I want to get a pet snake, but I want a small one.?

[Moriah Caitlin]

Are there any spices of snakes that don't get very large? I've wanted a pet snake for a while now and have kept lizards in the past, so I know how to take care of reptiles and how to feed live food, but I've never had a snake before. I want one that is not poisonous. I have little experience with snakes and don't exactly know what breed to get. To give you an idea, I don't want a snake that's going to get more than 2 and a half feet long. What is a good snake for a beginner?

I also have some other questions that hopefully someone can answer:

Do pet stores often remove their snakes fangs?
Where can I go to get a live snake other than a big chain pet store (i.e. petco, petsmart. I don't like how they treat their animals)?
How big of a tank/terrarium do I need for a small snake?
Are snakes social? Do they like to be around other snakes, or does this depend on breed?
I've heard that male snakes tend to be smaller than female snakes, is this true?
How do you tell if a snake is male or female?
How much can you handle or pick up snakes (again does this depend on breed?)
How often do you have to feed a snake, and are frozen pink mice the only thing you can give them?
Live food or frozen food?

[Dakota1709]

No, most snakes keep their fangs, if they even have any. Either way, I wouldn't get a venomous snake. Most non-venomous snakes don't bite too often.
You could always find other owners locally, on forums, Kijiji, eBay..etc but that might be a little risky. Do you have any little pet shops or local exotic animal stores?
Depends on the size of the snake and the species. I'm not an expert, so I'll pass.
No, snakes are solitary.
Yes, it is true that male snakes are smaller than females. But telling sex is difficult at a young age.
Size, colour..etc depending on the species.Some aren't sexually dimorphic.
Yes, it depends on species. Generally, not too often. A few times a week, maybe once a day but not strenuously.
You can always feed them furry mice (called furries), frogs, mealworms..etc depending on size and species. Small meals once a week generally works.
Live food is generally easier to feed. Most snakes are pickier, but corn snakes and other rat snakes will often eat dead mice.

I would get a corn snake (which is on the larger side of your limit) or a hognose snake (which is pretty small). Both are good for begginers and attractive looking. They shouldn't be too aggressive, and they aren't venomous (although hognose snakes are technically venomous, the "venom" is found all the way in the back of their mouths, and humans are rarely bitten by this part.If you are bitten, itching, swelling..etc is typical, but nothing serious).

[Jane]

Hognose, Rosy boa, Rough green snake, maybe a male ball python, and as far as tank size i know rosy boas can be kept in as little as a 20 gallon.
hopes this helps.

[Kira]

Corn snakes are good, but they don't eat corn. They eat mice! Corn snakes don't get too big, but some might be slightly longer than what you'd like. You need kind of a big terrarium for even a small snake. The snake needs room to fully slither and stretch it's body.
I don't know the answers to your other questions, but you can get information from professional snake caregivers. Good luck!

[squarecrate234]

You could at least have taken to Google before posting here. Most of these questions could have easily been answered by searching them on the internet. You don't need us to be your personal search engine.
That said, I'll go ahead and dispel some myths here. Most snakes don't typically have vampire-like teeth with fangs, but the nonvenomous ones commonly found as pets have a dental setup more similar to a shark, with many rows of same sized teeth meant for gripping. These types of snakes are typically constrictors. You will find they never do any surgical or teeth removing procedures on snakes that they sell online or in pet stores. This is simply unnecessary. There are no "breeds" of snakes, nor are there "poisonous" snakes. There are, however, many species of snakes that are common on the market, and these are usually nonvenomous or at least harmless. (Garter snakes and western hognoses are technically venomous, but the venom is harmless to humans. Granted these kinds of snakes hardly ever bite in the first place, even if encountered in the wild.)
Most of the snakes that will be recommended to you will be capable of growing upwards of 5 feet. While the idea of a 5 foot snake may seem impressive, it is not. One must keep in mind that long does not mean big and snakes are almost never stretched out full length. At 3 and a half feet, one of my ball pythons still seems unamusingly small. At 2 to 2 and a half feet, snakes at that size are comparable to large worms. Small snakes are also easier to lose, as they escape easier and tend to be more flighty. No snakes are social. They only come together for breeding, and they don't care about their owners. Male snakes typically are smaller than females, as females must be bigger to carry all those eggs! Handling snakes is usually done by picking them up with your hands, although bitey ones may be handled with a hook or other object.
If you really want a small snake, you can stick with kenyan sand boas, rosy boas, garter snakes, western hognose snakes, and african house snakes. These are often full grown under 3 feet. If you want to open up to medium sized snakes, you can look into the more common variety such as corn snakes, kingsnakes, rat snakes, ball pythons, hog island boa constrictors, and irian jaya carpet pythons.
And for heaven's sake, please research all this on the internet, and if by chance, join a reputable online reptile forum, like ball-pythons.net, redtailboas.com, cornsnakes.com and thamnophis.com. You won't regret it.

[Daran]

milk snake

[victoriousball973]

Pueblan Milk snake, King snake, Corn snake all stay relatively small. Male ball pythons as well but they are thicker than the others. But these all get over 2 ft. The Pueblan milk stay relatively small most getting between 2.5-3ft.

Fangs are not removed.

