Best starter snake?

[TheaN526]

Hi,
I'm just curious and I am sure this have been covered elsewhere but I don't have time to look through all the posts at the moment. What is the best starter snake for a beginner? I won't be getting one for a very long time(as in 100 hours or more of care, handling, research, etc) but would just like to know what the best ones are.

I don't think I want one bigger than 5 feet long.

If this has been covered you may send me the appropropriate link and I will check that out as well. I don't have a ton of time right now because I am on my sisters computer and mine doesn't work at the moment.

Thanks for all the help! I look forward to hearing all your responses and getting a lot of information.

And if you live in Seattle, or Tacoma get in touch with me!!

Thea

[DutchHerp]

Hi,
I'm just curious and I am sure this have been covered elsewhere but I don't have time to look through all the posts at the moment. What is the best starter snake for a beginner? I won't be getting one for a very long time(as in 100 hours or more of care, handling, research, etc) but would just like to know what the best ones are.

I don't think I want one bigger than 5 feet long.

If this has been covered you may send me the appropropriate link and I will check that out as well. I don't have a ton of time right now because I am on my sisters computer and mine doesn't work at the moment.

Thanks for all the help! I look forward to hearing all your responses and getting a lot of information.

And if you live in Seattle, or Tacoma get in touch with me!!

Thea

1) Corn Snake / Other ratsnakes
2) Ball Python
3) Lapropeltis ssp.
4) Pituophis ssp.
5) Irian Jaya Carpet Python
6) Western Hognose Snake

[Colin Vestrand]

Antaresia are awesome too... and some liasis might fit your bill.

the big question is whether you want a colubrid or a python.

[janeothejungle]

I agree with Colin. If you want a colubrid - check out cornsnakes and kingsnakes. If you want a python - check out balls or childrens or spotted pythons. And be aware that although there is a general 'temperment' attributed to a species, each animal is different and will have it's own quirks.

Cheers,
Kat

[anendeloflorien]

Corns or kings are a great starter snake. They don't get too big, usually have a great temperment and have minimal heat and humidity requirements which makes it much easier to keep them in a display tank or cage than say a ball python. They usually make great display snakes as they tend to come out and explore around their enclosure more and come in some really cool colors .

Ball pythons are also a pretty good starter snake, you just have to make sure that you know what they require as far as husbandry goes.

Good luck!

[aalomon]

And be aware that although there is a general 'temperment' attributed to a species, each animal is different and will have it's own quirks.

I would stay away from children's pythons for a first snake. It seems like while about 50% of them are perfectly handlable, the other 50% have temperments similar to ATBs.

[TheaN526]

Thanks for the information. I'll be doing a lot of research on them. The thing I have trouble with right now is telling all the different snakes apart. I get a little confused about the Ball Pythons, and different Boas. Any way to tell them apart? I keep mixing them all up. I don't want to end up getting something different than what I wanted in the first place.

I know I need a lot more space for the snakes. Right now I don't have the room. I own two cats and a dog and I don't want to keep the snake in the same room as them.

Where do you all keep your snakes? What room? Do you have a place devoted entirely to your snakes? Let me know. Just gives me a good idea of exactly what type of spacing I need for them. I don't live by myself right now so getting a snake right now is out of the question anyway. My kitties take up a lot of the space. LOL.

THanks everyone!
Thea

[mainbutter]

A note on corns. Likely, an older corn snake will get a little longer than 5 feet(mine hit 6 foot). However, they aren't as bulky as many other snakes such as pythons. As far as the "size" of a snake is concerned, weight is just as important a factor as length in describing how big a snake is

[TheaN526]

About how much should I expect to spend on a corn snake? (To get started) and than what about feeding, and other supplies over time) I just want to know if it will be something I'll be able to afford. How much is food usually? Where do you get it? How big are your tanks?

I am a little uneasy about a snake that is larger. 6 feet seems massive to me. I guess it also depends on girth as well. Some are just longer right? I'm just checking a lot of things out. When I have more space I'll be able to get one.


Thanks again.
Thea

[mainbutter]

You can find corns for pretty darn cheap, plenty of pretty morphs have been bred by the dozens for years and years now, so you can find a fairly "non-wild" (pink and orange for example) for $30 at a show probably, a bit more at a pet store or from an online/local breeder. There are more expensive morphs and less expensive morphs.

As far as size goes for corns, here's a rat snake I found using google, pretty comprable to what you're looking at for a 7-8 year old corn snake that stays healthy for its whole life:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ewithsnake.jpg

I couldn't find a good pic of a large adult corn, so that will have to do just to give you an idea. You can see, the snake is pretty darn skinny for its length, probably only weighs a couple of pounds, the guy barely looks like he has to do any lifting work to hold the snake up.

Also it will take many years for a corn to get to full grown, so you have plenty of time to get used to it growing bigger than a pencil(hatchlings are TINY!).

I highly recommend corns(or any of the other snakes mentioned here, but a corn was MY first) for a starter snake.