Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What snake would you recomend to a beginer... The following things would be nice...

1. Color 2. Not Huge 3. Handlable

thanks

Depends on what you're interested in. Corn snakes come in lots of different colors, stay relatively small (5' or less for most), eat rodents, and usually have a calm disposition once they grow out of the juvenile "everything wants to eat me stage". Most North American rat snakes have similar care and there are quite a few to choose from if you don't want a corn snake. I really enjoyed keeping grey rats and black rats, though they get a bit larger than corns (6' or so). African house snakes are another small (3-4'), hardy constrictor to consider if you aren't interested in North American rat snakes.
Pick something that you like the looks of and do your research. Everyone has their personal favorites based on what they keep. Check out the different forums and classifieds for ideas on what types of snakes interest you. Reptile shows are a great place to see a variety of snakes and usually you can get information from the breeder about the history of the snake you want to purchase.
Sorry this is so general- but there are a lot of great snakes for beginners once you do your research!
Lora

I agree that corns seem to fit the criteria listed quite nicely.
And, yes, the other N. Am. Ratsnakes are also awesome. The other nice thing about these snakes is that you can pick up good quality captive bred ones for very low cost. Good luck on your choice. Duffy

thanks guys