The perfect beginner snake?

[Mushroom Spore]

Sorry if this is an odd question, but what are the "alot of reasons" for feeding your snake in a seperate container, the only one i no of is keeping the sent of food away from his tank.

There's also the fact that the dead prey will leave bacteria and possibly blood (if it's a bleeder, some are when they thaw and it is gross ) on the substrate or reptile carpet, which is not sanitary. And if you feed on ANY sort of loose substrate (aspen, whatever, anything that's not one piece of reptile carpet), you risk the snake accidentally eating some of the substrate along with the mouse, and getting impacted.

 

[BrentlySnow]

My hook idea i figured was about the same thing, the snakes home will be in the tank, thats his world with his privacy, the only time id need to go in it would be to clean it, inwhich i can do while handeling or take him out and place hime somewhere temparly.

atleast then he can eat, and relax and digest the food in the place he is most settled in to.

 

[wicked]

To avoid stress on the snake after he has eaten I don't remove him from his feeding bucket. I gently place the bucket inside the tank after he has eaten and he can move when he feels like it. The next morning I take the bucket out.

These are the reasons I prefer a seperate feeding container.

cleanliness- If using thawed rodents its a lot nicer to toss a paper towel in the trash then to worry about substrate changes and the increased bacteria from the prey item.

safety- I don't want my fingers mistaken for pinkie mice when I reach in to get him out of his tank. ( I use a hook too, but he has a good striking range)

health- I worry about him swollowing substrate along with prey if he was fed in his tank.

Safety again- This is my 7 year old's pet so I don't want him getting struck by a hungry snake waiting for pinkies to fall from the sky.

 

[Karmashadowsh]

my opinion

in my opinion id say go big or go home...having a small snake is not really going tog et you prepared for anything you pic up thats big..i say reticulated python baby...the color is amazing..they are usually really doscile,except for right after they eat and moving them back into tehre cage..but thats part of the fun of having a snake...its not always just awwww look at the pritty colors..oh and besides retics have this inate sence to always piss or <edit> on there owners...its pritty funny after you get past the whole gross factor of it..and there eyes..oh my god..

 

[pitbulllady]

in my opinion id say go big or go home...having a small snake is not really going tog et you prepared for anything you pic up thats big..i say reticulated python baby...the color is amazing..they are usually really doscile,except for right after they eat and moving them back into tehre cage..but thats part of the fun of having a snake...its not always just awwww look at the pritty colors..oh and besides retics have this inate sence to always piss or <edit> on there owners...its pritty funny after you get past the whole gross factor of it..and there eyes..oh my god..

I HOPE the above post was a joke! A Reticulated Python of ANY age would probably be one of the WORST snakes any newbie snake owner can possibly get! Retics, even captive-bred ones, have intense feeding responses, and with the exception of the so-called "dwarf" races, most get way too big for all but the most experienced snake keepers. I've got over 30 years of snake-keeping experience, and I would NEVER attempt to handle an adult Retic without help. Retics can easily reach sizes that make them dangerous to humans, and their speed and power is phenomenal. Many people fall into the trap of buying a cute baby Retic or Burm, without realizing how huge these snakes can get, or how FAST they can reach an unmanageable size. Why do you think so many wind up being dumped by their owners, and the Everglades are now full of former cute little baby pythons that are large enough to kill alligators now? Retics, like most pythons, also require a lot of cage space, and auxiliary heat sources, and feeding a snake rabbits, and then pigs and goats, can get rather expensive. I don't think that this is what a first-time snake owner would be prepared for.

pitbulllady

 

[ErikH]

I think you should go with a corn, the husbandry is pretty simple, they are readily available, and fairly docile.

 

[Karmashadowsh]

no no seriously

yea,little bit of a joke... i have one but i have had a corn,albino king,ball python also..I WOULD say go with a king,although some are known to bite,its not intense at all..mine would never let go unless you put her underwater.so sorry about the retic sugestion,dont take it seriously..i personally think corns are TO small,a baby king would do you well im sure.good luck,take care

 

[BrentlySnow]

Im not getting a small snake so i can prepare for somthing big, im a city man myself and somthing big just doesnt work out, if i lived in a small apartment i wouldent get a big dog for the same reasons. Go big or go home is the worse advice iv ever read, the best advice when i really thought about it was from clocker, where he said get something you really like and from that you will be intrested enough to learn and practice what needs to be done.

The snake i really want now is a tri-color hognose, but i herd they hatch around this time of theyear, and take a few months to get feeding good before anyone should buy it, so im thinking of getting a ghost corn, and mayby late summer picking up a tri-color hognose sence thats what i was really attracted to.