Snake as a B-day Present

[Stefan-V]

I know there are a lot of people into snakes, so I hope for some advice.
I went to a petland and my I saw this awesome little yellow tree snake, labelled as Green Tree Python. My dad was fascinated with this snake. :drool:
I thought about a birthday-present, but there is a little problem it's a $1000 Canadian bucks! I don't wanna get it if it's not really worth it. :? Do they ask too much?
Also, how big do they get and are they friendly enough? What do they eat? Or would there maybe be an better option of a pet snake?

 

[Schlyne]

I would NOT get a green tree python as first snake. GTP's are pretty sensitive and have much stricter heat/humidity requirments. Green tree python's aren't very handleable as snakes go.

I don't know the conversion to candian dollars offhand, but the cheapest GTP baby I've seen is around 400$ US ...and they only go up in price from there.

GTP's typically eat mice or rats, and occasionally chicks.

You're better off to start out with a ball python, a kingsnake, a milksnake or a cornsnake.

Carpet pythons and amazon tree boas can be a "step up" into the green tree pythons, but they're not beginner snakes either.

You're also much better off to get a snake from a breeder than a chain petstore. Petstore snakes are far more likely to have parasites.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

cheapest ive seen is about $250 US...some about $350+
see here: http://market.kingsnake.com/index.php?cat=33

 

[Brandon]

I agree with Schlyne, GTP's are not going to be the best choice for your first snake. Many of the snake that were listed ball python, kingsnakes, milksnake and cornsnakes come in many diffrent vivid color morphs, not to mention the endless species of kingsnakes and milk snakes. Here is an example of a really colorful species of king snake.

This is the Arizona Mountain Kingsnake(Lampropeltis pyromelana pyromelana) There are many other forms of mountain kingsnakes as well.

 

[Mad Hatter]

I agree - you should not get such a difficult and expensive species as a first snake. Personally, I would never invest that much money in a pet to begin with. A cornsnake would be a much better species for a beginner - and there are several beautiful color variations to choose from. You can see examples here: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/cornphase/