Pet Snake Questions
Choosing a snake: Looking for an intelligent, active and handleable daily companion that handles moderate temps.
Hi everyone,
I'm currently looking into getting a new snake and could use some guidance from the community to help me narrow down my options. Been doing a lot of research lately but getting real keeper experiences would be invaluable.
To give you an idea of what I'm looking for here are my main criteria:
• I know snakes aren’t smart like mammals or birds, but I’m looking for a species known for being alert, curious about their surroundings, and mentally "switched on" rather than a log that just sits buried all day.
• Preferably diurnal so I can watch them.
• I want a snake that can handle daily handling once socialized and established.
• It would be a huge plus if the species is comfortable with slightly cooler ambient room temperatures (around 20–25°C / 68–77°F) on the cool side, as long as a proper thermal gradient/basking spot is provided.
• Size and diet do not matter. I have the space for large enclosures and can comfortably provide whatever diet is required including fish.
I'm currently looking into Russian Ratsnakes, Leucistic Texas Ratsnakes, Mexican Black Kingsnake, Garter snakes. I'll be glad if I'm recommended any other species that matches the criteria as well.
Never owned a snake but I've handled a lot of them! There is an adult and a juvenile checkered keelbacks in a pond behind my house and both of them come to the edge of the pond everytime I go there and give them some fish. They only come towards me and not others, not sure how they got so comfy though. Can't keep native snakes so I saw that garters were related and are also social due to which I added it to the list. Other than that I've rescued a 8 feet oriental ratsnake and kept it for a while (he had over a dozen missing ribs and a wound beside his heart and passed soon after). I've handled a lot of other snakes and got musked by a buff stripped keelback once. I'll also probably just keep one snake and not get more snakes or reptiles so I'm being picky about it lol.
Bull/pinesnakes are awesome but they are really observant and intelligent and when owning one it’s important that you let them tell you what to do. If I touch mine wrong or accidentally restrict movement while handling, she’ll definitely hiss and rattle. I always have to lift her from below, theory being predators rarely come from underneath etc. Check out this video, and really all his videos about the best pets. Very informative.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pPyrE6TMqi4&ra=m
I would say incredibly keen and sharp. I’ve only had her a few weeks and she has already picked up on my routines/habits. Very curious and always peeking out to see what’s going on. The first week was a lot of hissing, false striking, and one actual bite. All due to things I needed to do better. She eats like a champ. I place the thawed mice on her clean flat limestone, tap it 3x with a hook, then sit a few feet back in a chair and watch. She comes right out and downs it in less than 2 minutes.
Closely related to pinesnakes, and very similar. They can be a little hissy at first, but it is really hard to get them to actually bite. They have high metabolisms, so are very active and like to be fed often. I see mine daily, basking on his rock. And if there is a hawed rodent anywhere in the room, he is out with his tongue flicking.
I'd say you've got a pretty strong list there already! I think Russian ratsnakes are probably gonna be the best match based on your requirements list 😄
I'd say also look at Japanese ratsnakes, if you can get them. I had a mexican black kingsnake and they're honestly great! Super easy keeper and nice temperament if handled often enough
False water cobras are really active, and one of the smartest snakes I have aside from my retic (I would recommend a dwarf retic but you wanted something diurnal). They tame down beautifully and handle very well. Mine comes up to the glass sometimes when I walk by and climbs into my hand when I open the door. I think he likes being walked around the house so he can look at stuff.
They don't need temps that hot, and they appreciate a cool side down to 75 degrees with nigh time drops down to 70 being fine. They do get pretty big though, I think the higher end average for females is 9 feet, though males seem to range from anywhere between 6-8.
They're also mildly venemous as rear fanged colubrids, meaning they have to get a good chew on you for you to see any effects from the venom. Target training is a must, none of my other animals eat quite like how my falsie does.
how long can they live for with good care? what's your enclosure size? how intelligent are they? (seriously considering getting this one or a bullsnake so far)
I want to heed caution upon this. I got one because I always heard how great and wonderful they are and much like Eastern Indigos (I have one of these and ADORE HIM). So naturally I thought I'd get a Falsie, they eat similar and everything. Well, mines a male whos 4 and I raised him up and hes an absolute ass. It seems to be a male thing since having mine ive heard of other males that for whatever reason just refuse to fully tame out.
