Should I get a baby or adult?

[Tirevy]

Is it better to buy a baby, or is it okay too if I get a snake that is older? Will age affect it's behavior towards me?

Also, after you feed a BP, how long should you wait till you handle it? I'm not sure if it is different than corn snakes...

[snakesRkewl]

Getting them as babies is awesome IMO.
Getting older is fine also, hopefully you can also get the snakes past history with the snake like what it was eating and what they kept it in, etc.

The recommended wait is 24 hours after feeding.

[angllady2]

While raising a snake from babyhood is fun and rewarding, don't think you must get a baby.

I bought three of my snakes as adults, and all three are terrific pets. Once you know the specifics of feeding habits and how they were housed, and given a little time to get to know you, adults are fine for pets.

Gale

[BLMinFL]

We had gotten 2 of our BP as adults and 2 of our BCI as adults and they are great. if you can find out their history, that does help tremendously. Just remember a little patience in the beginning to let them chill with their new enclosure. Another trick we heard about with our female BCI (she had a history of being a little more on the aggressive side) is to put in a shirt that you have worn in their enclosure. it helps them get used to your smell and it worked wonderfully for our Ava. she isn't aggressive at all, she's a big baby and a lap snake (so she thinks...haahaa).

We also gotten 4 of our BP and our other 2 BCI as babies...also great. They got used to us very quickly as the little ones are easier to acclimate with their owners.

Either way, it just takes a little patience and some gentleness.

And we don't handle our snakes at least 48 hours after they have eaten. That is the standard that i see the most often on here as well.

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

I would start with an adult. With adults, you KNOW they have to be eating, so you don't have to worry about that. Just my thoughts as BPs can be super picky. Adults probably aren't as shy as youngsters, and probably can't hide in your air or heating vents like a young one if they get out.

[Kyle@theHeathertoft]

I avoid buying babies whenever I can, I like young juveniles though. Once they're a few months old and eating like champions, I don't worry overmuch about it.

That being said, I recently bought a year-old Pastel male and I gotta admit, it's nice having him already growing and eating well and being made of pure AWESOME. Sometimes a sub-adult or adult is the way to go!

[BrianaK]

I think its cool to get babies, because by time you can breed it, it's going to be that much more rewarding. Because you've raised this thing. Plus, IMO, you get a deeper bond with the snake. Thats my opinion though so no one argue otherwise.

But...babies can be a pain. I got my male at 6 months, which is still "babyish" but not really. I think that was the perfect age. He was pounding food and was very well socialized. I just recently bought a real baby. Only a month old and she's great. But...she's not as well socialized as my older one, which was expected and as she grows, she'll become more tame so I don't have a problem with that. But she's a very shy eater, I always have to leave the food in the cage, turn the lights off and leave the room. That can be a pain but I'm sure she'll mature with time.

Good luck!