First snake suggestion?

[SamuraiSid]

Since I've taken an interest in inverts, my wife decided it would be great for her to have a snake, and I know next to nothing about them, but Im sure proper husbandry will be easily picked up.

Im hoping someone can give some suggestions. She really enjoys the "emerald green python" our LPS has on sale for $799.99, but that is way out of our price range. Im also not sure they have it named correctly, but its more a hunch and lack of trust in LPS that makes me think this.

Something that would be suitable for a novice
She really likes bright green snakes, and oddly enough colour is her biggest preferance
Something with girth. Not too small like a corn snake, but not a massive boa either. Around the 3-5 foot mark would be great!
A "cheaper" species, as most of our animal budget is consumed by Tarantuals (and rightfully so!)

If someone could give some options, and any additional insight that would be great. Once I have a few species names, I can start googling.

Thanks in advance.

 

[annabelle]

how about a ball python? they're pretty easy to take care of, and there's tons of different beautiful genetic morphs. a ball python seems to fit most of your criteria! i love mine!

 

[Dyn]

Can you give an idea of around what your budget is?

 

[Ludedor24]

Well with all things color usually costs more haha. Its pretty hard to find a cheap snake that is brightly colored. Im not sure what kind of time crunch you are in to get one but most reptile shows would have any snake you're looking for a lot cheaper. California king isnt that colorful but has nice contrast the blair's kingsnake is also nice. There are green rat snakes or P. baroni but they will have girth like a corn. Ball pythons make great pet snakes they can get pretty varied with morphs but with a crazier morph the price goes up. Most green tree pythons can be agressive also.

 

[ZephAmp]

I must say I recently had an amazing experience with a corn snake. I was walking around a local reptile show and noticed one vendor had sold out of all his stock, save for one adult "normal" colored corn snake. I went to look at it and it gave me what I like to call the "cute colubrid" look. I knew I had to have him. I asked if I could hold him, and he was a big squiggle of joy. 30 minutes later we were home and he was happily crawling around my computer table.
After this experience I realized that many of these larger, potentially worn-out breeder snakes may go without loving homes. Corn snakes are excessively overbred for fancy morphs, and those that just don't make the cut are often cast aside or kept in the back corner of a breeder's room. Colubrids are very intelligent snakes and they are not difficult in the least to care for either. Adult corn snakes (which, to have gotten that size, you can be sure are eating and are fairly healthy) are an exemplary example of this. A lot of young snakes (of any species) are skittish and nippy, but I suppose if you want to watch the snake grow to adulthood, they're the better choice. Some older ones can still have attitudes, but this is one of the reasons I always ask to handle a snake before purchasing it. Incidentally, these older corn snakes are usually quite modestly priced, which (pardon the pun) seems to fit your bill.
Other than corn snakes, I can recommend garter snakes as far as "raise-from-a-baby" snakes go. They can become incredibly tame, to a level boid keepers could only wish for. By this, I mean the snakes will become so tame that they will see you as another garter snake. Being gregarious in the wild (and they don't limit this to other garter snake species; I have some pictures of garters bundled up and basking with Dekayi's snakes) just makes them an all-around better candidate for taming. Most boids, as a friend of mine once said, don't really ever tame down; they just build up a tolerance to handling. Garters, on the other hand, will rush to your hand, not for food, but to be coddled. I once had a female eastern garter that I raised from a newborn; she would sit on the table next to me and watch TV with me, never moving an inch, and I would put little pieces of worm on a toothpick in front of her mouth and she would casually consume them. If I tapped her tail it would make the most adorable twitching motion. Wild garters use this to tell other garter's that the cozy spot they've decided to bask at is currently occupied. It was both flattering and mind-boggling to see that she pictured me as another garter.
However, taming a garter snake is a decent amount of work. Some snakes will accept you very rapidly, others are just pissy no matter what you do.
*EDIT- Incidentally, I wouldn't consider corn snakes small. Though they're generally not bulky, they certainly reach the 3-5 foot mark.

 

[TribalExotics]

If you've never owned a snake before, I would definatly stay away from the green tree pythons and emerald tree boas. I very seldom see these snakes with mild temperments. And their prices are quite high.

The best beginner snake, IMO, are ball pythons. They stay small, are reasonably priced, and have wonderful temperments. They also come in MANY different colors.

Lots of people like to recommend corn or rat snakes as beginner snakes. However, these snakes are very active, and become slightly frustraiting when you're lounging about trying to spend some quality time with your reptile. Not saying they are a horrible choice, they have awesome temperments also, and only get about a foot longer than ball pythons. And if you're drawn to the green color, there are red tail green rat snakes on the market for around $15 or so. Gorgeous snakes.


