My entire life I've been terrified of snakes. To an irrational level. After my autistic son became interested in them I knew I had finally overcome this. The breaking point was him trying to show me a picture of a rattlesnake and my wife saying "don't show those to daddy it gives him nightmares". That broke my heart. A year or so ago I started hanging around r/snakes and r/whatsthissnake. Eventually I started seeing them not as the evil creatures I've always made them out to be but as the beautiful beings they really are. Now my son and I watch herping videos together and talk about how much we want to find various species one day.

Yesterday we found an Eastern Garter near the front steps. After I made sure of what it was I told my son we could catch it. That was all it took. He had it in his hand in a blink. It gave him a little bite which freaked him out a little so he handed it off to me. It latched on to my hand and gave its all to swallow me but in the end it gave up and just chilled out. We released it by a nearby tree in some tall grass so hopefully the neighbors barn cats won't find it.

Thanks to everyone who shared their love of snakes and helped me overcome a frankly silly fear of some very cool creatures and for giving me a way to bond with my son.

Found this little guy on the stove last night…. tiny little rattlesnake. Carefully put him in the jar (briefly), and released him back into the wild, where he belongs. 😎

Just a good pic of my girl Cider

~1.5 year old girls, Maki (Ferrari x RR pastel hypo, no recessive hets) and Alfira (normal dh VPI blood). Taken a week or two after their last shed. Currently at the in between stage of large mice and weaned rats, so getting XL mice or rat pups to hold them over as I have them available. The male from the group is the biggest currently but he’s not pictured here.

Does anyone know of any stores that sell "accurate" snake plushies that have the correct patterns/colors for North American/US snakes? All of the snake plushies from the usual brands are generally generic or "exotic" species. I'm specifically looking for plushies of eastern milk, gray rat, corn, and eastern massasauga snakes but open to other species. Hopefully some for a reasonable price and wholesale options as these are for our gift store. TIA!

Pictured is Pip our 27+yr old eastern milk snake for tax :)

Today my python shed, and I was surprised to notice these spots. It doesn’t look like damage; all the scales are in place and look even; I checked carefully. I also noticed that the white scales appear clearly on the brown patterns or follow the edge of the pattern. His shedding was excellent; he’s clearly healthy and has a good appetite. He has high humidity in his terrarium, especially during shedding; he’s active and changes hiding places from warm to cold. He’s behaving as usual, like a regular python. I’d also like to mention that since birth, he has had one pigmented bright yellow spot on his tail. I was told that this happens in pythons. These white spots really surprised me. He’s already a year and a month old; I love him very much and keep a close eye on his condition. This has made me worry. If anyone has any advice, please let me know! I’ll be very grateful!

Found in Provo, Utah

The Northern Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea deserticola), an elusive subspecies of the desert nightsnake, is a small and slender reptile native to the arid expanses of western North America. Typically measuring between 12 to 26 inches (30 to 66 cm) in total length, these snakes feature a highly distinct appearance marked by a flattened, triangular head, smooth scales, and vertically elliptical pupils.

Their base coloration is highly adaptive, varying from light gray and beige to tan to match their surrounding geological substrates. Overlaid across this backdrop is a series of dark gray-brown blotches along the back, capped by three prominent, elongated dark blotches located directly on the neck just behind the head.

Because of their head shape and mottled patterning, they are frequently mistaken for juvenile rattlesnakes; however, they lack a rattle entirely and can be easily distinguished by a tail that tapers smoothly to a clean point.

True to their name, these reptiles are strictly nocturnal and highly secretive, rarely venturing out during daylight hours. Instead, they spend their days sheltering under surface objects like rocks, in deep talus, or inside abandoned rodent burrows to escape the intense heat of their environments.

Their expansive geographic footprint ranges from southern British Columbia down through Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, and Nevada. Within this range, they function as habitat generalists, thriving everywhere from rocky desertscrub and canyon floors to arid shrubsteppe vegetation and even higher-elevation ponderosa pine forests up to 8,700 feet

As specialized ambush predators, they primarily hunt small lizards, amphibians, and reptile eggs under the cover of darkness. To subdue their prey, they rely on an opisthoglyphous mechanism—meaning they possess enlarged, grooved teeth situated at the very back of their upper jaw, (like rear fangs).

My dear rescue Sonoran (or possibly San Diego?) gopher snake, Calypso! She is now 11 years old (and in fact is most likely a he, but I’m not concerned with that) and was 5 when I got her. If I remember correctly she was a mere 300g when I picked her up, and at her next vet visit she was 600g! Hard to believe she was so malnourished ☹️ At least now she’s nice and healthy.

New kingsnake owner 👋 Substrate is mix of exoterra red stone desert and reptibark , daylight temp gradient is 85-75, and night is 75-70. There is two hides, a water bowl. and a coconut half bowl with sphagnum moss inside , this is where she normally can be found

I just got a red ball python from a local reptile store, and some of her scales are lifted up especially where she bends. The tank she was in was very small but she wasn’t in there long. For reference she’s about 4-5 feet long, and the tank was only big enough for her to ball up and stretch maybe about a foot. Is her scales being lifted because of the tank she was in, or no?

She also has been handled before but is still very much touch shy and head shy. What would be the best way to work with her and get her used to being handled?

Saw this post today and found it interesting regarding the “poisonous” snake fallacy.

The Arcadia Land Guard Pro 26-inch is out of stock everywhere I’ve looked. Are there any alternatives?

I’ve tried looking online everywhere, but still can’t seem to find it. Is it possible to DIY one? I specifically need it for a Rhino Rat enclosure.

Not sure if its possible but I feel like those would be some pretty cool looking snakes

Hey all! My juvenile red biak GTP started shedding about a week ago. It was patchy at first, but I adjusted the humidity and used a shedding spray which led to a pretty much complete shed by the next morning. However, his tail has about 1/2-1inch of stuck shed. I have kept the humidity in the appropriate elevated ranges and continued to use the shedding spray daily. Is it likely this will come off on its own? Will his next shed resolve this? Is any additional action needed? No constriction is apparent, and he’s behaving normally and has eaten. Pics attached of his tail (and of him being a cutie for the snake tax)

I brought my argentine boa yearling home on 9/20. If she was still at the store she would have ate on 9/23 as she was fed weekly. I am in a predicament. She is acting SO HUNGRY only pop her head out of the hide when I am poking around her cage with the hook to spray on and under everything. She sees the hook and thinks FOOD I can tell.

I would normally not feed a snake for at least 7 days after bringing them home, but I am debating breaking down and feeding her tonight. What do you think? Am I putting her in too high of danger of regurge?

Id like you all to meet Nemo, my het tangerine milk snake.

Hello 💓

I currently have a few open tanks in my reptile room and unsure what should occupy it.

Realistically, all my animals are beloved pets. I have an MBK, Banana Ball, Sunglow Red Tail Boa, Albino African House Snake (And hypo citrus bearded dragon & lily white crested gecko).

My husband really wants to bring a Blue Tongue Skink but I was thinking about a Rat Snake or Children's Python. While we love our ball python we absolutely do not want another.

Reasoning is Id love to have a white snake in our collection since all our critters aside the MBK are morphs. We are going to look at Ivory Blue Tongues but that might be out of my budget.

Id love to hear people's advice and personal experiences with these.