Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi

I wanted to try snakes for a change. Im looking for something thats is small and slender that is unusal. Something that eats lizards other than mice. Size isnt that big of a deal as long as it dosent grow to a python or boa size.

Thanks

Paul

If you didnt kno there are pythons and boa's that dont get much over 5 feet, like rosy boas, and sand boas, and ball pythons dont normally get over 5 feet, but for a beginner a corn snake is probably ur best bet or maybe a sinaloan milk

Limiting your choices to lizard-eaters knocks out a lot of good starter snakes, including the rat, king, & gopher groups, as well as the pythons & boas. Mice are probably a lot easier to supply than lizards. If feeding live mice is your hang-up, please be aware that mice can be purchased frozen & fed thawed. If that changes your mind, your choices become much greater. If that doesn't change your way of thinking, one other option might be a garter or water snake, feeding it fish.
The reason I haven't mentioned any good lizard feeders is that most that I know of are venomous.

~~Greg~~

Ratsnakes (including corns) and kingsnakes will both happily eat lizards. That being said, once the snake starts growing, it'll need bigger and bigger or more and more lizards, which can get expensive. I know a guy who has access to large numbers of wild caught snakes, which he feeds to his ringnecks and kings, and they seem fine (though they're probably in slightly higher danger of parasites). If you have access to large numbers of lizards, and really want to feed them to a snake, you can get a king or corn or rat. Also, I'm told (I do not have direct knowledge of this) grayband kingsnakes love lizards. They also fit your other criteria of not getting too big, and they are somewhat unusual.

What about a ringneck is that a good snake? I like the kingsnake idea and ive looked at them and i like the scarlet and they live in Fl so its ok if it escapes cuz it wont affect the population.

For a beginner, a scarlet snake is a def NO, unless you get it as a adult and you may have a chance but i doubt you would be able to raise it.

I am well aware that corns start out feeding on Anolis, & yellows start out on hylids..but both switch over to rodents within the first year. Kept on a lizard diet, I doubt that either the corn or a getula would grow properly or be really healthy. The gray bandeds might well survive properly on a lizard diet, but probably require the western lizards to do so.

A ringneck can be maintained on earthworms, but is fossorial & will seldom be seen if its cage is set up properly.

~~Greg~~
The Venomous Snakes of Florida

If you really want a slender lizard eater, why not one of the Asian Vinesnakes/Long-nosed Treesnakes. They are lizard eaters and are very slender. You can't handle them as they are too fragile and generally will bite, but they are interesting.

Lyresnakes or one of the african Telescopus would also be an interesting challenge if you insist on a lizard eater.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

don't go with a scarlet snake-they prefer EGGS of reptiles....go with a scarlet kingsnake,they love lizards,and are indigenous to fla....pretty too,but don't like being handled much....they're small;max out at about 2 feet long.