The Best Small Snake Pet? My Choice Might Surprise You!

[bronxzoofrank]

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo.
The first wild snake I encountered as a child, on a dead-end street in the Bronx, measured a mere 10 inches long. However, it excited me as much as did the huge anacondas and pythons I visited regularly at the Bronx and Staten Island Zoos, and the American Museum of Natural History. That particular Northern Brown or DeKay’s Snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi) escaped, but you can bet I searched nonstop until I found another! Happily, this adaptable little serpent continues to hang on in the most unlikely habitats…each year I receive several in need of rehab, collected in busy Manhattan neighborhoods. This overlooked snake has much to offer reptile enthusiasts. It can be comfortably-housed in a 10 gallon tank, does not eat rodents, and it’s the young are produced alive, eliminating the hassle of egg-incubation. Brown Snakes are ideal candidates for naturalistic terrariums stocked with live plants, and when kept so they will exhibit a wider range of natural behaviors than can be expected from large snakes – it’s just far easier to provide them with all that they need. As a career herpetologist, I’ve gone on to care for and observe in the wild the same huge snakes that entranced me so long ago…yet I still maintain Brown Snakes, and watch them in my yard at every opportunity. Read the rest of this article here Best Small Snake Pet? Suprise! The Brown Snake | That Reptile Blog
Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank

 

[RUBYsoho]

I was thinking of getting a brown snake based on the fact that they do NOT eat rodents. Thanks for the extra info!!

:main_thumbsup:

 

[bronxzoofrank]

I was thinking of getting a brown snake based on the fact that they do NOT eat rodents. Thanks for the extra info!!

:main_thumbsup:

My pleasure...garters are another good choice; also ringnecks, smooth/keeled greens, but they are a bit harder to provide for. Watersnakes take dead fish.

Let me know if you need anything, best, Frank

 

[RUBYsoho]

Yeah, garters were another option for me. I've never really been big into snakes... As a kid, my stepdad always kept huge ones, but I couldn't bear the sight of the them eating live mice. I was also always afraid they'd escape & strangle me in my sleep, lol! As an adult, I became a fish and lizard aficianado, which pretty much stuck for years. I've gradually become more interested in snakes, so your post really caught my attention. I always like to get the most information possible on an animal before I decide to get one. It really bothers me when people just walk into a pet store on a whim, and purchase a new pet (especially exotic ones). Especially these big chain stores - they generally don't have knowledgeable enough staff. That's precisely why I joined this forum! Never hurts to learn.

Thanks again for the info, and if I have any other questions, I'll be sure to get in touch!

Best,
Rich

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Yeah, garters were another option for me. I've never really been big into snakes... As a kid, my stepdad always kept huge ones, but I couldn't bear the sight of the them eating live mice. I was also always afraid they'd escape & strangle me in my sleep, lol! As an adult, I became a fish and lizard aficianado, which pretty much stuck for years. I've gradually become more interested in snakes, so your post really caught my attention. I always like to get the most information possible on an animal before I decide to get one. It really bothers me when people just walk into a pet store on a whim, and purchase a new pet (especially exotic ones). Especially these big chain stores - they generally don't have knowledgeable enough staff. That's precisely why I joined this forum! Never hurts to learn.

Thanks again for the info, and if I have any other questions, I'll be sure to get in touch!

Best,
Rich

Some large snakes do kill people when they escape...I've been involved in investigations, sadly, so you were not off-base! Live mice never needed, all take dead prey other than a few insect-fish specialists. Please post anytime, enjoy, Frank

 

[B&B Geckos]

Fascinating post as always. Thank you, Frank!

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Fascinating post as always. Thank you, Frank!

Thanks very much!

 

[mcwendle]

This post reminds me of my first pet. A garter snake I found in my yard as a child. I set up a 10 gal glass aquarium with grass and ferns. That snake got me into reptiles. Which led to my first job at the pet store I frequented as a child.
Wonderful post. Thank you.

Sent from my phone glued to my hand

 

[bronxzoofrank]

This post reminds me of my first pet. A garter snake I found in my yard as a child. I set up a 10 gal glass aquarium with grass and ferns. That snake got me into reptiles. Which led to my first job at the pet store I frequented as a child.
Wonderful post. Thank you.

Sent from my phone glued to my hand

Thank you - I've had many similar experiences...and they cannot be overshadowed!