First Snake

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Originally Posted by Boidae

I've actually been thinking a lot about a California Kingsnake, I've never heard of a pine or bull snake before, I'll be sure to do some research on it :)

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I've got two Cali Kings .. Absolute stunners BUT they're lightening fast until they get a bit older ( somebody already mentioned that ) . .. They've got an amazing feeding response from day one though !!
I showed my friend one of mine feeding and it terrified her :)
It ignored the mouse and latched its jaws on the aluminium water dish and lifted it up off the floor and then proceeded to bite out randomly at thin air even though the lid of the viv was closed by then :). Although ...it was too fast for her as well .

She bought a Royal instead a few days later.
She got lucky by making sure she got the best feeder from the clutch of Royals .

ball pythons 4 life

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I wouldn't recommend carpet pythons, only because a decent percentage can be cage aggressive. So unless you really love carpets and don't mind getting bitten a few times... There are chill ones out there, but having a perfect beginner's temperament for handling is not an extreme majority like it is for corn snakes and kingsnakes.

I wouldn't recommend bull snakes at all for what you're looking for. They're kind of notorious for being defensive, and generally aren't a "handle me" snake. There are always exceptions, but generally, nah. :P

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Each snake is different and ANY snake, especially young ones, can be defensive in the beginning. I might be lucky but my 1.1 bulls, 2.0 carpets, and 1.1 kings have all been pretty tame since day one. None of them are cage defensive and I've had all but one of them since they were hatchlings. My male bull did tag me once on the first day I got him, and one other time when he was hungry, but other than that they're all sweet as pie. My bulls are also great to handle. I'd even say they're one of my favorite snakes to handle. They're fairly heavy bodied and not flighty at all. The carpets can be a little flighty for a few minutes when I first take them out but they always calm down after a couple of minutes. I wouldn't say they're the best beginner snakes but they are very manageable and their beauty and active nature makes them well worth it. :)

Thank you all for the replies, any thoughts on a blood Python or Borneo as a first snake? Just in case.

I have no new info on bloods/short-tails other than what we both could find online, so can't add anything new there. :s

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Each snake is different and ANY snake, especially young ones, can be defensive in the beginning. I might be lucky but my 1.1 bulls, 2.0 carpets, and 1.1 kings have all been pretty tame since day one. None of them are cage defensive and I've had all but one of them since they were hatchlings. My male bull did tag me once on the first day I got him, and one other time when he was hungry, but other than that they're all sweet as pie. My bulls are also great to handle. I'd even say they're one of my favorite snakes to handle. They're fairly heavy bodied and not flighty at all. The carpets can be a little flighty for a few minutes when I first take them out but they always calm down after a couple of minutes. I wouldn't say they're the best beginner snakes but they are very manageable and their beauty and active nature makes them well worth it. :)

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Like I said, it does depends on the individual snake, and you seem to have gotten the good half with your bulls and carpets. :P But if a first-time owner is asking for a 99% "for sure" docile beginner's snake, famously handle-friendly, corns or balls would always be the way to go- can't deny that.

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Originally Posted by Boidae

Thank you all for the replies, any thoughts on a blood Python or Borneo as a first snake? Just in case.

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i wouldn't recommend either of these as a first snake. They can be pretty defensive as youngsters and frequently take some time to calm down. They're great snakes that will become easy to handle with time, but I think it best to have some snake handling experience before acquiring one. I would however recommend Sumatran short tails as they tend to be more relaxed than bloods or Borneos.

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Originally Posted by DennisM

i wouldn't recommend either of these as a first snake. They can be pretty defensive as youngsters and frequently take some time to calm down. They're great snakes that will become easy to handle with time, but I think it best to have some snake handling experience before acquiring one. I would however recommend Sumatran short tails as they tend to be more relaxed than bloods or Borneos.

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Thank you! I will look into Sumatran shorties

For starter Borneo and blood are not a beginner species they are very rewarding animals to keep but not something to get stated with.

Second when choosing a species it comes down to expectations and ability to meet optimal requirements.

Will the animal be held a lot will the animal mainly be on display, if yes to both BP make a poor choice, they are prone to stress, spend 80% of their time hiding and often frustrate their new owners, they are not as forgiven as other species.

Corns, Milks and Kings are a great choices however they are fast moving and you need to keep up with them when handling, musking may also be a temporary issue especially with young animal, they eventually will grow out of it with consistent work.

Hognose are great but it is to keep in mind that while they very rarely bite they are rear fanged animals with a very mild venom, and swelling can occur if bitten.

Carpets while great can reach a nice impressive size depending on the locality and will require to be worked with, they do have a tendency to be bitty when young.

Bulls and Gophers are often more bark than bite but still can be pretty intimidating

Boas are great choices too however keep in mind that their size is nothing compare to other species listed.

The rest is really about researching their husbandry and see which might be a better fit than the other.

My vote would probably be Milk,Corn or King they are very forgiven when it comes to husbandry, they can reach a nice size without being overwhelming either.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

For starter Borneo and blood are not a beginner species they are very rewarding animals to keep but not something to get stated with.

Second when choosing a species it comes down to expectations and ability to meet optimal requirements.

Will the animal be held a lot will the animal mainly be on display, if yes to both BP make a poor choice, they are prone to stress, spend 80% of their time hiding and often frustrate their new owners, they are not as forgiven as other species.

Corns, Milks and Kings are a great choices however they are fast moving and you need to keep up with them when handling, musking may also be a temporary issue especially with young animal, they eventually will grow out of it with consistent work.

Hognose are great but it is to keep in mind that while they very rarely bite they are rear fanged animals with a very mild venom, and swelling can occur if bitten.

Carpets while great can reach a nice impressive size depending on the locality and will require to be worked with, they do have a tendency to be bitty when young.

Bulls and Gophers are often more bark than bite but still can be pretty intimidating

Boas are great choices too however keep in mind that their size is nothing compare to other species listed.

The rest is really about researching their husbandry and see which might be a better fit than the other.

My vote would probably be Milk,Corn or King they are very forgiven when it comes to husbandry, they can reach a nice size without being overwhelming either.

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Thank you for this detailed reply! It is very helpful to me.

I currently have 2 ball pythons and a young brazilian rainbow boa. I've gotten pretty lucky because all of my snakes are super calm and docile. I've never been bitten or even hissed at. I'm currently searching for my next snake and I'm stuck between a rosy boa and a kenyan sand boa. Rosy's are adorable and are a very manageable size. Their care requirements seem pretty simple. Both are desert species and need very little humidity and don't need big enclosures. And, their faces! They're so cute. I can't wait until I get one or the other. I might just end up with one of each ;)

Since I haven't seen anyone else really mention them in this thread, I vote for a Rosy!

I love the look of carpets but they seem very hit or miss. My brother has one and she is horrible! If he needs to go in her enclosure for any reason, she tags him multiple times.