Adequate Size Terrarium?

[Stiglitz]

Hi I am brand spanking new to reptiles. I keep fish and have done so for almost 4 years. I'm thinking about making a switch over to reptiles, which should be relatively easy habitat wise because I already have these fish tanks at my disposal! I have a really general question that I'm hoping some of you could answer for me to guide me into the right direction:

I have two tanks: a 10gallon and a 55gallon. From my VERY little research, it seems that a tank can actually be too big for some snakes because it makes them feel insecure or uncomfortable.

My question is, would any of the below snakes listed be okay in a 55gallon tank at there adult size? If not, what snakes would be?

I'm mainly interested in milk snakes because of how they look. Would an adult
Pueblan milk snake be too small for a 55?
Also, would a Honduran milk snake be too large for a 55?

Other options:
California King Snake
Ball python

Like I said if none of these work, please give me a name of a snake that is beginner friendly and would work in a 55 gallon at adult size.

Disclaimer: this is all theory right now. I have a LOT of researching to do and don't even know if I'll actually get a snake anytime soon. I'm just playing around with different ideas and seeking knowledge in this hobby.

[Tiny Boidae]

There are a lot of species you can look into, so naturally there are some that can do fine in a 55 gallon and then some that can't. My personal belief as there's no enclosure that's too big, there's only enclosures with an inadequate amount of hides. I mean snakes don't get super duper stressed in a rainforest, let's say, because if you've ever looked at one, there's very little open space and a lot of room to conceal oneself. In a large enclosure with two hides, the tides are turned as it's very open- not a whole lot of hiding in between those two hides and plenty of opportunity to be spotted by something with bigger, sharper teeth.

The problem with proportionally large enclosures, when constructed with a large amount of hides, is that it's a lot more difficult to find a snake. I mean they're good at hiding- they've done it for millions of years- so given the opportunity it'd be a whole lot harder to find them in such a large space.

I don't know colubrids, but glimpsing over milk snake care, that should be okay if you provide a few more hides than usual (maybe three or four). You'd be wasting a little bit of height there but that's not a problem from the snake's perspective.

I'm going to add that a really good opportunity to see some of these snakes in person, and acquaint yourself with species you haven't considered yet, is to attend your local reptile show. Repti-con is popular, but if you're like me and they don't come to your state, than the state usually has their own shows that come around. You just have to do some quick Google searches.

Good luck finding some pretty worms for that 55 Gallon- and welcome to the hobby

[Stiglitz]

Originally Posted by Tiny Boidae

There are a lot of species you can look into, so naturally there are some that can do fine in a 55 gallon and then some that can't. My personal belief as there's no enclosure that's too big, there's only enclosures with an inadequate amount of hides. I mean snakes don't get super duper stressed in a rainforest, let's say, because if you've ever looked at one, there's very little open space and a lot of room to conceal oneself. In a large enclosure with two hides, the tides are turned as it's very open- not a whole lot of hiding in between those two hides and plenty of opportunity to be spotted by something with bigger, sharper teeth.

The problem with proportionally large enclosures, when constructed with a large amount of hides, is that it's a lot more difficult to find a snake. I mean they're good at hiding- they've done it for millions of years- so given the opportunity it'd be a whole lot harder to find them in such a large space.

I don't know colubrids, but glimpsing over milk snake care, that should be okay if you provide a few more hides than usual (maybe three or four). You'd be wasting a little bit of height there but that's not a problem from the snake's perspective.

I'm going to add that a really good opportunity to see some of these snakes in person, and acquaint yourself with species you haven't considered yet, is to attend your local reptile show. Repti-con is popular, but if you're like me and they don't come to your state, than the state usually has their own shows that come around. You just have to do some quick Google searches.

Good luck finding some pretty worms for that 55 Gallon- and welcome to the hobby

Hello, thank you for your reply!! A few things:

What is the general consensus and rule of thumb for tank/terrarium size? For example, in the fish world, an inch of fish per gallon is a general rule of thumb (e.g. a 5 inch fish would need a 5 gallon aquarium at minimum). Is there something similar to this for snakes? Additionally, the "inch per gallon" rule for fish is HIGHLY inaccurate and should be taken very loosely. With this in mind, what is a good article or website that provides a lot of information on general snake care? I want to make sure I'm reading up on reputable sources and not some generic how-to wiki page.

About handling snakes: Is there any secret to becoming more comfortable with handling them? Today I handled a 12inch+ Pueblan milk snake and I was partially afraid that it would strike me or something (which it didn't; was very docile and friendly!) How would I overcome this fear?

[IW17]

Pretty much everything tiny said, I would also add, species that require lower heat and humidity would be easier in a glass tank. Heat especially is lost at a higher rate.