Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

My family and I are looking for a new pet snake, after the untimely demise of our baby black rat snake appropriatly named Houdini.

I have 4 children, ranging in age from 13 to 1. So any snake that we bring home has to be safe for them to handle.

I had my sights set on a normal or albino cornsnake, and even went to a local pet shop to check on thier prices. Thats when this little Rosy Boa got my attention. If I had the money I would have bought that little one right then and there. But they wanted 100$ for him/her and that was way out of my price range.

I am going to the reptile show in Richmond this weekend and was hopeing to find some good prices. But now I can't decide if I want a corn or a rosy boa.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which breed would be best suited to be or pet? We would prefer an animal with a good temperment, good feeding habits, and we would really like a pet that doesn't hide all the time. We loved watching Hudini trying to escape.

Carrey
Homeschooling Mommy of 4

Snakes hide. That is what they do. Yeah, maybe some types moreso than others, but it is a fact of keeping snakes: they usually do best when given opportunity to hide or at least be out of site of people for part of the day. Sure there will be exceptions.

Also, children under age 5 shouldn't handle snakes by themselves. Small kids tend to grab and squeeze. Not good for the snake.

All that said, it is hard to beat a cornsnake. They are so adaptable to captivity and don't musk or squirm too much.

I keep a number of rosy boas. They are very nice pets as well, but care must be taken to provide proper temps and conditions. This is easily done, but you'd be surprised how many rosies end up in poor condition due to misguided owners. You may refer to the URLs below for more info on rosies.

rosyboas.com
rosyboa.com
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Mark G

Assorted rosy boas, some annulata. That's it.

I do know that all snakes hide, and I have plenty of hides in our snake tank along with a heat lamp, limbs to climb, and 2 watering sites.

And none of the children are allowed to get any of the animals out without me being there. Not to mention we all wash our hands before and after handling. We had a baby black rat that we lost. So we do know the basics.

Thankyou for pointing out that a Rosy needs more carefully regulated temps. Thats the kind of information I was looking for. I was looking at corns anyway because everywhere I read said they were the easiest to care for. But I just fell inlove with that Rosy at the pet store.

Carrey
Homeschooling Mommy of 4

You mentioned that price is a factor.

Rosy boas are going to be more expensive compared to most any color cornsnake. Most cornsnakes run from $15-$40, where I've never seem a rosy for less than $50.

I've never had a rosy, but I've heard that they can sometimes be snappy. Cornsnakes, which I have a bunch of, never bite unless you smell like a mouse. A cornsnake is going to be much like your black ratsnake, as a cornsnake is a type of ratsnake.

Also, unless you found your black ratsnake dead, you very well could find him/her months from now when and where you least expect. They can survive without food for a VERY long time.
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colubridlady@gmail.com

3.3 adult cornsnakes
1.2 baby cornsnakes
7 cornsnake eggs

As a rescue operator, I work with all kinds of reptiles. When it comes to a good friendly snake for kids though, I have to vote with everyone else and reccomend a corn snake. There's no beating how friendly the are, and adaptable to captivity. And with the different colors and patterns possible through breeding, it gives the kids some possibilities to get interested in.

Find out how you can get involved in reptile rescue...

Jesse
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary

I think you did well starting off with one of the North American Ratsnakes and would suggest that you stick with them. That means that a corn would be a fine choice. If you see any bairds ratsnakes at the show, that would be another great choice. A bit plain as babies, but can turn into beautiful animals (check out the ratsnake forum...lots of pics of bairds recently). They are a little more active than corns. Yes, they will hide, but you may see them more often than cornsnakes, which do like to hide quite a bit during the day.
How long ago did Houdini escape? Hope he pops up again when you least expect it. Black rats are excellent animals and always a good choice. Also...I think that reptile shows are an excellent place to buy a snake. You can't beat the combo of selection and value (at least that is true here at the Ohio Show). Best of luck. Duffy

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I can't wait to go to the show Sunday. YEAH!

I think we have decided to get a Baby Corn. Maybe in a couple of years we can get a Ruby. One of the other things I really liked about the Ruby is the fact that they don't get as long. But we have a 30 gallon tank that will do for a Corn for a couple of years atleast. That should give me enough time to find a deal on a bigger tank.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Carrey
Homeschooling Mommy of 4

Carrey, I.M.H.O. I don't think i would keep a baby corn in a 30 gallon tank. It's a little to big. What i would get is a plastic shoe box style cage. These are perfect for a hatchling. And later when the snake grows out of it then i would place it in the bigger cage. Hatchling corns feel much more secure in a smaller cage.
I think your making a good choice with the corn snake. I have three
and they all are very tame and they all feed well.
Good luck with your new snake.
Chuck

Not to mention the ease of cleaning a plastic shoe/sweater box. I kept all my previous snakes (as a child) in heavy glass aquariums...but right now I'm keeping a baby indigo in a large, plastic box...and cleaning is so easy it's no longer a choor. I'll never go back to glass...
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One female Eastern Indigo. That's right, just one snake. But she's my dream-snake, so back off man.

I still have a few of my snakes in glass tanks. I found 50 gallon sterilite totes for most of my ratsnakes ($10 ea!). Each time I clean one of my glass tanks, I think..."Why am I still doing this?" I think if just one or two snakes are kept, glass if fine. Once you start getting many more (I'm at 13 now), glass will make it hard to keep up with cleaning. As for the 30 gallon...I would say you can go either way. In a larger tank like that, just make sure there are multiple hides on both the warm and the cool side. Duffy

Thank you for the thoughts on the tank.

As for the plastic, while I'm more than sure that the plastic tub would be easier to take care of, its just not "pretty" LOL.

This will be our only snake, so we don't have to worry about cleaning multiple tanks. We have the snake tank in the family room, similar to a fish tank. We enjoyed watching our black rat snake trying to get out. It was really too cute. We do cut the cleaning down by useing strips of papertowels at substrate. No, its not pretty, but the ease is worth the "ugly-ness" to me LOL.

Thanks again,

Carrey
Homeschooling Mommy of 4

PS
less than 24 hours till the reptile show!! YEAH