A good first snake?

[Embers To Ashes]

I have never owned a snake before, but I have had alot of experiance. And by alot of experiance I mean the general handeling/feeding/rehousing/treating illnesses, ect. (work at a pet store that actualy cares for its animals)

I will admit that by the stoe not being a chain we dont get a very big variety of snakes. Thats why I need help choosing the one thats right for me.

I want to get a snake that stays fairly small (under aprox 6 feet) and will cost less than $200. The species must be docile, and butiful.

I am under 18 so I still live with my parents. My mom sais no snakes, so it has to be something very special to win her over.

I have been in love with many corn and king snakes, but so far my closest bond was with an indonesian garter snake (not a clue on the scientific name) that came into the store. I was about to take him home when I came into work one day (after being gone all week) to see him dead. He had gotten stuck between the side of his tank and his hide and died in the stuggle to get free.

 

[PatrickM]

Personally my corn snake has been the coolest pet I've ever had. Extremely friendly, always comes out to look at you when you come in the room, and constantly exploring the room when you handle it. Really reminds me of a puppy.

 

[Spidershane1]

Check out 2 threads below this... Brazilian rainbow boa.
They typically stay around 5 feet, and many people consider them the most beautiful snake in the world. Very docile in my experience. They are usually in the $150-$200 range too.
They require alot of attention as far as humidity is concerned, but if you have experience in this as you say, it shouldn't be a problem.
Check out the cherry red form, they are super sweet
But even the normals are stunning.

 

[pavel]

I'd throw in another vote for a corn or rat snake. There is a incredibly wide range of color morphs and patterns. As has already been mentioned, most have an incredibly docile dispostion with regards to handling and show a great deal of inquisitiveness. They definitely fit your size criteria and are not generally very expensive.

Are you thinking of getting a snake from work or were you considering hitting a herp show? I saw a fantastic array of color morphs at the show I attended last fall. Made me wish I had a lot more room for tanks.

 

[Takumaku]

I would suggest taking a looking at East African Sand Boas (http://www.kingsnake.com/sandboa/colubrin.html). The snakes stay small, eat great, and are very docile. If you happen to live in the Hampton Roads area, I also have a adult pair for sale (male amelanistic, female anerythristic) for under your price range.

Milksnakes (especially Black Milksnakes), Kingsnakes, Corn snakes, rat snakes, pine/bull/gopher snakes all make excellent first snakes.

Is the 200, just the quote for the snake or a quote for total (snake+caging, heat, etc.). If the latter, some may be cheaper initially as babies, but later cost a small fortune to maintain (think Burmese python). The Black milksnake is one of a few snakes I know of (and btw currently own) that require no external heat source. This simple fact made owning this a very cheap snake to own. Just stuff to consider...

 

[patrickbull]

I'm a big fan of ball pythons. I own 2 and they have been my favorite types of snake. Mine have been very hardy and never bitey. They fit under the criteria you are looking for too. I'd recommend them for first timers in the snake hobby.

 

[jukahman]

My first snake was a ball python. Very docile, good eater, and not to mention a very beatiful snake. So my vote goes to Ball python.

 

[pitbulllady]

