get as big as pits and some of them are very colorful and most are very docile, on the other hand my stillwater hypo bulls are just as docile as any of my best corns, to me they are more impressive than corns with their larger size and killer good looks.
greg

possibly,assuming most people are afraid of the bluff of pits they recommend a snake with a "better" temperament for a first snake. if you don't mind the behavior of your gopher then they are just as easy to care for as a corn.

daveb
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in the light, you will find the road...

Corns make good beginner snakes simply because they are hardy, docile, easy to care for, available in a huge array of colors and patterns, and for the most part, fairly inexpensive when young. Simply put. Almost every pit I have is docile. Some have immense feeding responses while others are pretty laid back. Very few actually hiss at me and even fewer strike. Pit owners look for something different in a snake. Boids and pythons are nice, but being and ambush predater, usually sit back and hang out. Many of the pits can get rather large, but they can move with alarming speed and quite curious. They watch with earnest everything I do in my reptile room. Once a pituophis owner, always a pituophis owner. I enjoy my pits more than I do any other snake.

Scott Robinson

My wild-caught was very mellow when collected last August. No bite, hiss nor musk.

Same for weeks, until today when he mildly hissed for the first time.

He seems to not prefer handling for very long, however. Especially if he has been on the ground, tries to flee and is picked up again. he's usually cranky & irritable afterward and must go back to his vivarium.

Also, he's not particularly active. He spends most of his time sitting in a 60-gallon vivarium. (What a waste.) I had hoped for much more activity.

I got him specifically for slower speed, curiosity and hardy nature. If he does not acclimate better, however, I may need to return him to the wild.

How long would you say most Gophers take to begin enjoying interactions with humans, and getting to the active, curious stage?

I've had both good and bad luck. I have a few long term captives and they are all pretty docile. I don't get to handle them as much as I would like, but they get a little cranky from time to time. Some frequent handling should be enough along with a good feeding regiment. I've really only had one pit here for any length of time that had a really bad attitude all the time. Also, if they are pretty warm, they seem to agitate more frequently too.

Scott Robinson

You made a good choice for a first snake if you picked a SD Gopher. I know many non-Pit enthusiasts regard them as "garbage snakes", but I love them. IMHO they're similar to Corns, but w/ a bit more personality. You really can't go wrong w/ annectens. This pic is one of my 2 SD females. This girl was removed from a home up in Benedict Cyn near Beverly Hills. The LAFD or the property owner had injured her jaw, but 2 years, 2 feet and countless mice later she's now doing fine.

reako45

Naturally you'll find a bias towards pits on this forum. As much as I love pits, generally speaking corns make slightly better beginner pets.

Both species make good pets, but the behavior of some pits may intimidate a beginner:

- A lot of pit hatchlings come out of the egg striking & hissing. Most stop this behavior soon after their first shed, but in some the behavior persists. And not all their hissing is bluff, some do bite.

- Pits tend to be more active when handled than corns, constantly moving through your hands. This may also intimidate a beginner.

- Pines often hiss when handled. I think its cool, but this may intimidate some.

Of course you'll find pits that are just the opposite of my description above, but my comments are generalities based upon my experiences with corns and most of the pits.

I'd recommend starting with a corn first, then getting a pit. I've found San Diegos & Great Basins to be the most mellow.