Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am in a quandary: I have decided to get a second and final snake. Since this will be the last one, I am being very careful about selecting the species and individual. I was wondering if you fine folks would be so kind as to make some suggestions based on my guidelines. If you suggest the snake I wind up buying, you will win 1000 Internets! (Note: this is not actual currency. There is no real prize involved other than possible personal satisfaction.)
First and foremost is size- I don't like too small, and can't take too big. A small adult corn snake would be too small at 3', while a large bullsnake would be pushing my wife's acceptable limits at 8'. It must also have tons of visual appeal. I want a real eye-popper, something that will make everyone say "Whoa!" the first time they look in the cage. I am not, however, a real fan of most albino/leucistic snakes or even some "designer" morphs. Cost is not much of a consideration, though a Black-headed python is probably a wee bit out of my range.
My thoughts so far? I love the look and adult temperament of a Mexican Black King- that glossy black is off the charts. However, it can be a bit small. That leads me to a Black Pine, which would be pushing the upper boundaries of size. It also may not be as fully black as the MexKing, and definitely not as glossy. Another option is a Tangerine Honduran Milk. Only problem here would be juvenile temperament- every one I've met is squirmy at best until adulthood, and sometimes even then.

So? Thoughts? My thanks for your consideration.

You are in a quandary but not a bad one. My first suggestion is a Blood Python. They are bulky snakes that will definitely go off the charts as far as "WOW" factor. They settle down well and would be great.
Another choice would be a Jungle Carpet Python. Placed in a tall cage with climbing space these things have got to be seen to be believed and they fit in your size requirement.
Hogg Island and Bolivian boas are also both very attractive slightly smaller boas. The hoggs even change color.
How about Rainbow boas? Take one out and put it in the sun and wow people with those prismatic scales.
If colubrids are your cup of tea I would go with a Brooks King. Large but not too large. Chunky. They are a garbage disposal.

Hope this helps,
Dan

these are all excellent suggestions. Dan- your response was too perfect. my favorite snake ever was a blood python that i grew from hatchling to 4' adult, sweet as pie. a blood or a rainbow boa were already on my list, but not the brooksi- the one snake i already have is a hypomelanistic brooksi named Gumbo. i love that little booger, but want some variety.

now the black milksnake... holy cow. PERFECT. i've done the research, and they look amazing. however, they seem to be quite hard to get hold of. it also seems possible for someone to pass off many types of hatchling tricolor as baby black milks. so this leaves me with two questions: where could i get one, and how could i verify that a hatchling is truly a black?

or do i get a woma? oooohh, my head is spinning. i love this.

There's a few black milks available in the kingsnake.com classifieds right now. They seem to run around $100 or so, not quite as much as most rainbows.
-----
----

0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari, TBA)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Oh P.S. --

To guarantee that you get the "real thing", buy only from a reputable breeder. You can check reputations in the Board of Inquiry section on FaunaClassifieds, and just ask around.

Enjoy whatever you get!
-----
----

0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari, TBA)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

John Cherry breeds the black milk; I don't know if he has any right now but he's a good source.
Womas are cool too; I've never met one I didn't like.
-----
We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

It sounds like you like shiny snakes...one of the larger kingsnakes maybe (Eastern Kings?) or milksnakes--you might try the Andean milk (t. gigeas)
-----
We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

Do you like boids (boas/pythons) or colubrids?

Could you deal with a tropical species (warm ambient temps) or a montane species (cool ambient temps), or do you want a more inbetween animal?

Do you have a cage already, and if so, what type?

Generally speaking, colubrids eat more often and poop more often than boas and probably most pythons. I kind of appreciate keeping fewer pooping kingsnakes these days and having some nice non-squirmy boids.

A woma is a good consideration for you, especially since the prices have come down since a few years ago. To me, keeping a woma is like having a kingsnake mixed with a boa contrictor. Not as nutso as a kingsnake and yet more dynamic in interaction than a boa.

However, I think the best pet snake period (for me) is a smaller boa constrictor. I have a male Nicaraguan that makes some adult ball pythons look huge. What an easy and calm snake to keep. You do have to have the right cage though, proper heating, proper humidity.
-----
Mark

Rainbow boa. Can't beat em for wow factor, they're in your size range, and for the most part they have good temperaments.

Or, if you like glossy black but want something bigger than MBK, how about a black milk snake?
-----
----

0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari, TBA)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Sinaloan or Nelsons milksnake.Ive never had one so I dont know the temperament but every time I see one of those B movies(you know the bad ones about giant killer snakes that growl) they always seem to have one of these in there and I always think WOW what a great looking snake.
Or If you can afford it Id go with an Eastern Indigo(big bucks but worth every cent).Maybe those get to big, but by that time maybe your wife will love it anyway.

I was going to say indigo too since you seem to like shiny black snakes. They certainly have a wow factor to them and are very alert and fascinating. If the indigo is too big or too expensive, consider a mussurana. They too are a glossy black snake with great temperaments. Doing a Google search on the history of mussuranas will also provide you with some fascinating history on this species and attempts to breed them to release to eat venomous snakes. In fact, mussuranas are rear fanged venomous which adds to their wow factor for many, although they generally aren't considered harmful and I have never seen them stop constricting mice long enough to even suggest that the venom was of any effect. Both the indigos (because they are protected) and the mussuranas (because they are rear fanged) are not legal everywhere (I can't own an Eastern indigo here in Florida, but do legally own Texas indigos which aren't as nice. My mussuranas are legal here even without a Florida venomous permit.)

Blood pythons are great. For beauty, go with a red. For temperament, go with a black or Borneo.

Lastly, if you like snakes, but have never owned a boa constrictor, you really ought to consider it. There is a reason they have their own listing in the Classified section. They are the quintessential large, but not too large snake with generally a great temperament. Every reptile hobbyist should own at least one boa constrictor in their lifetime.

Have fun, there aren't many wrong answers.

Bryant King