This section will describe some of the snakes available to pet owners.  Snakes come in all sizes and temperament.  Some are good snakes for beginners - others are definitely for the experienced reptile person. 

Rat Snakes

The most common pet rat snake is the corn snake.  They are found in the wild in the southeastern US, but virtually all available corn snakes are produced in captivity.  They are so easy to keep and breed, that it is not economically feasible to hunt them down and take them from the wild. Corn snakes are the "white mouse" of the snake world.  The albino corn snake was discovered in a clutch of eggs over 25 years ago, and now you can find corn snakes in almost every designer pattern and color. Corn snakes are easy to keep in captivity. They, like all reptiles, require a heat source to do well, but corn snakes will thrive with heat in the low 80's. 

King & Milk Snakes 

Kingsnakes and milk snakes are also popular pets that will do well in captivity.  Like the rat snakes, just about every king and milk snake available has been produced in captivity. Kingsnakes have a reputation for eating other snakes.  While this is true, they will do far better in captivity on a rodent diet.  Like the rat snakes, kingsnakes and milk snakes will do well with a cage temperature in the low 80s.

Pythons 

Snakes such as pythons can live many, many years, so they are suited for a person who will be willing to care for them for the long haul.  They come in all sizes, and the larger pythons are not recommended for the beginner.  Burmese pythons are cute and cuddly when they are about a foot long, but after three years or so, when they are 15 feet long and require rabbits or goats every few weeks, they are no longer the enjoyable creatures they once were.  Keep in mind also, that a python over ten feet long is potentially lethal.  As calm and tame as they appear to be, it just takes a single false move to startle them, and it will take more than one person to uncoil a large constricting python.  There are many small species that are as colorful and intriguing as pets.  We recommend ball pythons and spotted pythons for a beginner.

To thrive, all pythons require a  slightly higher temperature than most other snakes. A temperature of 85 degrees at the warm end of the cage is an ideal temperature.  Most of them come from tropical areas, so it will be helpful to mist them occasionally, especially when they are shedding.

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