Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i'm just gettin into snakes and i'm really interested in buying one. I already have a pacman frog and a tortoise, pretty boring so i wanted to get a snake. yea so my question is, is there a good snake for a 20 gallon that is relatively inexpensive? thanks for the comments,
arlo

Hmm... Twenty gallons is relatively small so it could only take a short snake. Ideally the enclosure should be at least 3/4ths the length of the fully grown snake.
Off the top of my head a Kenyan sand boa or a western hognose might fit the bill. They're both heavy bodied but pretty and stay short. (as a warning, hognoses have very mild venom and Kenyan sand boas need to burrow and may be hidden most of the time) I think there are also forums for both types if you want to learn more about them.
A well started juvenile of either type can easily be picked up for under $80. Sometimes less than fifty.
20 gallons could also be used for a juvenile of some species like corn snakes or king snakes but you'll need to offer them an upgrade soon.
Just as a caution, while both these species are generally docile and can be handled, snakes as a rule are quiet creatures that just like to sit in one place and/or hide in a cave, only coming out to eat, drink or bask.
While they can be a joy to handle and it's wonderful associating with such foreign, alien creatures, you may otherwise find them as dull as your frog and tortoise.
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0.2 chickens
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave)
0.1 Halflinger horse
0.0 reptiles due to living with
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

oh man! i really wanted a kenyan sand boa. how are those as pets? they just look a lil ugly, but watever i bought a pacman frog. heres a pic of some i saw a the reptile expo.

Cute critters in picture there!
Unfortunately I don't know much about Kenyan Sand Boas. Here's about all I know and I could be mistaken about some of it.
They have a shovel-like nose and neat coloration (evident in the picture) I've heard they're relatively docile and mellow. I believe they will usually accept f/t mice with little to no problem. They rarely grow more than two feet. They love burrowing in their substrate so if your snake is happy and healthy, you probably won't see too much of him/her which can be a problem if you want a snake on display a lot of the time.
Since I don't know much at all about them, you might want to check the forum that deals with them. (I forget it's name now but it's on the forum/message board page)
One last thing. Some people love pets that they consider ugly. Others search for beauty. Don't just settle for something that might work, search for the pet that's the best for you and that you'll love. I'm sure there are some little, hardy, docile jaw dropping species I'm not thinking of.
Good luck!
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0.2 chickens
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave)
0.1 Halflinger horse
0.0 reptiles due to living with
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

Corns,kings,spotted python,carpet python,ball pythons (probobly about as exciting as what you already have)...those are all good snakes....none of them will live in a 20 forever..If you get baby corns or kings you could probobly get 2yrs in a 20 gallon.
Spotteds stay fairly small 4ft or so.
Carpets get larger..i have a pair of IJ carpets that are about 6ft each.
Hognose stay small..though i dont know much about them...
There is a snake called a shovelnose that stays very small...they eat crickets as adults..
There is tons of snakes that are good and easy to care for but probobly only a few will live permanently in a 20.

Good luck with your search

hehe thanks for the advice
here's my drop dead sexy pacman frog

well he's a whole lot bigger now

.
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Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Bredl's Carpet Python "Strider"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa "Legolas"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"
0.1 Okeetee Corn snake "Amazon"
1.0 Crested Gecko "Willow"
0.0.1 Irian Jaya BlueTongued Skink
0.0.1 Monkey Tail Skink
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer "Kira"

How about a house snake? Not a real pretty snake, but it has its own particular kind of beauty. The irridecence on this species is pretty impressive too.

They're a great beginner snake I think. Very docile (just don't grab em behind the head). Maybe not incredibly active, but then again, the majority of snakes will spend alot of time hiding. Easy to feed and keep.

And cheap cheap cheap. I bought mine at a show for $15 as a hatchling. She's now about as thick as my thumb and about 2.5 feet long. She typically eats 1 adult f/t mouse every week to 10 days.

I don't mean to come across at all condecending, but it dosen't sound to me like a snake is your type of animal. I could be completely mistaken, but it sounds to me like you want something that is active, and can be "played with". That really dosen't fit the bill of any snakes. Most you will not often see moving, and a great deal will do what they can so that you can't see them period. Many burrow, and most will remain in their hide 75% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I love snakes, and all other herps for that matter with a passion. And you sound like you take very good care of your animals. Im simply affraid that you are headed to another pet that would be boring to you.

A corn snake is the best snake for the novice keeper. Most have a calm disposition, are easy to feed and will be fine in a 20 gallon tank. If you are worried about size then buy a baby female. Females do not grow as large as adult male corns. I say buy a baby because the two of you can grow together. And a baby corn will cost around 20 dollars and a albino will cost about 30 dollars.
Good luck with whatever snake you choose.

i think im going to get a kenyan sand boa. the breeder says when a male reaches adulthood, they only need to be fed 1 or 2 times a month. and i've already purchased a large rubbermaid tub, a shallow water disk, some sandblasting sand, and i'm planning to staple a screen on the tub's lid for a heat lamp. all i need now is a snake.

btw,
how much is too much when it comes to handling a sand boa? i want to be able to hold it but i dont want to kill it.
thanks,
arlo

Sand boas are neat little boas. They stay small and can be quite docile. If using a rubbermaid cage be sure to use a small water dish to keep the humidity low. A heating pad at one end of the cage will work. Sand boas like to spend most of their time hiding under the sand and a hide box is not needed. As far as handling goes a good rule is a half hour to a hour at a time. And i would limit that to once a day. You should not handle a snake for 48 hrs after it has eaten.
Good luck with your new boa and post a pic of him when you can.
Chuck