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972 views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  JAM3S 
#1 ·
I am looking at getting another species of snake, and would like peoples suggestions, i'm thinking king snake at the moment, but i am not sure, i would just like to know what other snake species people would suggest. The only thing is that it needs to have a top size of 6 or 7ft, no big pythons or boas.
Thanks
 
#3 ·
Yes it depends what you want from it.

Kings can be biters, and will try and eat anything is site.

If you want a samll snake then best go for corns, milks,kings or royals and they are all within the 6 -7 ft range (usually)

What do you have atm 'coz if you got corns then kings are not a good idea unless they are seperated ( by another room)
 
#4 · (Edited)
i kept kingsnakes a cornsnakes in the same room without problems..both speices fed well and were healthy...and kings don't usually bite at all...same could be said about corns,royals and every snake on the planet

some north american ratsnakes stay to 6-7ft like bairds,texas and such
african housesnakes
most kings stay to 6-7ft anyway
trinkets,radiated and dionbes stay quite small too
spotted/childrens pythons
sand or rosy boas
 
#5 ·
if one does their homework, they can keep anything they want. it's just personal preference. i say, just find what kind of snakes you really like and study their requirments and just get one. there's just so many great choices.
 
#8 ·
my king has never bitten me, struck for me or anything in that nature. The only time they will bite you is when they're aggitated or can smell mice on your fingers. There is a wide variety of kings you can get like floridas, california, loads.
Also there is rat snakes
brazilian rainbow boa
 
#9 ·
Yes they do!




This was my sons 1st encounter with a snake - didnt put him off well only off kings lol! It took about 20 mins to actually get the thing off him no matter what the shop owner tried. And there are various other kings in the shop that have bitten people.

Most reptile shops will tell you that kinds are notorious for biting and trying to eat anything in site!
I have read in books that corns and kings should be seperated
 
#12 · (Edited)
Kings are known for biting, mine does it soon as I go near him. He has bit me, my OH, my phone, and he even went for a bacon sandwich. :lol2: Thats why he is named Issues.





I would go for either a brb, a crb or a childrens python.
 
#13 ·
I have read in books that corns and kings should be seperated
I suggest you invest in some more accurate reading material! Kings must be housed individially as they can be cannibalistic, but there is no reason why kings cannot be housed in the same room as any other species of snake.

NBLADE: A snakes under 6/7 foot includes pretty much every commonly available colubrid and plenty of boids too, so it would be helpful if you copuld narrow it down a little.

I assume since you have only kept corns you want something fairly placid, but a little more of a challenge? A kingsnake such as a cali, mexi black or florida would be ideal in that case.

You may also like gopher snakes as they are quite similar to corns in terms of care and temperament but are more unusual.

I would suggest you have a look through the picture section of the forum and see what sort of snakes take your fancy. Once you have decided on a few you can ask more specific quations to decide which is the right one for you.

Best of luck in your search!
 
#15 · (Edited)
I suggest you invest in some more accurate reading material! Kings must be housed individially as they can be cannibalistic, but there is no reason why kings cannot be housed in the same room as any other species of snake.
agree entirely...thanks Pendlehog :D
i am sorry to see your first encounter with kingswasn't a good one Lizardlover but its dependant on the individual snake rather than tarring a speices on whole..ive been bitten by cornsnakes and royal pythons including one that very nearly needed hospital attention from a friends large adult male royal as the sheer force almost broke my fingers but don't think they are any less a great snake to keep than the rest...i have always found kingsnakes very easy to work around if given time to settle and space and many snakes are natural predators of other snakes in the wild too as a oppurtunist feeder...does that mean we have to shift through every single one to find suitable roommates as even two cornsnakes can be potential predators to each other.
 
#14 ·
One thing you need to think about is that king snakes are natural predators of corns and corns have been known to get jumpy when they are kept in close proximity ( before anyone comes up with the inevitable 'My corn and king love each other and read bedtime stories together' ... I don't mean ALL, I mean some ;) ) ... I do know of a corn snake that got very aggressive when his owner bought a king snake and calmed down immediately when they were moved to separate rooms...

Just something to be aware of ;)

Steve
 
#16 · (Edited)
if its a king snake you want then i would get a king :smile: sometimes a rumour starts based on one particular snake and ppl start generalising. Kings are NOT more aggresive or bitey in general than corn snakes!..lets clear that one up. King snakes have a great feeding response but thats not aggression and in my opinion it makes them more entertaining to watch feeding.
 
#18 ·
I've kept, corns, milks, royals and dumeril boas, so i don't mind 'harder' snakes, what do people think of hognoses, temperament, good / bad feeders etc. As i do like the look of them and what type is the least (generally) aggressive, and smallest. Also i have held and looked after a speckled king snake and i liked him, again has anyone got experiance with these.
Thanks
 
#21 ·
My son and I have 4 king snakes between us, 2 calis, 1 Mexican black and 1 Grey banded and they are no problem but I know kings can be funny with certain people. Apparently some people give off a certain chemical which upsets kings. A friend of ours has this problem and will not handle a king at all.
 
#25 ·
hoggies are great. you could get a western hognose they are very cool little snakes, full of attitude but dont normaly strike with their mouth open. you said you didnt want anything too small though and an adult female would only be around the 3ft mark.
 
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