# Update on my snakes



## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

Hi guys,
I think I posted about my pet snakes once before (last year sometime) but thought I'd give an update. I've added several over the past year, so I'll list my current collection below and post some pics for you. 

currently I'm keeping:
0.3 ball pythons (pastave, cinnamon, pastel enchi)
0.2 Kenyan sand boas (anery and nuclear)
1.0 western hognose snake
1.0 south Brazilian Boa constrictor amarali
1.0 hypo Bci (common boa)
1.0 jaguar carpet python
And... next week, I'll be getting a male central american motley boa as well!

Time for pics! (some of these are older, so I apologize)
Pastave ball python (Elaine)
 

Cinnamon ball python (Cinna)

 

Pastel Enchi ball python (unnamed as of yet.. Just got her a couple weeks ago)
 

SB BCA (Jax)
 

Hypo BCI (Kirby)


Jaguar Carpet python (Harry)
 

Western Hognose (Roger.. A problem feeder)
 

Kenyan sand boa (anery "zelda")


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## erinsweeney (Nov 13, 2014)

They're all gorgeous! I have a ball python myself, they're lovely animals.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

They're so pretty! I've always wanted a hognose as a possible pet down the future road. Right now my boyfriend and I own a cornsnake, and she has some really nice colors and a good size to her. =P


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

A warning about the hognose... Mine is a horrible feeder and I know of many others that have feeding issues too. Mine should be about 3x his current weight, but I can only get him to eat every 1-2 months. If you do decide to get a hognose. Get a well-started female, those seem to have the best feeding habits. Some of the morphs are gorgeous though. 

Honestly, my favorites are the boas... They are so inquisitive and fun to handle. The BPs tend to "run" and try to hide when you handle them, the Jag. carpet is super fast (more like a baby corn), but the boas are just right, imo for handling. They get bigger though (like 5.5 - 6' and 5-15 lbs for males and much heavier / longer for females). If you can get a dwarf locality though, it would be the best of both worlds. I am hoping to get a breeding pair of Nicaraguans or Sonorans (dwarf locals) at some point. The boas are also great feeders. I've never had any issues with them refusing food and they take f/t readily. 

I'd love to own a cornsnake, but they are illegal where I live (in GA).


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## never-sleep (Mar 3, 2012)

Ughhhh. I can't wait to get a Kenyan Sand Boa.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

artgecko said:


> A warning about the hognose... Mine is a horrible feeder and I know of many others that have feeding issues too. Mine should be about 3x his current weight, but I can only get him to eat every 1-2 months. If you do decide to get a hognose. Get a well-started female, those seem to have the best feeding habits. Some of the morphs are gorgeous though.
> 
> Honestly, my favorites are the boas... They are so inquisitive and fun to handle. The BPs tend to "run" and try to hide when you handle them, the Jag. carpet is super fast (more like a baby corn), but the boas are just right, imo for handling. They get bigger though (like 5.5 - 6' and 5-15 lbs for males and much heavier / longer for females). If you can get a dwarf locality though, it would be the best of both worlds. I am hoping to get a breeding pair of Nicaraguans or Sonorans (dwarf locals) at some point. The boas are also great feeders. I've never had any issues with them refusing food and they take f/t readily.
> 
> I'd love to own a cornsnake, but they are illegal where I live (in GA).


Awww that's sad to hear that they are illegal in GA. D=
Note to self then: never move to GA while owning a cornsnake. 

I was not aware that western hognose snakes were had horrible eating habits. Lol. I'll keep in mind what you said about the well-started female. My boyfriend's cornsnake on the other hand is a great feeder. I feed her every two weeks, and she is on the schedule of one mouse every four weeks and two mice every four weeks interchangably. In other words her feeding schedule goes one mouse, wait two weeks, two mice, wait to weeks, one mouse, wait to weeks, and so on and so forth. She does not eat frozen, however. Both my boyfriend and I have tried and tried, but he got her as an juvenile/adult so her feeding habits may have already been established at that point. She is a decent size of a little over four feet.


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

Corn snakes are illegal there!? Wow!


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

Phantom- Did you try the "zombie dance" with the f/t mouse? Mine won't touch them unless they are moving, so I have to make sure they are nice and warm and "fake" the mouse moving around using tongs. I know some people can just leave a f/t prey item in the tub and the snake will eat, but I think that is the exception, not the rule. I'm not sure that I'd be keeping snakes if I couldn't do primarily f/t... I've never had to do it yet, so just not sure. I have a new BP that seems picky, so i might have to do so in the future, but I'm hoping not. 

Yeah.. I think it's legal to kill or keep a venomous native (like eastern diamond back) in GA, but not legal to keep a non-venomous native, even if captive bred. *sigh*

I like my Kenyans, but keep in mind that they hide a lot and don't love to be handled. They are beautiful snakes though.. I'd love to get a splash or HRP line animal. The dodoma/nuclear animals are gorgeous too.

With both the KSBs and hoggies, I think it's key to get a slightly older animal from a breeder that already feeds f/t. I requested that the breeder of my nuclear KSB female try her on f/t first and he did.. which made it easier for me. I got the hognose from a not-so-good breeder (I didn't know that at the time) so I'm not sure how much that plays into feeding habits... He WAS taking f/t when I got him. 
I wish that I had gone with a female hognose... They do tend to be better feeders, but also, they get a good bit bigger (about 3' like female KSBs)... and I found after getting both my KSB and hognose, that I apparently like bigger snakes lol.. easier to hold onto.  

In the future (once I get him eating regularly) I am hoping to rehome my hognose (preferably to someone who feeds live so that he will eat regularly for them) and just concentrate on boas and pythons. I will always keep my two female KSBS, but don't see myself getting more of them, as I prefer snakes that are more fun to handle. Even my BPs don't overly enjoy being handled, but my boas LOVE to get out, wrap around my arm, and look at everything. They don't even want to go back into their tubs most times, when the other snakes can't wait to return to their hides or burrow into the sand. 

If you are considering a KSB and have never owned a snake, I'd say go to a reptile show first and handle some other types as well, to get a feel for what you like. Corns, Kings, and ball pythons make good first snakes too, but get a little bigger... But you won't know what you like until you see them in person.


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