I want a snake. what should i get for a first snake?

Question

i'm thinking of getting a ball p

Answer 1

Good first snakes are Ball Pythons, Milk Snakes, Corn Snacks and King Snakes.

Snakes are great pets:) make sure you have the time and invest in to it properly:)

Answer 2

Hello; good question. :) Here is a list of my top 10 favorite snakes for beginners (including Ball pythons), along with why I chose them, and a care sheet on each species.

1. Rosy boa. They are small, very docile, calm, are great eaters, and are slow moving (and thus easier to handle than a lot of colubrids like King snakes and Corn snakes). They are also very hardy, low maintenance, come in lots of different colors and localities, and aren't prone to shedding problems.  

Care sheet: http://www.rosyboa.com/desertboas/caresh...

2. Kenyan sand boa. They have all of the good qualities of the Rosy like the gentle disposition, ease of care, small size, great feeders, etc, but the only problem that some keepers may have with them is that they spend most of their time under their substrate. For those who like to randomly walk by their snake's cage to check to see what the snake is up to and how it is doing, that could be frustrating for them.

Care sheet: http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snake...

3. Corn snake. They are quite docile, low maintenance, great eaters, generally are great shedders, are a bit bigger than Rosys or Kenyans but not so big that they are awkward to handle, and come in a wide variety of colors. My only thing I'd worry about for a beginner with these guys is they are very quick moving and can be quite nervous as babies, so they require a bit more caution when handling.

Care sheet: http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html

4. Childrens pythons. They are very small (the second smallest python species in the world), are low maintenance, are great eaters, and usually have a great temperament. While I wouldn’t classify them as slow moving, they aren’t all that fast, either. However while I think that they are quite beautiful; some would consider them to be ‘bland’ looking, so if one was in search of a flashy looking snake, then these guys probably wouldn’t be for them.

Care sheet: http://www.tinypythons.com/caresheet_chi...

5 & 6. King snakes and Milk snakes. I lump both species together due to their similar appearances, temperaments and care needs. The only notable difference in their behavior is that Kings tend to be a bit quicker to settle down when being handled. Both are a bit bigger than Rosys, Kenyans, or Childrens (roughly the same size as a Corn, though may be bigger or smaller depending on the subspecies), are low maintenance, great feeders, and usually tame down quickly with regular handling. The problems with these guys are that they are another quick-moving species that tend to be nervous when young. They are also cannibalistic, so it is under no circumstances a good idea to put a Milk or a King in the cage with another snake if you wish to keep both snakes alive and well.

Care sheet (works for both species): http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/R...

7. Rough-scaled sand boa. These guys are a very small, generally docile, low maintenance species of sand boa. They are hardy and easy to care for, are great feeders, and are excellent for beginners. The only problems with these guys is that they are a bit harder to find than most of the others on this list, and like the Kenyans, they spend most of their time buried under their substrate.

Care Sheet: http://www.reptilia.org/care_sheets/snak...

8. Ball pythons. They are a normally very sweet-tempered, medium-sized species of snake that is quite popular with beginners. They are slow moving, beautiful and exotic looking, easy to handle, and reluctant to bite. Unfortunately due to their high humidity needs, shedding problems, and notorious issues with feeding, I would only recommend them to a beginner if they had done extensive research on their care and knew how to deal with the common problems that they may have with these guys. Better yet if they had a ‘coach’ of some sort, another Ball python owner who knew how to handle this species, and could tell you the best kind of caging for them, the best sorts of substrate, and what to do when the snake goes off of feed. If the person knew how to deal with those issues, then these guys make a wonderful beginners species.

Care sheet: http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide

9. Hog Island Boa. These are a very beautiful, generally docile species that are medium sized and medium upkeep. They require a bit less humidity than other subspecies of Boa Constrictor, and are usually fantastic feeders. The only problem with Hog islands is that they are a bit difficult to find.

Care sheet: http://www.centralpets.com/animals/repti...

10. Western Hognose Snakes. They are a usually good-tempered, low maintenance, small, amusing species that could be mistaken for a Rattlesnake if someone wasn’t well versed in reptiles. They are generally very sweet, tame down quickly, are great feeders, and are great shedders. They are mildly venomous, though not enough so that it could pose of any danger to humans. Not only are they reluctant to bite; their fangs are also located in the back of their mouth thus making it very hard for them to bite you unless you literally stick your finger in there. Even if they did manage to bite you; you’d have to let them ‘chew’ on you to get any sort of reaction at all. Generally the reaction from their venom in humans is mild irritation and swelling.

Care sheet: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/westhogno...

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject or on any of the species I named; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)

Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm sorry that I am going to be callous -----a shovel------ick! a snake for a pet?  I hope you have studied up on these slickers cause these are more of exotics than pets. ick!

Answer 4

Ball pythons and corn snakes make good pets. They dont get too big and are really easy to care for. Ball pythons though are known to be picky eaters.

Answer 5

I hate to be this way, but I have seen so many different people that got sick of having a pet snake and just let it loose. That's dangerous. Good luck.

Answer 6

Do your research and make sure you are ready to inest and make the comitment of having a pet reptile first, if you are ready and very sure...

Corsnake

Kingsnake / Milk snake

Rosy Boa

Children's python

Ball Python : since you are thinking on these:

Ball pythons make very wonderful pets. They are hardy and moderately sized and come in beautiful morphs. If you can provide proper heat, humidity and hiding places, a ball-python is almost a sure bet. They take very well to handling once used to you and their surroundings, and are often easygoing, slow moving snakes. I would recommend a BP any day avobe a Cali King as these tend to be more snippy.

I'm making a small parenthesis here. People say that BP's are finicky, picky eaters. I say that this is not true in most [Captive Bred] snakes. If you purchase a BP from a reputable breeder that has fed the snake before and can asure you (and hopefuly demostrate) that the snake is eating, it will most likely continue eating. BP's though, do go on the ocassional hunger strike and might refuse to eat for weeks-months. This is fairly common and it will be allright as long as it looses no weight of muscle mass.

A reputable breeder you can go to, who has beautiful well cared for animals is Ron Crawford at www.rcreptiles.com, two of my pastels came from him and I was toroughly satisfied. He also has a forum and a Blog, should you wish to investigate more and reserach Ball pythons. The forum/blog is full of advice and articles to help any new owner on their way.

Answer 7

ball pythons and corn snakes are the best I've found. yes, some ball pythons can be picky eaters. thats why, when purchasing one, make sure it has never had a problem eating. and DONT buy from a pet store. they dont keep their snakes clean. try a local breeder. they sell normal ball pythons for cheap. but both snakes are great. good luck!

Answer 8

Um I think you should go for a non poisonous snake.

As the first guy said I have seen people who get sick of snakes and they let them loose.It was a story in the paper last year here in Chicago.Well in the suburbs someone discovered a python. I read another story about a python in the toilet.He somehow made his way through the pipes.

I think you should go for a garter snake.They're not poisonous and still a lot of fun. Go for a garter snake.

Answer 9

corn snakes are the best. i have 13! and i also have about 18 eggs waiting to hatch! good luck :]