snake in the grass are interesting and unique ducky , but which are the good snake for pet , peculiarly for beginning reptile keepers ? Choosing the correct Hydra for your involvement and experience will help secure that you and your favourite will be happy for years to come . Discover the factor you should turn over when decide which snake mintage you should pick as your next pet .
Best Snakes for Pets
The good favourite snake for beginners are easy to like for , requiring infrequent eating and cleaning . Any of these species would make a adept companion and could be an appropriate pet for a child as long as an grownup supervise the precaution , and the child understand that snake have to wipe out other whole animals .
Some of the best snakes to have as pets are :
How to Choose the Best Snake Pet for You
Making your extract from this list of snake for tyro is n’t as wanton as foot the one you think is the most attractive . There are several element you should consider when pick out the best fit for your lifestyle and household .
1. Corn Snake
The maize snake ( Pantherophis guttatus ) is one of the most pop favourite snake mintage . They are a peachy option for beginners as well as experienced herp keepers . This species makesa keen petbecause they are attractive , have a gentle temperament , and are easy to handle for . They also have few health problem and can live 15 to 20 age .
Corn Snake Pattern and Size
Corn snakes are usable in a mixture of color patterns . A " Carolina " corn serpent with the classical vividness morph is ruby-red - orange with pitch-dark markings . However , these snake in the grass are available in avariety of colors , known as morphs , including white , gray , pinkish , yellow , and other shades of orange . Some types have banding of colouring material , while others will have stripes that guide the length of their body . Corn snakes reach 4 to 6 feet in length as adults .
Habitat and Housing for Corn Snakes
maize Snake are native to theeastern United States . Their range offer from New Jersey to Florida , and Rebecca West to Louisiana . In captivity , a Zea mays snake needsat least a 30 - gallonaquarium . They are lonely creature and should not be housed with other snakes . No extra lighting is want , but they do require a temperature slope with a hot spot of 85 level Fahrenheit at one end . The bottom of the cage can be lined with non - aromatic shavings , newspaper , or a reptile carpeting .
Corn Snake Feeding Requirements
Corn snake eat rodents , from newborn mice to large mice or even rats for adults . The fair game should be chosen to be as wide-eyed as – but no more than – one and a one-half time the width of the snake ’s head . Avoid feast your ophidian live rodents because they sting and can wound your snake . untried corn snakes only want to eat every five to six day , and adult , every seven to 10 days .
2. Kingsnake
The eastern or common kingsnake(Lampropeltis getulus)makes forgood Hydra petbecause they are not hard to care for , have calm temperaments , are inexpensive , and are available in a variety of colors . Their lifespan is about20 years or more .
Kingsnake Pattern and Size
Thecommon kingsnakeis black with a pattern of white chemical chain - corresponding band along its body . Several color morphs and subspecies are usable and different names exist for snake with these color patterns . Their natural range is similar to that of the corn serpent . They reach anywhere from 3 to 6 feet in distance when fully grown .
Habitat and Housing for Kingsnakes
The kingsnakeshould be keptin an natural enclosure appropriate for its size , approximately 15 to 20 gallon . Use aspen shaving , coconut fiber bedding , or reptile barque to describe the cage . Kingsnakes ask a temperature gradient from 78 to 95 degrees and a humidity of 40 to 60 pct . As with corn Snake , individual kingsnakes or several species of snake should not be house together .
Kingsnake Feeding Requirements
In the wild , kingsnakes are eff to eat other snakes , even venomous coinage . In immurement they should be feed black eye . You should feed your Billie Jean King snake aboutonce a week .
3. Gopher Snake
Gopher snakes ( Pituophis catenifer ) make near pets because they can behandled oftentimes . They also do not tend to coil around your arms like many other species . This snake is native to the western United States and division of westerly Canada and Mexico . With right tending , they can live 10 to 15 age .
Gopher Snake Pattern and Size
gopher tortoise snakes can grow to be as recollective as 9 feet , but more commonly only reach 4 foot . Minnesotan snakesare yellow-bellied or tan , with blotches of non-white redness or brown over their back . Their scales appear rougher than those of other snakes , and some multitude will mistake them for rattlesnakes due to their food color .
Habitat and Housing for Gopher Snakes
Since gopher snakes are often larger than corn snake in the grass or kingsnakes , they may need a more spacious enclosure , such as a 30 - Imperial gallon aquarium or larger . The cageshould be linedwith newspaper , newspaper towels , or aspen shavings . No exceptional kindling is required , but a supplementary heat source should be offer to bring on a range from 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit . ground squirrel Hydra also demand a concealment place which can be either a box , or charge plate or careen " cave . "
Gopher Snake Feeding Requirements
Gopher Snake River corrode rodents , and unremarkably need to be fedonce to twice a week , depending on whether they are grow or not .
4. Milk Snake
Milk snakes ( genus Lampropeltis triangulum ) are very exchangeable to kingsnakes ( in fact , they are a specie of kingsnake ) and deal some of their dimension . They are sometimes calledscarlet king snake . They makegood petsfor some of the same reasons as the kingsnake and have the additional welfare of being beautiful snake due to their coloring . Their life-time is approximately 15 to 20 old age .
Milk Snake Pattern and Size
Several subspeciesof milk snake in the grass can be found , all with a pattern of alternating red to brown and snowy to yellow bands , dissever with black . Milk snakes grow to a length of 4 to 5 metrical foot . The most bright colored race of milk Hydra can be well confused with the venomous coral snake .
The phrase " crimson touch Shirley Temple Black , venom lack " can be used to describe the banding on a Milk River snake to separate it from the coral Hydra ’s " red and yellow , pop a fellow . " The harmless milk Snake River has neighboring red and black bands while the coral snake ’s red and yellow bands are beside each other .
Habitat and Housing for Milk Snakes
Baby Milk River snakes can live in an enclosure as lowly as 10 gallons , but grownup milk Snake River will need a home ground that is 20 to 70 gallons . habituate aspen shavings , coco palm roughage bedding , or reptile barque to draw the cage , and use an international heat source to provide a temperature gradient from 78 to 95 degree and a humidity of 40 to 60 percent .
Milk Snake Feeding Requirements
Milk River snake shouldbe fed miceappropriate for their size . Hatchlings will need to eat every five to seven days , and an grownup Milk River snake needs a meal every 10 to 14 days .
5. Rat Snake
Rat snake ( Elaphe obsoleta ) are closely related to corn snake , and share many of the characteristics that make the Indian corn snake in the grass a good darling . A rat snake is a good favorite because it is alive during the daytime hours when you are , has a docile temperament , and is well-heeled and safe to treat . A rat snake in enslavement will live between 10 to 15 years .
Rat Snake Pattern and Size
Rat snakesare foundacross a large area of the eastern and southern United States . They typically reach 3 to 5 feet in duration and can be get in a variety of color patterns . The most common subspecies are uniformly hoar to black , or have a tripping bottom with stripes of chocolate-brown or gray over a yellow or tan body .
Habitat and Housing for Rat Snakes
Depending on the sizing , a rat snake can be keep in a 30- to 40 - gallon marine museum with a substratum of mulch , composition towel , or newspaper . Thecage temperatureshould be kept at 75 to 82 level , with a basking area of 88 to 90 degrees . Rat snakes will hide in a corner or unreal cave if that is provided , and fresh H2O should always be available .
Rat Snake Feeding Requirements
Rat serpent eat on mouse and other rodents . Generally , they can be fed one mouse once a calendar week . adolescent snakes may be give more often to advance truehearted growth .
6. Garter Snake
Garter snakes ( Thamnophis sirtalis ) are great for beginning snake enthusiasts . They are active , well-off to handle , comfortable to tame , and they stay relatively small . They are also inexpensive and easy to maintain . Their life expectancy is about 10 to 15 years in captivity .
Garter Snake Pattern and Size
Wild supporter snakesprefer to live inmoist environmentsnear a pond or other source of water . Several different race of garter snake exist , but in universal , they are small , thin Snake River , reach out 3 to 4 feet in length when full grown . Most types are pattern with black and yellow stripes .
Habitat and Housing for Garter Snakes
Hatchlings should be keep in smaller enclosures , but an adult garter snake mustbe keptin an marine museum of 20 gallons or turgid , depending on the historic period and size of the ophidian . While groundless garter Snake River opt home ground near water , a wrapped ophidian should not be continue in an excessively wet or humid surround . A great urine bowling ball should be provided , orotund enough to set aside the snake to swim in it . The cage can be lined with composition towel , a reptile carpet , aspen sliver , or cypress mulch .
Garter Snake Feeding Requirements
Garter snakes can eat a diverseness of humble target items , let in fish , worms , and small mouse . Feeder guppiesor platy can be placed into the water bowl for your Hydra to feel . If your Hydra will not eat mice , the diet should be wide-ranging to include whole fish , pieces of Pisces fillet , earthworms , and pinky mice percentage . If a garter snake will only eat dirt ball , then you ’ll need to supplement his dieting with Ca . For those snakes that eat Pisces , avoidgoldfishand sealed other species that contain a grievous enzyme called thiaminase .
7. Ball Python
While it may sound exciting to keep a very alien species of snake , many of these are not suitable as pets . One character of snake that can look more exotic , but still makes a in force deary is theball python(Python regius ) . This specie is promiscuous to like for , bide relatively small , and is docile when handled . They survive very prospicient lives with a life of 20 to 30 years or longer .
Ball Python Pattern and Size
Ball pythonsare nativeto west and central Africa . These are heavy bodied snakes and can get to reach 3 to 6 feet in distance . Ball python are mottled in a pattern of short and sour brown to crimson - brown , and their undersides are white .
Habitat and Housing for Ball Pythons
Ball pythons can bekept in an aquariumfrom 20 to 30 gallons in size of it . Ahatchlingcan start out in a 10 - gallon fish tank . The inclosure should be lined with paper towels , a reptile rug , or shredded cypress or fir bark . The temperature need to be kept at 80 to 85 degrees , with a basking surface area of 90 degree . At night , the temperature can decrease to 73 to 75 degrees , with the basking area at 80 degrees .
Ball Python Feeding Requirements
orb pythons can bepicky eaters . These snakes arebinge birdfeeder , consume well for a few hebdomad or months , and then refusing food . They wipe out mouse and rats , and the food can be wide-ranging if the snake is not eating well . check that that the caparison requirements are being foregather , and that the snake is left undisturbed with its solid food . If your ball python still refuses to eat , it may be hurt from stress , come near a shed , or have descend down with a disease .
Snakes Make Great Pets
If you select carefully , you will certainly have a great favorite snake for several year to come . With minimum day - to - day care required , snakes as pet are great choices for people withsmaller spaces , such as an apartment . Snakes are some of the easiest and most interesting pets usable and these starter ophidian are fantabulous choices for the bud herp fancier .
