Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I am looking into possibly getting a snake, but I have a feeling exactly what I am looking for goes not exist. I think the closest to what would work with me is a rough green snake, but have read that its not a good beginner, or its hard to find captive bred. But here are the things I am looking for:

-Stays small-under 3 feet, like the hatchling sizes you see in pet stores would be perfect...

-easy to handle

-easy care

-appealing to the eye and mind

-doesn't eat mammals...I have guinea pigs in same room, if got loose would fear for them (thats why I would like it so small)

-but from the research I have conducted this is a non-existant snake, seems like a small lizard like a gecko would work better, but I really would prefer a snake. Oh and I have a 35 gal long aquarium. But I would really really like a very small snake. I am not new to reptiles but I am deffinitely no expert either.

thanks

What about a male sand boa? They eat mice but won't even reach two feet, most seem to be around a foot long, so there is no way they could even pose a threat to a baby guinea pig. Male rosy boas also top out around 3 feet (the desert races will be smaller) so they'd be an option as well if you don't mind feeding mice. Rubber boas are also worth consideration although they can be a bit finicky. If you have some experience a western hognose snake, already started on rodents, would be another good option. They don't even constrict. Garter snakes would also be an option, although they don't lend themselves to much handling (some type of whole rodent diet is best with them too since fish diets tend to lead to vitamin deficiencies).

All of the non-rodent eaters I'm aware of are going to be pretty high strung and don't tolerate handling very well. If you're squeamish about feeding live, most snakes can be conditioned to accept frozen thawed and if you take some time and get your snake from a breeder you can often get an animal that is already eating frozen thawed.

If you only have adult guinea pigs, there are a lot of additional species that would fit the bill if you don't mind feeding rodents.

-Alice

Yes I only have adult guinea pigs, soon to be five of them. So a sand boa, probably a desert one will stay very small? How thick would he get? I don't think I will really mind the frozen food, could just pinkies be a staple diet for him? Just definitely not live food, which I have heard is a big no no anyway. But what about the smell of my guinea pigs in my room, would that make him aggressive? Or if I keep him fed like he is supposed to will it even make a difference? They will be across the room from eachother, 10 feet or so. I just want to have all the bases covered, I am not one of those people who will get a pet that won't fit in or to get a pet to replace another.

How about a Pacific Dwarf Boa (Candoia carinata carinata)? Mine is docile, she'll probably max out at 2-2.5 feet, and she's as thick as a marker. They are lizard eaters, and mine did quite well on anoles for 6 months before I switched her over to mice for economic and convenience issues.

They require very little space, and you could build a beautiful tropical vivarium with live plants in your 35 gallon, if you wanted to put that much effort forward. Only issue with them is that they require lower temps (76-82 max) and higher humidity (70-80%)than most snakes, but once you get the hang of it it's really quite simple.

They're a little tough, but not impossible to find.

-----
Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
2.4.0 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.1.0 Hypo Everglades Rat Snakes
2.1.0 Baird's Rat Snakes
1.2.0 Trans-Pecos Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Trinket Rat Snake
1.0.0 Japanese Rat Snake
1.1.0 Salt and Pepper Bull Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Pacific Gopher Snake
1.0.0 Het Amel San Diego Gopher Snake
0.1.0 San Diego Gopher Snake
3.2.0 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Sonoran Gopher Snakes
1.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
2.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (2.1 River Road)
1.0.0 Hypermelanistic California Kingsnake
0.1.0 Albino High White California Kingsnake
0.2.0 California Kingsnakes
1.1.0 Thayeri Kingsnake
0.1.0 Florida Kingsnake
1.1.0 Boa Constrictors
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
2.0.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican & Mid Baja)
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
1.0.0 Woma Python
1.1.0 Cape York Spotted Pythons
1.1.0 Macklot's Pythons
1.1.0 Western Hognoses
1.1.0 Red Sided Garter Snakes

LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
1.0.0 African Fat-Tail Gecko
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.4.0 Leopard Geckos
1.0.1 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
1.1.0 Chuckwalla
0.1.0 Banded Gecko

FROGS
2.2.0 Southern Bell Frogs
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
1.0.0 Bubbling Kassina
1.1.1 White's Tree Frogs
0.0.2 Gold Frogs

Hmmm pacific boa seems a little better to me, and the lower temperature would work better too. It would be easier for me to do it that way, and the amount of work with the habitat is not an issue, my guinea pigs are in a 22 sq ft cage, so I can get pretty extravagant . But I like this boa better, I prefer the snakes that have a distinct head, I don't know why, I know it is stupid. I don't think I could buy anoles for it to eat though, I would end up keeping them. So I don't know. You guys are so much help though, thanks and keep the suggestions coming!

