Sorry for the broad category, I couldn’t find a “snakes” only selection.
I’ve been on the hunt for a new snake to get, but the amount of options has been a little overwhelming (I only have experience with corn snakes) so I was hoping some of the more experienced breeders around here could help find the perfect fit or at least a good idea of what to check.
The run down:
A few years back my office had a snake that was the company pet, but she sadly out grew her tank and had to come home with me. Recently I’ve had a few coworkers ask me about her and the possibility of getting another.
The restrictions:
20gal tank is the max I can fit on the desk so preferably a small snake that’ll stay small
Low stress? I’m not sure how possible that is, but they will be in an office environment with people around. I wouldn’t want to get a more seclusive species that’ll be on edge 24/7.
Not a corn snake. I won’t say no if that’s the best choice, but I was also kinda hoping this could be a good opportunity to dip my toes into something new
I’ll be honest with you - there are few snake species that can live in a 20 gallon their whole life. Babies will be fine in a 20 but the majority of snakes will need to be upgraded from there, so if you’re limited to a 20gal permanently, I might suggest going with a gecko species instead of a snake.
That said, these are a couple of snakes that might be fine in a 20 gallon for their whole lives:
DeKay’s brown snake (hard to get captive bred in my experience)
A male western hognose snake. Very important you get a male, as a female will absolutely outgrow a 20gal.
If you’re just looking for a juvenile and will upgrade once the snake gets bigger, you have a few more options. Rosy boas, smaller rat snake species, smaller pythons (children’s pythons for instance).
If you decide to go for a gecko species instead, a 20gal could be converted to an arboreal tank for a crested gecko or you could look into chameleon geckos, which only get up to about 10-12g and would be perfectly comfortable in a 20.
Your best bet is a male Hognose or even a male Rosy boa. Both have a tendency to burrow during the daylight hours though.
Another option might be an American toad. Your 20 gallon long would be fine for one of these. These toads are really cool and do not need extra heat or lighting. They would not be bothered by office activity including people. They are inexpensive but you would be wise to find a CBB and not a WC. I know a toad is a far cry from a snake but your options are few/limited……
Possibly a male black african house snakes (boaedon fuliginosus/boaedon unicolor) – Black house snakes are a species that stay smaller than the other boaedon species, and males stay smaller than females. But a 20gal is a tall ask for any full-grown snake, so if your housie grew up to be on the big side of normal range, 20gal might be too tight.
For whatever species you get, I would highly recommend going to a breeder and asking specifically after their animals with an exceptionally calm, curious temperament. An office is liable to be a bit stressful to any herp, so personality of the individual will matter as much as species in tolerating that stress.
I appreciate all the advice and I think the best decision moving forward is to try and find a way to fit a bigger tank. I was kinda hoping the 20gal wouldn’t be that big of a bottleneck, but clearly it is and if I have to find good temperament as well I feel my options could be very limited. I had looked at male Hognoses and rosy boas, but something that crossed my mind last night was “what if he keeps growing?”. Better to have room to spare then play right on the edge.
Also, while I do appreciate the others suggestions like an American toad or a crested gecko, I’m just not into those kinda critters anymore. Sorry if that comes off as dismissive, but after 23yrs with my last gecko I think I’m good XD
I started similar to how you are thinking. I currently have a Honduran milksnake in my office. I am a Biologist and the office workers are cool, but she will be going home in a couple of months. I now use my office as my quarantine facility.
I have western Hognose at home and about half of the males top out at about 100-150 grams and never get much bigger, but about one in ten get double that size eventually.
I have two Rosy males (If you live in California it should be required they do so well here) they will get bigger than I would keep in that size enclosure in my office. I kept a young one but it bit a co-worker so I took it home.
I also think Sand Boas, Tricolor Hognose (male) Asian Ratsnakes and some other colubrids would fit well.
If you can control either the humidity or temperature it opens up some great choices.
I will be interested to see where you land
In that case I would really recommend a male boaedon capensis/brown african house snake! (Not always actually brown, that’s just the common name for the species.) They usually stay pretty small, they tend to be robust health-wise, and they have a reputation for being fearless and outgoing for their size.
The only box they don’t perfectly check for what you’re looking for is that they do tend to chill out in their hides during the day, but in my experience, my little man sticks his head out and watches whatever I’m up to if I’m next to his tank during the day. They’re very curious little snakes, and they take well to handling.
Started doing some research today on these guys. Looks pretty cool. Shyness is not an issue at all. My corn snake would do the same thing (hide and peek all day) and that was just fine. Honestly I think just the idea of a snake being in the cage is good enough so no need to perform, but hey if you know of a snake that can juggle or something let me know
Trinket snakes would be a fantastic option. Females max out around 4ft and males are often closer to 2-3. Super calm and docile, great eaters, easy husbandry. Myself and Stygian Exotics are the only people I know of working with them in the US.
Welp, just got back from talking with management and HR and they both said no. I guess last time was special circumstances since it was a rescue type situation, but I digress. Again, I thank everyone for their suggestions and help even though it didn’t work out.
Heck, maybe this could help someone else out thats looking for a small snake