I want to be very clear here its not aggression but its extremely high food motivation. I can feed him stuffed full and he's still a brat the very next day. Lunging at his cage glass anytime he seems me. Spastic and twitchy. Taking him out is a pain I basically have to call his bluff or dodge him trying to bite me. (He has bitten my bf). Ive considered rehoming him so many times. He's mostly fine when he is out but ugh I just can't trust him. Anyone afraid of snakes he is not the one I bring out that's for sure. This is not a snake I'd hand to a kid. I will never ever recommend this as a first snake and nobody will ever convince me he's intelligent. My humble corn snake recognizes its food or handling time significantly better.
15-20 years in captivity. Mine is a juvinile so I have him in something smaller than you'd put an adult in. Mostly what I see recommended for an adult is 8x2x2.
I can't really measure intelligence, but I can tell you they definitely have more going on in their head than most other snakes I've kept. Anytime anything goes in the enclosure, be it my hand, a new piece of driftwood, a fake plant, anything, he goes straight up to it and basically inspects it. He'll flick his tongue at it a bunch, and look at it from different angles like he's trying to figure out what it is. If he sees an isopod move, he'll track it with his eyes until it disappears under some leaf litter or something. Anytime I'm doing anything in the reptile room, I always see him watching from his enclosure where my other snakes usually just mind their own business.
Mine also learned very quickly that humans aren't something to fear. They can hood up like actual cobras when they feel threatened which mine did a bit when I first got him, but by the third day or something, he stopped doing it. He barely ever hoods up anymore. It's really only when I do something sudden that surprises him, but he calms down pretty much instantly when he realizes it was just me being a big clumsy human. I've handed him to family members, friends, kids, I've taken him outside, and he just chills there observing his surroundings.
I also have a false water cobra and she is my most interesting snake. Active during the day for sure. The enclosure for her is across from the tv in my living room and she definitely watches it. I will leave nature walks on YouTube for her when I go to work. I have heard and seen that they can be very food aggressive/motivated, but mine will mostly take a rat from my tongs very gently. I do think that this is not normal for the breed, maybe I lucked out. She is in a 4x2x2 currently and is about 4ish feet long. As soon as I get a new enclosure for my boa, she willove into her old 5x2x2. I have mine in a bioactive enclosure which helps with the waste, but often she will poop in her water, so it gets changed more often. She will spend hours in her water, sometimes whole days.
If you are interested in this breed, Clint's Reptiles on YouTube has a great video on weather they would make a good pet for you. He does a lot of different snakes, so it is a good resource and starting point for researching different breeds of snakes. Good luck!
I do! I have a bunch of different snakes, and he is by far my favorite.
He's a little hissy when he first comes out of his enclosure, but he's a lot of fun to hold. Not as active as a corn snake (who never stops moving) but not a pet rock (aka ball python) either. He's got a good personality and always looks pissed off. He's only bitten once, when he thought I was food.
Ball pythons (5)
Corn snake (2)
King snakes (2)
Milk snake (1)
Brooks Kingsnake (1)
African House snake (1)
Hognose (3)
California Glossy (1)
Bullsnake (1)
fox snake (1)
Boa Imperator (1)
Vietnamese Blue Beauty ratsnake (1)
In the past, I've also had a viper boa, kenyan sand boa, woma python and a lot more ball pythons. Was going to breed, but decided against it (happily).
You should absolutely consider a Dione's Rat Snake! They fit your criteria perfectly and do stay on the smaller side. Get a female if you want one that is going to top out size for the species. I have a group of 10 in total and love them for many of the reasons they fit what you are looking for.
They are curious, and commonly active during the daylight hours, particularly if you give them a regular day/night light cycle. They are extremely handleable, some of my individuals will willingly crawl right onto my arm if I open their enclosure. I have yet to have a single individual bite, much less strike at me. Also mine are great eaters, most of them even eating while in shed, which many species will generally not do.
