Newbie Questions

[Serpen-Tina]

I am new to the pet snake world and after checking out all the post, threads and stuff here this looks like the site to ask my following questions. I am looking to get some good advice since the girl at PetCo was kind of dumb and not very helpful. So if anyone can help, I would appreciate it. So here it goes:

What is the best snake to start with if I am new to keeping snakes as pets?
Where can I get one without being ripped off?
Would I need an elaborate set up if I just want to keep a couple as pets with no breeding?
Would I need to keep fresh rats and mice also if I have snakes as pets?
Where would I take my snakes if they got sick?
Would I need to handle my snake a lot so it doesn't turn mean?
Is it safe to order snakes off the internet?
Would I need heat rocks, lamps or pads?
How big do ball pythons get? Boas?
Do snakes from pet stores carry diseases humans can get?
What are the little bugs I saw on the snakes at PetCo?
What does captured breeding mean?
How come PetCo has so many dumbass people working for them?

Help, help , help....

[Phreak]

First off there are very different opinions on starting snakes. Most people will recomend a BP or some type of colubrid (cornsnake, milksnake, etc.). There are many places you can buy a snake without being ripped off you just have to know what prices to expect so look around on the site for more info. If you want to keep multiple snakes you have to have SEPERATE enclosures. These enclosures should meet the specific temps, humidity and other requirements of the species you are planning to keep. You could keep fresh rats or mice around for live feedings but if not supervised this could be dangerous for your snake. People will often feed F/T or frozen/thawed. This means you keep frozen mice or rats in your freezer or a seperate freezer if you want and thaw them when you snakes are ready to feed. If your snake got sick you would take him/her to a qualified reptile vet. These can be found easily on line or in the yellow pages under VETS. There are websites out there that are safe to order your snake from many are operated by members of this site. However you should be very careful in selecting one and look for reports or inquiries before placing an order. Pads or UTHs (under tank heaters) are what are most commonly used in heating a snakes tank. These can be used in conjunction with lamps but lamps tend to suck moisture out of the air. Giving you a general size of a boa or python is difficult because of all the different species. If you have a species in mind, that would be easier for people to give you an estimate. I'm pretty sure that we cannot get any diseases carried by snakes. The little bugs you saw on the petco snake were mites. These are common on WC or wild caught snakes. These snakes are also know to have parasites and go off feed. Your best bet would be to find a good breeder in your area and buy a well established captive bred (CB) snake. Captive breeding means that the snakes were bred in captivity, these snakes are generally easier to deal with and are more problem free. Finally, not ALL Petco people are "stupid" when it comes to snakes, they just don't have a lot of experience working with them. Hope that helps

[Snakeman]

im a newbie but i might as well see what i've learned.

1. for a beginner snake, corn snakes,ball pythons,kingsnakes,garter snakes,things like that might give you a good headstart.

2. you can buy any of the snakes that i mentioned from a reputable breeder.buying them from a petco isnt the smartest idea unless they know what they're doing(i got mine from petco but i checked to see if he was in good health,which he was)

3. NEVER house any 2 snakes together unless breeding.a simple set up of a good size tub, fresh water, minimum of 2 hides, heat source, and a digital thermometer/hygrometer for checking temps and humidity.

4. you dont have to keep mice with you at all times. you can buy frozen mice at your local pet shop (like petco).all you after is take it out, and thaw it with warm water for a few minutes,check to see if the mouse is COMPLETELY thawed, then feed to the snake.

5. if they get sick, look for a good vet near you that sees reptiles.

6. well to them you're ALWAYS a predator but they can be tamed to get used to being handled.

7. i've ordered 1 snake online and had no problems.again, look for a reputable breeder.

8. DONT use heat rocks as they arent too reliable for heat. you can use lamps or heat mats.

9. male ball pythons get to about 3-4 maybe 5 ft.females get to about 4-5 rarely over 6ft. for boas...it depends which species you're looking for.

10. for diseases...not that i know of. but i think i remember readin on this forum that you can get salmonella if you "kiss" your snake when keeping it in unsanitary conditions.

11. the little bugs might've been mites,which means you might not wanna buy a snake from them.

12. captured breeding means that they were hatched by someone that bred the parents of the babies

13. simple...most likely they work for the money,not for the animals.people these days have no sense in working for animals.

[snakedude56]

Welcome to the site!
1. Good starter snakes would include any snake that stays at a manageable size and is easy to care for and docile. I recomend a ball python.

2. Many pet stores sell snakes at reasonable prices, but it is better to buy from a breeder to ensure a healthy well cared for snake.

3. The setup depends on the snake. A ball python requires 2 hides, a water dish, a hot side of 90-94 degrees F, a cool side of 80-82 degrees F, and food on a weekly basis.

4. Many snakes will eat frozen mice that are thawed and slightly warmed up.

5. It is important to know where a good vet is that will accept snakes as patients prior to obtaining a pet snake. Health problems are rare when the animal in question is cared for properly.

6. Snakes do not have the mental capacity to become "mean", they act on instinct and if they feel threatened they may bite. Bites are also a rare occurence as long as you move nice and slow around the snake until it gets used to being handled.

7.If you order from a reputable breeder, ordering offline is actually safer than ordering from a pet store.

8. Heat of some sort is required for almost every snake. The best way to go is with under tank heating either from a heat mat purchased from a pet store or from flex watt purchased offline. NEVER EVER EVER EVER use a heat rock with snakes as they become very hot and can severly burn the snake.

9. Ball pythons stay under 5 feet, most of the time they stay smaller than that, but then again you will have a 5' 3" ball python every now and then. Boas tend to get much larger, BCI around the 8 foot mark, BCC get even bigger, up to 12 feet sometimes. There are also smaller species of boa such as kenyan sand boas which get around the 3 feet area and hogg island boas which reach maybe 6 feet for a big length.

10. The only transpecies disease I know of would be salmonella but it is pretty rare for keepers with good hygiene.(sp?)

11. Im not sure what you mean by "captured breeding" did you mean captive breeding? Captive breeding means that the animals were born in captivity and so were their parents. Many snakes in pet stores a wild caught and thats probably why you saw bugs on the ones at the pet store.

12. Most of the people that work at pet stores are just your average people who do not no much about the animals they are selling. It is sad but most pet stores do not require their employees to actually know how to take care of the animals properly.

Try not to swear in your posts, this is a family friendly forum and that makes more work for the mods when people act up. Your new here so please don't think I'm yelling at you, I just wanted you to know so you don't get in trouble for it down the road. If you got any more questions, ask, because we love to answer them!