Colubrids!!
They are all very hardy animals and do not require huge enclosures nor do they have large food requirements.
Here are some examples that would be fine in a 20 gal long and at adult age would only need adult mice and are easy to care for. And for the most part are very easy to handle once they reach yearling/juvenile age.
These are pictures of my snakes and if you have any questions on them, please feel free to ask.
First Ill start off with the rat snakes. You obviously already have looked into the corn snake, so I will not list it.
The only rat snake that would need a larger enclosure later on for sure, would be the black rat. As they can attain lengths of up to 101", but the majority are average length of around 5-6'.
If you are for sure about not wanting anything larger than a 20 gal long, then forgo the black rat.
The other rat snakes should do fine in a 20 gal long at adult size. As hatchlings, they can be alittle squirmy and nippy, but will grow out of that and most should turn out very calm with handling.
Here are pictures of some of my rat snakes....
First off, a yellow rat snake. They average 4 - 5' at adult size and the record is 90".
Next is the greenish rat snake. This is a natural intergrade of the yellow and black rat snakes where their ranges overlap. They can vary in color from a nice light yellow/green to a dark drab olive green. They are pretty comparitive to the yellow rat in size, but can attain longer lengths due to the black rat influence.
The everglades rat snake is a very attractive snake that can easily be the jewel in a rat snake collection!! A very attractive snake and are the same size as the yellow.
The grey rat snake is another very attractive rat snake, and the white oak phase is the prettiest in my opinion. Adults average between 36 - 72" with the record being 84.5".
There are other rat snakes as well, such as the bairds, texas, and great plains rats. They are very addictive and if you get one, Ill bet you will have another in no time!! LOL
You can also look at the kings. The care for them is the same as for the rats and most of the kings have a feeding response that is just incredible. Rat snakes are quick hitters and feed quickly, but kings seem to hit the food item harder and are more apt to "kill" the food item before eating it. I feed all mine frozen/thawed, and the kings seem to be more intent on wrapping up the mouse and squeezing it more so than the rats do. Dont know why, just a personal observation.
Here are some kings that I have and are very easy to take care of...
California kings. Probably one of the most common kings in the snake trade and are readily available in many morphs/colors. They are good for a beginner because they feed readily and are a very hardy snake.
Here is my male. He is a normal coastal phase. Nothing outrageous as far as coloring goes, but is huge as far as size. He is probably on the upper end of the cal king size band. At last measurement he was 54" and still growing. They average 36 - 48" and I think the record is 60".
And my female coastal phase. She is het albino, so I think that is why her colors are so bright. She looks alot nicer than my male.
The black king snake is another king that is easy to maintain. They are not as readily available as most other kings, as most people do not find them as attractive as the more colorful kings. But I really like the black kings as well as any other king snake. My little female is a little pig and never turns down a meal. Average size is 36-48" with specimens occasionally reaching the 5' mark.
Another nice king snake that is in my opinion underrated, is the prairie king. A very beautiful snake, and easy to maintain as well. One of the smaller kings, but very hardy. They average 24 - 36", and the record is 58".
The desert kings are another pretty popular king snake. They are pretty and are easy to take care of too. They average 24 - 36" and the record is 60".
Another popular king is the florida king. They are available in many colors/morphs and are relatively easy to acquire. They average 36 - 48" and the record is 69.5".
The eastern king is another, however it is the largest of the kings and would probably outgrow a 20 gal long. They are a very beautiful snake and would make a great addition to ones king collection for sure!!
Other kings for your consideration also could be the speckled king and the mexican black king.
Hope this helps and good luck with your decision and welcome to the snake community!!! Let us know on what you finally decide!
Brian
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)
RACERS
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
KINGS
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
1.0 Desert Kingsnake "Gambit"
0.1 Florida Kingsnake
MILKS
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)
Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian
