The Smallest Pet Snakes

July 12, 2016November 15, 2018 ~ BackwaterReptiles

What are the smallest pet snakes? We answer this question with the below list of snake species that remain short in length, and are not heavy-bodied, and can also make excellent terrarium subjects or first pet snakes.

This blog article showcases the smallest species of pet snakes sold at Backwater Reptiles. Small snakes deserve loving homes too and many people are surprised to learn how little space they actually do require to be healthy and happy.

The Smallest Pet Snakes List

Bimini Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus)

There are many species of blind snakes, but they all have one thing in common – they’re tiny! They’re miniscule! In fact, blind snakes are so little that they’re very often mistaken for earth worms.

In addition to resembling earth worms in physical appearance, blind snakes also behave very similarly to worms. They are burrowers and are most common found in moist soil. They’ve even been known to live in garden flower pots, which is how they received their other common name – Flowerpot Snake.

As you can see from this photo, blind snakes very closely resemble earth worms in appearance and size. Definitely one of the smallest pet snakes.

The Bimini Blind Snake, which is one of the more common blind snake species, has very minimal care requirements. All a tiny blind snake needs for a home is a medium-sized glass jar with moist soil and a hiding place or two.

We’ve actually written a detailed care article on the Bimini blind snake that discusses everything from what these itty bitty reptiles like to eat to how to set up a habitat.

Ringneck Snake (Diadphis sp.)

Ringneck snakes are not all that much larger than some blind snakes, although you can definitely tell that a ringneck snake is not a worm.

Ringnecks are black with a bright orange collar or necklace around their neck, hence their common name.

Many people assume that ringnecks are baby snakes, but the truth is that full grown, mature snakes still only grow to be approximately fifteen inches long, which is still little. They also won’t usually get thicker than a pencil in diameter.

In the wild, ringnecks consume everything from worms to small invertebrates. In captivity, we recommend feeding them night crawlers, but some people have reported success giving them crickets.

Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus)

Many people are drawn to hognose snakes because they have cute upturned noses used for shoveling sand when they burrow. They can vary highly in terms of color and markings, but they are all very stout-bodied.

They’re also known to resemble rattlesnakes to the untrained eye, although herp hobbyists know better.

As far as size is concerned, hognose snakes are quite a bit larger than blind snakes and ringneck snakes, but they’re still considered small pet snakes.

They can grow to two to three feet long and have very long life spans for such small critters. With proper care and husbandry, hognose snakes can live to twenty years or longer!

western hognose snake — Hognose snakes are recognizable by their upturned, pig-like noses.

A snake the size of a Western hognose should be given a tank that is around twenty gallons. Unless you have a particularly large specimen, you can usually even house a breeding pair together as well.

Because hognoses are burrowers by nature, we recommend providing a sandy substrate to allow for this burying behavior.

These modest-sized rear-fanged snakes are reluctant biters, but do technically have mild venom that they use to subdue their prey, usually frogs and toads. It’s not considered dangerous to humans.

This species requires little space as far as enclosures are concerned, as a 20-gallon tank is plenty of room, even for an adult.

Ball Python (Python regius)

Not only are ball pythons very reasonably sized as far as snakes are concerned (often considered one of the best small pet snakes), but they are also extremely mild-mannered with pleasant dispositions.

This is what makes them quite possibly the most popular pet snake on the planet!

Ball pythons breed readily in captivity, which means that they’re always available in a multitude of morphs. You can get a ball python that is pure white and everything in between as far as markings and coloration are concerned.

Ball pythons are also the largest of the “small” snake species on this list, although we’d still say that they’re modestly sized for a pet snake.

Males are typically shorter and lighter than females, reaching lengths between two to three feet long. Females will be anywhere from three to five feet long.

They don’t require much space either–a 20-30 gallon terrarium is plenty of room for most adult ball pythons.

Conclusion – The Smallest Pet Snakes

If you’re in the market for a small pet snake and you have limited room in your home for a cage or vivarium, then we think any of the snakes on this list would be a good fit you.

All of them attain very reasonable sizes and are known for placid demeanors and even-tempered personalities. Some smaller-sized snakes are flighty and defensive, but the above list bucks that trend.

Bimini Blind Snake Care (Ramphotyphlops braminus)

July 9, 2016July 9, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Although Bimini Blind Snakes and their other blind snake relatives are not the most interactive or involved pet reptiles, they are most certainly interesting and somewhat uncommon in the pet world.

Relatively little is known about these tiny snakes, but this blog article will discuss how we care for them at Backwater Reptiles.

Bimini Blind Snake Description

If you weren’t paying close attention, you could easily mistake any of the species of small blind snakes for earthworms. In fact, the main feature that distinguishes blind snakes from worms is that blind snakes do not have segmented bodies. They are reptiles and therefore possess scales instead of segments.

bimini blind snake care — As you can see, blind snakes very closely resemble earth worms. However, they aren’t segmented and if you look closely, you will see that they have scales.

Blind snakes are approximately the same size as a night crawler worm and can be anywhere from two and a half to six inches in length when full grown. They can be several different colors including shiny, silvery grey, purple, or dull charcoal.

You’ll have to look very closely at a blind snake to determine which end is the head and which is the tail as both ends look very similar. The head does however have tiny eyes which are protected underneath translucent scales. These protective scales are actually what renders the snake blind, allowing it to only sense light intensity but not form images.

Fun fact: blind snakes are parthenogenetic and do not reproduce sexually. All known species collected have been female and all offpsring produced are identical females.

Blind snakes are also very similar to worms as far as temperament is concerned. They are not fast snakes that strike or bite. Their main defense mechanism is to burrow, hide, or run away. Ultimately, this means that keeping a pet blind snake will be a lot like keeping a pet earth worm. Your blind snake will not be very interactive and would prefer to be left alone, but you can hold it if you desire.

Bimini Blind Snake Care

Because blind snakes are not commonly kept as pets, their care regiments and requirements vary from keeper to keeper. We’ve found that the methods listed below work best for us.

Blind snakes have a tendency to hide or burrow and we always provide a moist substrate such as organic potting soil to facilitate this behavior. If you want to see your blind snake emerge from hiding, we do recommend placing something such as a “tented” moist paper towel or another similar light, small hiding place above ground.

The size of the blind snake’s enclosure will vary based on the size of the snake. But in most cases, even a ten gallon tank is not necessary. The smaller snakes will be just fine in a large glass jar.

Blind snakes are tropical, so we do provide a temperature gradient by heating one side of the enclosure with a heat bulb. The temperature should be anywhere from 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Because blind snakes do tend to hide, we’ve never really worried about exposure to UV rays, but if you do happen to notice your blind snake emerging from underground a lot, it might be wise to provide a UV light for basking purposes. We’ve heard that some actually do enjoy basking – it varies from subspecies to subspecies.

Bimini Blind Snake Feeding

We bet you’re wondering what on earth such a small snake could eat. Obviously the normal snake diet of mice isn’t appropriate.

In the wild, blind snakes eat mostly small invertebrates such as termites, ants, small beetles, small worms, and larva. They’ve also been known to consume caterpillar feces while living in garden flowerpots.

In captivity, we recommend feeding your blind snake termites or ants as these are the most commonly available feeder insects of an appropriate size. However, if you have access to a garden with aphids and other small insects and larvae, you can actually harvest your own food.

Conclusion

Because Bimini blind snakes are indeed very similar to earth worms, many people might not think twice about keeping one as a pet. And while it is certainly true that they’re small, unobtrusive, and maybe even somewhat boring, they can still make rewarding pets.

Blind snakes don’t require a lot to stay happy. They are extremely low maintenance and we think they make great starter pets for kids.

Most Popular Pet Desert Lizards

July 6, 2016July 5, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Lizards make great pets, but there are so many species to choose from that it can be hard to know which type is best for you.

