Python suggestions--Am I missing anything here?

[Malkavian]

Okay, a friend of mine wants to aquire some kind of snake in the next few months and being her resident reptile specialist i'm trying to present the best options. She has a few conditions which are:

Complete beginner to reptiles, but would take care to the best of her ability given the right information

wants something that not everyone has

Doesn't want anything that maxes at more than 6 or 7 feet

preferably a boa or python

also preferably not expensive

Now that said here are the ones i've suggested (some of these im not sure on price or the ease of keeping, just throwing htem out on the floor for inspection)

Redtail boa (and Hogg island variant)

Dumeril's boa

rosy boa

black headed python

Coastal carpet python

Spotted python

blood python

Woma

Chondros

Tree boas

So any other suggestions? I also threw out some various colubrids and etc but she's stuck fast on the boid body shape and so forth.

 

[siucfi]

Based on what you said there I would recomend that he/she get the spotted, I have a spotted a ball and a central american boa, actually the central american will hit about 7-8 feet so that would also be a good alternative.

 

[woijchik89]

Why not a Yellow Anaconda? ;D LoL

 

[siucfi]

Hey thats always an option what the h#ll right? If your gonna do it might as well do it right.

 

[woijchik89]

Hey thats always an option what the h#ll right? If your gonna do it might as well do it right.

?

 

[pitbulllady]

I'd suggest either a Jungle Carpet or an Irian Jaya Carpet. Both are usually pretty colorful snakes, and usually max out at less than eight feet. Coastal Carpets can actually get quite large, and 9-10 footers aren't that uncommon, especially females. One of the nicest things about Carpets is that they aren't quite as dependent on the temperatures being so high all the time, like most of the tropical boids are.

If your friend is a newbie to keeping snakes, some of the other arboreals can be a bit more difficult to keep, requiring specific humidity and such, and many, especially the Amazon Trees, tend to be quite defensive(of course, there are exceptions). Some of the snakes on that list will also set her back A LOT, financially, such as the Womas and Black-Headed pythons, but hey, if she's got that kinda cash, it's her money! The little Australian "dwarf" pythons, like the Children's and the Spotted, are nice, too, though not especially colorful. Blood pythons, like Chondros, require VERY high humidity, but must also be kept very clean, or else they will develope all sorts of skin, respiratory, and digestive problems. Another good choice, if she can find one which is captive-bred, is the White-Lipped, or D'Albert's python. Wild-caugts tend to be rather snappy, but I've seen some captive-bred individuals which were very docile, and they have the most beautiful irridescence! The Savu python is another smallish python, usually with a very nice disposition, and the softest, silkiest skin you'll ever feel on a snake.

pitbulllady

 

[jaijjs]

Sand Boa from Africa. They are somewhat unique that not everyone has.

 

[Malkavian]

We had a kenyan sand boa at the petstore...it was gorgeous, but ya never actually *saw* it unless you dug it up..

 

[Zoo Keeper]

I would pick the red tail or blood. Blood's have a bad reputation, hence their name, but if you get a baby, and work with it, it can be a calm snake. Good luck with what ever they choose.

 

[Phillip]

If having something that not everyone has then Woma or Blackhead all the way. Other than price there isn't a negative to either one as both are easy to keep and do very well in captivity. Price is somewhat of an issue but then again that's part of why everyone doesn't have them in the 1st place. Many of the other species you mentioned are fine also but they aren't exactly uncommon.

Phil

 

[ddale]

Brb

I love my Brazilian Rainbow Boas.

Size: Max out at 6-7 (for only the biggest females)

Appearance: Gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, black, white

Temperment: Docile if handled regularly and patiently from a young age

Affordable: $150-$225 for babies sold on the internet (cheaper at shows)

Care: High relative humidity (can be easily acheived) temps from mid 70's to
the upper 80's
Feed appropriate sized prey animals (at their largest they feed on
medium rats or several mice every 10-14 days)

Misc: A great display animal that doesn't get overly large. Even at it greatest length, it will never posess the girth of a python of the same length.

