Recommendations for new owner

I’m finally in the position to purchase my own snake. I’d like some recommendations on what morph to get. Also what ones to steer clear of. I know some have their own downsides like Spider and such. Any help is appreciated

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Originally Posted by PToner

I’m finally in the position to purchase my own snake. I’d like some recommendations on what morph to get. Also what ones to steer clear of. I know some have their own downsides like Spider and such. Any help is appreciated

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If you are talking ball pythons and do not plan on breeding: Pick whichever morph you find the most attractive within your budget and then Google the genes to make sure that each one has no health concerns.
I can easily think of 20+ genes with potential issues.

If you do plan on breeding: Then that is totally different as you have a countless number of variables to consider. :)

Normals don't have any genetic issues, and their dirt cheap.

I have a normal male ball python (my only BP, but not my only snake by far) and have had him for fifteen years. He's at least as enjoyable to keep as any morph animal, and I feel good not having promoted morph breeding and its ethical/animal welfare problems.

The only ball pythons I've had were all "normals", which I happen to think are beautiful snakes. I never felt the need for a "morph", especially knowing the downsides (over-production of hets, & possible genetic health issues). Bonus- normals sell for a LOT less, & are every bit as personable. Also, for someone totally new to snake-keeping, it might not be the best idea to invest in a pricey snake until you're sure you like doing this, & in case you make some mistakes. If you do find you're a good fit for snake-keeping, well, if you're like most of us, you'll never stop at just one snake anyway. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Also, for someone totally new to snake-keeping, it might not be the best idea to invest in a pricey snake until you're sure you like doing this...

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This could also be a good reason to get a rare morph. If you find you don't like snake-keeping, rarer morphs are much easier to rehome.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

This could also be a good reason to get a rare morph. If you find you don't like snake-keeping, rarer morphs are much easier to rehome.

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Although typically at a (possibly considerable) financial loss. But yes, rehoming a normal would be close to impossible.

I’m just going to be owning. No plans on breeding as I work full time and live in a studio apartment lol

As far as picking out a snake (or any other pet), it's also important to choose what really appeals most to you. If you just love the look of something, maybe it's worth the extra $ for a fancy morph, but only you know your budget to really answer that.

You're probably not getting at all the sort of advice on morphs you're looking for in this thread, so I'll make it worse: consider other snake species as well. I got a bp first because I wanted a snake I could definitely hand people, then a carpet python (morelia bredli) more recently because I wanted something good at climbing. I'm glad to have both and I like letting people handle the bp, but I have more fun handling the carpet python.

Boas are cool too, less defensive than young carpet pythons but better at climbing than ball pythons. I'll never own one because I wouldn't want any risk of spreading IBD to my pythons though.

I guess my point is morphs are cosmetic at best (I'm sure you'll avoid the harmful ones,) whereas you can change the whole snake by choosing species. Not that a ball python isn't the way to go, but spend more time considering species than considering the morph.

On the actual topic of morphs, I agree with others that you should just pick the morph based on what looks cool to you. I didn't get a normal because, outside of the really spendy morphs, the cost difference was insubstantial to me (and probably is to you as well given that you haven't mentioned costs at all.) I've spent way more on enclosures, equipment, and rats. I saw an orange dream hypo from a local breeder on morph market, and I thought it looked really cool so that's what I got. A lot of morphs look weird and somewhat gross to me, but your tastes are probably wildly different.