Hey there, im pretty new to this forum and as of now im keeping a single female western hognose that is around 5 years old and has spent 2 of them with me. Im currently looking for a species that I could potentially see as a 2nd pet reptile for me, but havnt really found any that fit my preferences, which is why I thought that I might just ask you guys for some recommendations. My preferences are a lizard or a snake that dont need an enclosure bigger than 6,5´, are active during the day, visible for most of the time and active in general. I dont really care if its a lizard or a snake because I love them all, but for snakes I would prefer something bigger than 3 foot and for lizards something bigger than 6 inches. Id also like to interact with the animal so it shouldnt get too stressed with handeling. Another point for me would be the monthly cost of food for the animal as im still a teenager and dont have more than 30 bucks per month available, this however doesnt apply to the cost of the enclosure becuase my parents are willing to help me out with that one. The animal also has to apply to my moms beauty standards, which is also why I cant get something like a dumerils boa ( she thinks theyre ugly because she percieves them as fat). I really hope that you guys can give me some recommendations and id be very thankfull for every reply.
Btw sorry if my english isnt too good , im from germany and currently learning the language
Corn snakes come in some beautiful colors (fulfilling mom’s request), are very handlable, are reliable feeders most of the time (consider getting a yearling or older to help with this, I’ve heard).
Rat snakes (which corn snakes are, technically) have a wide variety of really pretty species, and many are known for their climbing ability and their personalities.
For both, generally care is considered fairly beginner friendly (save for a few rat snake species), and if you like the look of some pet quality wild types, you might get a beautiful snake for an affordable price!
I already considered cornsnakes an garters but I heard that cornsnakes are rather nocturnal which makes me wonder if i‘d even get to see them during the day and I also heard that garters can be quite squirmy when handled and tend to explore when put down. I think a more relaxed snake just to chill with would be fun, like letting it climb on me while watching a movie. I also like the idea of having the snake roam around my room which i think would be hard to do with a colubrid of that size, especially something as small as a garter. Thanks for your reply tho
Corns are my favorite snakes, but my Florida Kings are awesome, and much more diurnal and active than most of my corns. Big, and nice to handle. A little nutty at mealtime.
Rhino rat snakes are calm and easy to handle, they’re diurnal so they’re out all the time, and they’re curious and inquisitive. I’d take a look at those. They also cohabitate well so you could even have a couple in there.
I actually adore these guys but id still like to collect some more possible snakes before deciding on one. You stated that they could be cohabitated but I read that this isnt really recommended with any snake. Is it different with these guys?
The problem with blanket statements like that is that they’re always wrong. Some species actually do better when cohabitated. Rattlesnakes, for example, are quite social. So are garter snakes, Madagascar hogs, And many others. When it comes to Pythons and larger boa constrictors I don’t recommend cohabitation with most of those species. With many colubrids it’s also not a good idea as they may eat each other.
I actually already considered all of the species you recommended but theres a problem with almost every single one. My mom doesnt like the looks of blue tongue skinks, I cant find a texas rat snake, nor a bullsnak, a black king snake or a pine snake here in germany. I also dont know if food for an ackie might not be a bit too expensive for me and I think that the food requirements for beardies would be annoying to keep up. Thank you very much for the recommendations though.
What about king rat snakes, Russian rat snakes, emerald tree skinks, banana pectinata, false water cobra, rosy boa, spotted python, or a carpet python?
The only species from these that I could put on my list for potential candidates would have to be the Emerald tree skinks, as the others are pretty hard to find here in germany, mom doesnt approve of the rosy boa and its almost impossible to even find something aboutn species like the banana pectinata in the german parts of the internet.
Mandarin rat snakes are really gorgeous. So are bamboo rat snakes. I’ll second the suggestion of a rhino rat, or maybe a Barron’s racer.
Garters usually start out squirmy as babies, but it’s my understanding that most will calm down with proper socialization and can be quite lovely to handle. They’re more active than many snakes and are a lot of fun to watch. And there are many different species, and even a few morphs out there, so there are lots of different colour schemes to choose from, which is always nice.
