I suppose this is a little similar to the existing "what will replace ball pythons?" thread, but I figured:

A.) I really don't think anything will replace the ball python all the way across the board, in terms of ease if husbandry & breeding, variety of morphs & combos, and profitable marketability, for both the newbies and the "pros"

B.) the boa/python crowd is arguably a separate demographic from the colubrid bunch.


So.....all that said, I want to know what everyone's opinion is regarding the next popular colubrid.

It seems to me that kingsnakes and cornsnakes have had their peak of popularity and have now plateaued into a stable level. True, both have countless possibilities in "paintjobs" and have always been perennial favorites as good beginner snakes, but they appear to have had their day in the sun, and talking with a few breeder friends of mine, they all seem to agree that there's not much money in working with corns and kings anymore.

So who's gonna take the mantle? It would appear that western hognose snakes have a bright future ahead of them. I mean, they're small, personable, lots of morphs are popping up everywhere and just as easy to breed as any other colubrid.

As some of you know, I deal with African house snakes. I just started getting into them this spring, and after researching them further, I'm astonished they are not more popular than they are. These are pretty much the African version of the cornsnake or kingsnake in terms of hardiness and personality. But the best thing is that they are so easy to breed; no cycling, or brumation required. Most house snake hobbyists are often asked how to keep them from breeding! True, not many morphs floating at this time, but there's already striped, zululands, patternless, hypos, albinos, blues, and even piebalds and calicos. The morphs are pretty scarce, but in time, I see this species really taking off as well in the near future.


Asian ratsnakes seem to be growing in popularity as well, but their larger sizes, variable temperments and higher price tags may be keeping them from the title, I think.

So what do all the other colubrid breeders say?

Hognose! Hands Down. They are getting very popular. Nothing against hognose snakes because I like them, but I really like those asian ratsnakes. The Thai Bamboo and the longnose rats are awesome. The asians may gain some popularity but they will never be as popular as a cornsnake. I think it has to do with the specialized care.

Back on the boa/python side, I would really like to see Kenyans Sand Boas gain some popularity.

To me it all depends on what the next morph comes out, BHB is working with the scaleless corn which could bring new life into that market. There was rumors a few years back about some wicked calico corns that seemed to just up and disappear but that could bring more interest into them again. So it is really hard to say.

I have always wanted to work with some of the asian ratsnakes personally just haven't taken that plunge yet.

Hognose have the potential but you have to remember they are rear fanged which will probably be enough to scare a few away from them...at least IMO.

Hognose is already there.

hognose are starting to shine now