I'm thinking of taking the plunge into....SNAKES!

[ScatMan]

sand boas burrow a lot and you'll barely see them unless you take em out. and they're not the best handling snakes.

something that wasn't mentioned was the childrens python; you can keep them just like any king or corn and they stay small (4ft is HUGE). they handle great, are inquisitive and eat great too. did i mention they're cheap too!?

they're also a boring brown color, but i like it.

my personal favorite and recommendation would be a western hognose! and they are no more venomous than any other snake or HUMAN! you will get minor itching and swelling from almost anything that punctures your skin. if you doubt this claim; show me an experiment testing hognose "venom" (aka saliva) or a case of envenomation. the rear fangs hogs have are to puncture and deflate frogs/toads that bloat with air to avoid being swallowed, not to deliver venom.

good thing is they never bite either. i've been bitten by dozens of species of snakes that i keep/kept, but never a hognose.

 

[misstish]

Just out of curiosity... Is there not more than one snake that has black and white bands?

How did you come to the conclusion that it is a sand boa?

I like snake but the one snake I would love to own is a gabon viper. Which I am pretty damn sure is not a beginner snake so I will remain snakeless.

I'm just now seeing this, I'm new sorry, but you do realize those snakes can kill you? They are not for beginners, even expert breeders will tell you they do not make the best pets.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

@ScatMan...
I disagree. Mine come out a lot, and even climbs up the tank and hangs off the rim of the tank. And other than needing a bit more dilligent while handling to support the whole snake, they are excellent handling snakes.

 

[Sylvias]

Yeah I would have to disagree as well...about everything you said except the childrens pythons.
Denying that hoggies are mildly venomous is just asinine. As it was alreayd mentioned they are by no means deadly or anything and even an allergic reaction to them would most likely be minor but it is still there and still something to be aware of. Comparing it to a human just.... makes absolutely no sense at all.......

 

[packer43064]

Thanks for the consideration scatman.

Well I'm fine with them being buried alot. This is my first ever snake, I've never once even though of ever owning one. I'm completely fine with it being buried and being taken out once a week or so. I understand I need to socialize with it alot so it understands that I mean no harm and everything, but for me being my first I think this will do great. After this if they make me feel the same when I have kept fish and other animals then I will get another. I really think a sand boa will work for me.


Telling someone who has never kept a snake then mentioning a hognose which has some venom just scares us. I get it, it won't drop you dead in 3 minutes flat like some other snakes but still it would scare anyone who has never been more than an arm's length to a snake at a zoo. I really like how they look though, maybe this will be my next, idk. First let's get the non-venomous down.

 

[packer43064]

I'm just now seeing this, I'm new sorry, but you do realize those snakes can kill you? They are not for beginners, even expert breeders will tell you they do not make the best pets.

He knows. He was just saying it would be nice if he could keep one. As I think it would be nice to keep a otter in my backyard. It's not going to happen, but it would be nice if it was possible. He's a very smart man (woman).

 

[ScatMan]

Yeah I would have to disagree as well...about everything you said except the childrens pythons.
Denying that hoggies are mildly venomous is just asinine. As it was alreayd mentioned they are by no means deadly or anything and even an allergic reaction to them would most likely be minor but it is still there and still something to be aware of. Comparing it to a human just.... makes absolutely no sense at all.......

are humans venomous? neither humans or hognoses have fangs capable of injecting venom. when our saliva is injected under the skin it has the same effect as hognose saliva injected under the skin. the teeth in the back of the mouth of a hognose are enlarged but not deeply grooved or hollow like a needle compared to real venomous snakes. hognoses are at best an unloaded gun with a plugged barrel.

to say a western hognose is even mildly venomous is asinine.

venomous by definition is having an effective means of delivering a toxic glandular secretion. the western hognose has neither of these two requirements. i think this venomous myth comes from other members of the hognose family that do have mildly toxic saliva, like the ones found in madagascar.

and as far as handling the sand boas; i'm not saying they're terrible to handle. in my experience they just squirm and struggle to get away more than a hog, hogs almost seem to enjoy being handled as they explore your hands and body.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

Hognoses do have grooved fangs. But they are too small to pierce human skin without a chewing motion. It's probably similar to a mosquito bite.

 

[ScatMan]

Hognoses do have grooved fangs. But they are too small to pierce human skin without a chewing motion. It's probably similar to a mosquito bite.

westerns have only ever so slightly grooved fangs, it's almost unnoticeable. that's why i said "deeply", like boomslangs and other truly rear-fanged venomous snakes.

you'll get a worse reaction from garter and water snake bites than you will from a hognose, i've seen it in person. a mosquito bite will be far worse (the reaction anyway) than any western hognose bite.

my point is that there is zero danger from the saliva, not even an allergic reaction was ever reported. if you feel the need to warn people of the "venom" in a hognose, you should also warn people not to let dogs gnaw at their limbs for the same reasons. for some reason people never warn you of the dangers in a dogs mouth.

i wouldn't let the hognose "venom" issue have any bearing on which snake i chose to keep.

 

[packer43064]

westerns have only ever so slightly grooved fangs, it's almost unnoticeable. that's why i said "deeply", like boomslangs and other truly rear-fanged venomous snakes.

you'll get a worse reaction from garter and water snake bites than you will from a hognose, i've seen it in person. a mosquito bite will be far worse (the reaction anyway) than any western hognose bite.

my point is that there is zero danger from the saliva, not even an allergic reaction was ever reported. if you feel the need to warn people of the "venom" in a hognose, you should also warn people not to let dogs gnaw at their limbs for the same reasons. for some reason people never warn you of the dangers in a dogs mouth.

i wouldn't let the hognose "venom" issue have any bearing on which snake i chose to keep.

Nice to have in mind.