Hi! I'm on a budget, and I'd just like some advice..

[lizany]

Hello! I hope I put this in the right place (but I kind of doubt it.)

I'm a fanatic. I don't even know what happened, one time I was a 'cat person', and now all my bookmarked tabs are of cool snake morphs. I have 3 corns and a rat snake, and it's been a while since I've had a new friend.. so, I guess I came here for advice.

I have a variety of tanks that are mine/a friend's, and I'm set on supplies (except I'm looking for a baby, so I guess it wouldn't matter if I had some huge gallon tanks anyways.) But I promised I wouldn't spend over $200 on the snake (+shipping included in the 200!)... well, maybe 250, but they'd have to be one gorgeous baby.

So I guess I'm wondering.. where do I go from here? I'd consider myself intermediate and not really a beginner, only because my rat snake was a rescue and it took ALOT of willpower to get her to behave - her previous home had alot of issues, and it's taken a while, but she's finally calmed down and is well taken care of. I've stared at countless pictures of the different ball python morphs.. but I guess alot of em' aren't exactly in my budget.

Then I considered a hogg island boa, as I found some babies for $150! They seem like such a lovely species, but they don't really have too many colors. Then I thought of a redtail baby, or maybe a brazillian rainbow.. but I'm just at a loss. Does anyone have any ideas? I've found some cute axanthic ball pythons for 150 too - so that's great! And even a pretty cheap gorgeous champagne girl. I'm not looking to breed or anything, I'm just a lover of the animal and I adore keeping pets. But I'm so indecisive.. ah.. help!?

[dr del]

Hi,

It always come down to whatever animal rings my bell for me.

There are so many stunning species out there it gets hard to choose. I would think about what limitations your setups impose - arboreal or terrestrial etc. What you want from the animal - active during the day and always visible etc.

That should narrow it down a little hopefully.

[lizany]

Hi,

It always come down to whatever animal rings my bell for me.

There are so many stunning species out there it gets hard to choose. I would think about what limitations your setups impose - arboreal or terrestrial etc. What you want from the animal - active during the day and always visible etc.

That should narrow it down a little hopefully.

Ah, good point! I guess I should've mentioned something like that. I just want a cuddle buddy - and of course I'd be willing to make a setup for either, and I'm down to mist, put climbing branches, all that. I really like the tree boas, but I hear they're a bit nippy.. all I'd like is a pal to hang around my shoulders and give me snake kisses! So I guess that'd be my only requirement, really.

Thanks for the reply!

[Reinz]

to the forum.

To add on to Dr del's post, why decide what to get beforehand as far as exact morph or color? Just go shopping with your budget and setup in mind and see which snake picks YOU out.

[Lizardlicks]

There are a lot of pretty bp morphs to be had for $200-$250 in this market right now, so you won't be at a loss for a nice looking snake. If personality and "snuggle factor" is more important though, I would suggest hitting up a reptile expo when one rolls into town. You get to see the snakes in person, handle them to see how they take to human interaction (bps tend to be pretty chill as far as snakes go, but every snake is an individual), and if you find one you just can't live without, you don't have to worry about shipping!

[Black Hills Reptiles]

If you like the boas the .ca boas have a smaller size and a ton of morphs. No where near ball pythons but still cool. Motley boas are my favorite and you can pick them up under your price range.