Possible Future Snake owner here with a LOT Of questions!

[PiedPal]

Hey there!
I joined this forum to hopefully talk to a few seasoned veterans of herpetology about some questions I had! First, some background, I am a rising sophomore in high school, have owned numerous pets in the past, including Mammals, Fish, and one Reptile (Will elaborate later), and I am very interested in getting a snake! I've done a TON of research, and I think ball pythons are a good place to start for me when it comes to snakes, but I am worried about some things!
First of all, I plan on going to college after im finished with high school in a few years, and I fear that bringing a snake would be a burden for me and a lot stress for the snake. Has anyone here had good/bad experiences with school life + a snake? And, to add to that, should I wait until i'm done with college/ High school to get my first snake? I come from a well off family, so money isn't an object as long as I live in my family home, but what happens when I move out?
My first and latest reptile owning experience was a Lavender Leopard gecko, but probably is the root of my anxiety for most of these questions. I loved my Gecko very much, and had a great time interacting with her, but she probably didn't come from the most reliable source (I bought her at Petsmart when I was very young) and from her first shed she had pretty big problems. Long story short, tons of vet appointments and home treatments that were visibly very uncomfortable for her kinda makes me scared about getting a snake and having it get sick under my care. How can I make sure if or when I buy a snake that it is healthy and will be as healthy as snake-ly possible in the long run? This is not to say I couldn't take care of a snake with health problems, I understand that they happen sometimes and you have to take it in stride.
Finally, I know I love animals and would never acquire one without being relatively assured I could take care of it to the best of my abilities, but I have this fear of having to give away an animal to a rescue or sell it because I couldn't handle it our my parents (for whatever reason) would not let me keep it. I know that a snake, especially ball python, will live for a long time, and I would never want to jeopardize my snake's long and happy life with me like that, is there any way can do a trial run of sorts? Im not planing on breeding reptiles, i just want one as a companion, so should I perhaps buy an older adult/ acquire a rescue first before I commit to a young snake?\\

If you managed to make if through that, thank you, and if you can answer any of these, thank you even more! I hope you have a great day!

[Eric Alan]

First and foremost, WELCOME TO THE SITE! :gj

My first thought, after making it all of the way through your wall of words, is that you'd be better off waiting until you have a more stable situation. With all of the moving pieces in the upcoming years, and all of the uncertainty that comes with, it will likely be difficult to offer the best care that I know you want to give. That's not to say that it's impossible by any means. You would just need to have a commitment to your new scaly family member that I personally would not have had when I was your age. As much as I'm laughing at myself giving advice I wouldn't have wanted to hear when I was in your shoes, hang on tight and make sure your current priorities are in place before adding a new member to your family that will be entirely dependant on your for their livelihood.

I hope this helps and I'm looking forward to seeing you around the forums!

[NH93]

Hello, and welcome as well!
I must say (and I don't mean to be age-ist), you sound well versed for a 10th-grader/sophomore in high school. It sounds like you are very caring and would do a wonderful job with a snake once you learned all the ins and outs!

Firstly, I'd make extra-certain that your parents are comfortable with you having a snake in their home, if you do plan to get one sooner rather than later. Then, read AS MUCH AS YOU CAN and set everything up WELL in advance before you actually get any animal. You are correct that, possibly (and probably) your gecko didn't have the best start and perhaps that caused some health concerns. If/when you do get a snake, I suggest a breeder! You'll know it's healthy, and have it's background and papers. You can find adults from breeders as well, or at expos, so if you'd prefer a well-started sub/adult, I'd also go to them. Personally I think a rescue might not be the best for your first snake because you never know what kinds of issues you may encounter. Especially after your gecko, you'll want a snake that is in good shape!

I will tell you that I am a full time student in university, that also holds a job, volunteers, and has a social life (well, I try). Snakes are THE best pets for someone like me. Hands freakin' down. I go away for a week to visit my parents up north? NO big woop. Put two water dishes in the tank and go. Exams for 2 weeks? They don't miss me anyhow. Want some company? They (may) sit and watch a movie with me!

Every snake's personality is different. And I can almost guarantee you'll at least want more after one, even if you don't actually get another one (but you will)...

I think you'd do a great job just educate yourself, be prepared for the long haul, and make sure to talk to your parents, and respect their wants/house/rules/etc.

All the best!

P.S. Don't forget a thermostat.

[Powerline Reptiles]

First and foremost, THANK YOU FOR POSTING HERE! Too many young people look into animal adoption without knowing what they are getting themselves into. So, consider yourself awesome!

Now, I can speak to you as someone that had a pet snake in college and killed it. I adopted a very young (too young, looking back) ball python from a reptile show my freshman year in college. There are several problems that arise with this environment that are not good for snake ownership.
1. Everyone wants to see your snake. And handling/new environment = big stress for a snake, which can lead to bigger problems.
2. Most dorms would not even consider allowing you to have an animal, and if you think that you'll be able to hide it (I did), trust me when I say that nothing that happens in a dorm stays secret for long. And until you're a junior, some colleges make living in a dorm mandatory.
3. If you go to college and your RA finds out about it and you have to take the snake home, are your parents cool with taking care of it? My mom is cool with my breeding business but she wouldn't feed a python if it was her last day in this world.
4. Controlling the ambient temp in a dorm is next to impossible. And it's a big deal. My snakes have an entire room in my little house dedicated to them. Heated and finely controlled throughout the year. Humidity also, can be an issue. You'll be spraying twice a day during the winter if you live up north. I do that WITH a humidifier in place.
5. College is a big time for you, good, bad, and ugly, and your snake may not adjust as well as you. And with classes (SO much tougher than high school), extra currics, parties, and hall activities, and the part time job you'll probably want, you may not notice anything bad happening until it's too late.

That's what happened to me. Looking back and knowing what I know now, it was a bad idea. An uncontrolled environment and my lack of real attention killed my first baby who started refusing food and developed an RI that killed him before I knew what was what.

When I graduated and moved into my own apartment I got a new snake, and before I knew it I had 10. I'm 25 now and run a breeding business of 60 snakes with my fiance. We love them all to death and dedicate a lot of time and work to them. But I always remember my first snake that I buried in the back of my dormitory because the situation got out of hand.

I did have a really fun time breeding bettas in my dorm though.