Ribbon Snakes for a young/beginner herp

[theodore]

Is there any general advice or wisdom you can share for a young herp enthusiast about to get his first Ribbon Snake?

[brobertson]

Will it be your first snake? If so, my advice is this: don't get one! They are usually wild caught and riddled with parasites (this is why they are cheap), and have tricky diet requirements unless you can convert them to mice. Oh and did I mention that they don't take well to handling. Get a cornsnake! Similarly sized as adults, but easy to find captive bred and eating frozen-thawed. They come in a host of cheap yet stunning morphs, and are great to handle. Best of luck, and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

[Capray]

Ribbon snakes aren't the best because of their diet. Garter snakes are similar, but you definitely want one that is captive bred and eating some kind of rodent..

I really suggest a corn snake or rat snake as a first snake, they are beautiful and very tame.

[Alexandra V]

I agree with the above. Garter snakes and ribbon snakes don't make very good first time pet snakes as they aren't too tolerant of handling always and are tricky to feed. As others have said, a corn snake would be a great place to start since they're similar sized colubrids and are very easy and affordable to buy. They're super hardy and very easy to handle!

[theodore]

yes this will be my first snake thanks for the advice but do you know any tips on how to take care of one?

[theodore]

are eastern ribbon snakes as bad or are all of them bad pets???

[theodore]

Thanks for the advice, I am getting a young snake so that I can tame it

[theodore]

Thank you for your advice. Is it difficult to convert them to mice eaters?

I really wanted to get a Ribbon Snake but if they are difficult to handle and feed, I'll have to consider some other options.

Thanks!

[Skiploder]

A ribbon snake is a rotten choice for a first pet snake.

Or a second pet snake.

Or a third pet snake.

Some fairly bulletproof and budget wise first snakes are:

1. Spotted pythons
2. Children's pythons
3. Corn snakes
4. Gopher snakes
5. Milk snakes
6. King snakes

and if you can find them:

7. Russian rat snakes.

[theodore]

Okay I might get a Corn snake but I'm not sure if my 20 gallon tank is large enough for one. Should I get a bigger one? Thanks!