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A Third Snake, Maybe?

NH93

NH93

New member
Hello everyone :)

A reptile show is coming up next week. Conveniently I have a tank that just opened up, as I upgraded my corn and ball python to a PVC. I have everything I need (except for a thermostat - which, coincidentally, Amazon keeps sending me deals on...)
My partner is kind of worried about getting more snakes, as I said two would be my max for now. Only half a year later and I want another.
He says space is the issue (as we have a 2 bedroom apartment).

I doubt I'll end up coming home with anything next weekend; I like to prepare in advance. And get my partner on board, too.
HOWEVER... *for the future*...
Do you have any suggestions for other snakes to add? I just have the corn and the ball python, and a 15 gal. available for now.
Upgrading later on wouldn't be a problem, as I would have time to save up some money.

I don't know if you'd consider me really "intermediate" yet, because I haven't had my other snakes terribly long.

I was thinking about a milk snake, because they are so colourful and different from my other two. I am interested in different species (kind of like having 'one of each', per ce). Brazilian Rainbow Boas catch my interest, however I might need more experience and space for them, not to mention a licence for my area.

Any suggestions/comments are appreciated!

Thank you :bird:
 
What about an African House Snake, or a Tri-Colored Hognose Snake? Or a Rosy Boa! Those could stay in a 15 gallon a long time, if not forever...
 
Thanks Nanci! I have never heard of an African House snake (or lamprophis, as Google is telling me). I thought about a rosy boa, and oooooouu a tri-coloured hognose!! Looks adorable. If I see any at the show I will definitely be asking about them.

This may be a silly question, but I had wondered if there is any snake able to live on sand. I know that it can get stuck under scales, and cause irritation if digested, but then I thought about sand boas.
Now, I see them at pet stores in sand. I wondered if this was safe (even for an animal that has "sand" in its name).

I think it would be cool to have a desert kind of snake. Are there any thoughts on that, or is sand best left for lizards?
 
Nanci already suggested most of the ones that popped into my head when reading your first post. The others I'd suggest are a male sand boa and a male Western hognose, either of which would be fine in a 15 gal. I keep my sand boa on aspen but I know at least some keepers do use sand with theirs. It seems to be a very debatable topic, with what seems like the majority being against it.
 
Kenyan sand boas are also so cute and stay small.

I have a milksnake and he's pretty neat but very jumpy. Being a black milksnake he doesn't even need a heat source unless it's quite cold. Then it's only set for 74 degrees.

Kingsnakes are a lot of fun. I'm fan of mexican black king snakes and books kingsnakes.
 
You may laugh at me.. but what about a garter or two? They can be a very personable snake, do not get big, inexpensive, and many are easy keepers -they are even communal. I was given a Red Sided (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) recently and have been learning a lot about them.. Mine is eating chunks of Tilapia (frozen fillets from the store) bits of earthworm, and I cut pieces of tail or limbs from my frozen mice/rats. No warming up needed.

If you go reading on Thamnophis.com you'll find stories of how these little guys have brought many over to the wiggly scaled side of the force (grin) Perhaps one for your partner??? (echoey voice of 'Join us, join us')

The cage size should be fine, these guys are active.
 
oh, I forgot, there's some color morphs around too, two kinds of albino (amel?), anery, melanistic, and some more color variations depending on the species.
 
I think you should take it one step further and convert the 2nd bedroom to a reptile room and get 1 of everything :dgrin:
I like all the choices given so far. western Hognose are cool. I'd like a tri-color myself. I have an albino girl and she's the only snake I would call adorable lol.
Sand boas are nice too. A little nippy sometimes. I also keep mine on aspen now but in the past I did keep a smooth scale in sand. It was neat watching him tunnel thru it then pop up and get the FT mouse.
I like the garter suggestion too .


Miss Piggy popping up to say hi !
 

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daddio207 said:
I think you should take it one step further and convert the 2nd bedroom to a reptile room and get 1 of everything :dgrin:
Click to expand...

One day...
;)
I actually prefer to have the snakes out in the open though, so I can see them all the time! They've only been in my living room for almost 2 weeks, but it has made a difference. The ball python is at the front of the glass (PVC cage) every evening.

Thank you so much everyone! I think if I were to go the sand boa route I'd do maybe half-sand half-aspen, then it could choose which it prefers. I love the idea of sand... but don't want to harm the snake!

As for garters, I like them, but I grew up catching them at my camp in Northwestern Ontario. :) They are fun little snakes, but I kind of attribute them to the wild. I guess being in Canada we don't have a lot of snakes, as it's pretty cold most of the year. Garters, and the occasional rattler in very tiny pockets in the southern regions of BC (and mid-regions of Ontario) are about all we have, that I can think of.

I will keep looking into other species - but like I said, an upgrade is not an issue for the future. It doesn't have to stay in a 15 gal forever :)

Thanks again for the suggestions; more are welcome!!
 
