Many species of snakes are extremely beautiful and colorful. They also make good pet. Be sure to select the colorful but non-venomous species if you want to have a colorful snake for a pet.
Here are the prettiest non-venomous snakes which are awesomely colored and with impressive marking or patterns.
NOTE:. All the snakes included on the list do not grow more than 4 ft in length. They are all slender and requires affordable budget for maintenance.
1.) Golden Tree Snake (Chrysopelea ornata)
Image Source
The Golden Tree Snake is an extremely colorful small snake that even its tongue is brightly colored. It is also commonly called Ornate Flying Snake and Golden Flying Snake. It can be found in Southeast and South Asia. This snake is very unusual because it is capable of gliding flight. The Golden Tree Snake’s striking coloration and gliding capability make it a popular choice for captivity.
This rear-fanged snake rarely exceeds 40 inches in length. The smallest recorded specimen is 11.5 cm while the largest is 136 cm.
2.) Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus)
Image Source
Another colorful but small snake for a pet is the Redstripe Ribbon Snake. This snake is a subspecies of garter snake that inhabits southern United States. This snake is semi-aquatic, spending most of its time on the edge of permanent bodies of water like lakes, ponds, swamps and slow moving streams. It is fast moving and excellent swimmer.
Diet:
Primary diet includes amphibians like the Northern Cricket Frog, lizards and small rodents.
3.) Red Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila)
Image Source
Red Milk Snake is a colorful species of Milk Snake. Because of its high value in the pet trade, many subspecies are now being bred in captivity for sale.
Diet:
Slugs, insects, crickets, and earthworms for the young
Lizard like skink, small mammals, birds, egg, frog, fish and other snake for the adult
4.) Mexican Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum annulata)
Image Source
Another highly colorful species of milk snake is Mexican Milk Snake or Lampropeltis triangulum annulata. It is native to Mexico but can also be found in the United States. It is characterized by its, red, black and cream coloration. This non-venomous snake grows up to 76 cm in length.
Diet:
Crickets, crickets, earthworms, insects and slugs for the young
Lizard like skink, small mammals, birds, egg, frog, fish and other snake for the adult
5.) Formosa Odd-scaled Snake (Achalinus formosanus formosanus)
Image Source
The Formosan Odd-scaled Snake is impressively beautiful for its uniquely colored and glossy scale. This Colubridae snake can be found in Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Rykyu Islands in Japan. It is a harmless species perfect as an exotic pet.
6.) Nelson’s Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum nelsoni)
Image Source
The Nelson’s Milk Snake is a highly colorful snake that is found in Mexico. This beautiful subspecies of milk snake can grow up to 110 cm in length. And it is non-venomous. The Nelson’s Milk Snake has a natural tolerance to the venoms of many native snakes
Diet:
Birds, small rodents, lizards, amphibians and other snakes, including venomous species
7.) Sinaloan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae)
Image Source
The Sinaloan Milk Snake is a very colorful non-venomous snake and is one of the most commonly bred milk snake in captivity. It is highly recommended for a pet because it is a fairly docile species and will rarely bite. A fully grown adult Sinaloan Milk Snake can reach a length of about. 120 cm.
Diet:
It feeds on rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
8.) Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea)
Image Source
The Scarlet Snake is a colorful small snake that can be found in southeastern United States. An adult Scarlet Snake can attain a length of up to 66 cm. This beautiful snake is non-venomous and is suitable for a pet.
Diet:
It feeds on amphibians, birds, invertebrates, reptiles but most especially, rodents.
9.) Scarlet King Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides)
Image Source
The Scarlet King Snake is a brightly-colored snake native to the United States. This lovely-looking snake is among the smallest of all king snakes. At maturity, it can grow to a length of up to 68.4 cm only.
Diet:
It feeds on rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
10.) Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens)
Image Source
The Texas Garter Snake is colorful snake from the United States. It is a subspecies of common garter snake. This is perfect for a pet because it is completely harmless.
Diet:
It hunts in rivers for amphibians, small fish, other snakes and invertebrates, like earthworms.
11.) Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)
Image Source
There’s nothing to fear with the colorful Long-nosed Snake because it’s a non-venomous species and it is a good choice for an exotic pet. This slender snake can grow 30 inches or more in length. It is characterized by a long, slightly upturned snout, which is the origin of its name.
Diet:
This rare exotic pet often rejects rodent-based diet. It feeds primarily on lizards and amphibians and smaller snakes.
12.) Coast Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans terrestris)
Image Source
Another colorful garter snake species is the Coast Garter Snake. It can be found in Alaska, Canada down to Central America. This beautiful snake is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusetts state reptile.
Diet:
It hunts in rivers for small fish, amphibians, earthworms, other snakes and other invertebrates.
13.) Eastern Blackneck Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus)
Image Source
The Eastern Blackneck Garter Snake is a small garter snake with an average length of less than 20 inches. It is smaller than the Western Blackneck Garter Snake. This colorful snake displays three light stripes on a dark-colored body with uniform orange and orange-yellow spreading throughout
Diet:
It hunts in rivers for small fish, amphibians, other snakes, and invertebrates, such as earthworms.
See also
- The World’s Most Colorful Snakes
- Stocky, Colorful and Beautifully Marked Snakes for Pet
- Bizarre and Exotic Pets: Weird and Unique Turtle
- The World’s Most Attractive and Colorful Reptiles
- Wonderful Mice and Unique Rodents for Pet
- Unique Breeds of Fancy Rats for Pet
- Fascinating Facts About The Gorgeous Guinea Pig
- Fast Facts About the Charming Chinchilla
- The Glamorous Gerbil + Fast Facts
- The Cutest Hamsters in the World
- Awesomely-Looking Fancy Breeds of Rabbits
- Amazingly Unique Breeds of Guinea Pig
- 15 Absolutely Unique Breed of Dogs
- World’s Most Unique Breeds of Cat
- Uniquely Patterned and Colorful Slender Snakes
- World’s Most Colorful Banded Snake and Their Distinct Characteristics
- Brightly Colored Snakes with Unique Geometrical Patterns
- Top 15 Most Venomous Cobras in the World
- The World’s Most Venomous Snakes
- World’s Largest and Longest Snakes Ever
The colorful and bright coloration of these creatures are indications that they are dangerous and deadly. Their bites are considerably fatal. Mangrove Pit Viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) Image Source The colorful Mangrove Pit Viper is a beauty...
These small snakes are affordable exotic pets to keep because they require minimal expenses for their food and maintenance. Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa) Image Source The beautiful Spotted Python is a non-venomous snake of Northern Australia....
Beware of these colorful and beautiful snakes. They look so attractive and so inviting to touch and hold but they are dangerously deadly. The colorful and bright coloration of these creatures are indications that they are dangerous and deadly. Their bites...
If you don’t like large and small colorful snakes for pet, you can consider colorful medium-sized snakes for pet. Here’s a list of colorful medium-sized slender snakes for you to choose from. Green Unicorn (Rhynchophis boulengeri) Image Source The...
Brightly-Colored Snakes with Unique Geometrical Patterns Feast your eyes with this collection of different and colorful geometrical figures in nature. 1. Red Spotted Pitviper (Trimeresurus jerdonii xanthomelas) Image Source This snake...