Since you DO have experience caring for snakes, which is more than most first-time snake owners can admit to, I feel comfortable recommending some exotic species in the Boidae group rather than just sticking to native species. Boas and Pythons do require more specialized care than most native Colubrids, but obviously if you've worked in a decent pet shop, you know this already.
MY list would place Corn Snakes and King Snakes in the Lampropeltis getula "complex" at the top. You will usually find some very docile snakes that remain under 6 feet, readily feed on f/t rodents, do not need specialized heating or lighting(unless you live where indoor temps are often very cool), and you will have a virtually endless assortment of colors and patterns to pick from, so if one doesn't appeal to your eye, you're sure to find one that will.
As for the other Rat Snakes, the Fox Snake, Baird's Rat, Trans-Pecos Rat, Great Plains Rat and Japanese Rat Snakes are the primary species that are going to meet the size requirement. Most of our native N. American Rat Snakes have the capacity to well exceed six feet in length, as do the Asian "Beauty" Rats, so if you're bent on sticking to a certain size, you might want to pass those up. Ditto for the Pituophis genus.
If you are not absolutely dead-set on a rodent-feeder, I will suggest a Garter or Water Snake. They stay fairly small(short, at least; some of the Waters can be rather chunky), prefer cooler temps, and with the Garters, again you have a wide array of captive-bred morphs to choose from. They ARE messier than rodent eaters unless you switch them over, which can usually be done quite easily. Garters tend to be more "hyper" and active, while Water Snakes are lazy and will be happy to lie around on your lap for hours.
In the Boids, I heartily recommend the Aussie "dwarf" Pythons, like the Spotteds and Children's. They are Corn Snake-sized Pythons which can tolerate a wide temperature range and are very tolerant of drier indoor conditions. I'd actually recommend one of these over a Ball Python for a first-time owner. Then of course, there are the Ball Pythons and the Rosy Boas, and believe it or not there are some Boa Constrictor locales that remain under six feet, such as the Nicaraguan and Sonoran Boas, but with these and the Ball Pythons, you will need extra equipment to care for them, namely heating.

pitbulllady

 

[desertanimal]

+1 for the Lampropeltis "complex." Some of the kingsnakes are stunning.

But, if you want a boid, check out Dumeril's boas. Even the wild ones are nice and calm. (And be forewarned that ball pythons are notorious for going on months-long hunger strikes, so if that bothers you, avoid them.)

 

[catfishrod69]

i reccomend a hypo pastel red tail boa, thats what i have, and he is super gentle, and extremely breathtaking

 

[Spidershane1]

i reccomend a hypo pastel red tail boa, thats what i have, and he is super gentle, and extremely breathtaking

That would most likely get over 6 feet, although a really cool snake.

A Hogg Island boa is somewhat similar to redtails and stays around 5 feet.
My vote is for either rainbow boa or Hogg Island boa(I'm a boa guy ). Maybe a ball python...

I just think a boid would be way cooler than a coloubrid because they are slower, chiller, and less slithery. I like snakes you can just sling around your neck and take a stroll through the park with. Interaction with coloubrids typically consists of akwardly holding your hands out in front of your chest while trying not to drop them as they squirm around. It's fun, but definetly not something you want to be doing for extended periods.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[khil]

Hi Ember. You have a few choices I would recommend.

-Corn snakes: easiest to care for! They tame quickly, and there are plenty of color morphs. If you don't like them...

-Most kingsnakes: Cali kings have tons of color morphs. Basically these are the same as corn snakes, but they will be more feisty at first, and they smear their poop on you at first. Still easy to care for. If you don't like them...

-Ball python: I only recommend this because you say you have experience, since ball pythons need properly maintained heat and humidity, and sometimes they don't feel like eating. They are the sooo tame and nice, I love them, they are very handleable and dont move much. Tons of phenomenal color morphs; you can probably get a normal or pastel or something like that for your budget.

All of these stay small. I wouldn't recommend much else as a first snake except maybe kenyan sand boa. Pretty much all the boas either:
a) get real big
b) have small morphs, but are real expensive

Good luck! Snakes are awesome pets.

 

[Bazzgazm]

im going to throw a wild one at you..

Woma python for the more faint at heart.

and carpet pythons if you don't mind taking a nip or two from a hatchling.

Both are stunning, Womas are eXTREmely easy to keep happy

Carpets aren't bad either with their needs.... and certain species of morelia will stay under that 5-6ft range.. but even if they go a bit over they're very slim snakes...

womas will stay right in that range.

 

[pouchedrat]

I'm throwing in a vote for garters. They're my current favorite snake, come in MANY color morphs, and there are also various species out there for sale. They're really easy to care for, almost never refuse a meal, and I don't use external heat for mine at all although some people do. They do like it cooler than other snakes, though.

I'm actually thinking of starting water snakes someday, I saw some large ones being sold as feeder snakes, and they were pretty snakes who eat fish. I was sold, lol. MAYBE someday soon....

