considering getting a snake, any recommendations?

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i'm considering getting a snake, i've never had one before and i was wondering if anybody had any reccomendations. i was considering either a corn snake or a king snake, any glaring pros or cons to either? are both species usually docile? i want some thing i can pick up and hold on occasion.

also, i'm not too keen on feeding live rodents, are adult frozen mice (or something similar) usually available from pet stores or anywhere in particular?

 

[johnharper]

I reccomend a carpet python i have 13 of them and they are by far my favorite snake. If I was going with colubrids I would reccomend a corn snake , a california kingsnake or a arizona mountain kingsnake. I have a small collection of california kings they are very easy to keep and are not too aggressive. I can't own corns I live

Check some of the carpets on

www.moreliapythons.com

 

[Mina]

Try a rosy boa, I have two and love them. They are a gentle, easy to care for snake, that, in my opinion, combine the best of ball pythons and corns. They aren't as shy as BPs, but not as hectically hyper as corns. They are small adults, they only get to 3 feet or so. My favorite part about them though is that they are a small scaled snake, so they are so soft to handle!!!!

 

[Jmugleston]

If you like the look of corns and kings either will be great for a first snake. They don't get too large, and they typically tolerate handling well. Both my corns and kings ate f/t (frozen/thawed) rodents without problem. Get a young one (they will be feitsty at first, but quickly calm down) and raise it up and you shouldn't have any problem. As the other people mentioned, but rosy boas are a good choice as a carpets, but carpets get a bit larger, so they may be more than you want to deal with for a first snake. I have kept the four types of snakes listed so far and all were good once they were used to handling. You mentioned an interest in the kings and corns, and for the most part, either would be fine for a first snake and their care is similar enough that I cannot think or any huge differences in care or temperament that could sway your decision either way. Just differences in adult sizes and patterns.

 

[bigtyler1025]

my first snake was a cali king, i also have a western hognose, a children's python, and two corns. all are great beginner snakes. if you dont know how you will do with them go with corns they are by far the cheapest.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

also, i'm not too keen on feeding live rodents, are adult frozen mice (or something similar) usually available from pet stores or anywhere in particular?

Yep - and good choice, feeding live has a whole range of risks it's probably better to not have to worry about, as well as being more expensive. Some pet stores sell frozen mice, but I've heard bad things about frozen rodents from large chains like PetCo; items that have been allowed to thaw and then refrozen for one reason or another, increasing bacteria loads and sometimes killing pets with rotted meat.

I've gotten all my feeders from http://www.bigcheeserodents.com/ for the last several years, they've been good to me and I have no complaints. One shipment had to be remailed a couple times due to errors on their end (kept sending to an apartment I hadn't ordered from in a year despite that not being the address on the order), but they didn't charge me for the additional shipments.

 

[bjaeger]

I'd recommend a ball python. They're friendly and have some awesome looking markings to them. Remember to feed your snake outside of it's enclosure. IE: a cardboard box or rubbermaid container. They see in infrared and if you feed it inside of it's enclosure, it's going to think everything warm coming into it is food. You can pretty much guess what happens when you'd stick your hand in.

 

[Zoltan]

I'd go with the corn snake. It's the best first snake if you ask me.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

Whatever you decide to go with, please make sure its CB
Cheers

 

[arachnocat]

I hear rubber boas are a pretty nice little snake. I haven't been able to find one though. I've been reading up on sand boas for a few months now so I think that will be my first snake. They're pretty cool too. And you can breed and sell them in CA (which you can't do with rubber boas).

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i did some reading on the rosy boa's, those are pretty tempting.

the reptile show is at the end of the month, going to keep my fingers crossed and hope they have some

 

[JohnEDove]

I hear rubber boas are a pretty nice little snake. I haven't been able to find one though. I've been reading up on sand boas for a few months now so I think that will be my first snake. They're pretty cool too. And you can breed and sell them in CA (which you can't do with rubber boas).

You are correct that Rubber Boas are great little snakes and they are without a doubt the most docile species on the earth BUT they are not a good beginners snake at all. Just reading the care sheets on line is not enough with Rubber Boas, you have to have experience in dealing with harder to keep snakes for these guys.

A about any of the genus Pantherophis are your best bet for a first snake.

 

[OldHag]

You wanna buy my baby Kenyan sandboas.. Buy one get one free They eat frozen thawed pinkies. VERY VEEEEERY docile! Pretty. 100% het for anerytheristic. Females!

 

[xchondrox]

are adult frozen mice (or something similar) usually available from pet stores or anywhere in particular?

If your going to the reptile show at the end of the month you can get frozen feeders there for about half of the price. American Rodent Supply and Hoosier Rodents are both set-up there every month. I've been buying feeders from Brian Hahn (ARS) for 10 years or so. Search ARS on google for his web site with prices if your interested.