Oh and beautiful snake by the way, but I have been scouring the forum here looking for ideas and I still hate to say it but I would really prefer an insect eater. What about a brown snake, don't know the scientific name for it, and it seems like they don't get as long as the rough green snakes.

Brown snakes would be an option, but cbs are virtually non existant and they would not tolerate handling well.

With lizard eaters parasites become an issue since feeder lizards tend to be wild caught and heavily parasitized. Switching them over to rodents can be tricky so you may want to try to get one that has already made the switch.

The smell of guinea pigs is not going to effect the snakes. When I was in college we bred our, mice in the same room as the snakes. If you've been handling the guineas, wash your hands before handling the snakes.

Male Kenyan sand boas are going to stay under 2 feet and you could feed fuzzy sized mice. I'm not sure about max female Kenyan size but I think its under 3 feet and there is no way they could tackle an adult guinea pig.

Rosy boa size is going to vary by locality. Desert and mexican rosys are going to tend to be smaller than coastal rosys. Males will top out at 2-3 feet and females will top out at 3-4 feet with larger sizes being attained by the coastals.

Rubber boas are going to be similar in terns of size to the kenyans.

Virtually any species of gartersnake could also fit the bill. Garters tend to be more high strung than the above snakes but can tolerate occaisional handling. I find them to be the most personable of all my snakes. Sizes are going to vary by species. These guys do not constrict so would not be able to tackle a guinea pig at any size. Most will fall into the 2-4 foot range with males being much smaller than females.

Western hognose snakes will top out at around 2 - 3 feet with males being smaller. They also don't constrict. Personality can be a little variable with them, but most are good tempered. Some do a lot of bluffing, however.

Other snakes to consider: African house snake male (males top out at 3 ft females can get over 5), spotted and children's pythons are a bit pricy, but max out at around 3 ft., and there are several other species of sand boas you could look into as well. The forums have a wealth of information about a wide variety of snakes so when one strikes your fancy, go check out what others have to say about it in terms of handling, ease of care, and adult size.

In terms of escapes, it's always the little guys getting out on me. If you get a secure cage with one of those sliding screen lids and pin or lock it you shouldn't have any problems (as long as you don't have cats that like to sleep on the lids and punch in the screens ). This would open up popular colubrids such as kingsnakes, gophersnakes, and cornsnakes for consideration. It would be several years before these snakes get to a size where they could pose a threat to an adult guinea pig.

-Alice

Ribbon snake. They eat earthworms and minnows, and are usually very docile. They also prefer lower temperatures, are very active, and speaking from experience, a lot of fun.

Also, a lot of the water snakes feed mainly on fish and frogs, they have a very nasty reputation, which they don't really deserve, I've kept several that were very docile.

Garter snakes are also along the same lines as ribbon snakes, and probably the best "beginner" snake out there.

Red-bellied snakes and midland brown snakes are both very similar, they eat mainly earthworms and slugs, but stay very small, under a foot.

Hope this helps,
Kevin

I have two suggestions:

1. Mexican milksnake -
These stay very small, like 2ft. The adults are super calm, and they can live on thawed pinks/fuzzies their entire lives. They are very attractive. If you look on the classifieds, they are available from time to time. Herp shows usually always have a few for $50 or so. Super easy keepers. You can get frozen pinks/fuzzies at Petco, etc or online.

2. African house snake
Interesting snakes. Males are little. Similar care as above.

The only insect-eating snake I was able to keep for a long time (like 5 years before I gave it away) was a shovelnose snake from the low desert areas of Calif. Mine ate small crickets and especially spiders. Shovelnose stay hidden most of the time, emerging at night. But you would have to catch one, as I've never seen them for sale.
-----
Mark

As long as you don't mind a rodent eater i would advise a western hognose. They are small enough, usually real calm, and no threat to a anything bigger than a mouse. They are also easy to keep almost always and widely available CB. Oh, and they are diurnal which is nice if you would like to see your snake do anything besides try to hide under things.
I would also mention out that Candioa have something of a reputation as hard to care for.
Egg eaters also look to be alot of fun, they are what I am looking around in this forum to read up on.

good luck