Where to get a snake

leigti

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I have an empty 40 gallon breeder tank just begging to have something in it :) so I decided to get a snake. I'm thinking something along the lines of milk snake, king snake, or corn snake. One that would be able to live it's life in that 40 gallon tank. What does three work?
Also, where is a good place to get one. The Internet is getting way overwhelming, lots of sites but I never know if they're good. Any suggestions of a reputable place would be appreciated. Thanks!
 

Pearly

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Awwww, how cool! I'm jealous!!!! I'll soon have an empty 40 gal breeder as well and fully equiped for another little reptile... (lamps and all) I don't think - a snake though... I love to look at them but the feedings makes me cringe... can't do it. So I'm looking for ideas/suggestions as well and can't wait to see pics of your new snake and his set up
 

zovick

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I have an empty 40 gallon breeder tank just begging to have something in it :) so I decided to get a snake. I'm thinking something along the lines of milk snake, king snake, or corn snake. One that would be able to live it's life in that 40 gallon tank. What does three work?
Also, where is a good place to get one. The Internet is getting way overwhelming, lots of sites but I never know if they're good. Any suggestions of a reputable place would be appreciated. Thanks!

Milk and King snakes are a bit more feisty than Corn Snakes, but all three will calm down over time. If you get a Milk or King Snake, make sure it is feeding regularly on mice before you buy it. Many of those snakes are genetically programmed to feed on lizards when they are young and switching them over to mice can be a challenge if you are not familiar with how to do so. Corn Snakes are great pets and eat mice from the get go, but they reach lengths of 5-6 feet which might cramp the snake after a couple of years in a 40 gal. tank.
 

zovick

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For either of you posting above, a Western Hognose Snake might be a very good bet for a 40 gal. tank. They don't get as large as Corn or King Snakes and there are many very nice color morphs out there now. These snakes eat toads in the wild, so again, make sure to get one that has been feeding well on mice for a pretty good length of time.

Many of them are advertised on Fauna.com and Kingsnake.com fairly regularly.
 

leigti

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Well, I have changed my mind. I am going to get a blue tongue skink instead. Any suggestions on reputable places to get one would be appreciated, I'm going to have to order over the Internet I guess.
 

lisa127

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Blue tongues are great lizards. But IMO a cornsnake would be great in a 40 breeder for life but a blue tongue would be cramped.
 

leigti

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Blue tongues are great lizards. But IMO a cornsnake would be great in a 40 breeder for life but a blue tongue would be cramped.
You're right. I decided I can't provide an enclosure big enough for an adult skink. So I'm back to looking into getting a snake. I thought about lizards but I really don't want to deal with live bugs in the house. Frozen mice are better than bugs.
 

ZEROPILOT

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My last snake was a Scarlet king.
It was beautiful and to some it looked like a poisonous Coral snake. (I never told them that it wasn't)
Something that size would be great in a 40 gallon.
But these snakes, like most snakes in that family, spend about 99.9% of the time hiding out. So they aren't for someone that actually wants to watch the snake. They can also scale right up the sides of an aquarium and are masters at getting the lids off and escaping. You'll need to invest in a top with secure latches. Or make one of your own.
 

Tropics

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Ball python? Kinda boring tho but a lot of them look pretty. Always thought kings and milks are boring, but I was recently given a nelsons and a Mexican black king snake and these guys are balls of fun. Luckily they readily devour fuzzy mice already. They are fast tho, and they are really good at slithering away and escaping.
 

wellington

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You're right. I decided I can't provide an enclosure big enough for an adult skink. So I'm back to looking into getting a snake. I thought about lizards but I really don't want to deal with live bugs in the house. Frozen mice are better than bugs.
Uromastxy, crested gecko and adult bearded dragons don't require insects.
A bearded makes a great let that you can handle a lot, take with you outside and even put on a leash, although mine would never walk on one. You can sit and watch tv with him sitting right with you. Only have to deal with insects when they are young.
The Uro and Crested don't require any bugs. A 40 might be too small for the Uro though. The bearded would be fine for a few years and then if you added a cage top to the top to give more height the bearded would love it.
 

leigti

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Well, just like any other reptile there is a lot of conflicting information out there about corn snakes. Should I use an under tank heater or an overhead light? Right now I’m kind of using both. I just turn the light off at night. He’s in a small little terrarium for now because he is only about 10 inches long. Eventually he will go into my 40 gallon breeder tank. My house will stay about 75 to 80° all summer.
IMG_4438.jpg
 

leigti

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And I almost forgot, people say that they do not need UVB. But it seems like it would be beneficial. Do the coil UVB bulbs cause problems in snakes? Right now I just have a regular 40 W lightbulb in the fixture.
 

daniellenc

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Under the tank heater all the way! Corns can not digest without one and aren’t baskers. They pretty much eat, hide for a week, and come out to poop and drink. Place his UTH under his hide on a thermostat to prevent it from getting too hot. Ditch the overhead heat as it’s placed he’s probably not going to get UVB and he won’t be out cruising long enough for it to matter. What’s the temp of your uth now?
 

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