i want a snake but my mom really dosent like them an i dont want another corn snake any ideas?

Question

ok heres my question i have a corn snake and i just love it but i want another snake it to be diff. but not super expensive my mom hardley likes my corn snake what can i do to make her like him and what can i do to convince her to let me get another one i kinda want a breed of python but i dont want one that is the size of king kong (so to say) i want a smaller breed so mabye my mom wount mind but im open to any kind of ideas as long as it isnt a corn snake i want some thing new any kind of websites would help to and thanx for reading this

i would also want to know how much it cost the average lifespan wut size tank dose it need and how big the snake gets

Answer 1

Kenyan Sand Boa Care Sheet and Information
Please click here for a printable PDF version.

Common Name: Kenyan Sand Boa, Egyptian Sand Boa, East African Sand Boa

Latin name: Eryx colubrinus

Native to: East Africa; Egypt south to Tanzania; southwest Somalia west to Kenya

Size: Female Kenyan sand bosa are generally larger than males reaching lengths of 26 to 32 inches and weighing up to two pounds. Some females have reached up to 40 inches in length. Males generally only reach 15 inches in length.

Life span: Kenyan sand boas can quite easily live for more than 15 years.

General appearance: Both the Egyptian sand boa (E. c. colubrinus) and the Kenyan sand boa (E. c. loveridgei) are heavy body snakes with small heads, small eyes, and short tails. The belly and is white or cream colored in both subspecies. The Egyptian sand boa (E. c. colubrinus) has a yellow coloration with dark brown splotches. The Kenyan sand boa (E. c. loveridgei) has an orange coloration with dark brown splotches. Various color morphs are also now available including albino and axanthic.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: Adult female Kenyan sand boas can be adequately kept in 20-gallon aquariums while males can be kept in 10-gallon aquariums. Plastic sweater boxes can also be used as well for these species if they are modified to provide adequate ventilation for the boa. Generally females do well with 1½ to 2½ square feet of floor space while males can be kept with only one square foot of floor space.

Temperature: Kenyan sand boas are extremely tolerant of large temperature extremes of 60° to 100° F. They are best kept however at temperatures of 80° to 85° F with a basking temperature of 90° to 95° F. Night temperatures can drop to as low as 75° to 77° F.

Heat/Light: There has been no evidence to suggest that photoperiods affect the keeping of Kenyan sand boas. If a regular photoperiod is provided it is recommended to use fluorescent bulbs in order to minimize the extra heat generated by incandescent bulbs.

When providing heat, do NOT use hot rocks. Hot rocks are notoriously unpredictable and can cause serious burn injuries to your animal. Red basking bulbs or ceramic emitters can be used to generate basking spots. Under the tank heating pads can also be used to help raise the ambient temperature of the enclosure. It is recommended to routinely check the temperatures of the enclosure with thermometers.

Substrate: Kenyan sand boas require three to five inches of substrate that allows them to burrow. Aspen or a sand/soil mix often works best to provide a suitable substrate for the boas to create their own burrows. If using a sand/soil mix a small amount of water added to the mix will help the formation of stable burrows.

Environment: Kenyan sand boas are a burrowing species and do not require any cage furniture to climb or hide boxes. A small humidity chamber can be provided to assist in shedding if needed.

Diet: Kenyan sand boas do well on a diet of rodents. Hatchlings can feed on pinky mice. Large adult females can feed on prey as large as small adult rats. Usually one appropriate sized prey item per week can be fed. During the winter months these sand boas will often stop feeding with no ill effects.

Maintenance: Fresh water should be offered daily. The enclosure should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your Kenyan sand boa or any cage accessories.

Children's Python Care Sheet (Liasis childreni)

Children's Pythons
Basic Facts

Children's Pythons are the second smallest python in the world (second to the Ant Hill Python). Named for naturalist John Children, they are native to Northwestern Australia. Their average adult length is 3 feet. When they are young, Chidren's Pythons are generally reddish-brown with dark brown patches or spots. As they age, these patterns fade resulting in a mostly dark brown to black snake with many older snakes showing no pattern at all. They may be found listed under the name Liasis childreni or Antaresia childreni. In most recent literature, they are grouped within the genus Liasis. Children's Pythons are closely related to and strongly resemble Spotted Pythons, Antaresia maculosa and the Blotched Python, Antaresia stimsoni. In many cases, captive Chidren's Pythons and Spotted Pythons have been misidentified and are sold under the wrong name. This makes it difficult to determine whether or not offspring are pure crosses. In the wild, these pythons are known to eat birds, lizards, and occasionally hang from the mouths of caves in order to catch bats in flight.

Recommended Enclosures


Fig. 1 - The Spotted Python, a close relative of the Children's Python.
Due to their compact size and docile nature, Children's Pythons do not require large enclosures. A single adult python may be housed comfortably in a 10-gal aquarium, but I always encourage a slightly larger cage than necessary to make room for climbing and moving in general. These snakes can climb well and adding a couple of climbing branches to any enclosure is a good idea. Also make sure the snake has room to stretch out within the enclosure. Sedentary snakes, especially those that do not take large enough food items, may be prone to bowel impactions and cloacal infections. This doesn't mean your snake should be moving constantly. This means that the enclosure should be large enough not to impede the movement of the snake. For substrate, I use smooth, non-painted aquarium gravel. You may also use newspaper or reptile bark. Also provide a hiding space large enough for your snake to fit completely under. They use this space for hiding from stressful surroundings and also as a retreat from heat lamps. A water bowl large enough for the entire snake to fit into is also necessary not only as a drinking water source but also to aid shedding and increase humidity. A secure latching or locking cage lid is necessary. I prefer the fitted screened enclosure lids where the wire is plastic-coated.

