Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have read that black milk snakes are wonderful as adults and do not need heating. Room temps are fine. Is there any other snakes that don't need suplemental heating and stay in the 3-6 foot range?

It sort of depends on what your room temps are. Mine run between 75 to 85 throughout the year. Many colubrids from temperate areas would probably be ok at this kind of 'room temp' but it's probably best to offer heat just in case.
If your room is 65-70 there aren't many snakes that will be healthy in that range.

One snake that I know really does fantastic at temps around 75 is the mandarin ratsnake, and some other small Asian snakes like the bamboo racer.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

I am presently keeping most of my ratsnakes at room temps, without supplemental heating. This includes black rats, texas rats, a "greenish" rat (black X yellow intergrade) and 2 of my cornsnakes. Same with my garters. These snakes have eaten, defecated, and grown quite nicely at temps between 69 in the winter and 80's in the summer.
I do not air-condition my home in the summer.
In a way, my snakes go through a warm season and a cool season, which also tends to correspond to the amount of daylight they get, since most of their light is natural light.
Some of them slow down their food intake in the winter. If they go off feed for two months in a row, they go in the basement for a short brumation. When they come back up, they always resume feeding.
Ideal conditions for most snakes (including mine) will probably include a heat source to allow the animal to better thermoregulate. We talk about ideal conditions on these forums all the time. Some of the rules can be bent; some can be broken. When I was first considering keeping snakes, I wanted to start with ones which did NOT require supplemental heat. I was told by many experienced herpers that these snakes could be kept at room temps. I have found this to be true. If I buy a new snake in the winter, and I know or suspect that it has had access to warmer temps, I will give it a uth until the warmer temps settle in, so as not to shock it. Next winter, it will "chill" along with my others.
If you want to keep a snake at room temps with no extra heat, I think that the black rat is a good place to start. Also, as meretseger states, it depends on your room temps. If your home is kept at 62 in the winter, and you air-condition it to 70 in the summer, this might not be a good idea. I think it works for me, in part, because my house gets warm enough in the summer to give them a true "warm season" during which to eat more and grow more. Duffy

We like to keep our house in the 70's all year. Usually around 76. We live in Arizona so it gets cold here in the winters and hot in the summers. We have a gas heater in winter, evap for early spring/summer then A/C for the hottest part of summer. Our summers can get very hot...in the 118 range. With evap running some times the house gets cool, like 73-74. (You have to live here to call 73-74 cool). So would the snakes you mentioned be ok without extra heating in my area. I already have 2 corns, honduran milk and a jungle python. All have UTH's and lights. So a snake that doesn't need any of this would be great as I'm running out of electrical sockets. Not to mention over loading the sockets.
Thanks again...Jean

would the trans-pacos rat snake be ok with the temps I mentioned in previous post. I kind of like those guys...:0)

I can't speak from experience regarding trans pecos, and they are a southern species so they may well appreciate the chance to get warmer than 76. I can tell you that black ratsnakes would do fine with your room temps. They get to the upper end of your size request, but like corns, are fairly slender so a 5-6 foot black rat is a much smaller animal than a 5-6 foot python or boa.
They come in a variety of color morphs now, and aren't too pricey, either. Texas rats are also great, although they have a reputation for being nippy, especially when young. Most will calm down pretty easily with regular handling.
Keep in mind, that lots of folks will likely disagree with my thoughts on keeping some of these ratsnakes at room temps. I am saying that it can be done, and if you watch for any potential signs of trouble and adapt accordingly, your snakes can remain quite healthy. You might even keep an eye on whether or not your corns are ulilizing their heaters after meals, and if one of them does not seem to use it, see how it does without. If it has a negative response, you can turn it back on. Two of my corns remain eating machines at winter temps of 69. I know that some of the corn snake folks will be shocked and appalled to hear that. Good luck. Duffy

Have you looked into Rubber Boas? Most keepers recomend temps in the mid 70's as being the upper end of ideal. Not an exciting enough snake for many folks but a few of us like them. Some of the more northern ranging or higher altitude garters would do ok at room temps as well. A heat pad on the bottom of the tank will increase your choises with out you having to raise the room temp so that is another option.