Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my 3 yo son really wants a pet he can call his own.we have ball pythons and an adult sulcata.he wants something he can keep in his room and hold it alot.he catches the toads and anoles in our yard(i thought of just keeping one of those)i thought about corns but he really likes frogs and lizards.he wants something to "play" with.nothing nocturnal.any advice on something that actually likes being handled(will always be supervised.)

Hi there, I would suggest a snake that is utterly docile and very tolerant of any mishandling. I tend to think a juvinile rubber boa is an excellent first snake. Not terribly expensive, the thing will probably never bite/strike and easy to care for.

Your request for a herp that likes to be handled is really sort of a difficult request as it is caution to being handled or messed with that allows an animal to survive in the wild. So we keepers fool these wild animals into putting up with us by demonstrating to them over and over again that we can be trusted and that we mean them no harm.

Lizards and frogs aren't much for being held, nor are they big on sitting there and chilling out in your hand. A rubber boa will sit in your hand or coil around your finger or even your wrist. Keepers sometimes let them wrap around their wrist like its a bracelet. They don't have much in the way of constriction because of their little size so no danger to your 3yr old. As with all herps and children, constant supervision is a must.

They look just like this. Brownish/greyish in color. I chose this snake for your needs because the temperment is phenemenonal and the keeping requirements very minimal. No heat/humidity requirements. They can go 6 months w/o food so if you forget to feed them one week its of no concern. Thus I think it would be perfect for your son as it really could be held a lot and he could show it to others. One thing to note is that rubber boas are good at escaping terrariums by wiggling through small holes or not tight lids, so something secure is good.

hi!thanks for your suggestion.i have read a little about them awhile back just cause i hadn't heard alot about them.they seemed pretty neat.i don't remember seeing alot of personal breeders on kingsnake just pet stores that were selling them.i will definitly look into them further,it may be perfect.thanks again.gb

Get him a hamster. Haha...

Actually, I was going to recommend an adult beardie or a leopard gecko. Both are very mellow and pretty tolerant. A beardie would just latch onto his shirt and stay there pretty well. Both of them thrive in desert vivaria, which is pretty easy to maintain. A three year old is a bit young for herps of his own... maybe make certain the lid stays latched/locked unless mommy or daddy are in the room?

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Holly

1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Fire Skink (Peter Dinsdale)
1.0 Vietnamese Golden Gecko (George Chapman)
0.0.1 Blue Day Gecko (Joe Ball)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

My son got his first snake at three.It was a cornskane.He lost it 3 times but every time we found it.It also bit him once.
I dont really recommend a kid that young a herp.But here is a pic of my son last year with his corn, its five and he is 8.
I will say my son loves that snake and it did make it.