this april i'm going to a reptile expo and i plan on getting another herp. I'm looking for either a snake or lizard but leaning towards a snake (why i posted here. So i'm looking for suggestions but it can still be a lizard) -I want something that needs low humidity like a desert animal (i can provide any heat temp though) -I want to be feeding frozen thawed mice if its a snake -i want it to have a nice temperment -i don't want it to need over a 50 gallon -it has to have good temperment and be handleable -money is not much of a big deal i wanted a BP but the only problem is the high humidity they requiere i am open to all suggestions and post a link to a caresheet if possible thanks and BTW i know leopard geckos fit all the requierements but i already have three and i am very happy with them but i want to try something new.
Really, with those requirements, just about any corn snake, rat snake, or king snake would work. They're all really great temperment-wise and should all take F/T mice and not require high humidity. California kingsnakes are one of my favorites but Everglades Rats, Bairds (Patch-Nosed) Rats, or Emory's (Great Plains) Rats are great too.
i'll check those out they sound like a good choice i also want to say i'm not new to reptiles and have plenty of experience so any suggestions would be apreciated even if it doesn't fit what i said what size cage do you reccommend for a corn,king/rat and i know alitle about corns but how large do kings and rats get ? i have a spare 20 right now but i can buy bigger what do you suggest for bedding besides paper? (i don't like multch though maybe a type of moss or soil) and one last question which of the three do you prefer?
also how hard is it to keep up the humidity for balls and do you reccomend them over corns? i don't like the humidity part but i keep going back to them also i heard their hard to get to eat is this true?
I've heard Balls can be hard to get to eat, but most people I know that have them say that's not true. I like Ball Pythons but I don't really have a desire to own one so I don't really know a lot about them. As for keeping up humidity, we do pretty well with those ultrsonic humidifiers, some people even attach PVC pipe to them to pipe the mist in. Humidity is also determined by the substrate you use and that of course can depend on your snake. I would keep most corns/rats/kings in at least a 20 gallon. Most don't get very big girth-wise, but they can get pretty long and I like to make sure my snakes have room to stretch out. Their sizes depend on the species. Everglades, Bairds, and Emory's can get anywhere between 3-5 feet in length. That's about an average length for most rats/corns/kings. I personally prefer ratsnakes of the three. Everglades, Bairds, and Emorys are all great snakes. Everglades are a little more interesting 'show' wise because they get a little heftier. The males are actually really heavy for their size, but they have great personalities and are usually really easy to handle. They are naturally a bright orange in color with a yellow-orange belly which is really quite striking compared to many snakes. They also breed yellows and other variations, but I prefer snakes in their natural 'in the wild' colors. As for other types of substrate, I kind of look at what the snake encounters in it's wild habitat and find the most similar substrate I can. Our ratsnakes are in a (what I like to call) dried river bed setup. Their Great Plains rats so that's somewhere you would find them in the wild. We have a sandstone rockwall and the bottom is split into a smooth, non-painted, small river rock pebble and a sandy type substrate (it's actually ground walnut shells and is larger in size than regular sand). You can also use repti-bark, it holds moisture well for humidity but doesn't stay 'wet' so I like to use it a lot. Just stay away from any aromatic woods like cedar. If you're looking into something more exotic and would like a python that wouldn't require as much humidity as a Ball (except when shedding) then a Children's Python or Spotted Python would be great. They're docile, between 3-5 feet in length, and great for handling. But they can be picky eaters when they are hatchlings and they like to climb so even though they can do well in a 20 gallon, they really need a tall cage and climbing branches. Well, I think, now that I've written a book, I've answered your questions! LOL! This is what happens when you ask me what my favorite snake is! Too many choices! lol Hope this helps!
ok thanks i'm going to check out those other pythons or i might get a ball or corn (i can't decide lol) because of the heat it gets really dry in the winter (perfect for leos) what should i use to raise the humidity in the tank?
The ultrasonic humidifier (like I described above), a large dish of water, a substrate that will hold moisture but not stay too wet, and be sure to mist the cage daily. We just got one of those sprayers that have timer so you can set how often it sprays and how long (It's by ZooMed...can't remember the name itself) and it seems to be helping.
what do you mean by an ultrasonic humedifier u mean one of those things that adds humidity to the whole room or something special for herps i have a large waterbowl, getting some substrate that hold humidity and am going to mist the cage and set up a humid hide like for my leos but larger, and cover up some of the screen top so it doesn't let all the moisture out am i going to need one of those humidafiers for a ball? what humidity should i keep them at i kep hearing different things from sites like 40%, 60% ect sorry about all the questions but i'm new to pythons
There's a lot of info on this site (under Caresheets at the top of the page) about Ball Pythons. An ultrasonic humidifer is just a regular room humidifier that produces a fine mist/vapor. You can buy them at any Kmart, Walmart, or other store like that. People sometimes attached PVC pipe to the outlet to channel the mist into the cage. I haven't been able to find any info on humidity for Balls except on Melissa Kaplan's site where it says that they come from hot but not dry areas of habitat. But that doesn't mean you need to keep the entire enclosure humid. Some people go too far and make the enclsoure too wet or damp which is not good for the snake. Everything I've read says that you should have a large water bowl big enough for the snake to soak in when it's time to shed and that should be enough humidity for them period. I would check out anapsid.org (Melissa Kaplan's site) for some more info.
Rosy boa! They stay small maxing out about 3' and they dont get as girthy as Ball Pythons do. They are a desert species snake and are known for being excellent eaters. Humidity levels in the 30-35% range are ideal. Most are docile and take handling very well. They also come in a variety of colors. The most common colors are rust and grey striped or black and grey striped.
thanks for the help i'm gonna go with a bp or corn still not sure but leaning toward the bp i wouldn't really be able to use the humedifier because i have other herps in the room like leos that aren't suppose to have humidity and i'm using a 20 gallon for now until it grow out of it so it won't be too hard to keep humid
I wouldn't worry about the humidifier. You usually use the small one and it wouldn't humidify a closet. That why the mist is piped into the cage. The humidity in the room wouldn't rise.
ok thanks for the help I'm getting a ball python at A reptile expo in manchester NH on april 5th (all new england reptile expo anyone else going?) I'm getting cbb from either NERD or regal reptiles or maybe another breeder i know and trust there going to be healthy and not wild caught Should i get a proven feeder juvie instead of a hatchling since they can be such poor feeders sometimes? And would a moss type tropical substrate be good for them u know the stuff made for tropical reptiles? I'm going to be buying a large amount of mice at the expo what size would be best for a baby? fuzies i'm thinking or hoppers maybe.
I would definitely buy a proven feeder. I've had hatchlings before that were hard to start feeding and if you can avoid that, then do so. But the older the snake, the more expensive they usually are. Moss may hold too much moisture in the cage and cause it to stay wet. I would stick to the reptile bark (the smaller, smoother kind) or aspen shavings. As for feeders, ask the owner what they are feeding the snake and get that. You never want to feed anything bigger than the widest part of the body. Prey that's too big will either be rejected or regurgitated and you don't want to do any more work than necessary. Ask the seller to give you detailed instructions on how they have been feeding and housing the snake so you know as much about it's past as you can.
i'm not too sure but i think NERD doesn't sell there pythons until after their first feed on frozen thawed mice so i think i'll get one from them and their reliable i already know. And i don't like repti bark at all, one of my garters died from injesting it would jungle bedding be good?
NERD is supposed to be very good... Kara is great! I prefer to use Cypress Mulch, cheap, easy to clean, and looks nice.
Kenyan sand boa or western hognose...Small simple low humidity,mice, nice temperment handlable. Just my .02