 

[pitbulllady]

I'm throwing in a vote for garters. They're my current favorite snake, come in MANY color morphs, and there are also various species out there for sale. They're really easy to care for, almost never refuse a meal, and I don't use external heat for mine at all although some people do. They do like it cooler than other snakes, though.

I'm actually thinking of starting water snakes someday, I saw some large ones being sold as feeder snakes, and they were pretty snakes who eat fish. I was sold, lol. MAYBE someday soon....

Let me know who has large Waters for feeders, especially if they're Northerns, since I'm looking for some nice breeding-size adult Northerns/Midlands. Water Snakes are really nice pets; they are fairly easy to switch to rodents, ESPECIALLY the Northerns. They are a lot calmer than Garters, too, and even the ones that bite when you first catch them quickly settle down and become puppy-dog tame. I've never had a Garter that would just sit on my lap or even sit still, period, while being held, but Water Snakes are apparently genetically hard-wired to occupy human laps while said human is watching tv, lol. They don't have that soft-silky skin that many of the Boids and some other Colubrids do, and some folks don't like that rough texture, but they are still cool pet snakes.

pitbulllady

 

[catfishrod69]

yeah, might get that long...sometimes they dont sometimes they do

That would most likely get over 6 feet, although a really cool snake.

 

[Spidershane1]

yeah, might get that long...sometimes they dont sometimes they do

A female BCC or BCI would definetly get over 6 feet if fed properly.
A male on the other hand you are correct, sometimes they do sometimes they don't. If you feed a young male well though, he will most likely hit the 6 foot mark or more.
Mine hit 7ft with a 7 day feed cycle for the first 18 months of life & a 10 day cycle from then on out. If you feed em on a 5 day cycle for first year, and a 7 day cycle for the 2nd, they can get considerably larger & you can expect 7+ feet for males, and 8-10 for females. I wouldn't reccomend any more than that though, as it would start to fall into the realm of power feeding, and obeseity issues may also arise.

I still say stick with a nice plump female Hogg Island boa, instead of a conservativley fed male BCC of the same length. They also have that lighter shaded look of a hypo pastel, except they have less of the reddish tinge, more flecking, and more faded patterning.
They are both great snakes, but I know what kind of hastle it can be if you're hoping to keep your snake under a certain size, but nature says otherwise.

 

[OphidianDelight]

I saw Pitbulllady recommend these too, but I really agree that Antaresian species pythons are wonderful snakes for the first timer. Children's pythons and spotted pythons stay around 3 feet +- and are relatively docile. Spotteds can be nippy, but I used to joke with coworkers that if the snake isn't over 8 feet long, then it doesn't count as a bite. Very easy care, easy to house. Good luck, mothers can be a hard sell sometimes.

 

[Obelisk]

I'd recommend a cornsnake. I love my florida kingsnake and western hognose, but the corn is probably my favorite of the three.

 

[catfishrod69]

i fed mine once a week for a long time, and now have shortened it back to every week and a half, and once i get her settled into a new boaphile, then i will feed every two weeks....

A female BCC or BCI would definetly get over 6 feet if fed properly.
A male on the other hand you are correct, sometimes they do sometimes they don't. If you feed a young male well though, he will most likely hit the 6 foot mark or more.
Mine hit 7ft with a 7 day feed cycle for the first 18 months of life & a 10 day cycle from then on out. If you feed em on a 5 day cycle for first year, and a 7 day cycle for the 2nd, they can get considerably larger & you can expect 7+ feet for males, and 8-10 for females. I wouldn't reccomend any more than that though, as it would start to fall into the realm of power feeding, and obeseity issues may also arise.

I still say stick with a nice plump female Hogg Island boa, instead of a conservativley fed male BCC of the same length. They also have that lighter shaded look of a hypo pastel, except they have less of the reddish tinge, more flecking, and more faded patterning.
They are both great snakes, but I know what kind of hastle it can be if you're hoping to keep your snake under a certain size, but nature says otherwise.