Attempting to figure out what will set one pet apart from another can be tiring. It is even more complicated when considering how a pet will play into your family’s dynamic without feeling too forced. Thankfully, there is a snake that can slither into your lives and make everyone happier.
However, when looking for a pet snake, you must ask yourself: what are the best pet snakes for me? Well, fear now, for we have the answers right below. They are as follows:
- Western hognose snake
- Snakes from the python family
- Corn snakes
- Kingsnakes
- Ball pythons
- Boa constrictor
- Garter snake
All of these snakes will make excellent companions for your household. However, one of the questions you might ask yourself is if you have the space for certain ones.
Make sure to consider all factors before investing in such creatures. Below, you will notice we will discuss many frequently asked questions and go over what each of these snakes is like. For more information, continue reading on.
What Are the Best Pet Snakes?
The best pet snakes are typically the ones that are not too difficult to take care of and don’t have particular needs to be met. Most importantly, they are, to some extent, social enough to be either held or, at the very least, pets. Below, we will review the qualifying factors that will make one snake stand out as the best candidate for your next wiggly companion.
1. Western Hognose Snake
The western hognose is a primarily beige-colored snake with dark brown patterns and a white outline running the length of its body. These snakes typically reach about 3 feet long and have a diet broadly consistent with lizards, mice, frogs, birds, and occasionally other snakes.
While their appearance can appear very close to that of a traditional rattlesnake, they are, in fact, not, with the differences in their appearance growing larger depending on the specific subspecies you decide to go with.
Finally, this species makes an excellent pick for growing families with children because the snake is incredibly unlikely to bite. This snake would much rather play dead to avoid confrontation if feeling overstimulated or threatened.
2. Python Family
Snakes that fall within the Python family’s large umbrella have many pros but some equally painful cons. For instance, some members of the Python family can be so large that they are essentially unmanageable for an average person, especially a typical family. Snakes that fall within this category would be Large Boas, Burmese Pythons, and African rock Pythons.
However, there are some more friendly family members, like ball pythons (bred in captivity, as opposed to being wild). These little fellows can be rather friendly as far as snakes go and have a very relaxed and easygoing temperament, allowing them to become accustomed to social interaction and petting over time. You can expect to own one for about ten years.
3. Corn Snake
Corn snakes are a relatively common pet snake for beginners and veteran snake handlers alike. These slippery creatures can get up to a whopping 6 feet long in adulthood and live up to 12 years with proper care and attention.
In appearance, these snakes are usually brown or an orangish color with red segments that are accented with light black lines separating the alternating patterns, with their bellies usually having a similar pattern but in white and black instead. These snakes are carnivorous, so they must eat live prey, eggs, or mice to sustain themselves.
4. Kingsnakes
Similar to how the python family governs an entire species of snake, so does the name Kingsnake, with the biggest claims to fame being their wide variety of colors and lengths spanning the 26 known species within their genus. Among those are 45 different subspecies littered around the name Kingsnake, so it’s easy to understand that simply describing one can become quite a chore.
However, one thing that remains consistent among all Kingsnakes is their manner of hunting prey, which is constriction. The most common pet kingsnake species are milk snakes and corn snakes.
5. Ball Python
Your average ball or royal python is traditionally black or dark brown, featuring light brown spots running the length of its body. However, it has rarer colors that can be selectively bred, like albino. For example, the snake can reach a maximum length of 6 feet and weigh as much as 3 pounds and 7 ounces, assuming the snake is fully mature and healthy.
These snakes are nocturnal and carnivorous, eating mice, snakes, eggs and small birds in the wild. You can expect these beautiful reptiles to live anywhere from 15 to 30 years in captivity, meaning you’ll get a long, loving relationship with them.
6. Boa Constrictor
While boa constrictors can make fantastic pets for anyone who knows their way around the wonderful world of snakes, they would be put in harm’s way if they were left in the hands of someone inexperienced or impatient. This is for many reasons, but the boa constrictors’ natural strength is the most important.
Boa constrictors can be trained to be calm and docile around people but can also unintentionally hurt people with their squeezing. Aesthetically, these snakes are gray or brownish but can come in an extensive range of colors. The snake can reach up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 33 pounds.
7. Garter Snake
Next, we have the Garter Snake, which is most dominantly black with yellow stripes running the length of their bodies. Still, the colors can vary significantly amongst the different subspecies, with the stripes being red and blue. Occasionally, this snake is accompanied by spots; even more rarely, it has no stripes!
The snake is primarily docile but can bite in infrequent circumstances. The bite itself isn’t considered dangerous and may cause mild swelling on the site itself. The other defensive measure these little guys have is releasing a foul-smelling odor as a last-ditch effort to make themselves less appealing to potential predators.
Defense mechanisms aside, should you take one of these little guys in, you can expect them to live for up to 10 years, reach about 4 feet in length, and weigh just over 5 ounces.
What Is the Friendliest Snake to Have as a Pet?
The easygoing corn snake is known far and wide as the most patient snake of all potential pets. They lack the most aggressive behaviors and are one of the quickest to settle into normalcy once adopted. They also have one of the highest thresholds for being held and handled by any snake that can be taken as a pet by a newcomer.
What Is the Best Beginner Snake Pet?
Similarly to what was noted above, being the friendliest would qualify it as the best beginner snake. Its calm, docile nature and gentle and patient nature make the corn snake the best choice for first-time snake owners. Their diets are also very easy to keep sated, so it seems natural that these snakes take first place.
Are Snakes Easy to Keep?
Snakes are easy to keep if you get a species that isn’t aggressive and is rather keen on being held or at the very least, interacted with. On the other hand, however, the species that do not enjoy interaction can also be considered easy to keep as they are more low maintenance and require only being fed and admired (as well as keeping their homes clean.)
Ultimately, what someone qualifies as easy to keep boils down to how much investment they want to put into their pet, as well as what is deemed as tricky as housekeeping for your reptile. That being said, it wouldn’t be fair to the animal to get one to neglect it, only caring for its bare minimum needs to survive.
Which Pet Snake Is Least Likely to Bite?
We’ve probably spoken about this species more than anyone could have predicted, but once again, the gentle Corn Snake comes into the conversation. This is because if they are bred in captivity, corn snakes are hands down the least likely snake to bite anyone for any reason.
What Snake Is Cuddly?
The old adage they can’t keep winning seems to be very accurate when regarding best pet snakes. However, it wouldn’t be fair to attempt to change the truth. Corn snakes’ personalities and calmness make them innately charming and love being held, or at the very least being much more accepting of the process itself.
However, if you cannot accept corn snakes being the massive snugglers they are, Ball Pythons are also extremely easy going. They can be so comfortable they can lounge around your general area or even on you, but their sizes make this unwise for some people, especially children.
Final Thoughts
Once you’ve decided on a pet snake that looks fascinating to you and has a lifestyle and personality that fits your needs, double down on your research. More specifically, what day and night cycle your snake of choice has, as well as what its food needs are, and how easy this will be to meet concerning your work and life schedule, but once you find one that meets your necessary criteria, get yourself and tube friend and never look back!
