Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm new to reptiles and am interested in buying a snake. After looking up different snakes, I decided to get a rough green snake. Does anyone know where I can get one in North California? I already searched EastBay Vivarium but they have none.

I'm a college student and was wondering what other kinds of snakes would be ideal for someone like me. I am looking for snakes no bigger than 3 feet. Also I'm squimmish about feeding live mice to snakes. Does anyone know of other snakes that don't need to eat mice?

I think the garter snakes are fish eaters. I've also read the rough green snakes are mostly WC, which is why I don't want to get one. I don't like the idea of taking something out of the wild for our enjoyment and sticking it in a cage.
honestly feeding rodent eating snakes frozen/thawed (f/t) isn't that bad. I was real squimish about feeding live prey to snakes before I even got one but found out about the f/t food. all you have to do is make sure it's throughly thawed and warmed to room temp. all my snakes eat them without hessitation. so on that note..you can't go wrong with the corn snakes as a great first time snake.

A couple things on rough greens and garters...from what i've heard....they go off feed quite a bit for no reason...just stop eating. This can freak out a new snake owner. They are also very restless....will try to get away from you while you're holding them. However most snakes will be active when you're holding them.

I was also really leary of feeding mice when I first got my snakes, but they have frozen mice you can get and thaw them. Its not bad. I have had to feed one of my snakes (out of 5) a live one because it wouldnt eat a dead one...and thats kinda hard....to see the little mouse...but the dead ones arent really a problem.

I would also reccomend a corn - they will grow 3.5-4.5 maybe 5 feet at the most. You can keep one in a 20 gallon long tank happily. You may also want to look into a bairds ratsnake. They grow to the same length, but I think they're just a stunning creature. go to the ratsnake forum and look for posts referring to bairdi or bairds or something along those lines and check it out!
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

i never heard about greens or garters going off feed.....

i had a 40 inch garter that NEVER refused a meal.....even during winter in wis.

garters and greens (if properly housed) can make great pets.....with better genes than the corns........(corns are so inbred they are very weak genetically....thus the number of mutants)

besides i find garters easier to tame than corns....(i have kept 20 -50 over the years) none have refused a meal.....throw some minnows in a water dish and stand back

greens ....not too sure on....i know they do great on silk worms and crickets

keith
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I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.

well i was actually looking seriously at a red spotted garter and i had a lot of people turn me away from it because of that reason along with some others...i wish i had talked to you first! that was a freakin awesome snake!
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

may have bee a locale that was hard to start feeding....have heard this a time or 2.....

but garters especially are very eager eaters....

altho i dont have any experience with red-spots

individual animals sometimes are hard feeders also....my bairdis eat anything i put in front of them....faster than my black rats.....and i know you had a hard time with one.....

btw....i am getting a albino/het albino bairdi pair this week also....woooo hoooo

keith
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I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.

Thanks guys for the advice. Luckily I found a place in Lodi, Ca that sells rough greens and other places around mid-cali that has them also.

I was thinking about getting a corn snake, but im not really sure. But anyway, again thanks for the adivie guys!

I would HIGHLY reccomend a corn snake! I was looking at roughs and garters at first too, even ribbon snakes, but I didn't like how all of them seemed so eager to escape from me. That's when I was blessed with the magic of the corn snake... This little girl has never once skipped a meal, not even during her time at the pet store (which was a long time because they put her on the top shelf with two other milk snakes and everyone wants BOOOAS and PYYYYYTHONS... pfft). She's the most tame, gentle, cute little snake I've ever met. Never once struck at me. Also, they're usually SO easy to feed dead thawed food. And besides, if you don't want to handle mouse bodies, they make little like sausages that snakes can eat instead! Lemme look up the site where they sell them and I'll send it your way I really think you should get a corn snake. Their personalities are more appealing most of the time.
And just some personal advice, go with your gut feeling, not your wallet's feeling. I got talked into getting a tangerine honduran milksnake, and the little **** ended up escaping from me the first night. I went back and bought this girl instead, even though I had a feeling I should've gotten her in the first place but I was more attracted to the orange snake rather than this plain white one... well, I'm kinda glad the tangerine got away. (well, sort of...) I ended up with a fabulous snake. Go for personality above all!!!
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purrhisswoofmeowblubsqueakneigh

whats wrong with boa's and python's??

if you want small, try checking out western hogonses. they stay at around 20 inches