mikoh4792 - thanks for explaining! So a question for you and anyone else with jungle carpet python experience... would you absolutely recommend against a beginner getting one? A beginner, mind you, who does not know much about reptile care (but is willing to learn!) and wants a snake that is easy to handle.

My thought is that if I go to an expo and find a more docile JCP or perhaps a very young one, it would be worth a try? But if they are predisposed to being very snappy, then I'm not sure how confident I am in my ability to change that.

MootWorm - that makes sense, thanks! And actually, hognose snakes were originally at the top of my list until I realized how small they were. They are stunning, and I'm very fond of their noses LOL I find them impossibly cute, but just not sure about their size. There's no real reason for my stubborn preference for the moderately large snakes, but I guess me being a big dog person has also transferred over to snakes as well? I get an idea of what I want in my head and it just sort of sticks.

If the tank size for a red tail boa or a jungle/Irian Jaya carpet python is an issue, I will probably go with a ball python.