How long to wait between getting new snakes?

Generally, how long do you wait between buying new snakes? What is your reasoning? There are so many I want, but there's always a small part of me that wonders if I should be making these long term commitments so quickly.

I get more when I have the room and the means to care for them. There are tons I want. lol I just don't have the room right now..

We're all different on this...from what you said you should slow down. "Long term commitments" can certainly bite ya. ;)

I don't even know how to answer your poll...I've been keeping for decades & like many others, my early enthusiasm got the better of me & I added many too
quickly. Now from a different (much later) perspective, I'd recommend slowing down. But only WE ourselves know what other commitments we have in our life,
as far as work, school, family, our own energy level & health, not to mention finances, & our own character traits (ie. do we tend to lose interest in hobbies and
crave something new all the time, or do we become more involved & detail oriented with things, maybe to share & pass along what we learn, like to our kids?)

So if you find yourself asking this question (& have no crystal ball on hand) I'd say better to slow down. This hobby is full of 'burn-outs' & often it's the snakes
that suffer the most.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

We're all different on this...from what you said you should slow down. "Long term commitments" can certainly bite ya. ;)

I don't even know how to answer your poll...I've been keeping for decades & like many others, my early enthusiasm got the better of me & I added many too
quickly. Now from a different (much later) perspective, I'd recommend slowing down. But only WE ourselves know what other commitments we have in our life,
as far as work, school, family, our own energy level & health, not to mention finances, & our own character traits (ie. do we tend to lose interest in hobbies and
crave something new all the time, or do we become more involved & detail oriented with things, maybe to share & pass along what we learn, like to our kids?)

So if you find yourself asking this question (& have no crystal ball on hand) I'd say better to slow down. This hobby is full of 'burn-outs' & often it's the snakes
that suffer the most.

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I agree, but also for me personally, it helps give life purpose. Rewarding effort and commitment that fills the time on a daily basis. It helps me keep a routine. But even still, there is that small part in the back of your mind, if you get another one too quickly that you aren't dedicating enough of your time to your other pets before making new commitments.

This one will vary greatly from individual to individual. We're all different people with different schedules, different financial situations, different desires and different capabilities.

For me, personally, I kinda wait until my "gut" tells me the time is right. Before my gut can tell me the time is right I have to know the timing is right for both my girlfriend and I and our schedules. I make sure finances are in place. Not just the money to purchase the animal, but I always make sure I've got all my equipment ahead of time. I also make sure I have an extra tstat and other heating equipment on hand. It's also important to have some money squirreled away for emergency vet bills or equipment replacement. The more animals I have, the larger the vet fund needs to be, just in case.

I also make sure that I have the time and energy to add another animal. I've got to be in a good place mentally (this one is important for me due to some health issues) where my mind is in a clear and positive place.

Finally, I have to have space for quarantine. Some have more than others as far as space goes. But quarantine is a practice I follow strictly.

So for me, once all criteria are met I can "start looking".

I started out in December, daughter got one for Christmas, never thought I would have multiple snakes at all

as of August I have 6, even though I thought my limit was 4. I just roll with it ... All mine are pets, not breeders

There was no timeline, as unwanted snakes were bought to my attention, I ended up with them and they all fit in with me and the kiddo.

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

I started out in December, daughter got one for Christmas, never thought I would have multiple snakes at all

as of August I have 6, even though I thought my limit was 4. I just roll with it ... All mine are pets, not breeders

There was no timeline, as unwanted snakes were bought to my attention, I ended up with them and they all fit in with me and the kiddo.

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Are you able to follow proper quarantine? Cause you're asking for trouble otherwise

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Are you able to follow proper quarantine? Cause you're asking for trouble otherwise

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Yes, spare bedroom is the snake room, nobody goes in there until I've had possession of them for 60 to 90 days, and they have had a trip to
my local exotic vet where they get checked for mites, R.I and anything else that could possibly be wrong, then they take their place with the others.

To me there are various factors such as overall experience, ability to troubleshoot your own animal when there is an issue etc.

When I started collecting BP within a year I had 12 of them but I also have over 7 years experience dealing with various reptiles prior to that, so it's not like I had no clue.

So again it depends, when I see people that buy their first snake have issues and already think about buying a second and sometime even mention breeding it really scares me, but when I see someone knowledgeable that seem to understand the species they own I am fine.

Ultimately it's your decision and it's based on what you feel works for you

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

Yes, spare bedroom is the snake room, nobody goes in there until I've had possession of them for 60 to 90 days, and they have had a trip to
my local exotic vet where they get checked for mites, R.I and anything else that could possibly be wrong, then they take their place with the others.