You might try to prioritize some of your criteria, at least to some degree. For example, is it more important to you to have an animal that is active and fun to watch during the day, or an animal that is chill and easy to handle? I’m not saying it’s impossible to find a species that checks both those boxes, but many of the snake species that come to mind as being very chill and easy to handle are not necessarily going to be the most active and entertaining to watch in their enclosure, especially during the day. And on the flip side, many species that are going to be more active and entertaining to watch in their enclosure might not be the easiest and most laid-back in terms of handling. At least not without putting some work into socializing them and getting them past the squirmy/fearful stage. I guess that’s another important thing to consider: how much time and effort are you willing to put into socializing an animal to get it to a point where it’s easy to handle?
Now that I think about it, I did set my criteria pretty high. But I would prefer something that is active or at least visible most of the time like pristurus carteri or gonyosuma boulengeri over something that is relaxed when handled but rather inactive when in the enclosure, because I would obviously look at the animal more, than I would handle it. Being Diurnal is a must for me though as well as staying between 3,2‘ and 5,7‘ because at some point I will have to go to the uni and the enclosure shouldnt be too big when that happens. Im also willing to spend quite some time to socialise the animal because I have a lot of free time and it took almost two years to get my hognose to the point where she wouldn’t puff up and hiss at me when I try to take her out of her enclosure.
In regards of your suggestions, I‘m gonna add the mandarin rat snake to my list because they really are gorgeus, the rhino rat snake is already on there (it‘s one of the only snakes I got recommended that I actually found a breeder for in germany), but the bamboo rat snake I think really isn’t suited for my room because it can get quite warm during the summer and I favour the rhino rat over the barrons racer because they’re very similar and the rhino looks way funnier in my opinion and also stays a bit smaller.
And of course thanks for your reply, im very grateful for every suggestion I get from more experienced keepers.
Got some more- gray banded kingsnake, Arizona mountain king, California king, Honduran milksnake, ornate uromastyx, Kenyan uromastyx, fire skinks, Cuban night anole, jeweled lacerta, painted agama, female Australian water dragon, twin spot rat snake, ladder rat snake, Everglades rat snake
I think it’s great that you know what you want, and I’m certainly not suggesting that you “settle” for something that doesn’t excite you or fit your lifestyle. But I also think it can be useful to identify which criteria are really important to you, vs. which criteria you might be willing to compromise with a little. After all, we’re dealing with living creatures that don’t always fit perfectly into neat little categories.
I honestly don’t know much about Mandarin rats, aside from the fact that they’re gorgeous, so I can’t offer any practical advice about them. But I think it’s a great species to look into if they appeal to you.
You might also try just browsing through some categories on the MorphMarket marketplace, just to get an idea of what species are available to you in your country. If you find something you like the look of, you can do some research and determine if it would be a good fit for you. As far as snakes go, I think colubrids are probably going to give you the most options that check off the boxes you’re looking for. Seems like most pythons and boas (especially the species most available in the pet trade) are going to be more on the nocturnal/crepuscular and sedentary side. I’m a boa and python person myself, and while I adore the three species I keep (sand boa, blood python, and BI), they’re definitely not the most entertaining or active species when they’re in their enclosures.
So I have been sorta following this thread and I don’t see different types of geckos mentioned. Cresteds are arboreal so the enclosures are tall instead of long which will save space when you go to the university. I have 2 cresties. Both eat Pangea Fig @ Insect. Granted, crested geckos are not considered super glamorous but they change colors when fired up which is interesting. They are come in different morphs/colors. My oldest one hangs out in the open most of the time. Their enclosures can be inexpensive as well. My oldest crestie is in a 10 gallon tank with a conversion kit. Total cost was around 60 bucks. Excluding the decor of course. I will probably upgrade him to a 20 gallon tank as he grows. Conversion kits are available for those as well from I❤️Gecko.com.
The baby is so so friendly already. The older one I have not had very long but he is coming around.
I don’t think you are going to find something that is colorful, doesn’t take up too much space, is inexpensive to feed/maintain and entertainingly moves around in the open all the time. But if you do I would love to see what you come up with! Good luck!
Do you know for a fact that you will be able to bring your reptile(s) with you to university? In the United States most college dormitories don’t allow pets and many apartments don’t allow exotics. I don’t know if you’d be staying at home or away. Definitely something to consider before you get any more pets.
Good luck!