New BP owner

[Cheesenugget]

This Christmas we are finally giving my daughter a snake (she’s been asking for years)
I figure this is the year to do it since it’s been such crap.
we are getting her a baby (with the hopes that the younger the snake is the easier the switch from live to frozen/thawed will be and the easier it will be to get it used to being handled)

i am not a snake person AT ALL they freak me out... but I’m obviously going into this knowing because
shes a kid I might end up doing everything. So I’ve been sitting here all month doing my research so I can help her learn how to properly care for it and make sure I get it the right set up.

I have made a plan with the breeder that I will provide the frozen mice/rats from now until Christmas and he will help get it used to eating the way i want it to �� (figure this will also help if we pick out a stubborn one that refuses we can make a switch to one that will accept frozen thawed)

so my question now is what would you tell or want a 12 year to know? What’s something you wish someone had told you before you got your 1st BP?

and what are your thoughts on day/night led lights? We will be using. 20gallongn tank (3sides blacked out) and upgrading to a 40 down the road. Do the blue lights cause any problems? I know she would like to watch it during its active hours at night so I’m trying to find some sort of lighting that will not effect the snake at night but still allow us to see and enjoy him/her.



hopefully that all makes some sense!

My first snake was a baby bp.

I would ask your daughter WHY she wants a bp out of hundreds of other species of snakes to keep. Is it because of the popularity (ie YouTube videos)? Is it the docile personality? The morphs?

Bp's can live up to 30 years or longer. Your daughter may outgrow her interest within the next 5 years, or leave it with you after she moves out. Do YOU want a snake for 30+ years?

Yea it's been a crappy year (Sean Connery passed away this Halloween day, and 2 of my favorite supporting actors from Blacklist died earlier this year, and the list goes on - Not all Covid related). A Christmas gift of an animal, unless you the parent will commit to it's entire lifetime, to a child who is going to change interest like they change their clothes, is not recommended. The WHY will bring out the real reason behind the initial interest. I have 2 nieces about the same age. One wanted to keep fish since she was a toddler. When her wish came true, she lost interest in a matter of weeks, especially finding out how annoying it is to care for a fish. The other niece likes books. I had purchased her so many books throughout the years that she wanted, many who sits on her shelf, some unread. Kids want what they want until it is not 'fun' anymore to them.

Bp are pet rocks. They sleep during the day when your daughter is active. She can't handle it everyday or at all until it eats consistently, so that may mean no touching for 2-3 weeks at a time.

Back to the feeding issue, mine went a strike at the start. I was able to transition him to frozen thawed rats. He grew up. Stopped eating for 4-6 months in a year. That strike usually breaks when I give in and feed live rats. Some bp will eat nothing else but live rats, mouse, white rats, African soft furs, f/t, etc. Many will do fine on f/t and stays on it. But what will you do when yours is not one of them? I also thought mine was doing well for f/t for a few years until it decided to change his mind (I downsized his enclosure, provided more hides, no handling, etc). Just because it eats f/t at the breeder will NOT guarantee it will do it for you, especially the stress of traveling and being moved, can push it back to live and you will have to help him transition back to f/t.

The stress of feeding your snake for first time snake owners can be unnerving. If you like animals like rats or mice, you may have trouble feeding a live one if you have to. Your first priority is to make sure the baby eats, not your discomfort or guilt. I personally hate it and couldn't get used to it, especially when it screams even for a few seconds. And I like pet rats (awesome first time pets too).

If your daughter is super committed to caring for a snake, and you are on board as well, corn snakes are a great choice. There are tons of morphs to choose from, pricing is much more reasonable, eats f/t like a champ (Rarely do you get an oddball who won't), lifespan is about 15-20 years, easy to handle and active during the day. In fact, it was the corn snake that turned my book loving niece into a snake fan. She loved how much fun it was to watch her explore her cage while she did her homework, and she plan to get one someday. The bp? She lost interest because he wouldn't come out of his hide (it's natural and not his fault).

I bought my corn snakes from VMSHerp (website is easy to use, tons of information for reading). South Mountain is great too.

Other recommendations are kingsnakes, woman pythons, spotted pythons, dumerils boa (may be picky eaters, not as picky as bp), rosy boas, etc.