Question: what is the nice snake for a pet

Michel Dugon answered on 10 Nov 2014:

Good question! The 3 best snakes as pets (in my opinions) are:

– Corn snakes: they come in plenty of colours and grow to about 120cm. They tend to be docile and easy to care for. They are also quite cheap to purchase.

– King snakes: They also come in a variety of stripey colours. They grow to 120 to 150cm. They have a little bit more of attitude than corn snakes, and they might bite when young!

– Ball python: lovely little python that grows to 120cm to 180cm. Lovely colours, Great attitude (they great very tame) but they are known to refuse food when they are small.

Google the names above and see how they look!

What you want in a first pet snake:

– A non-venomous snake (obviously!)
– A snake that doesn’t grow too big ( a burmese or reticulated python can grow to 5 or 6 meters!!)
– A snake that eat easily (some snakes eat only lizards: very difficult to get food lizards in Ireland!)
– A snake that can be tamed after a few weeks (and not a snake that will bite you every time you put your hands in the tank…)

Remember:

– Snakes need heat. You need to provide a heat lamp, and a heat mat. Room temperature is not enough in Ireland, and you snake will die after a few weeks.
– Snakes need enough space to move in their tank. It’s better to have a smaller snake in a big tank than a large snake in a tiny tank!
– Snakes live up to 15 -20 years! It’s a long term commitment.
– Snakes will eat dead mice / rats / rabbits that you buy frozen from the pet store. This can be quite costly after a while (especially for large snakes).

It’s better not to get a boa constrictor, or a Burmese python, even if they are cheap. These guys can grow VERY large and after a couple of years, you will need the help of 1 or 2 people to handle them safely…

I hope that helps!