At Backwater Reptiles, we’re of the opinion that desert dwelling lizards generally have the simplest care requirements. What’s more, most species that come from similar habitats have essentially the same husbandry needs.

In this blog article, we’ll discuss our list of the most popular pet desert lizards.

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

The leopard gecko likes to make appearances on just about all of our “list” blogs. That’s because it’s seriously one of the best pet lizards out there no matter what list category it’s in!

Although it is a desert lizard, it’s so simple to care for a leopard gecko that you don’t even necessarily need to provide a desert, sandy substrate to line your leopard gecko’s cage. We do recommend something a bit fancier if aesthetics are important to you when creating a habitat, but just know that leopard geckos can and will do just fine with paper towels as a substrate. Just be sure to provide hiding places.

most popular pet desert lizards — Pictured is a normal-sized, mature leopard gecko and a “jumbo” leopard gecko. Both have the same care requirements, but clearly the jumbo is larger.

The main reason we’ve placed the leopard gecko at the top of this list is because it is such a versatile lizard when it comes to appearances. Due to captive breeding efforts, leopard geckos are available in a seemingly endless variety of morphs! They can be red in color, extremely large (i.e. jumbo), or even pure white. People love being able to show off their leopard gecko’s unique patterns and we don’t blame them.

Desert Collared Lizard (Crotaphytis bicinctores)

Desert collared lizards are so named because they have crisp white and black bands around their neck that make them appear to be wearing a necklace or collar.

People enjoy keeping desert collared lizards as pets because they tend to be curious and inquisitive by nature. This means they’re not overly shy or too skittish.

Collared Lizards will require high temperatures to stay healthy and basking lights to provide them with access to the full UV spectrum. We recommend investing in a good thermometer to monitor cage temperature along with some heating pads and UV clip lights.

Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)

It can be somewhat tricky to keep a desert horned lizard, so we recommend them for herp hobbyists that have a moderate level of experience keeping lizards.

Because they eat mainly ants in the wild, you will either need to procure ants to feed your desert horned lizard, or purchase a supplement that gives them the formic acid required to keep them healthy.

Horned lizards have relatively laid back personalities, which makes them fairly popular pets. For the most part, they aren’t stressed out by being handled, which means they can be fairly interactive pets once they’ve become acclimated to you.

Zebra Tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides)

People love zebra tailed lizards because they have some pretty unique behaviors. These long-limbed and long-tailed lizards are known for running on their back legs to evade predators. They also perform elaborate “dances” when the sand they sit on gets too hot. They will raise two legs while keeping the other two on the ground and alternate so that they avoid overheating.

One thing to keep in mind if you want a pet zebra tailed lizard is that because they are very active, you should give them a relatively large enclosure, even though the lizards themselves don’t get too large. Adults should get a 55 gallon tank with a wire top so that they have space to scuttle about and get exercise.

sebra tailed lizard — Zebra tailed lizards have distinct stripes on their tails.

In addition to boldly striped tails and colorful underbellies, you’ll notice that zebra tailed lizards also have cute turned up “shovel” noses. They use these noses and their long limbs to burrow into sand at night to stay warm or hide from predators.

Conclusion – Most popular pet desert lizards

Because the main care requirement for a desert dwelling lizard is heat, warmth, and UV exposure, we feel that they are one of the easiest types of lizards to maintain in captivity.

Pet leopard geckos, pet desert horned lizards, pet zebra tailed lizards, and pet desert collared lizards are all rewarding choices if you’re in the market for a desert dwelling species.

Elephant Trunk Snake Care (Acrochordus javanicus)

July 2, 2016July 5, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

The Elephant Trunk Snake (Acrochordus javanicus) is quite a bizarre species of snake that has very specific care requirements. Because they have such a unique and comical appearance (more on that later), elephant trunk snakes could be viewed as novelty pets, but in this blog article, we’ll explain why we feel these snakes are best suited for experienced reptile keepers. Let’s get into some detail on Elephant trunk snake care below.

