noob wanting a snake-a-saurus

[BigBryan]

ok just kidding i want a snake! i have pretty much no experience with snakes... i searched for a good beginner snake and ended up deciding i want a corn snake due to its tolerance to handling and size... the question is what kind of corn snake... of course i want someone thing with nice coloring... and would probably like a snake not toooooo pricey i would prefer i pick it up as a youngen so i can watch it progess...

would a milk snake be a better or equal choice to a corn snake?

 

[Zarathustra]

ok just kidding i want a snake! i have pretty much no experience with snakes... i searched for a good beginner snake and ended up deciding i want a corn snake due to its tolerance to handling and size... the question is what kind of corn snake... of course i want someone thing with nice coloring... and would probably like a snake not toooooo pricey i would prefer i pick it up as a youngen so i can watch it progess...

would a milk snake be a better or equal choice to a corn snake?

I say go with the milk snake. In my opinion, they seem to have better attitudes than corn snakes, and they have better appetites. A nice Pueblan milk, or Sinaloan milk snake would be inexpensive, and beautiful.

 

[Kriegan]

I agree baby milk snakes are a good choice if you're starting to keep snakes, but some corn snakes have a very tempting coloring too, even baby pythons IME would be a good choice too.

 

[brandi]

Well Bryan, you've got plenty of options out there, and the corn, milk, or king snake is a great easy starter.

I would recommend you buy from a breeder or friend, and don't get one that's too small. A baby snake is cute, but not when you are struggling to get it to eat itty bitty pinky mice. And braining pinkies is never fun!

Good luck!

 

[BigBryan]

ohh thanks for the advice ill be searching for a breeder... there is a honduran milk snake for 100 dollars at the pet store but they tend to have a pretty high mark up on their pets... time to look at some pictures

 

[Midnightrdr456]

$100 for a good milk is not unheard of but i owuldnt buy from a pet stores, they USUALLY arent that good, but there are exceptions.

Pythons arent a great beginner snake, Balls dont get large but can be picky eaters. Boas are better than pythons, except for the size.

I think corns/kings/milks are best starters. And milks sure are beautiful, just ive never been a fan of bright colored snakes (i keep 1 corn, 1 cali king, and 1 columbian boa)

 

[mcysgirl]

I started off with a JCP. Even though normally they should be a little nippy my girl is the sweetest little snake that we could have ever gotten!! Even though she might be getting up to 7ft in length I'm ok with that. I've held (and worked with) a 10ft albino burm. and thta was the most interesting snake ever!! His name was banana!! lol. But the teacher had to get rid of him. Apparantly they don't like having 10 ft snakes in a class room :wall: Be sure to post some pics of your new baby when you get him/her!! here's some pics of abbigal:

 

[Midnightrdr456]

the reason i didnt recommend a JCP or dwarf retics since they can be nippier, so its not the best beginner snake. They can be great though but its less of a chance than milk at being mellow

 

[mcysgirl]

yeah, when we we're at the chicago reptile show *thats where I got Abby* most of the JCP's they had we're a little nippy. She was the only one that actually wanted to curl up around your wrist (or other things, such as glasses ) Like I said, we just got really lucky with Abby. But I can't wait till she gets bigger... I have such a cool idea for her cage...

 

[GailC]

Check out cornutopia.com for corn snakes. Kathy is one of the top corn breeders in the US and she has good prices. My corn is very docile and an excellent eater.

 

[BigBryan]

ive decided to go witha milk snake because i love the red yellow and black in all those crazy patterns... now my mom says i cant have one... I'll show her!

 

[stnick80]

I would personally recommend a corn snake over a milk anyday. I keep and have kept many of both. I find the most milksnakes especially younger snakes are EXTREMELY flightly, will sling musk at the slightest touch and sometimes bite as well. If you still want a milksnake I suggest Nelson's or Sinoloans. If your not too worried about the pattern Black Milksnakes start out as tri-colored but turn into large beautiful black snakes that typically have excellent dispositions. Another good choice not mentioned here is a Florida kingsnake (brooksi). They make great pets and are quite beautiful. As a beginner I would recommend staying away from smaller north american milksnakes especially as hatchlings. Also stay away from graybands and montane kingsnakes unless they are well established feeders. Even as established feeders the montane species will sometimes shut down for brumation. I think you were wise with your first choice. A beautiful Okeetee Cornsnake is a hard to beat. Someone mentioned Kathy Love. She has beautiful corns and usually many to choose from. Check her out. Good luck with whatever you choose.

ohh thanks for the advice ill be searching for a breeder... there is a honduran milk snake for 100 dollars at the pet store but they tend to have a pretty high mark up on their pets... time to look at some pictures

Honduran and Pueblans are beautiful but they are both incredibly skittish. If you don't mind having doodoo flung at you all the time then go for it. I had some once upon a time but I don't keep them any more regardless of their beauty because they are a pain in the butt.

 

[Crotalus]

I'd go for a corn too - good price, feeding machines, managable size, calm (mostly) and nice looking

 

[Crunchie]

I'd have the corn as well, the few milk snakes I've handled have been no where near as calm as the corns.

 

[Takumaku]

I'll go against the grain here and recommend a rubber boa. No additional heat is required (room temperature is perfect for them), extremely docile, and a great size.

Sand boas are good too, but you will need the supplemental heat for them.

If you like milksnakes, I would only recommend a honduran, black (gaigae), or andean milksnake with favortism for the black milksnake. Gaigae are great snakes -- no additional heat, extremely docile, a great size, and they are handleable unlike most milksnakes. But gaigae are currently pricey (70-$90 each from breeders) when compared to a corn snake ($10+).

 

[Midnightrdr456]

rubber boas are very bland looking IMO, they look almost like big worms. Corns are beautiful and a great starter snake.