snake for a 10 gal. eats crickets

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Posted by hotshot on May 12, 2003 at 12:48:41:

In Reply to: snake for a 10 gal. eats crickets posted by -ryan- on May 11, 2003 at 18:42:03:

As a beginner, I would say your best bet would be a corn, a california king, or a black or gray rat snake. Just my opinion. (Im partial to the colubrids! LOL) They all are very easy to maintain as long as you have the enclosure set up correctly.

The corn and gray rat snake averages 4ft at adult hood. The california king should get 3.5 ft, and the black rat can attain lengths of 6 or 7 ft. (The record is 108"!!) As with all living things though, the sizes do vary, so you can get a corn or king that gets bigger or is smaller than the average size. They can be housed easily in a 10 gal enclosure as a baby/juvenile. After they get up to 24-30" they should be moved into a 20 gal long enclosure and will be fine for the remainder of their life.

There are many different color varieties of the corn, and even the cali king and black rat come in different colors and morphs. The nicest looking gray rat in my opinion is the white oak phase. Very pretty snake.

As far as the mice are concerned, I just went to the reptile expo held monthly here in KY and picked up about 125 mice for $45. (frozen) Thats way cheaper than you could ever find them at a petstore. This will last me for a couple of months. (I only have 5 snakes)
I thaw out my mice by placing them into a ziploc bag and putting them into a bowl of hot tap water. Not boiling hot, just hot from the faucet. I leave them in the water for 15 or 20 min changing out the water a couple of times. Once the mice are thawed out and warm to the touch, I feed them to my snakes. Pretty easy, pull the mouse out of the bag and drop it into the feeding container, pitch the old ziploc into the trash and wash my hands.

I would suggest that before you buy a snake, decide what you want, get yourself a book and read up on it. Get yourself educated on the requirements to maintain your snake. Once you have done some reading and research, get the cage all set up before you purchase the animal. Then go and get the one you want and enjoy!!! But be careful, this hobby is VERY addictive, and you cant say we didnt warn you!!! LOL
Good luck and happy herping
Brian

:I would go with a baby cornsnake or kingsnake. I want one really badly, but my parents won't let me get one (I had a kingsnake once, but I was way too young. I have a post about it on the kingsnake forum). I am going to try to convince them, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet.

:Anyways, a baby cornsnake or kingsnake can live in a 10 gallon tank until they are about 30" long, and if you get a young one, that can take about 2 years or so, I' can't really remember, but I know my kingsnake took about 3 years to even get anywhere near 36".
After that you should get them at the very least a 20 gallon long aquarium (usually about $30, the size is 30" long, 12" wide, and 12" tall). A 30 gallon is better though. They are usually about $50, and they are 36" long, 12" wide, and 16" tall). They will start on pinkies, which are the little baby pink mice that look almost like fingers. These can be purchased frozen from most petshops for fairly cheap. You can also get them on the internet from, I think www.lllreptile.com or www.reptilehavenonline.com or both, for only $40 for 50. That will last a while, maybe all the way up until the snake starts feeding on fuzzies. These are just a couple of cents more expensive for each. After that it's up to hoppers, and so on. Just do some good research.

:I am itching to get a little guy to fill my extra ten gallon tank. I just need to try to convince my parents.

:later

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:::Tough specifications...10 gallon tanks are rather small and can only hold a very limited number or snakes. The fact that you want it to eat insects limits that number further. Brown and earth snakes can make okay captives, although with my experience with them keeping them for pets and feeders, I can only say that most do not fair as well as hoped. Water snakes (Nerodia) and Garter and Ribbon snakes (Thamnophis), though requiring larger tanks, can be rewarding captives that live largely on fish with maybe the occasional FROZEN mouse, so you don't have to see anything get killed or eaten alive.

:::If you can get a more arboreal cage, maybe a 20 high or so, then a rough green or smooth green that someone already has feeding and is well adjusted might make a good choice. I don't think they are the best beginner snakes though.

:::Overall, the BEST snakes eat mice, such as corns, kings, and rosey boas. Are you against feeding prekilled mice? You can buy frozen mice in wholesale lots for good prices and it saves you the hassle of killing/incapacitating and/or watching the snake kill and eat a "baby mouse." Next to that though, I would say garter and ribbon snakes make rather rewarding captives. They may bite, but the bites are SERIOUSLY less painful than any shot you will EVER receive. I had blood work 2 weeks ago and all I could think about was how much more this hurt than getting bit by just about any snake I have come into contact with. Also you need to realize that ALL snakes can bite, although many are docile or become docile. Also remember that snakes are individuals, and if you want one that does not bite, make sure the person selling it has had a good experience tempermant-wise with it. Good luck. Andy

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::O.K. I can deal with frozen ones. Are they expensive? You have to thaw them out right? What snakes can I get now that I have the option of feeding him/her mice.
::THANXS
::~*~elcheal~*~

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Ooops, that should have been 75 instead of 125 mice!! N/T hotshot 05/12/03 (0)