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But are they being quarantined in the same room? Cause each time another is added the clock should restart

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Originally Posted by Stewart_Reptiles

So again it depends, when I see people that buy their first snake have issues and already think about buying a second and sometime even mention breeding it really scares me, but when I see someone knowledgeable that seem to understand the species they own I am fine.

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Yea, in my head, I was trying to limit myself until my scrub python is eating regularly and I've started trying to warm her up to handling. That way I'm not getting another snake while I have one that is not established.

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

But are they being quarantined in the same room? Cause each time another is added the clock should restart

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I confused on that question..... Do you mean are the new snakes quarantined in the snake room? That is No.

I have 2 other bedrooms, I can keep a snake in, The snake room is separate from those rooms, other end of the house.

New snakes get handled / fed last if multiple snakes are being handled / fed in the same day.

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

I confused on that question..... Do you mean are the new snakes quarantined in the snake room? That is No.

I have 2 other bedrooms, I can keep a snake in, The snake room is separate from those rooms, other end of the house.

New snakes get handled / fed last if multiple snakes are being handled / fed in the same day.

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Are you quarantining multiple animals in the same room at the same time? If so, the clock should be reset if a new one is added.

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Are you quarantining multiple animals in the same room at the same time? If so, the clock should be reset if a new one is added.

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Gotcha, I understand, That is a No also.

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

Gotcha, I understand, That is a No also.

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Ok cool. :gj:
I'd just hate to see something happen.

I agree with many of the answers here. It depends on your personal life situation and what you can handle. I've had times in my life where I collected fast and loose, especially when I was first getting involved in the hobby. I will tell you, those times in my life were nearly ALWAYS followed by a time when I had to shrink my collection back down due to time and/or money constraints. As I've gotten older and (so I'd like to think) wiser, I've slowed down a lot as well as varied things a bit. What can I actually take care of vs what I really want? What will I be able to care for even if I lose my income? What will I be able to care for if I lose my husbands income? When can I take with me if I lose my house? I hated the times when I had to sell/rehome my animals, and I'd prefer not to do that again.

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Ok cool. :gj:
I'd just hate to see something happen.

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Me too, I been taking in unwanted snakes to try to give them a good home, Anything would happen to one of them I would feel Terrible!!

Please feel free to question anything you see me post that I might be doing wrong, won't hurt my feelings as It's all about the Snakes! :)

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

Me too, I been taking in unwanted snakes to try to give them a good home, Anything would happen to one of them I would feel Terrible!!

Please feel free to question anything you see me post that I might be doing wrong, won't hurt my feelings as It's all about the Snakes! :)

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We're here to help each other learn and share our passion for these animals. You seem to be off to a great start!

My only two cents would be this: I've seen countless people dive head first into this hobby and burn out almost as quickly as they got hooked.
7 animals is a lot to add in under 9 months. Nine months is barely enough to scratch the surface in this hobby. Consider this, the people you're rescuing these animals from probably started out eager like you did. Only to burn out or decide a snake wasn't right for them after all.

I'm not saying you'll end up burning out, I'm just saying it happens...too often.
I wish you all the best and hope to see you stick around a while! :D

imma choose the "time is irrelevant" option.

most of the time, it's whenever u are ready - that means having the space, equipment, food, time and money to care for, experience, etc. for the new snake. other times, that one snake on your wish list appears and u bend a little (or break the bank) for the opportunity to cross it off your list.

Agreed with all of the above saying it depends on finances, space, life situation, the individual person's character...etc.

Personally, I am going to wait at least another year or more until my BP is fully grown and I have experienced some of the "downsides" to having a BP like their fasting before I decide to get another BP or get any other snakes.

For any animal, but especially one that can live up to 20-30 years or more, I will think very carefully before getting one. It's a very long-term commitment and a pet that I intend to keep with me through many different phases of life and changes, so I try to plan for that as much as I can before bringing home an animal.

I think it's also important to consider how long you've been keeping snakes, I think? I'm still pretty much a newbie, for example, so I'd only get a new snake if all my others were doing fine, had an established feeding routine and no concerning abnormalities (In addition to a stable personal and financial situation etc, like previous posters already mentioned).
In my opinion, especially as a beginner, it's just somewhat better for the successful integration of a new animal if you can watch it really closely and watch out for any new problems that might arise/you may have not dealt with rather than dealing with multiple new animals at a time (which would be the case if you get them in short succession)...
That's why I only got my second snake when my first was close to his second birthday.

But honestly, that's basically just from my POV, maybe other beginners justifyably feel more secure in their husbandry... And I'm pretty sure more experienced keepers can safely care for several new/new-ish animals anyway.