Definitely. You have much more options for displays in enclosures with those species. Especially because boas can just bulldoze their entire enclosure just moving around.
I have found that Milksnakes/Kingsnakes are very handle friendly tho, especially if you work with them everyday.
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I think that would work because I love to handle snake
@thebeardedherper Moving this reply here since it pertaining to @lumpy wanting a rat snake.
Here in Indiana state laws prohibit the sale of native reptiles at shows (Midwest reptile show actually states that on their website) and pet shops, so sadly I wouldnāt be able to get one in person. I donāt know about the laws in other states though. @lumpy would have to check with local reptile shows. The one problem with Eastern rat snakes is that they have a huge range, so they are native over a good portion of the U.S.
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Based on the things you put here, I would suggest looking into one of the smaller carpet pythons like an IJ/ Papuan or a Darwin or a Jungle. They make fantastic display animals, are pretty generalist feeders, they tend to chill during the day but are active in the evening/night. Only caveat would be that I would go with a 40 tall and not a 40 long or 40 breeder
You might also look into something in the Antaresia genus. They are smaller, they eat just about anything (watch your fingers) and generally pretty easy in their upkeep
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Iād suggest a Boa, get a male BI or a Dwarf boa such as Tarahumara or Crawl Cay
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I chose a ball because it was cuter 
i would say corn snake. They donāt get too big and they are really sweet snakes. also, you should consider garter snakes. you can keep more than one in the same terrarium. my first was a wild caught garter snake. really sweet. they are fun to feed, are really fun to see when they are hunting feeder fish.
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Oh jeez I definitely didnāt mean to give the impression that I intended to try housing a baby or juvie BP in a 40 gallon. I donāt know a lot about BPs but I was figuring a 10 or 20 (depending on age and size) to start. I also wouldnāt even consider getting a carnivorous pet if I wasnāt ok with the possibility of having to kill (edit- the food, not the snake) with my own hands or watch my pet do it. Iād just want to do more research regarding the best way to do it first (e.g., should I brain it, stun it, or provide an appropriate matching wine? What goes best with rats- white, red, or rosĆ©? 
)
Just for reference, do BPs do better in stacking cage systems than in tanks? (Just as a generalization.) I have most of my leos in Boaphile Plastics stacking cages, and I really love them (for leopard geckos)! If (and this would be probably years in the future) I ever get more experienced with snakes, I think cages done in that style would be pretty awesome-looking for snakes, but I donāt know if they are actually appropriate for any snake species that Iād ever keep.
Iāve not had difficulties handling ball pythons or common boas before, but Iāve needed help with anything much larger, and that was before I had to retire. Now that my hands are all janky, itās a good point that a fairly strong constrictor could conceivably be too pain-inducing. Iāll have to see if I can handle a few different snakes beforehand as a test-run.
Iām glad you reminded me to think about temperatures as I do my research. Right now my apartment doesnāt have air conditioning, which has been a huge bummer for a lot of reasons in terms of keeping herps. The ambient temperature can easily reach 90 during the hottest days of summer, it is a hellish nightmare. I should be moving sometime soon-ish (pandemic changed any and all plans), so Iāll have to reevaluate at my new locale.
It definitely sounds like BPs are a bad idea for me, especially for the 40 gallon. But so help me, if someone begs me to give their Dreamsicle BP a home, as they can no longer care for it, and they are dying tragically, and itās their last wishā¦ I am totally taking the snake. 
And, by gum, if technology suddenly gets super advanced, and I get awesome cyborg hands, and I can download husbandry info directly to my brain, and I get rich so cost isnāt a consideration- Iām totally getting a blood python. Oh and a hognose. Heck, letās go all in- Iāll definitely be getting a genetically engineered giant, magically non-venomous gaboon viper that is big enough for me to ride on its back and programmed to be inclined to let me do it. 
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She just said she was ok with feeding live? Please read what she said again and be sure you understand it.
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oh no my English levels sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
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