My friend is looking for a snake.. suggestions?

[mainbutter]

One of my best friends from college came to MN to visit this weekend and stopped by my place! After seeing my new BP she told me that she had been thinking of getting a pet, and thinks that a snake is ideal for her current situation/interests.

I'm trying to do some research for her as she has never owned reptiles before, to give her some ideas of good snake possibilities.

She doesn't want anything too big, but I think she could consider anything under 15 lbs or 6 feet or so.

Of course I suggested corn snakes and ball pythons, with an emphasis on corn snakes being just about as easy as it gets for care of snakes, but since those are the only species of snakes I have personally owned, what else should I have her look in to?

I want to give her enough choices so she can find something she gets extremely excited about and finds an animal to fall in love with.

[RoyalGuardian]

One of my best friends from college came to MN to visit this weekend and stopped by my place! After seeing my new BP she told me that she had been thinking of getting a pet, and thinks that a snake is ideal for her current situation/interests.

I'm trying to do some research for her as she has never owned reptiles before, to give her some ideas of good snake possibilities.

She doesn't want anything too big, but I think she could consider anything under 15 lbs or 6 feet or so.

Of course I suggested corn snakes and ball pythons, with an emphasis on corn snakes being just about as easy as it gets for care of snakes, but since those are the only species of snakes I have personally owned, what else should I have her look in to?

I want to give her enough choices so she can find something she gets extremely excited about and finds an animal to fall in love with.

I like kings, garter snakes ( their cool they fish!!!), and ball pythons... I will always say ball python!

[anendeloflorien]

For someone who is interested in snakes and does not have any experience with them I'd think that a corn or a king would be great! Corns in my opinion are just a great snake that's relatively easy to take care of. Kings, while they can be a bit more high-strung sometimes, are just as easy and IMO are just beautiful (I'm quite partial to my purple albinos lol).

Just make sure she does her own research and understands what whatever type of snake she decides to get requires as far as husbandry goes.

[RoyalGuardian]

For someone who is interested in snakes and does not have any experience with them I'd think that a corn or a king would be great! Corns in my opinion are just a great snake that's relatively easy to take care of. Kings, while they can be a bit more high-strung sometimes, are just as easy and IMO are just beautiful (I'm quite partial to my purple albinos lol).

Just make sure she does her own research and understands what whatever type of snake she decides to get requires as far as husbandry goes.

OOOO I second the purple albinos!!!

[blackcrystal22]

Do they want something thick or thin?
Slow or fast?
Easy husbandry, difficult husbandry?
Colorful, or natural?

[fattielumpkin]

I think your friend should get a burmafrican python-o-rattlecobra or even a spitting one!

but all in all. if someone was wanting a first snake, i would suggest something bullet proof. I suggest bullsnake or other pituophis. they are relatively inexpensive, have cool morphs, easy husbandry, and cool attitude. and some of them get pretty big.

[blackcrystal22]

I think your friend should get a burmafrican python-o-rattlecobra or even a spitting one!

but all in all. if someone was wanting a first snake, i would suggest something bullet proof. I suggest bullsnake or other pituophis. they are relatively inexpensive, have cool morphs, easy husbandry, and cool attitude. and some of them get pretty big.

Bullsnake?
Every single bullsnake I have met has had a MAJOR temperament. Maybe it's just Illinois.

[fattielumpkin]

Bullsnake?
Every single bullsnake I have met has had a MAJOR temperament. Maybe it's just Illinois.

they do have "tempers" but they are all bluff. Mine has never bit me...my six year old daughter holds it all the time. Their "tempers" are part of their charm. they will get up in strike pose and hiss and "rattle" their tails, really quite cool. they usually close their mouths when striking anyhow, and if it did get you it doesn't have the teeth of a python. they also calm right down when you pick them up....and then get crazy as hell right when you set them back down...awesome snakes. Mine is from some breeder called the serpentarium. Not sure, some kid just didn't want it so I got it for 20 bucks. by far my favorite snake "personality" wise though.

[blackcrystal22]

they do have "tempers" but they are all bluff. Mine has never bit me...my six year old daughter holds it all the time. Their "tempers" are part of their charm. they will get up in strike pose and hiss and "rattle" their tails, really quite cool. they usually close their mouths when striking anyhow, and if it did get you it doesn't have the teeth of a python. they also calm right down when you pick them up....and then get crazy as hell right when you set them back down...awesome snakes. Mine is from some breeder called the serpentarium. Not sure, some kid just didn't want it so I got it for 20 bucks. by far my favorite snake "personality" wise though.

Sounds neat, so is it a snake that is a mock rattler type of thing? I know very little about them, but see kids get them at petstores and abandon them because they are 'too big and too mean'.

[fattielumpkin]

Sounds neat, so is it a snake that is a mock rattler type of thing? I know very little about them, but see kids get them at petstores and abandon them because they are 'too big and too mean'.

yep it is a mock rattler. does it well too. we had them wild all over the place growing up. I have never seen one in a petstore because they don't sell very well at all. they can get big. i would check them out. they have cool morphs like i said earlier and are fairly inexpensive. AND THEY DON'T JUST SLUG AROUND....WHAT A CONCEPT. i mean don't get me wrong I love my bp's, they just do a lot of sitting.