Other species you may want to check out would be these:
childrens python or spotted python


pueblan milksnake


california kingsnake (these also come in an array of colors, this is just one of my favorites)


western or eastern hognose (good little snakes, but can be bluffers! some are hissy lol)

 

[SamuraiSid]

Ive heard many times that ball pythons are a great choice, but until this point, I had no idea about colour morphs. After asking all mighty google a couple of questions, I came across this site: http://www.ballpython.ca/collection.html It gives a nice selection of ball python morphs, but all prices are in thousands of dollars. I was hoping to stick to $100-$200 range.

The wife and I are going to be heading to a reptile show in the lower mainland in April, so I've got plenty of time to learn what I need to know. While Id like to get her a nice green snake, it doesnt sound like thats gonna happen any time soon. Any idea on price for a ball python at an expo?

And Id enjoy getting a younger snake, as I really enjoy watching my slings grow. Does younger = cheaper, and is husbandry more/less difficult with younger snakes?

 

[Wonderella]

In my experience rat snakes make good pets, although it seems to vary by the snake. When I was a kid there was a rat snake that would constantly hang around our porch. We tried to take it back into the woods several times because we had a dog that killed snakes, but it kept coming back so we eventually kept it so it wouldn't get hurt. It had a great temperament; never bit, didn't mind being handled, it would just hang on your shoulders and chill. I've run into one or two aggressive ones though, so I suppose it varies.

 

[Ludedor24]

The price can drastically vary from table to table at a reptile show...good thing to do is make a quick run around but dont stall too long because the one you want may not be there I picked up a high-gold at a show for $25 american ...she was about 18 inches at the time. Now high gold isnt really a morph , just a natural light pattern, I still really love the color. So it really depends on the morph you want..but for any old run of the mill ball python will start around the 15-20 dollar american spot. Maxing out at about 1,500 for the drastic morphs.

 

[jayefbe]

A normal BP will run you anywhere from $20-50 depending on where you are. A single-allele morph (pastel, cinnamon, lesser, butter, pinstripe, spider) will cost from ~100-10000 depending on which morph it is. The more common morphs are under 400 bucks today. If I were you, with that price range, I'd look for a beautiful single-allele female. Pick which single gene morph you like best and then find a great female example of one. Then, in a few years time if you want to breed you can get a double/triple-gene male and pair him with her.

I'd look into:
pastel
mojave
lesser/butter
spider
pinstripe

I personally like the lessers/butters, but you might have to dip into the 300 range for them.

 

[Shrike]

And if you're drawn to the green color, there are red tail green rat snakes on the market for around $15 or so. Gorgeous snakes.

I'd recommend any of the other species you referenced for a first snake over a red tailed green rat snake. They certainly are gorgeous, but in my experience, they're always inclined to bite.

 

[SamuraiSid]

Thats for the great info, guys.

After showing some pics to my wife, she decided she wants a beta......

I however, will be getting into snakes

 

[Amelia]

I adore my female Bull Snake. She is the second in line when I am teaching my frightened family and friends about snakes. The first in line are my Sand Boas(which I'd also recommend) My male Bull is very sensitive though. Where the female is calm and relaxed, he's quick to shake his tail and hiss. He is still gorgeous and easy to handle. My female though is seven feet of yellow awesomeness. Everyone loves her.

Hognoses are fun. I love the "I'm a cobraaaa." act. My two little girls are spunky.

My prettiest is my Brazilian Rainbow Boa. Pricey, but their beauty is beyond compare.

 

[Anthony Jensen]

I'd go with a Rosy Boa! Very docile, and usually don't pass 4 feet.. They are neat little constrictors, if not the Rosy I would go with a Hognose, BP's are super cool but might need a little more maintenance, and you'll get hooked!

 

[Dyn]

Balls are decent starter snakes but can be a bit iffy with eating sometimes.

IMO a Woma would be a great starter snake if you dont mind spending a couple hundred on it seen them from 200-400 dollars. Really nice pattern/colors and something different rather than just a ball. Great eaters really easy to take care of.

http://www.westaussiereptiles.com.au/images/categories/woma 04.jpg

 

[mikem]

do some research of various snakes you are attracted to, then go from there. with that said, i'm a fan of the western hognose. they have the cutest faces! i'm also starting to get into garters. they're amazing little snakes that come in a variety of colors. very intelligent too.