What would be a good intermediate snake?

[Experiment397]

ok so i have a kingsnake and a checkered garter snake(supposed to be kingsnake food but i could bring myself to feed him to another snake, so hes now a pet) and the blueprints for a 6x3x4' enclosure. i was originally going to try breeding lizards in it, but realized that there isnt much profit to be made, and its a lot of trouble and time. so that plan is history. after doing some talking and thinking i now believe that it would much more practicle to go on with my obsession, snakes. I would like to find a species that is more advanced but doesn't have crazy dietary or habitat needs, or is way expensive or hard to find. But at the same time is a snake that petsmart or petco doesnt carry and when i go do reptile presentations the kids all oohh and awww over it, so it has to be cool, pretty, and slightly big. Ive done some research and now would like some more suggestions and advice on what to go with.
mandarin rat snake
beauty snake
white sided bull snake
baja gopher snake
chinese king rat snake
false water cobra
madagascan giant hognose
black or andean milksnake
i now just need some more suggestions or advice on what species would be the best(snakeguy i think you could probably help me out with suggestions). My ultimate dream species are cribos, mussuranas, cat eyed snakes, barons racers, and tiger rat snakes. I dont think im ready for a boid yet, and so i want to stick to colubrids and other types for a while. so what do you think? thnx guys

 

[A. gigas]

Half Dwarf Burmese Python? they're great snakes, they have the smaller size of the dwarfs but without the attitude.

 

[Wiggles92]

I'm a fan of the false water cobras but don't forget that they're mildly venomous.

Half Dwarf Burmese Python? they're great snakes, they have the smaller size of the dwarfs but without the attitude.

x2.

They can be a little more expensive than some of the other snakes you listed, but they have a great temperament.

 

[Experiment397]

and where does one find a half dwarf burm? are they a different species than a normal burm, or are they like a dwarf retic, just a locality morph? i looked into dwarf retics, but dont want to deal with the retic attitude, and how big do they get? i was at the lrs today, and talked with the guy there. he suggested either the fwc or beauty snake. he also said that that tank would be perfect for a cuban rock iguana. any thoughts?

 

[Wiggles92]

and where does one find a half dwarf burm? are they a different species than a normal burm, or are they like a dwarf retic, just a locality morph? i looked into dwarf retics, but dont want to deal with the retic attitude, and how big do they get?

Order it from Tom Reagan; I'm pretty sure he's the one who bred A. gigas' half-dwarf.

They're a cross between the standard Burmese python subspecies and the one dwarf subspecies; they've got the best of both subspecies: gentle temperament if handled frequently (standard) and small size (dwarf). You're looking at around ~5' long for a male and ~9' long for a female rather than ~10-12' for a standard Burmese python.

I have a pair of standard Burmese pythons and am very pleased with their temperament and ease of care. They switched to F/T food the first try, too, so live food shouldn't be a concern.

i was at the lrs today, and talked with the guy there. he suggested either the fwc or beauty snake. he also said that that tank would be perfect for a cuban rock iguana. any thoughts?

Out of those three reptiles, I'd do the FWC because of their cost, temperament, and overall appearance.

 

[Experiment397]

ok. i am a little skeptical about the fwc. i do reptile presentations for elementary school kids, and i dont think i would be allowed to bring in a venomous snake... that and i dont know about having one at all. can you handle them still or are they more of a display instead of a interactive species? I really like the look of thoose dwarf burms, they sound cool. id love to hear more about yours A.gigas. I think that right now im in between the dwarf burm, fwc, beauty snake or rock ig. I wasnt planning on a lizard but the guy at the store pointed some cool stuff out to me, it would be pretty tight to have a giant lizard on a leash while doing a reptile presentation... haha

 

[A. gigas]

Mine is about a year and a half old, and about five feet long. (Produced by Tom Reagan, as mentioned. Great guy, if you decide on a half dwarf he's the guy to go to.) Now, I have a friend with a normal burm about the same age..


..Huge difference, LOL. The biggest half dwarf I know of is a F1 female, she is a little over 9'. The F2s actually seem to stay smaller than the F1s, they tend to hold out more around 7' or so for females.
They have many advantages over the full sized burms, one obviously being their smaller size. There are other things too though, one being their resistance to things such as respiratory infections, which normal burms are more prone to. Mine had a problem with his heating once and had to go about three days with no heat, as the store was closed. No RI problems at all.
They also have a slimmer build compared to the normal ones, they aren't as thick. They really are just great animals all around. Here are some adults owned by a friend of mine.

 

[Experiment397]

they look like the perfect size. how about feeding? i dont want to have to feed anything bigger than a med rat. anyone got any comments on the rock ig? they look pretty cool too. i dont want the space to go to waste, i think that would be pointless. like putting a goldfish in a 210 gallon. haha. does this tom guy have a website? thnx

 

[A. gigas]

They aren't picky, that's for certain. They'll eat pretty much anything you give them, as long as it smells like potential food. They will need larger than medium rats though, (Unless you plan to feed them ten at a time...) as adults they'll need XL rats or small rabbits. If you look in the right places, they aren't as expensive as you would think. Mine is currently eating medium or large rats.

 

[Experiment397]

ok jumbo rats work. no rabbits, too cute. haha. what is their setup like? are they like a burm for care and setup? thnx for all the advice man it really helps. i think i will start looking further into the dwarf burm, fwc, or rock ig. i think they all would be cool for presentations. so no one has anything to say about the bull snake or rat snakes? i was hoping to get some input about them. A.gigas do you have any more pix of the burms in an album or something so i could get some ideas on their setup and stuff, that would be helpfull.