Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was asked this question, and I gave an answer. Just thought what the forum has to offer.

BTW I said - Choice #1) black ratsnake if you like ratsnakes, or Choice #2) Florida king if you like kings, or Choice #3) Bullsnake if you want something other than #1 or #2.

I think the Florida king would be the calmest though. I'd appreciate your comments/suggestions.
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Mark

First of all, the 4.5 foot threshold is a little low for my taste. There are simply too many species that fall under that level. So my suggestions are those over 5.5 feet instead.

If I had to think of a few (there is no best one, since it mostly a matter of opinion)...

- Indigo Snakes - get huge (7-8'), dog tame, interactive, just require more feeding and maintenance than other species. Babies can be tricky to get on mice sometimes. Everyone who has owned an indigo proclaims it as the greatest snake. Some of that is the "allure" but there must be some truth underlying it.

- Black Milksnake - 5-6 feet of glistening black snake. Easy to feed and keep (don't need extra heat) and tame, trustworthy snakes. Also, somewhat unusual.

- "Eastern" Kingsnakes - by "eastern" I mean Eastern, Florida, Blotched, and Brooksi morph kings. I think eastern kings are the best looking, but again, it is largely a matter of opinion.

- Bull/Pine/Gophersnakes - big heavy bodied snakes. Some can be a little testy, particularly the pines, but most are docile. Several morphs available and different species/subspecies get different sizes.

- Beauty Snakes (taeniura) - big glossy rat devouring machines. Some races are a little more high strung than others, but a big tame beauty snake is a spectacular beast.

- Russian Ratsnakes (schrenki) - these are big, colorful, docile ratsnakes. Easy to keep and breed and feed. This may actually belong in the number one spot (if there has to be one).

- American Ratsnakes (obsoleta) - generally docile, inexpensive and come in variety of color phases/morphs. Hard to vote against this species.
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Chris Harrison

Yup...Give me a black ratsnake (or a grey, yellow, "greenish", 'glades or, yes, even a Texas) any ol' time.
Duffy

If you get a CB baby Chinese king ratsnake, I think you have a decent chance of it not beating you up on a regular basis when it reaches adulthood. This species is heavy bodied and reportedly (purportedly?) reaches 7 feet. Mine are babies right now and they already have attitudes though.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

"I think the Florida king would be the calmest though. I'd appreciate your comments/suggestions."

Nothing againsy florida kings, they're my favorite, but I've never had, seen, or been around an adult Florida king that didn't like to chew on fingers. That being said, while Pines are testy and jumpy as babies, they (in my experience) grow up to be the calmest snakes I've ever had. They are the only snakes I have that I can reach into their enclosure and rub their nose without getting so much of a tail buzz. If I tried that with one of my Florida Kings, I'd be trying to peel it off of me. Pinesnakes are also almost gauranteed to pass the 4 1/2ft mark.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

n/m
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Mark

Any of the Drymarchon spp. (Indigos and Cribos)
I've posted it before, here it is again, my son with a 7' male black tail cribo. Black tail cribos are perhaps the most commonly available, and least expensive representatives of the Drymarchon complex.
By the way, I acquired this guy a few years ago as a WC and he was this docile upon arrival.
I have 4.4 BT cribos, and at least 1.1 of every other available member of teh "Dry" complex, and all are very docile, with the exception of a few yellow tail cribos.