You really recommend retic pythons as beginner snakes? Dont they require alot of maintenance to ensure injury doesnt happen to the snake or the keeper?

No, I don't. I think they are a terrible choice for a first snake. I included them on the chart to see where and how low they would fall. I figured if I crunched the numbers and retics (or Green Tree Pythons, Anacondas, Amazon Tree Boas, etc) ended up near the top, the algorithm was flawed. So they are on there to show the opposite end of the spectrum and because some people consider them as a first snake.

I liked the chart but it seems it contained animals i already knew about. I guess there arent many other options available to me.

If you were already familiar with less common species (Dione's Ratsnake, Twin-spotted Ratsnakes), why are you here asking the question?

There are plenty of other options, but they are harder to find in the pet trade.

I was interested in green snakes for awhile, but i heard they are very active and need large terrariums to ensure they are in good health.

I kept a Rough Green Snake for years. IMHO, they make lousy pets. Sure they eat and are cool to watch, but they require more space than many larger species.

Shovelnosed Snakes, Banded Sandsnakes, and Groundsnakes will learn to eat crickets in captivity, but I wouldn't suggest one as a captive.

I guess the question to answer is why do you want a small snake? Most of the smallest species make poor pets. That said, I have kept Lined Snakes, Banded Sandsnakes, Groundsnakes, Nightsnakes and Shovelnosed Snakes in captivity. They just aren't very interesting captives (except maybe the Nightsnakes)

Get a male Rubber Boa. I had a cb male that was still eating fuzzies at 10 years of age and only as big around as my pinkie.


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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

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