Thinking about first snake...

I went to an exotic reptile store and really enjoyed holding a BP.
I have been doing a lot of research online,and I think I want to move forward.
I appreciate all of the information I have read here, and looking at all the stunning snakes.
I have been looking on craigslist, and noticed a lot of people rehoming their snakes, stating that they do not have the time for their pets. Does it really take that much care and time. I understand that you need time to handle the snake, feed the snake, and clean the cage. Is there much more to it than that? Oh and keeping the tank a safe temp and humidity.
I do have a 5 year old daughter and a docile cat. How much time do you handle your snakes in a day?
I would appreciate any feedback and insight.
Thanks,
Todd
Todd

No snake like to be left alone. We spend lots of time with the one we have, but really if you leave them alone for a few days they will not mind.

You could never hold your snake and they would be perfectly happy.

The tedious part is feeding.
If you feed frozen, you have to keep dead animals in the freezer, then thaw them every week.
If you feed live, you have to buy mice/rats every week.

So most of the time in caring for them is feeding time.

Once you set up the tank/enclosure and get the proper temps/humidity, caring for the snake does not take up a lot of time. Unless you have 8 (or more) like I do...

I get annoyed when I see snakes being rehomed on craigslist with an excuse of "I don't have time to take care of it"... If you're running your heat source on a thermostat (which you really need to do anyway to make sure it doesn't get too hot) you shouldn't have to adjust things much at all. The only real "time" involved is a quick spot check of the enclosure every day to look for urates or poo, and to change the water every couple days. Then as mentioned above, feeding... If you feed live, you have to make a run to the pet store once a week to pick up feeders, then bring them home, drop them in and watch until the snake strikes. If you're feeding frozen, it's a matter of pulling the dead rodent out of your freezer in the morning and setting it out to thaw. In the evening when you're ready to feed, warm it up with a hairdryer and offer (you may have to do the zombie rat dance, which might take an extra minute of time).

You don't HAVE to handle a bp at all. They don't "like" being handled, they merely tolerate it. The handling is for OUR benefit as keepers.

I recently got my first ball python so I know what it's like to try and figure everything out.
As for time to care for it, so far I have not had much of a problem. Feed once a week, change the water and mist once a day (that's the only tough thing I've had to deal with is trying to keep the humidity high enough). I even bought timers on my lamps so that I don't have to worry if I'm home later one day.
And as far as handling, my snake was from a petstore so I'm still trying to get her used to being held and such but as long as you've given time for digestion I've heard people say you can handle everyday but a snake wont mind if you don't.
Good luck! :)

don't have time to care for a snake? is that some kind of joke? my collection used to be almost 300 reptiles, and I don't remember spending more than 4 or 5 hours a week to take care of them. I spend that almost daily just looking after my 2 dogs.

Welcome to BP.net :colbert2:
Good luck on your search for your BP

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Originally Posted by Tzeentch

The tedious part is feeding....

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Really??

That's the fun part! :D


One ball python takes almost no time to care for.... The problem is, you will soon want more than one!!

Thanks for all the great feedback! Is there any advantage to going the craigslist route? I was thinking that it it would be, as it seems to be a good way to get the whole set up at a great price. I also like the fact that the owners give some snake bio info such as it's a good eater,never bitten etc.
Assuming they are honest ... Also looking at buying a pretty younger one online .

Craigslist is not necessarly better for the following reasons, one the snake may have not been cared for or abused so you may end up adopting a sick animal which may die, or cost a lot in vet bills. As far as the set up it could be possible that the set up is wrong or missing things such as thermostats, so you may end up buying additional items for it or completely replacing it.

Don't get me wrong rescuing any animal from a bad owner is a commendable task and you may end up saving it's life. However, if you do the research get the proper set up and buy from a proper breeder you will get a healthy animal.

oh and don't always trust what you read on the internet, remember the person is trying to get rid of the snake for some reason or another

I have bought all but 2 snakes from Craigslist. I have found that the ones that i have bought have all been underfeed and not properly taken care of.

I can promise you if you keep the number of snakes low they are the most low maintenance pet you will ever own. The biggest thing is do your homework before getting the snake. On craigs list you can sometimes get the whole set up but there is a 99% chance the set up will not be ideal and you will want to change several things the get the husbandry up to your standards. If you rely off of word on the streets you will get advice on how to make a snake survive, if you want it to thrive I highly reccomend you rely on the people here to point you in the right direction.

Just my :twocents:,

Our first snake is an adopted BP from Craigslist. The bad side: she was being housed in a basement with no heat source, and only had a mouse thrown into her tank every 2 weeks. The good side: she an amazing snake, and even though she's a normal bp, she's easily one of the most stunning animals I have ever seen. So, yes, you can get some really amazing adoptions from Craigslist, but be prepared for an animal that may have had a less-than-stellar life to this point.

And I agree, it's more work taking care of my dogs than the snakes. I don't have to yell at the snake to stop barking out the windows. :D

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Originally Posted by JulieInNJ

And I agree, it's more work taking care of my dogs than the snakes. I don't have to yell at the snake to stop barking out the windows. :D

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LOL. So, so true. (I have 4 dogs so it's a barking mad house. :D)

I just got my BP almost 2 weeks ago. Once I got my husbandry right, I spent more time worrying about feeding and shedding than I actually spent on upkeep. (He did fine with both, I'm happy to report.)

The folks here are absolutely awesome about settling your fears and answering any questions you might have.

Good luck on finding your perfect BP baby. :D

I had a great experience getting my guy off of craigslist. I got a 1yr 3 month old, 3 foot, male normal in great shape, 40 gallon Xilla glass terrarium, exoterra water/soaking dish, two hides, uth, and flukers light/heat source fixture for $50. All I added were two sets of thermometers/hygrometers, and rheostat for the heat sources.

So you can have a good experience purchasing off of craigslist.

Thanks everyone. This forum is awesome!!
I have a couple of calls into Craigslist people, so we will see what happens.
I have also found a couple of awesome online breeders that look stellar!
If I decide to go the online route to buy my first snake, buy a tank from craigslist, How much am I looking at to spend on heat lamps/pads thermometers and humidity control etc.? ( I will try to swing by a pet shop today to brouse)
Thanks, Todd

Lamps at Petco/smart run around $15-20 for domes and $35 for a hood type fixture. Don't waste money on a UVB light as they don't need it.
Under tank heater $20 -$40 depending on size. $20 for a two outlet rheostat to control heat. Two dual temp/hygrometers will be $20.
$7 for substrate if you want to use eco earth or the like. You'll need two hides as well which you can make very easily from plastic planter dishes or the like.
Exo terra hide will be around $20. Water dish - again you can do this quite cheaply or a pet store dish for terrariums will be around $20.

If this is going to be an animal you want to display you may want to go with a small boa, something like a Hog Island Boa, as they are more comfortable out in the open.
A BP that is happy will be hiding much of the day, as they are nocturnal and shy animals. Boas can also be much less picky about feeding.