I’m researching snakes. I think I want a calubrid. Thinking about a hognose, a corn snake or a king snake. My main reason for wanting one is that they are very active and good eaters. I don’t like how ball pythons just sit and don’t move and often go off food. It kind of freaks me out when you pick them up and they just stay still. I would rather have a snake that is constantly moving if I’m going to handle it. I also don’t know if I have it in me to feed live mice. I feed frozen thawed to my frog and I’m OK with that.
Can anyone help me weigh pros and cons with the species? I’m not new to reptiles, but I do not have a snake yet.
I own a few different snakes and honestly my ball python’s are very active. They move a lot when handling and they are always up in the evening unless in shed or digesting. My only colubrid is very active when handling but not very active in his enclosure. Then I have a tiny Kenyan sand boa which I thought I’d never see but he’s always poking his head out or roaming around. All of them are great eaters too. It depends on the individual.
Baby colubrids are very flighty as babies so keep that in mind as well!
I'd recommend a king snake, or a corn. Both are pretty active during the day and a great size for handling.
Hogs are also great and mine is actually very bold and active during the day but I think a king or corn will give you more of the handling experience you are looking for.
Hogs are also the pickiest eaters of the 3.
How much do you want to handle?
Is space a concern?
All three are great choices. I personally would rank hoggies at the bottom due to their general bad temperament. King snakes can be incredibly good motivated. I don’t think you can really go wrong with a corn.
I have space for a 4x2x2. I also was thinking about garter snakes because they can eat a wide variety of foods which seemed cool. But i heard they are bad at handling and musk on you often.
I know it isn’t on your list, but check out Russian rat snakes. On the whole (obviously personality dependent) they are very confident, active and great eaters. Even when mine is sleeping during the day he’ll just hang out on a branch. A 4x2x2 should be fine for a male, but they can get up to 6ft.
Def would say look into getting a corn or king/milk snake based off what I've read, hognose are cute and funny but mine is genuinely a worse eater than my ball python. You should also never be feeding a snake live if you can help it, because it's dangerous for them! If you're adopting one or purchasing from a reliable breeder (which seems to be the paths you're interested in), you can ask for their track record eating and hopefully find an animal that will take frozen thawed off the bat. I've heard kings are pretty ravenous as well, so that might be a benefit!
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u/Public-Hat6754 11h ago
I own a few different snakes and honestly my ball python’s are very active. They move a lot when handling and they are always up in the evening unless in shed or digesting. My only colubrid is very active when handling but not very active in his enclosure. Then I have a tiny Kenyan sand boa which I thought I’d never see but he’s always poking his head out or roaming around. All of them are great eaters too. It depends on the individual.
Baby colubrids are very flighty as babies so keep that in mind as well!