There are several reputable breeders depending on the species of snake you choose. You should research anyone you plan to get a snake from beforehand.

Tank size will depend on the species as well.

Some snakes are "social" but not with other snakes. By social I mean tolerant of handling. No reptile actually like to be handled but they learn to live with it.

Males do tend to be smaller.

I would suggest having a professional sex the snake with a probe or some "pop" them to determine the sex.

I handle my snakes pretty regularly unless they are shedding or before and after feeding.

I only have ball pythons and mine are on rat pups and medium rats depending on which one I am feeding.

I only feed frozen I can't handle the live feeding but if my snake 100% refused frozen I would suck it up and feed live.

[Jesus R]

first people don't sell poisonous snakes to just any body snakes are not even venomous as pets 2nd pet stores do not remove fangs they don't even get that big 3rd probably a 20 gallon or 10 4rth ya you could have two snakes in the same tank not different species and not king snakes also not a lot just two 5th you could handle your snake but not every single day or you will stress them out only about 30 minutes a day or a couple of times a day about three or four days a week some times I don't even take my snake out at all a day and you feed then live mice once every week just learn on you tube they are good pets the smallest one is a Kenyan sand boa at full grown adults they only get 2 feet

[ferrisulf]

All right, once we tell you the answers, PROMISE me you will do more research before deciding if a snake is for you.
*Non-venomous snakes do not have fangs, at least not the kind you're thinking of. They do have curled back teeth common to predators, but not fangs. You don't have to worry--pet stores don't generally even have venomous snakes and would not be able to sell them to anyone without a license.
*Pet stores are the worst places to get pets, glad you know. Look for reptile expos in your area or rescues specifically for reptiles. You can find ones nearby where you live. Try petfinder.com and use the "scales and fins" choice. I don't recommend buying from individuals online who are not breeders, as there's no guarantee what shape the animal is in regardless of what they claim.
*Snakes should be house singly. These are not social animals and they can get very stressed having a cagemate. Some species like king snakes will even consume other snakes.
*If one gender is larger, females tend to be the bigger, but it's not a given. I've had a large male snakes and smaller females. Also had a huge female. You're more likely to get the avg. with a male but no guarantee.
So be aware of the min and max of the species and be prepared to house whatever.
*For determining the sex, some species you can tell by the shape of the tail area. It's not 100% accurate. Neither is spur size in the pythons and boas. Males usually have larger spurs, but I've seen a female with massive spurs. The only sure-fire way to tell is popping (if it's a baby snake) or probing. Both should only be done by someone trained to do so like a breeder, experienced hobbyist or a vet experienced with snakes.
*With handling amount, it depends more on the individual snake than the species. I've had snakes of a normally shier breed that liked to be out a ton. Also have had snakes that couldn't handle more than 15min a day outside of their cages. When picking an animal, look for one that is calm but alert. You don't want a jumpy, skittish snake. As you two become accustomed to each other, you find out how long your snake will tolerate handling for. Start off with 5-10 mins per day (after the 1st two weeks in which you should not handle or touch them at all)
*I feed snakes generally every 7-10 days depending on the individual snake. Pinkies are for babies like corns. Baby ball pythons actually can be started on fuzzies. You can find frozen/thawed rodents (both mice and rats) at petstores, but I prefer going to a reptile expo and buying in bulk. It's cheaper and I actually meet the person who cares for all of the rodents, so I know they were healthy in life. A lot of the f/t rodents in the pet stores look like they were sick and obese. The more healthy the rodent was, the more nutritious for your snake. There are online places too, but I haven't bought from them.
*I prefer f/t when possible. There are some snakes out there that just won't eat f/t. The majority will. F/t is safer, especially if you have a species that needs larger rats. Rats can kill a snake and tear it apart.

Good snakes to look at include:
corn snakes
Possibly the best beginner snakes. They grow 3-5 ft but have slender bodies. Come in a beautiful array of affordable morphs and are very hardy.
king snake/milk snake
Have similar temperaments to corn snakes as adults. generally around the same size. The babies can be easier to panic and more nippy and musk.
rosy boa
2-3' max. They are similar to ball pythons in disposition, though less shy and hardier. They also do not have the higher humidity requirements that beginners find difficult to maintain for ball pythons. Also aren't notorious like ball pythons for refusing to eat. These are more expensive to buy but are wonderful, calm snakes.

I do not like to recommend ball pythons unless someone has done a TON of research and are ready specifically for them. With my own experience and people I know who have them, there's something of a 50/50 chance you'll get a problematic animal. They are very easily stressed and not forgiving of errors on our part. This being said, they are the favorite of the species I have had the pleasure of working with. Calm snakes that are very unlikely to bite. They get 3-5 ft with the occasional 6-footer.

Please also be aware of the lifespans of the various species as you do your research. Ball pythons top the scale of longest longevity of a snake in captivity at 48 yrs. (avg 20-40 yrs) Corns, kings, milks will be around 15-20 yrs. Rosy boas, 20-30 yrs. If you are not prepared for that type of commitment, stop looking at snakes now. There are too many snakes out there in need of homes because people didn't realize what they were getting into. If, however, you do several months of research and are up for everything, it's quite rewarding.

Feel free to contact me via YA if you have any questions about what I've said