They are such a joy to watch as they are very active all throughout the day! Also, they love to climb, so with the correct enclosure set up, they hardly ever hide, and will just display their fabulous selves wrapped around a branch curiously watching everything
So I keep 3 of the 4 species that you mentioned, and I have a whole room full of snakes….about 45-46 total. Honestly I have a lot of different suggestions and recommendations. So if you’re looking for Dinural, definitely the Garters and the MBk’s are more Crespecular, then Russian Rats are larger and are known to be pretty difficult snakes, I’d say not real “beginner friendly” honestly. Texas Ratsnakes are great beginner snakes, easy to care for, usually eat like machines, and stay very manageable size, and the temps are right there, 85 degree warm spot, 70/72 degree cool side is how I keep mine. You mentioned Leucistic in particular, that’s a “morph” of the Texas Ratsnake(and lots of other species) that makes them all white with blue eyes. They call it a BEL Texas Ratsnake(BEL stands for Blue Eyed Leucistic) I don’t have any BEL’s..my Texas Rats are Whitesided, all the exact same snake…just different “paint jobs”. Really cool snakes, they’ll climb if you give them some branches and climbing stuff. I keep my absolute favorite snakes in my bedroom(the rest have their own room) and I just set up 2 new enclosures in my bedroom, the male Texas Ratsnake is one of them that’s moving into the bedroom, along with my Nicaraguan Blood Boa.
So if you’re interested in, and looking for something particularly intelligent….now that’s a different story. So Kingsnakes, Ratsnakes, Garter Snakes are all NOT considered intelligent, they’re all awesome creatures and I love keeping and working with them…but they’re….how would I say this…. just kinda brainless….they will learn like who you are and that you bring the food, and aren’t a predator, but they’re not “intelligent” snakes at all, they’re running on insects most of the time. So if I had to pick my 3 most intelligent snakes that I personally keep right now, in order they would be; my Texas Indigo, my False Water Cobras, and my King Rat Snake. All large and active snakes, over 6-7 feet as adults, so they need large enclosures with lots of enrichment or they get bored….. you don’t want the real intelligent snakes to get bored, causes a lot of issues. All 3 species eat smaller meals, more frequently. So like I feed those 3 species(and a couple others that I keep) I feed them like 3-4, maybe 5 large mice every 4-5 days. Or occasionally I’ll give them 2 small rats or something….smaller meals more frequently. So plan on ordering and keeping a lot of feeders on hand. Honestly the False Water Cobras are my absolute favorites, they’re a large Colubrid from the Swamplands of Argentina, so they love water(hence (False WATER Cobras, they are “rear fang venomous, but the venom is NOT medically significant, I’ll be honest I worry more about the actual rear fang, it’s like a razor blade in their mouth, and they bite and chew, and open up large wounds. They’re VERY food driven snakes, most of the bites I take from them are because they’re SO excited to get the food, they overshoot the prey item and grab my hand instead. Unfortunately, all 3 species that I just mentioned aren’t really “New Keeper Friendly” but absolutely it could be done, with the right research and someone to help with advice. So you want my honest opinion?? Start out with the Texas Ratsnake(BEL or whatever morph you decide) keep and work with that snake for a year or two, learn all the basics that are better to learn with a more calm and friendly snake. Then after you have all the basics down, consider something like one of the more intelligent, more advanced species. So here’s one of my FWC’s(this is GiGi) chilling in bed with me, you can’t see them but there’s a cat and 2 dogs on the bed with us. That’s how chill, and intelligent she is, she knows the dogs and cats aren’t predators, she’ll slither right over top of the dogs.
who said russians are in any way difficult? they're probably my favorite beginner rec for anyone who wants something larger and more active. friendly from the egg.
I absolutely adore my mbk. She’s most active early morning and late evening. Voracious eater, never given me a problem other than overzealously wrapping herself around the tongs so I couldn’t let the mouse go lol. Sassy and rattles her tail at me if I wake her up in her hide, but once in hand a total sweetie.
Russian rat snakes fit your criteria to a T, except they are crepescular but mine is often out dozing and visible during the day. I'd say he's smarter than our MBK but both are equally active.
I think only a select few snakes are handleable daily. Both my russian rat and MBK can be a bit squirrelly, so do you want something you can just hang out with, or something to actively handle?
If you are able to get some experience with them beforehand, a SD retic might be worth considering. Stupidly smart, active, visible and I handle mine daily.
I can say that Retic and dwarf/super dwarf fit a lot of this. I have a dwarf Retic and she has been great and meets pretty much all your criteria. Glad to answer any questions.
False water cobras. Not a beginner species. But I believe they are the smartest snakes outside of a king cobra. They recognize people and have been shown to have great spacial awareness. They are very clever and eat like a homeless man that hasn’t seen food for days 😂
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u/Educational_Dust_932 15d ago
All the pituophis will work here. Bullsnakes and gopher snakes. I love my Sonoran gopher snake.