If you were starting over...

El Ziggy's thread including his whole crew made me think... Many of our active members have some awesome, diverse crews consisting of multiple species.

So just for grins, if you were to start your crew from scratch, knowing what you know now, which species would you start with???

I'm not thinking of specific animals cause I'm sure most of us can't pick a favorite, I know I can't, but which species would you start with?? And why??

Let's stick to species you have kept or currently keep in your crew so we don't drift into dream snakes.

...and GO!!!

I would save my money until I bought a house first. That's the biggest issue I am facing right now.

In terms of species, ETBs, Snapping Turtles, and Crocodilians all the way.

I am definitely looking forward to an eastern indigo and green anaconda though. But I definitely don't regret anything I have right now.

My biggest regrets are definitely just managing space and enclosures.

Great thread topic!

Honestly I’d still start with a corn snake or something similar. I got my first one when I was just shy of 11yrs old. Easy going, forgiving of husbandry errors, active, all around good first snake.

~25yrs later looking back I’d have gotten carpet pythons sooner. Granted mine are still tiny but they’re incredible and I want more. I’ve wanted them for 15-20yrs and got blinded by the light so to speak when I got into the SD retics. However, after having 8-9-10’ retics weighing close to 30lbs an 8’, lean, coastal carpet is a very manageable snake in comparison. I look very forward to growing mine up and learning from them.

Also would have thought about boas more seriously earlier on knowing what I know now. They’ve always had my attention but having them in my care is great over the last couple years I’ve worked with them. Sturdy, solid, heavy snakes but move so slowly and deliberately. Hard to beat.

I’d probably always have one royal python for nostalgia. Not the most interesting captives but I always remember seeing them in the pet store at the mall as a little kid and being fascinated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would skip my small snake phase and move straight into carpets and boas. I enjoyed my kings, and still miss them sometimes, but I know now that I prefer keeping medium to large sized snakes more.

I would still have started with my king snake, and in fact my high white CA king is the one I usually start with to introduce non-snake people to snakes. He's chill, he's pretty, and he's small enough not to be intimidating while big enough to be fun to hold.

I would have liked to have gotten into the BCs and/or BIs. After seeing pics from peeps like Richard, Dakski, Gio (to name a few) of theirs has really peaked my interest.

I would have gotten racks and AP cages right off the bat instead of loose tubs everywhere.

I should have waited because I was still mourning the loss of my cat when I purchased my first reptile. I did not know it then, but I was still in so much pain from the loss that I kept collecting more and more. Even though everyone is cared and provided for, I was trying to fill a 'hole' that needed more time to heal. Looking back, I would want to get into the hobby at least 6 months after his passing with a clear mind, and I should have started with snakes and no lizards, the same species I have now minus the ball python lol.

Not that I regret the animals I have now, I just wished I took care of myself better mentally back then. When I see others collect at a fast rate, I sometimes wonder if they too went through a recent trauma.

I would only have Cribos and Carpets

I love my retics but probably wouldn't do them again. I'd probably also skip kings, balls, boas and atb's.

I would probably still do corns as I really enjoy them. The down side is they come in so many colors and patterns. Carpets are great once you get passed the nippy stage and I'm still a fan of IJ's.

Really if I was starting over I'd do cooler temp species like some of the old world rats or diamond pythons.