What to Get Next?

[SpartaDog]

So obviously I've got my one ball python and I had a leuci Texas rat for two months, but then he escaped and we're preeeetty sure he either froze, dehydrated, or was discovered by the dog. I've got an 18x12x12 ExoTerra glass tank that I'm going to try and trade it to my biotech teacher for a generic 20 or 30 gal. Now I have to find something to put in it.

The obvious choice is another bp. The only thing is if I get another, I only want a female pastel, and without a job and going into college, dishing out $200+ isn't easy.
One of my other top choices is a pair of corns. I'd like to try them as a first breeding project if I can't do the pythons. I've heard they can be housed together, even as adults, but does this hold true for 20-30 gals? I'm also a bit more wary about high-energy colubrids now that the rat snake escaped and got out of my bedroom so fast. I think I'm still more comfortable with slower pythons and boas.
I also really, REALLY like Tarahumara mountain boas, but I'm pretty sure they won't stay in a tank that small for very long, they're probably far out of my price range, and they're hardly ever for sale. Buuut it's also almost impossible to find a care sheet for dwarf boas specifically, so I don't know for sure.
I'd also like to avoid things like Kenyan sand boas, rosy boas, milksnakes, Cali kings...the generics. Also primarily arboreal snakes like GTPs and ETBs are just not for me, at least for the time being.

So, any suggestions? Also, sorry if this is in the wrong place. ^_^;

[h00blah]

i believe you should get a secure enclosure.


once you have that, come back and ask what you should put in it

[steveboos]

Yeah if you had a Rat Snake escape on you and you already nixed him off the list after only 2 months, i would make sure to get an escape proof enclosure. Have you not heard of the dozens of cases were snakes were loose for up to 6-10 months before found?? I would wait a little till you get the right setup and then make your decision.

It seems as if you want to breed, but don't have the money to do so. It's very expensive to breed and takes a lot of work, so i would just get a nice pastel because you like the colors, not because you want to breed. Also female pastels are only like $125 for a fairly good one, so not that expensive at all.

[SpartaDog]

Yeah if you had a Rat Snake escape on you and you already nixed him off the list after only 2 months, i would make sure to get an escape proof enclosure. Have you not heard of the dozens of cases were snakes were loose for up to 6-10 months before found?? I would wait a little till you get the right setup and then make your decision.

It seems as if you want to breed, but don't have the money to do so. It's very expensive to breed and takes a lot of work, so i would just get a nice pastel because you like the colors, not because you want to breed. Also female pastels are only like $125 for a fairly good one, so not that expensive at all.

I have had more luck keeping my python contained in a generic 20L than I did in the secure ExoTerra. I'll load the screen top with clip locks and weights if necessary, but I don't trust myself with the tank I have any more. I'll see if I can get a sliding glass enclosure that I can padlock. I have also heard of snakes showing up even years after they disappeared, and I do have spare temporary enclosures that I could put him in if we do come across him. (By the way, I had him for 2 months. He's been missing for about 3 now.)

I don't necessarily want to breed, because I know I can't afford it now. But I want to have the option to breed when I can. I'm also just kind of sick of having males. I...don't think I've ever had a female reptile. And yes, I just looked around a few websites and saw that pastels had gone down a bit since I last checked.

But no matter what, I definitely want a new snake. If I get a generic tank and then have to trade it again for a more secure one, I'm okay with that. One just isn't enough for me.