3 is a good number to have. But so is 10. Im not a multi-specie keeper (except for 1 garter) so I would suggest you find a specie you like and just collect those. Its also good to have one specie if you want to try your luck at breeding at some point.
 
When I was shopping for my first non corn I took a stroll through Fauna classifieds. If I saw something that looked pretty neat a quick google search let me know if it was a pet that would work for me or not. That's how I found out about black milksnakes. I was going to get a mexican black kingsnake but found the black milksnakes more appealing.

I still go to fauna classifieds on a regular basis to look at all the amazing snakes (especially the ball python morphs).
 
mattsnake said:
3 is a good number to have. But so is 10. Im not a multi-specie keeper (except for 1 garter) so I would suggest you find a specie you like and just collect those. Its also good to have one specie if you want to try your luck at breeding at some point.
Click to expand...

I am totally the opposite of you ;) no intentions to breed. Like ever.
I have bred fish before as a hobby with my father (yes, probably quite different) and the amount of time and work needed was incredible. Overall with trying to sell and having pet stores involved, Not my cup of tea!
 
HVani said:
When I was shopping for my first non corn I took a stroll through Fauna classifieds. If I saw something that looked pretty neat a quick google search let me know if it was a pet that would work for me or not. That's how I found out about black milksnakes. I was going to get a mexican black kingsnake but found the black milksnakes more appealing.

I still go to fauna classifieds on a regular basis to look at all the amazing snakes (especially the ball python morphs).
Click to expand...

I'll have a look, thank you for the advice. :)
 
nancyg said:
You may laugh at me.. but what about a garter or two? They can be a very personable snake, do not get big, inexpensive, and many are easy keepers -they are even communal. I was given a Red Sided (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) recently and have been learning a lot about them.. Mine is eating chunks of Tilapia (frozen fillets from the store) bits of earthworm, and I cut pieces of tail or limbs from my frozen mice/rats. No warming up needed.

If you go reading on Thamnophis.com you'll find stories of how these little guys have brought many over to the wiggly scaled side of the force (grin) Perhaps one for your partner??? (echoey voice of 'Join us, join us')

The cage size should be fine, these guys are active.
Click to expand...

I second a pair of Garters. One of the far and few diurnal species which makes them rather entertaining. Being diurnal, they've evolved to hunt more with vision than other senses, making them very active and curious little things. They're also one of the only species that are actually social. Not only do they not mind cohabbing, but they will usually enjoy it more and thrive better (other precautions of cohabbing should still be taken like same sex, enough space, and a quick separation if one or more come down with anything).

Also, there are a lot of really cool variations in color and pattern. If you have a spot of money you should definitely look at the neon blue californian red sided. They almost look fake.

All that being said, there are some cons. Garters tend to be quick to musk and have some of the most notoriously foul musk of almost all snakes. The only other thing of note is, depending on region and personality, they can be rather difficult feeders. If you happen upon any that have already taken to mice then yay. If not, be prepared to start caring about snake nutrition. Like nancyg pointed out with her's diet of tilapia, earthworm, and small bits of mouse/rat.

If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of Garters. Probably my second favorite species of pet snake ever.
 
Nythain said:
I second a pair of Garters. One of the far and few diurnal species which makes them rather entertaining. Being diurnal, they've evolved to hunt more with vision than other senses, making them very active and curious little things. They're also one of the only species that are actually social. Not only do they not mind cohabbing, but they will usually enjoy it more and thrive better (other precautions of cohabbing should still be taken like same sex, enough space, and a quick separation if one or more come down with anything).

Also, there are a lot of really cool variations in color and pattern. If you have a spot of money you should definitely look at the neon blue californian red sided. They almost look fake.

All that being said, there are some cons. Garters tend to be quick to musk and have some of the most notoriously foul musk of almost all snakes. The only other thing of note is, depending on region and personality, they can be rather difficult feeders. If you happen upon any that have already taken to mice then yay. If not, be prepared to start caring about snake nutrition. Like nancyg pointed out with her's diet of tilapia, earthworm, and small bits of mouse/rat.

If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of Garters. Probably my second favorite species of pet snake ever.
Click to expand...


Very cool, thanks for sharing!
That neon blue california red sided garter has got me rethinking things... now, if only someone had them to sell in Canada!
I DEFINITELY know about the musking. Definitely. All a part of my childhood ;)
I don't know of I'd get two, but if I could find just one I'd be so into it.
 
Although you should probably still look into him, to my knowledge, that guy is one of the biggest names in garters and has a very solid rep. He would be my choice to buy from if I ever pull the trigger and get a neon red sided garter.
 
Id say the western hognose would be pretty cool. A male could stay in the 15 gal for life. A female probably will need a 20 gal.
 
Don't forget to check people out on BOI.

And you'd love my living room! I have racks for 40, and three 10 gallons, and two 2 x 2 x 1 custom vivs. And a 4 x 2 Showcase Cages cage for my uro.
 
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