Baby vs. Older snakes-

At some point after a bit more experience and education we're going to get another snake - I can see it coming from here - and I'm wondering if there's an appreciable advantage in buying a baby snake over an adult, besides price? Help the newbie out?

I wouldn't see a bonus. I mean, I get to see them grow and their pattern develop which I like. But they can be pickier or hungrier, you need different enclosure sizes and the like. It's overall the same as getting a reasonably priced adult unless you're throwing the baby in an adult sized tub.

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Yeah, enclosure (not having to switch tubs) and having a well established animal I *know* eats was the appeal for me. I will certainly get more experience under my belt with the little(ish) guy I have now, but I really would prefer to skip this stuff if there's nothing I was missing in my reasoning.

And because I'm a contrary suck, it'll probably still be a male normal, but that's neither here nor there.

Other than a couple instances I've always bought young animals. I like to grow them up myself so I know it's done right. I also fret more when dealing with older animals because they've had more time to possibly pass through more hands/collections and pick up lord knows what kind of nasties along the way.

Certant snakes will tame down if you work with them and handle them while there babys. Like carpet pythons most of the sub adults ive seen sold are pretty aggressive and pretty wild acting because they dont usually handle the snakes alot.

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Hm. I was thinking another ball python. Any idea how much handling affects temperament there?

The thing is you really always want to buy your snake directly from a quality breeder who produced the animal themselves. And they are only going to be selling babies for the most part. Any snake that they've put the work in to raise up is going to be used for their breeding projects 9 time out of 10. The only exception are animals that no longer fit there breeding plans, which do come up occasionally.

Buying an adult or subadult is risky, because you may be paying someone to taking a problem animal off their hands (crappy feeder, only eats live mice, ext)

You also run the risk of getting an animal that has been passed around a bunch, and that can be problematic.

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Background is definitely something i'd have to consider - I don't have the experience to do any serious amount of rehab or handle really major issues.

I may check with the breeder I got my normal baby from. If there's any chance of him having adults who no longer fit his program I'd happily wait, I think. If not, well - I know where to get another baby.

Thanks, guys.

I've purchased 4 adult and 6 juvenile ball pythons. Haven't had any problem with the adults, either behavior, temperament, or health. Haven't had health problems with the juveniles, but a couple have been kind of nippy. Asi understand this is fairly normal for the small ones, but 2 have retained this behavior (haven't weighed recently, but they are over a year old now), so I'm having to give them extra attention and handling to try to calm them down.

All right. My thoughts are basically this, at this point:

I would prefer and adult snake. If I can find a specific snake from a source I trust that I can SEE feed and that will allow me to do a vet exam (at my expense) and will let me bring the snake back if the vet finds something wrong that I'm not prepared to handle, I will go that route. Nothing shipped, nothing online, nothing unknown.

If I can not do that, I'll go baby.

My only concerns are the snake be reasonably healthy, willing to eat reasonably well most of the time (it's a ball python), and not insanely aggressive.

Beyond that, I don't really care.

I buy my BPs to have them as pets and maybe breed them down the line if they get up to size. So like any pets, I like to raise them up from hatchlings.

If I was only interested in breeding, i'd probably get adults since it takes a while for hatchlings to get to breeder size. What's the point in having a full grown pet? Just my two cents.

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Ironically, I am NOT interested in breeding at all.

But I don't like babies as much as adults in anything, including dogs and cats. I think I'm broken.

...I need to clarify that last post.

I don't DISlike babies, but for me with all the pets I have the infancy is a stage I go through to get to what I want - which is the adult. I got two of my dogs as puppies, and three of them as adults. I am not a bit more crazy about the two I got as puppies than the three that came in at 4, 5, and 6 years old respectively. It's not always perfect, no, and I don't regret the puppies I raised, either, but for me the payoff and cute and watching them grow isn't worth the actual workload. So if I can skip out of that responsibly and reasonably, I tend to do so.

I know what you mean! My two cats were both adults when I got them, as was one dog. When I got the second dog I was looking for a young adult, but ended up with a puppy. One of our horses was an adult when we got him (BIG difference in horses in terms of the amount of training the babies need), and one of our goats was an adult when we got her. Many times I like getting an adult so I'm that much closer to where I'm going with that animal (horses: able to ride, goats: able to breed and get milk). With cats and dogs, I like not having to deal with the baby stages... To each their own! ;)

I like my baby snakes, but there's something about a sub-adult or adult that I really like too. So far, in my limited experience, they've just been calmer and easier to deal with.

For sure. Its definitely whatever each person is happy with right?

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

Its definitely whatever each person is happy with right?

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ABSOLUTELY, completely, all the way.

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Originally Posted by sorraia

I know what you mean! My two cats were both adults when I got them, as was one dog. When I got the second dog I was looking for a young adult, but ended up with a puppy. One of our horses was an adult when we got him (BIG difference in horses in terms of the amount of training the babies need), and one of our goats was an adult when we got her. Many times I like getting an adult so I'm that much closer to where I'm going with that animal (horses: able to ride, goats: able to breed and get milk). With cats and dogs, I like not having to deal with the baby stages... To each their own! ;)

I like my baby snakes, but there's something about a sub-adult or adult that I really like too. So far, in my limited experience, they've just been calmer and easier to deal with.

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Yeah. A lot of the reason I went with a BP instead of another snake is that I felt a lot better holding and handling something as substantial and, I don't know, sturdy feeling as BPs are - heavy bodied was a plus. I know I don't need to handle them at all, but when I do handling the adults has felt a lot more secure to me than the babies (and the guy I have now is not a hatchling at all). They've seemed to move slower (on a whole) and were just more comfortable. It's not a HUGE consideration or anything, but enough of one that if I could get an adult or closer to adult snake, I would.

I like to raise them from the juvenile stage. Most BP morphs will never look as bright and colorful as adults as they do when they are younger. Not that it makes the adults any less desirable, but I do enjoy the look of them as babies.

It all depends on what you like. In my 4 legged children I like to get older ones. I have been banned from going to shelters by my husband because I always come home with an old cat or dog. They don't get adopted as easily as puppies and kittens. So I get them and give them a good life till they pass on to milk bone heaven. In snakes I prefer babies because then I know their temperament all ti ivs. I've seen some adult snakes that are jerks and will try to ake your head off as soon as look at you and some that will just chill out with you. I've owned my girl since she was a couple months old and she is a sweety. Yes there are times she will try to make a run for it but usually she will just relax with me. My boy will just ball up and not move. He's about 2 yrs old now and still won't relax a lot. I got him at about 1 1/2 yrs old.

I only buy babies unless it's a species that I want and doesn't often come available. Why take the chance of inheriting someone else's problem? Plus if your talking about balls 99% are the nicest looking as babies. Wouldn't you want to have them in your collection so you can see them when they are looking their best? I know I would.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/1...84d4385d_o.jpg

I kind of skipped the baby stage with my first guy anyway (and don't worry, this picture was taken the same day as the other posted one. Guy hasn't been screwed with since he got put in his enclosure the first time). :P So no matter which way I go, I'll likely be doing something new.

I really can understand all of the reasons people prefer the young ones - including cost, come to it, though that's not so much an issue for me since all I really want, anyway, is another normal (maaaaybe a black pastel). Another baby is likely what I'll end up with, even, just because of availability. But this has been one heck of an interesting discussion.