Beginner Snake for a 406 tank

[Jordanpg]

(meant to say 40g in title not 406 oops)

So I will be getting my new AP cage on Tuesday next week and was trying to figure out what to do with my old 40g tank that I will move my snake out of, my sister-in-law(12) has been wanting a snake of her own since we got our two snakes and I wanted to give her the cage and accessories to help her out.

She told me that she would be buying the feeders and that she wants to get a ball-python but I was worried about the feeding problems they can have since where I get my feeders from is 30 minutes away, and I do pre-killed so I wouldn't be able to return it even if we lived closer. I don't want her to have to lose money because of this. We really don't want to do frozen mice because we don't have much space in our freezer as it is.

She wants a ball because of their size, temperament, and the fact that they don't move fast. Am I making their feeding problems seem worse than they really are or could it cause a potential problem moneywise for her if it goes on a hunger strike and doesn't eat what she buys. Every time I suggest looking into other snakes she stays adamant that she wants a ball and I wanted to know if there feeding problems might end up causing her problems and leave me with buying the feeders.(which I don't mind but she wants it to be her snake that she provides for).

What other snakes would be able to stay in a 40g tank and be good for a beginner that is interested in learning more about snakes? I was thinking along the lines of a rosy boa since they stay smaller but I don't know a lot about them and believe a 40 gallon would be too big. The snake will be staying at my place so I will be able to make sure she takes care of the snake properly and can also take care of daily needs like water when she is not there.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any insight or advice.

[bcr229]

I would suggest a male king snake. Husbandry is easier, they get less stressed by handling, it won't outgrow the tank, it will be more active and use all of the décor you put in there, overall a better feeder, more likely to eat f/t, can stay on mice for life, etc. IMO they are much better beginner snakes than ball pythons are.

I have several and they are just fun to fool with.

[Jordanpg]

How quick do they move? One of her favorite things about the BPs was that they were slower moving.

[CALM Pythons]

(meant to say 40g in title not 406 oops)

So I will be getting my new AP cage on Tuesday next week and was trying to figure out what to do with my old 40g tank that I will move my snake out of, my sister-in-law(12) has been wanting a snake of her own since we got our two snakes and I wanted to give her the cage and accessories to help her out.

She told me that she would be buying the feeders and that she wants to get a ball-python but I was worried about the feeding problems they can have since where I get my feeders from is 30 minutes away, and I do pre-killed so I wouldn't be able to return it even if we lived closer. I don't want her to have to lose money because of this. We really don't want to do frozen mice because we don't have much space in our freezer as it is.

She wants a ball because of their size, temperament, and the fact that they don't move fast. Am I making their feeding problems seem worse than they really are or could it cause a potential problem moneywise for her if it goes on a hunger strike and doesn't eat what she buys. Every time I suggest looking into other snakes she stays adamant that she wants a ball and I wanted to know if there feeding problems might end up causing her problems and leave me with buying the feeders.(which I don't mind but she wants it to be her snake that she provides for).

What other snakes would be able to stay in a 40g tank and be good for a beginner that is interested in learning more about snakes? I was thinking along the lines of a rosy boa since they stay smaller but I don't know a lot about them and believe a 40 gallon would be too big. The snake will be staying at my place so I will be able to make sure she takes care of the snake properly and can also take care of daily needs like water when she is not there.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any insight or advice.

Id stick with a Ball but ONLY from a reputable breeder online or in your area. People that are having problems with ball pythons are usually bought from pet stores, meaning family-owned & chains. Another problem is feeding too often , if you feed a ball python every week sooner or later that snake is going to go off feed. People in other situations can feed every 7 days because they can keep them or feed frozen and then just re-freeze. If I were in your situation id feed every 14-21 days so you dont have that feeding issue. Keep them hungry. In the wild they eat much less.
90% is who/where your snake comes from.


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[SDA]

Rosy boa. They do amazing in glass tanks and a 40 gallon is the perfect size for an adult.

[Jordanpg]

If I were in your situation id feed every 14-21 days so you dont have that feeding issue.




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Would this only work with adults? I forgot to mention that she wanted to get a young snake to be able to watch it grow.

Every 14 days would be great since it could match up with my Caye Caulker saving me a trip occasionally.

[Jordanpg]

Rosy boa. They do amazing in glass tanks and a 40 gallon is the perfect size for an adult.

I read somewhere that its best not to have a screen top with a Rosy Boa, something about them rubbing their nose on it. Any truth to this? If so what could I replace the screen top with.

[CALM Pythons]

Would this only work with adults? I forgot to mention that she wanted to get a young snake to be able to watch it grow.

Every 14 days would be great since it could match up with my Caye Caulker saving me a trip occasionally.

Thats fine. In the 80's-90's we all fed every 3-4 weeks. Nobody ever fed every week back in day when i started having snakes 30 years ago.


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[Craiga 01453]

How quick do they move? One of her favorite things about the BPs was that they were slower moving.

Young Kings are really quick. You could look into sub-adult or adult Kings though. They are much easier to handle as they get bigger.
My Cal King, Django, is my favorite snake I've ever kept. Just a really cool and easy species. And you shouldn't have to worry about feeding strikes, Kings are notorious garbage disposals.

[Zincubus]

(meant to say 40g in title not 406 oops)

So I will be getting my new AP cage on Tuesday next week and was trying to figure out what to do with my old 40g tank that I will move my snake out of, my sister-in-law(12) has been wanting a snake of her own since we got our two snakes and I wanted to give her the cage and accessories to help her out.

She told me that she would be buying the feeders and that she wants to get a ball-python but I was worried about the feeding problems they can have since where I get my feeders from is 30 minutes away, and I do pre-killed so I wouldn't be able to return it even if we lived closer. I don't want her to have to lose money because of this. We really don't want to do frozen mice because we don't have much space in our freezer as it is.

She wants a ball because of their size, temperament, and the fact that they don't move fast. Am I making their feeding problems seem worse than they really are or could it cause a potential problem moneywise for her if it goes on a hunger strike and doesn't eat what she buys. Every time I suggest looking into other snakes she stays adamant that she wants a ball and I wanted to know if there feeding problems might end up causing her problems and leave me with buying the feeders.(which I don't mind but she wants it to be her snake that she provides for).

What other snakes would be able to stay in a 40g tank and be good for a beginner that is interested in learning more about snakes? I was thinking along the lines of a rosy boa since they stay smaller but I don't know a lot about them and believe a 40 gallon would be too big. The snake will be staying at my place so I will be able to make sure she takes care of the snake properly and can also take care of daily needs like water when she is not there.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any insight or advice.

Why not simply buy a guaranteed feeder off a breeder or a pet store you trust ??

A few of my Royals would feed through the blitz !!


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