BRB all the way

 

[da_illest]

i'd suggest a baby red-tail male, it'll top put at 7-8 feet MAX... or you can try sand boa's, rosy boa's, or even spotted and childrens pythons but in my opinion they aren't as a attractive.. red-tail would be the best in my opinion unless you can actually find a pure blood hogg island... pure hogg islands only grow to 5-6 feety max usually but there has been exceptions... they're also more expensive then red-tails usually but nothing killer

 

[ChokeOnSmoke]

Hey there, I would recommend a childrens or spotted to begin with. I think they are very nice looking snakes and are very easy to take care of. Rosy boas or sand boas come in a variety of colors they might also work. If she wants something a little more challenging but still reasonable she could try a jungle carpet python(coastals are bigger and not as colorful). If not and she wants to try a boa constrictor I would go with a columbian. Red tails get pretty big even the males. I would discourage her from getting any of the "tree boas" as they are mostly nasty and hard to care for.
Chondros are definitely out, expensive and the need very specific care requirements.
Womas and blackhead would be great if she recently won the lottery or inherited a large sum of money.
Bloods have a reputation for a bad temperment and they also have some special needs.
The Dumerils or Hog Island would work slightly more expensive than your normal columbians but stay smaller and have some nice colors.
Why does she want boa or python? She should look into some colubrids.... if its size she is looking for she can still find it there.
Sorry if I repeated from some of the above posts as I didn't read them all.
Let us know what she decides on.

 

[Yve]

tree boas and chondros-high maintenance husbandry requirements(hmhr), generally aggressive, 'look at' type snake and expensive

blood pythons-small and stalky, hmhr, if you choose this one make sure its captive bred and a hatchling(better temperaments)

ball pythons make good first snakes but you have to accept the fact that the ball can be a finicky eater
rosy boa and spotted python are also a good choice

dumerils can be temperamental

red tails can get very large...they grow slow but are still large stalky snakes in adulthood

the rest I have little knowledge of.

my first snake was a ball python, the only problem i have with him is his feeding...he'll stop eating in the winter and can be picky the rest of the time as well...but if you accept that and realize this doesn't hurt the snake it won't be a problem...you might just waste a few feeders btw I have 3 ball pythons now

I think if she does some reading about the snake she chooses even one that is not so much of a beginner will do fine. My second snake was a blood, my third a guyana red tail and after a few more I finally worked up to a burm. I've only been keeping snakes for 3 years. I've never owned a beginner and I've never had any problems.
Good luck with the selection and have fun!

 

[eksong]

I am a small snake kind of guy, so I would wholeheartedly recommend rosy boas or even rubber boas. Great little guys, good eaters, easy breeders, and some of the albino morphs are spectacular.

 

[ShaunHolder]

I wouldn't reccomend the reedtail. They can get quite large, and in my expierences with them; they are quite nippy.

 

[pitbulllady]

I've only seen a very small minority of Red-tailed boas, whether Colombians(which are often erronously called "Red-tails") or true Red-tails, that were "nippy". All of the ones that would bite were wild-caught adults; the rest were very mellow snakes, regardless of size. Female boas get quite a bit larger than males, so if size is a concern, a male would be a better choice. There is no difference in temperament insofar as gender is concerned. I have only seen one male boa over 9 feet in length, and he was a snake that had been "power fed". Boas generally have a much more reliable temperament than most pythons do. I've kept boas- Colombians, Nicaraguans, Peruvians, Guyanans and Brazilians(my first-ever big snake, back when THEY were cheap and Colombians were hard-to-get) since I was 12, and I'll vouch for their temperaments any day. While there are some nasty individuals, those are exceptions to the rule.

pitbulllady

 

[Yve]

I agree with you Pitbulllady, colombian boas(often refered to as red-tails) are very placid animals...especially if it is captive bred. True red tails, from locals such as suriname or guyana are more high strung. Not aggressive but very hyper out of the enclosure...more nervous than anything. My guyana is very shakey out of her enclosure...she uses my arm as a branch and holds on very firmly...as if she feels insecure. They hide alot more as well in their enclosures....HUGE boas as adults but extremely slow growers...and extremely beautiful!
Some bci's from Colombia do have very red tails....but most have more of an orangy brown tail and sold as 'red-tails'.

 

[minax]

blood pythons-small and stalky, hmhr, if you choose this one make sure its captive bred and a hatchling(better temperaments)

I agree about the captive bred part; but there are exceptions to the small and stocky description! I bought a Borneo short tail years ago, and one of the biggest breeders in the business told me at it's largest, it would be 6' and maybe 20 lbs. A decent sized snake, but not huge. Now..........I have a female that is over 7', and 45 lbs.+. She is larger in circumference than anyones leg!! But.........she is very beautiful, and temperament is okay, though you have to respect her, and keep her well fed. And..........this happened without "pushing" her with extra food, which I believe is unhealthy for longevity. I also have a Malaysian Blood python( P.C. Brongersmai) that is bright orange, male , and also captive bred. They have a rep. for being untrustworthy and nervous, even the captive bred ones, but the one I own is as sweet and docile as a ball python!? He is about a year younger, and though the Brongersmai is known to get bigger than the Breitensteini ( Borneo), he is 6', and 15 lbs. Males are known to be smaller than females. I will post pics. soon.