Elephant Trunk Snake Description

We’ve already hinted at it, but the physical appearance of the elephant trunk snake is definitely unique. If we had to choose a single word to describe this species, we’d call it “soggy.”

We think it’s also fair to say that this snake’s common name offers a very apt interpretation of its appearance as it does closely resemble the trunk of an elephant, both in texture and in shape.

elephant trunk snake care — As you can see from this photo, the elephant trunk snake appears quite soggy with loose skin, almost reminiscent of a Green anaconda. Their care is specialized.

Elephant trunk snakes are various shades of brown and some have spots, stripes, or a combination of both. Their bellies are generally a lighter tone closer to an ivory, cream, or pale yellow. They have loose-fitting skin that suits their aquatic lifestyle and allows them fluid movement within the water. The scales of the snake are rough, projectiles that are often described as “warty.”

Males of this species are smaller than the females at maturity. Neither gender usually exceeds eight feet in length, making them a moderately-sized animal to keep as a pet. They tend to live between twelve and twenty years in captivity.

Elephant Trunk Snake Habitat

Elephant trunk snakes are one of the few species of pet snakes that are truly aquatic. This means that as an owner, you’ll need to provide an aquarium rather than a vivarium to keep this species happy and healthy. This is one area of their care that is extremely unique.

A mature animal will require a tank that holds at least 40 gallons, but anything larger is also fine. We don’t recommend housing multiple snakes together, but a breeding male and female pair can be allowed to cohabitate.

Elephant trunk snakes are known for being escape artists, so be sure that your tank has a secure fitting lid on top. We also weigh our lids down with either a hardback book or two on each side or a rock or hefty paperweight.

Water in the tank should be warm. We recommend maintaining a temperature in the low eighties, although allowing the water to cool to room temperature at night shouldn’t be an issue.

Make sure to provide plenty of hiding places within your tank as this species is an ambush predator and also can be somewhat shy. Another necessity is an elevated, out of water platform such as floating cork bark. Although they live aquatic lives, these snakes do enjoy basking and will emerge from water to do so.

Elephant Trunk Snake Feeding Habits

One of the most important facets of Elephant trunk snake care is their feeding habits and preferences. Most terrestrial snakes that people keep as pets eat mice or rats. The elephant trunk snake has a completely different diet because it eats aquatic prey.

The elephant trunk snakes at Backwater Reptiles are offered feeder fish. Many owners allow a small feeder fish population to exist within the tank, while others place only one or two fish at a time in the tank.

In the wild, elephant trunk snakes eat frogs as well, however many pet stores don’t carry feeder frogs, and we don’t think its a necessity to include frogs in your snake’s diet unless you are so inclined.

Elephant Trunk Snake Temperament

Elephant trunk snakes are extremely mellow and non-aggressive towards people. However, we must mention that although you can remove the snake from water, handling should be limited to removing the snake for cleaning of its tank or other such necessities.

No discussion on Elephant snake care would be complete without mentioning the aspect of handling these special reptiles.

Due to the way it is built, the elephant trunk snake is not meant to be picked up and held. It will be detrimental to the animal’s health if you attempt to hold it or interact with it in the same manner that you would a traditional boa, python, or corn snake.

The bottom line is, although elephant trunk snakes might be friendly to people, DO NOT pick them up or handle them on a regular basis. Just like you wouldn’t hold a pet fish because it is bad for the animal’s health, you shouldn’t hold your pet elephant trunk snake.

Conclusion – Elephant trunk snake care

Because they are not interactive pets and because they require a completely different set up and care requirements than traditional pet reptiles, we recommend elephant trunk snakes for experienced herp owners only. Their aquatic care and preferred diet makes them unique reptiles.

Trickiest Pet Lizards

May 31, 2016May 30, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Many lizards are relatively low maintenance and thrive in captivity with minimal care. However, there are many that have finicky temperaments, need more space, or have specialized diets that are not so effortless to keep in captivity, even though they can make equally rewarding companions.

