5 Non-Venomous Arboreal Snakes

Reviewed By Tom •  Updated: 08/14/21 •  6 min read
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Are you considering adopting a pet snake? Then you may want to consider starting out with a non-venomous arboreal snake!

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In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the popular non-venomous arboreal snakes for beginner snake pet parents! Let’s get started!

1. Amazon Tree Boa

Price: $129-$1200

The Amazon tree boa is a very popular snake to have as a pet. These snakes are beautifully colored and patterned. They’re truly beautiful snakes. They come in various colors, including oranges, reds, and yellows, and their patterns will vary, too.

One thing to note—these snakes are not really good for beginners. The reason is the Amazon tree boa tends to bite, and they do have long teeth. So, the bite can be very painful and less than pleasant. These snakes are known for being extremely defensive. At the slightest offense, they will bite. However, for those experienced at keeping snakes, the Amazon tree boa can be a rewarding pet.

These snakes make wonderful displays in arboreal enclosures. They can live up to 20 years in captivity.

Adult Amazon tree boas can grow to be anywhere from 4.5 ft to 7 ft long. These snakes are best handled with a snake hook.

The Amazon tree boa mainly eats birds. The snakes will hunt from high in the trees, hanging onto a branch and then striking their prey. They carry this behavior from the wild and even into captivity. And they will also strike at your hand if it moves toward them. So, you’ll need to be very careful with these snakes.

These are slender snakes and should not be overfed. Baby snakes can eat about every 7 to 10 days, while adults can be fed about every 10 to 14 days.

In most cases, an Amazon tree boa will be very happy to eat. You usually don’t have to coax them at all. However, you must be careful not to overfeed them.

2. Rough Green Snake

Price: $8-$25

The rough green snake originally comes from North America and is a nonvenomous snake. In the wild, these snakes live in moist areas such as meadows or woodlands, in low vegetation. They are a docile, arboreal snake that’s easy to handle. These snakes don’t usually bite; however, if they do, the bite is harmless, though it may be painful.

These snakes are beautiful, bright green color, with yellow or white bellies. They can grow to become about 32 inches long. Rough green snakes are diurnal (active during the day) and feed on insects, tree frogs, snails, and terrestrial arthropods. They feed by grabbing and swallowing their prey live.

Rough green snakes spend most of their time hanging and hunting in the trees or in plants. They are shy snakes who tend to be nervous. Some may also not want to feed. They also don’t like to be handled very much, as they become very stressed. These snakes are best for viewing.

These green snakes should be fed a few times a day, over a 20-minute period each time. However, they only need to eat once or twice a week. They do best being fed at dusk and dawn, though some snakes may still refuse to eat. If this should happen with your snake, try moving him to a more quiet area that has less activity. Then he may feel more comfortable and eat.

3. Carpet Python

Price: $90-$200

Carpet pythons originally come from New Guinea and Australia. They’re named because of their wide variations in color and patterns. Some of these snakes truly resemble a woven carpet with intricate designs. If you’re looking for a calm snake, you’ve just found him!

These snakes could better be referred to as semi-arboreal snakes because they live in both trees and on the ground. You’ll find there are several subspecies of carpet snakes to choose from:

Adult carpet pythons can grow as long as 6.5 to 11ft! These snakes eat small mammals, lizards, birds and kill them by constriction.

These pythons can live up to 30 years in captivity! So, you’ll be taking on a long responsibility if you choose a carpet python. The good thing is that they’re generally one of the easiest snakes to care for.

4. Egg-Eating Snake

Price: $60-$160

This is another docile snake that’s very easy to take care of. It’s necessary to gain their trust, but when you do, you’ll have a scaly friend for life! These arboreal snakes are great for beginners because they’re toothless and non-venomous.

Egg-eating snakes generally grow to be between 2-3 ft long, so they’re not quite as large as some of the other snakes in this post. And if you’re not happy feeding rodents or other prey to a snake, then you’ll be happy to learn the egg-eating snake is more of a vegetarian. They mainly eat bird eggs.

Finding bird eggs for your snake can be challenging. Chicken eggs are not appropriate because they’re too big for these snakes. So, you’ll need to find a source of smaller bird eggs. Another issue is that the male will only eat brown button quail eggs, while the female will only eat Coturnix quail eggs.

5. Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Price: $200-$300

The Brazilian rainbow boa is another very popular arboreal snake because of its small size. It’s also brightly colored, with markings that shimmer and have a slightly iridescent appearance. The adult Brazilian rainbow boa can grow between 5-7 ft long. While the adults are quite docile, the baby boas are nippy. They will become calmer when they’re handled regularly.

However, these snakes are best handled with a snake hook. This is because rainbow boas can be aggressive and shy.

Brazilian rainbow boas eat birds and their young, as well as small mammals. They kill their prey by biting it with their teeth and then strangling it. They usually eat about once a week. In captivity, adult rainbow boas are happy to eat one or two rats each time. However, this will depend on the snake’s age and hisoverall health. And these snakes are happy with frozen-thawed rodents.

So, there you have it! If you’re looking for a beautiful arboreal snake to keep, then one of these will make a beautiful pet. Just be sure to understand what your specific type of snake needs in the way of habitat, food, etc. Then you’ll have a very happy, healthy snake pet!

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Tom

Tom has always loved to write since he was little - he wanted to be either a writer or a veterinary doctor, but he ended up being a professional writer while most of his works are based on animals. He was born in San Francisco but later moved to Texas to continue his job as a writer. He graduated from the University of San Francisco where he studied biotechnology. He is happily married and a soon to be father!

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