Lighting and Heating

A heat lamp with a simple 75-watt bulb can be sat on top of the lid (as long as the lid is heat resistant - metal frames are best). It is not necessary to use a broad-spectrum bulb but they can be used in place of an incandescent. If necessary at night, a blue or black reptile 'night' light can be used to supplement heat. The temperature of the enclosure should be between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and about 10 degrees less at night. There are a variety of different cage thermometers available and regulating and monitoring the temperature in any enclosure is a good idea. Children's Pythons come from a fairly humid climate and require a high humidity to shed properly. It is recommended that you mist the enclosure with warm water occasionally in between sheds.

Feeding


Fig. 2 - The Spotted Python.
Due to their size, Children's Pythons take fairly small food items. They tend to grow in length faster than they grow in girth, so it can be hard to determine when and what to feed. A good rule of thumb is to offer no food item that is larger than the largest part of the snake. Items that are too large will cause the snake to regurgitate the food. Hatchlings or juveniles under one foot in length may be fed pink mice (pinkies) or fuzzy mice (young mice whose eyes are not yet open) on a one per week schedule. Many hatchlings can be picky eaters and may refuse to eat at first. If a hatchling refuses a live pinkie, offer it freshly killed. If this is refused, offer frozen/thawed. If this is refused it may be necessary to scent the food item using a live lizard or to expose the tissue and blood of the mouse prior to offering it. Force-feeding should be done only as a last resort. Using force-feeding to start any snake feeding stresses the animal and can cause them to become afraid of food items, resulting in a lifetime of force-feeding. Adult pythons, from 2-3 feet can be fed small to medium sized mice. They may take 2-3 at a time and should feed once every 3-4 weeks. My preference is freshly killed mice, but if you don't like the idea of killing the mice yourself, frozen/thawed works just as well. I do not promote live feeding since many captive snakes do not correlate live animals with food and may kill the mouse but not know to eat it. Others may not kill the prey at all and not eat, and in some of the worst cases I've seen, the mouse has bitten the snake causing sever infection.

both of these snakes one a boa and on a python actually stay smaller than your corn snake also are cheap the sand boa can be purchased for around $40-50.00 and the python $50-90.00 heres a few places you can find them lllreptiles.com, VPIretil.com, and if that dont help go to www.kingsnake.com and youll find something youll like there!!.........good luck!!

Answer 2

While many people have had no problems housing corn snakes together, just as many have had problems, including transmission of illness, cannibalism, and the breeding of too young/small a snake. The stress alone of being housed with another snake, as corn snakes are naturally solitary creatures, is enough to cause problems such as refusal to eat, stunted growth, and regurgitation. Most corn snake experts recommend that each snake be housed separately in an appropriately sized viv. Having a small snake in a large viv with too few hides is enough to stress the snake. Just because the snakes seem to get along fine, the fact that they "snuggle with each other in the hide" only means they are competing for the best place to be.

Answer 3

My wife and kids have at least 7 or 8 snakes. (we have a large garage).. in large cages.. 3 corn, 4 kings. and and a milk snake.. I guess that only makes 7. lol. Corn we've had for 7 years. .Huge. Lay eggs etc.. Wish we could downsize their pet collection. That's not the only collection they have.

Answer 4

Setting aside the fact that I completely agree with your Mom, maybe this is one of those things where you could just let your Mom have her way without an argument (since she is The Boss), and then she might be more willing to compromise on other things. You can't really make someone like snakes if they don't.

Answer 5

If you've already got a corn, check out other color morphs as well, like the creamsicle corns (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=creamsicle+cornsnake&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2)
then check out milksnakes and kingsnakes (lampropeltis alterna is gorgeous http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&safe=off&q=lampropeltis+alterna&btnG=Search
)

As far as pythons go, the ball python (fussy to feed but nice) and blood pythons (pretty, but not very nice) are the only ones of managable size. Burmese get 7 foot in a year. (Can be sweet, but once they smell dinner it doesn't matter who you are.)
Rosy boas (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&gbv=2&safe=off&q=rosy+boa&btnG=Search)
only get a couple feet long and have a great personality.
The thing to do is get your mom hooked with a really pretty, gentle snake.. go for a milk, king, or rosy boa.

Answer 6

childrens python: 3ft 20g tank 20 to 60 bucks kingsnake.com python section

Answer 7

you could try a childrens python,king snake,garter snake or milk snake
http://www.stevespythonpalace.com it is an australian site though
or you could try http://www.aboutsnakes.com it is pretty informative

Answer 8

i dont blame your mom.. the snake can break out of its pen and kill or hurt someone.. so suggestions are.. your probably not getting a snake.. get a NORMAL pet like a cat,dog... hamster but not snakes that justs ridiculous