The following list describes our top picks for the lizards that we feel are best suited to be kept by hobbyists with plenty of experience. In other words, these animals can be tricky to care for.

Flying Dragon (Draco volans)

The flying dragon is an agamid lizard that gets its name from its ability to open up membranes attached to the side of its body that allow it to glide from tree to tree in its natural habitat.

trickiest pet lizards — Pictured is a flying dragon with its wings folded against its body.

Flying dragons are dark brown with even darker accent markings and appear remarkably ordinary when their wings are not in use. The dragon’s wings are kept folded tightly against its body when it is not gliding, which gives the lizard a long, slender appearance. When extended, the wings have bright yellow and black markings which is what attracts many owners to them in the first place.

Due to their inclination to glide, you will need to provide a very large enclosure for such a relatively small lizard. We also recommend that the enclosure’s walls be constructed of screen material both to cultivate the proper humidity levels and also so that the dragon doesn’t glide into a hard surface and injure itself accidentally.

In addition to requiring a large, semi-specialized enclosure, flying dragons can also take time to acclimate to captive diets. In the wild, they eat mostly termites and ants, so you will need to spend some time training your dragon to consume prey items outside of its usual fare such as crickets, roaches, and other invertebrates.

If you’re prepared to own your own flying dragon, Backwater Reptiles sells these unique lizards and also has a blog article written up that details how best to care for them.

Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli)

Like the flying dragon, flying geckos are another species of lizard that can glide from tree to tree in the wild. However, flying geckos are much larger and heftier than flying dragons and don’t possess wings to help them glide. Instead, these geckos have specially designed tails, thick webbing between their toes, and membranes extending from their sides.

Housing a flying gecko is also different than housing a flying dragon. Because geckos are more likely to injure themselves by gliding in a confined space, most owners actually restrict them to a small space so that they don’t have room to fly.

flying gecko adult — This photo shows the serrated nature of the flying gecko’s tail. You can also see the thick webbing of the gecko’s toes.

Flying geckos are also not known for their stellar personalities. While they’re not necessarily outwardly aggressive, they certainly don’t enjoy being handled too frequently and would much rather hide than interact with you. Flying geckos are pets that are ultimately best kept for display purposes rather than for their social skills.

Interested in a flying gecko of your own? Backwater Reptiles has got you covered.

Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii)

Like many chameleon species, Parson’s chameleons can have a tough time acclimating to captivity. And because these chameleons are so rare, they come with a very steep price point, which is very risky if you don’t feel confident in your capabilities to care for the animal.

Parson’s are the heftiest chameleons both in terms of weight and physical body size. This means that they will require a very large mesh enclosure with just the precise amount of humidity, plenty of misting, and lots of invertebrates to feed such a considerable lizard.

adult parsons chameleon — Parson’s chameleons grip very hard, so we recommend protection if you wish to handle yours.

Although you can handle your Parson’s chameleon, we only recommend it for experienced herp enthusiasts. Due to their immense size, the grip of a Parson’s is actually quite strong and very tenacious. If a Parson’s grabs you and doesn’t feel like moving along, you’ll have quite a tough time getting it to relinquish its hold. In other words, many owners of Parson’s chameleons will wear gloves when handling large, mature animals.

Parson’s are not aggressive like some other smaller chameleon species, but they are rather shy. They’d prefer to hide from you. But that doesn’t mean that they’re incapable of biting. Approach your Parson’s with caution and be careful if it begins to hiss or express discomfort towards you.

If you are ready to commit to a hefty Parson’s chameleon, they can certainly make very prized pets. These are very hard to come by, but Backwater Reptiles has a few for sale.

Conclusion

While all three of the lizards listed above are not commonly kept in captivity due to tricky care requirements and/or temperaments, they can be very cherished pets.

We highly recommend that these lizards be kept only by people who have had a few years of experience keeping other reptiles.

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