Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i want a snake that will get a little bigger than a corn snake gets. i'm still new at keeping snakes, so i still want a beginner snake. any suggestions?

~Rachel

What size snake are you looking at? 6-10 feet or 10 ? Since you are a new to keeping snakes there are a few 'starter' snakes that can get fairly large.Since you are new at handling snakes I would steer clear of any pythons/boas since most require moderate/high humidity in the enclosure and that can be a big task of keeping it higher and low humidity can cause these animals all sort of health problems.

Since you already own a corn snake you will be familiar with the care of rat snakes. The largest rat snake in North America is the black rat snake. They require the same care as a corn except they can reach lengths of 6-7 feet and VERY RARELY reaching over 7 feet.There are some other rat snakes that WILL get 7 feet with no problems.

Another good snake is an eastern king snake.They are the largest of the king snakes and require the same care as a corn snake. They reach lengths of 5-6 feet.

Just know that handling large snakes is not the same as handling a corn snake.While there is a risk of being bitten by a corn snake a 10 foot python can put some coils on you and can result in serious injury/even death if not careful.

i'm not interested in getting a python any time soon. a 7-8 foot snake is about the size i want. thanks for your help!

~Rachel

Look into bull and pine snakes. Some bulls can get up to or over 8 or 9 ft. If you find a large strain, chances are you will end up with a pretty easy to care for snake that reaches a pretty good size. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains

The Cave Rats, Taiwans and Blue Beauties can all get into the 7 foot range. Taiwans are pretty easy to care for (haven't kept Blues or Caves though). Also Black Milk Snakes get pretty large and as long as you can keep them relatively cool, they do well.
Lora

I second the black milk snake. They will certainly exceed 5 feet... few have exceeded 7 feet. They are exceptional feeders and like it cool (standard room temp will do fine for these guys. The young ones are rather nervous (not generally biters), but the adults are very calm and docile. 5-6 feet of glossy black easy to care for laid back snake... a good choice... males get a bit larger.

I believe both Black Kings and Black Milks are great choices. I would not go with a Bull or Pine snake. They can be a little edgy at times. If you want a snake that is not black in coloration get into some of the other rat snakes. Yellow rats are cool and everglades rats. Both get to a nice size.

Gray banded kingsnakes are cool too if you get on that is feeding on mice already. Milksnakes are great too. Both are about the size of a corn though...milks a little smaller. owever they both offer a lot of coloration. Trans Pecos rat snakes are cool if you can provide an environment with less humidity.
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14 Leopard Geckos 5.9.0
Found 2 Leo eggs (JungleXBlizzard) today. 5/23/04
2 Tokay Geckos 2.0.0
1 Graybanded Kingsnake 1.0.0 (on vacation in my house)
1 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 1.0.0
1 Gray Ratsnake 0.0.1
2 Dekay's Snake 0.0.2
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum
1.1 Green Tree Frogs (H. cinerea)
1.1 Gray Tree Frog (H versicolor)

Being a novice snakekeeper myself, I was interested in a Blue Beauty or some sort of Tiawan snake at first. I didn't realize how BIG a 7 foot snake really got! Rachel, if I was you, go down to your LPS (local pet store) and look at their large snakes. Then think that it's probably going to be bigger than that. I saw a boa that was 5 feet and it made me decide go go with my licorice stripe black rat snake. They have quite a personality, i've been told (haven't actually gotten it yet. Just sent off the check yesterday.) I'd reccomend a rat snake, most of those larger snakes like the blue beautys, are very agressive, too much for a novice. Just about everyone told me to get either a garter snake, rat snake, corn snake, or a ball python. I just didn't wan't a common one, so I found a licorice stick.

This is what a full grown licorice stick looks like

Here's a picture of Lola (Mine, just over 18", 9 months)

Good luck!
Let us know what you end up with! Just don't be in too big of a hurry, there are literally thousands if not millions of mutations and such out there, and theres always going to be another "great deal" if you aren't totally sure.

-Chris

What do you mean a little edgy? Pits can be extremely tame and I would be willing to bet there are few snakes on the market that eat like pits. Sometimes they will hiss and puff up, but it is usually just an act and most CB animals are totally calm.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains