they just keep coming

[Hotchkiss]

Since I started keeping snake back in october I've gotten them at a rate of 1/month... And there's an expo next month! how fast do you guys acquire animals?

[Starbuck]

i had one snake only for a year and a bit, then i got a second; then i got 4 two months after that (it was unintended, i wanted to purchase one from a guys collection, but came home with all of them instead). I got my 7th in april, and then my 8th this fall... and now i am DONE!! no more till I'm done with school and working again :/

[Terranaut]

My suggestion is to stop. Seriously. Enhoy what you have now and get what you must have later. People who aquire a ton of snakes in a short time tend to peek then end up selling most anyway.
Been here a while....seen it happen a lot.

[EL Ziggy]

I purchased my first snake in Feb 2013, my second in June 2013, and my third last week. So I've acquired (3) snakes within the last year. Only one more to go but that will be later this fall or early 2015.

[mrderson]

I got my first Hognose a little less than two years ago. Last spring I got two more snakes within a month. I would probably already have more but I am finishing up my masters next year and I am trying to wait until I know where I will be living in the future.
And I agree its very difficult to stay away from expos, I am trying to convince myself that I don't need to go to the New England expo this weekend but it is so tempting :)

[CosmicOwl]

I had a few snakes for a while, but ran into some issues and ended up sticking with 1 snake for the last 4 years. Recently, I decided that I wanted to own a few more snakes, and acquired two since November. I'm just going to stick with this three for now, because I know I can effectively care for them

If I were to give one piece of advice to new owners, it would be to focus on one snake for a while. Don't treat them like baubles or ornaments that you need to collect in bulk. This is a deeply rooted epidemic in the reptile community. Try to provide each snake with the biggest enclosures possible, and with the right care. Appreciate them all individually and enjoy their quirks and behavior. Some people have to learn the hard way, though.

[Shann]

If I were to give one piece of advice to new owners, it would be to focus on one snake for a while. Don't treat them like baubles or ornaments that you need to collect in bulk. This is a deeply rooted epidemic in the reptile community. Try to provide each snake with the biggest enclosures possible, and with the right care. Appreciate them all individually and enjoy their quirks and behavior. Some people have to learn the hard way, though.

I agree with this completely. I got my first snake, a boa, three years ago. She is still my only snake. I keep a word document of all my favorite boas, and who is currently breeding "the best" (in my opinion) of that kind, but I'm going to take it slow and enjoy every minute along the way. I'm not saying everyone should go as slowly as I am, I think I am an extreme for sure, but I think newer keepers should try to not get too caught up in 'collecting' them. There are a lot of pretty eye catching snakes out there, but there's lots of time to learn first. I've kept reptiles for almost twenty years, but I've learned so much from these three years with my first snake. It's a great learning experience, and I feel it's better spent paying extra attention to an individual. You'll notice things you may otherwise miss.

I've just seen so many new keepers get caught up in it, acquire a dozen animals, and then sell off all the animals. Not saying every new keeper is this way, but it makes me a little wary every time I see someone new to snakes getting multiple animals in a short period of time.

[CK SandBoas]

I got my first Snake, my Male Ball Python, back in the summer of 2004. About 4-5 months later, I got my BRB. Maybe a year after that I got My BCI and Tangerine Honduran Milksnake, both which I no longer own. I actually sold those two probably 5-6 months later, and it took me two years before I inherited my Grey Banded King from my dad. 5 months after I got my grey banded king, I got my Paradox Albino female. This was back in 2008.

Took me about 4 years before I added new blood to my sand boa collection....from various breeders......

[CosmicOwl]

I agree with this completely. I got my first snake, a boa, three years ago. She is still my only snake. I keep a word document of all my favorite boas, and who is currently breeding "the best" (in my opinion) of that kind, but I'm going to take it slow and enjoy every minute along the way. I'm not saying everyone should go as slowly as I am, I think I am an extreme for sure, but I think newer keepers should try to not get too caught up in 'collecting' them. There are a lot of pretty eye catching snakes out there, but there's lots of time to learn first. I've kept reptiles for almost twenty years, but I've learned so much from these three years with my first snake. It's a great learning experience, and I feel it's better spent paying extra attention to an individual. You'll notice things you may otherwise miss.

I've just seen so many new keepers get caught up in it, acquire a dozen animals, and then sell off all the animals. Not saying every new keeper is this way, but it makes me a little wary every time I see someone new to snakes getting multiple animals in a short period of time.

The problem a lot of new keepers run into is that they make purchases on a whim. They get the snake home, or the unbox their newly mailed critter and they're high for a day or two. Then they start to have buyers remorse and being thinking what snake they should've bought instead. Rather than waiting a few months and getting adjusted to the snake, they start thinking about next one. In a month, they repeat the whole process again.

They're never really happy with any of their snakes, nor do they build up any attachment to them. Eventually they either get rid of them or let their care slide and the snakes suffer.

[Kera]

I fell in love with my IJ while I had her. I did want more snakes but I didn't go through with it. Now I'm going to focus on one at a time for a while. :)

[sharthun]

I agree! I only have 4 and I set my limit there. I'm enjoying the heck out them.:D

[Will0W783]

I agree with the others; when you start keeping snakes, you really should only keep one or two for several months to years, until you have ironed out all the kinks in your husbandry, dealt with a few problems and learned how to handle them, etc.

If you've only been keeping snakes since October, and you've been getting them 1/month, how could you possibly be doing the proper research on each species prior to acquiring them? Are you only keeping one species, but multiples of it? I seriously doubt that.

I kept one snake for 2 years, before I bought my second. I bought a third 6 months after that. Two years after that, I decided to get into breeding and did the research to start a larger collection. I've been keeping snakes for 9 years at this point, and I did at times get myself overwhelmed when I started building up my collection. It takes time, experience and money to keep many snakes. You absolutely NEED to know how to properly care for each species, be able to provide ideal microenvironments and have enough in savings to afford veterinary care. The more animals you have, the more likely illness/injury becomes.

I suggest you don't go to this upcoming expo-it will be too much temptation. Do extensive research on the species you keep; the internet is your friend. And then, and only then, make a list of which other species you'd like to eventually own, and begin research on them. Save up, take it slowly and make sure you're prepared for each new addition. Best of luck!

[Skits]

I got my first snake back in 2010 or so, a cornsnake. I got my boa a couple of months after that, and then a royal python..I then got a carpet python, a rat snake..milk snake, another royal python, a few other snakes..

I rehomed the cornsnake because I didn't have the space for a larger enclosure at the time, and he needed one..I still regret giving him away but it was for the best at the time and I found him a great home. I rehomed my BP to a friend as she wanted her first snake and she liked my BP a lot. I rehomed my second BP to someone who was looking for one and who'd take good care of it.

Since then, all the snakes I've gotten have been rescues so rehomed. I have my 5 (now 7 with the two new rescues) and I'm happy with them. I'll be getting a BRB soon and then enough until I move out. I usually just take one in when I have the space, money, and time for one or when one pops up, sometimes it's months between getting a new snake.

I think as long as you can provide everything without any exceptions, it's not a problem getting new additions. Just be sure you want to keep them for life and it isn't just a few week "oh thats a pretty snake, i want one" phase.

[EL Ziggy]

I have 3 snakes and only want 4. I know myself and my limits fairly well. My first snake was the only impulsive purchase I made. We were supposed to be looking for a blue lizard for my son, the snakes were in the next tank and the rest is history. I used to have ball pythons when I was younger and a passion was reignited that day. The next 2 snakes were well thought out and planned for, same applies for my next critter.

[drumcrush]

I get one new animal a year. First it was a painted turtle, next year I gave that turtle to a little kid and got a leopard gecko, year after that I get my king, then my AC garter snake. Now I will be getting another Leo in place of the WC garter I found and kept over winter.

[JWFugle]

i got 2 corn snakes for my 11th birthday and have since moved out to college and when i tried to bring my snakes with my mother and little sister refused to let me take them because they loved having them in the house. worked out great for me i was wanting to get a larger snake and now i know they are taken care of.

so last summer i got a dwarf super jamp retic and thats all i want or need for a long time, unless i steal Dave's purple beauty haha

[psychocircus]

It can be "addictive", but as others have mentioned, the best thing to do is decide what you want and then sit on the idea for several months and do lots of research. If you still want the animal 6 months later, then follow through and purchase it.

That being said, If I am purchasing my animal online, which is usually the case, I will sometimes purchase two that I've been wanting to save on shipping.

[pdomensis]

I found that when I got my baby Bredl's almost a year and a half ago I was itching to get another snake mostly because I still wanted that "big" snake experience and not just the little guy. Since he's grown I'm much more content with what I've got.

[kwhitlock]

For me, there are only a certain set few species that I really want to work with, I have 1 of them. Right now I'm pretty content with the two I have, there are many species I think are amazing but I can't garuntee that I'm going to have the space to provide them with, like a retic, I would never get a female, but maybe a jampea dwarf, but still pushing it. Right now, I got it narrowed down to 5-6 snakes including the two I have, but a Blue Tongue is going to happen. If I ever did get into breeding, it wouldn't be serious, probably hobby breeding.

But don't rush it, I caught the bug when I first got my first snake, and I couldn't wait to get more. Right now, I'm happy with what I have. And as time goes on I'll add to it :)

[Hotchkiss]

I only got 2 snakes myself, the other 2 reptiles were a leopard gecko and a blood python that I had no idea i was getting them until the day I got them becuase they were gifts from my parents, I've been researching care on all my species since long before I even started keeping and I've already set a limit to 1 more snake for the time being...

[kelzerman]

For me, there are only a certain set few species that I really want to work with, I have 1 of them. Right now I'm pretty content with the two I have, there are many species I think are amazing but I can't garuntee that I'm going to have the space to provide them with, like a retic, I would never get a female, but maybe a jampea dwarf, but still pushing it. Right now, I got it narrowed down to 5-6 snakes including the two I have, but a Blue Tongue is going to happen. If I ever did get into breeding, it wouldn't be serious, probably hobby breeding.

But don't rush it, I caught the bug when I first got my first snake, and I couldn't wait to get more. Right now, I'm happy with what I have. And as time goes on I'll add to it :)


You just hurt Nessa's feelings.... She wants to know what you have against her people? :wacky:

[bigsnakegirl785]

I got my first snake, my ball python Bud 7 years ago. About 5 years later I got my Colombian BCI Cloud, and just a few months ago I got my checkered garter Draco, and I'm expecting a second garter sometime this year. Looking back, ball pythons were not the best thing for me to start on, they just aren't all that interesting to me and don't do much for me as a keeper. Don't get me wrong, I love my little one, but Cloud was the one that got me hooked on snakes. Ever since I got him, I've also wanted a retic, but I want to experience a full-sized retic before I get one. I have quite a few on my list, but I'm planning carefully to see which one I'll want the most and which one I'm most able to care for. A retic is my dream, but if it's impractical I'll pass on one until I can care for it. I'm trying to only get one snake at a time; have the snake through quarantine and get it settled in before I look for another, I want to keep my snakes for a long time and hopefully their whole life. I'm not realistically looking at another python or boa for another year or two most likely.

[kwhitlock]

You just hurt Nessa's feelings.... She wants to know what you have against her people? :wacky:

I love mainland retics, I think thry are amazing, I just don't think I can give them a good home and the space they need when they are 18 feet long! ;)

[kelzerman]

I love mainland retics, I think thry are amazing, I just don't think I can give them a good home and the space they need when they are 18 feet long! ;)

I understand. I have respect for you decisions. I told my fiancée she wont get that big..... she is worried about the cats.

[Snakefood]

I started with my corns, and I purchase 2 adults and 1 hatchling. I did all my research and bought and read all the books. When i chose to breed my 2 adults, I ended up with 9 hatchlings, I kept 2 and sold the rest. my girlfriend fell in love with one of my holdback hatchlings and so I gave him to her as a gift, she still has him and still loves him.

Since I loved breeding them so much, I researched what morphs I wanted to work on, and chose 2 morphs, my female snow was the starting point on my coral snows, but the male I had did not fit into the project, I found him a great home and only found the right male last year, so this is the first year starting the multi-generation project for my coral snows. I aslo want to do Orchids, but have not found my sunkissed yet, so that is a project for the future.

8 months after starting into the Cornsnakes, I decided I wanted to keep Balls, again I did my research before getiing my first ball, I still have her (she's my favorite!!) I did my research on breeding balls and decided what morphs I wanted to create, any purchases I made from there was based on creating those morphs.

Since my first BP, I have aquired the genetic makeup for the projects I want to work on and am just this year starting on some of those. Others are for future years as A) I don't want to breed every female I have every year, and B) some of my BP's are still Juvi's.

Just 3 months ago, I got my first Boa, and purchased his mate a month later.

Having multiple snakes is ALOT of work when you are doing it properly. I breed my own mice and buy my rats F/T in bulk to save $$. I have a very strict feeding schedule, I feed 3 snakes every day, and clean 6 enclosures every day. it is a labour of love and that is how I can keep as many as I have. Although there are 5 other morphs I would love to add, this is something for the future.

I also manage to keep down my numbers by going in on joint projects with other breeders, that way I don't have to have EVERY morph neccesary to create the babies I am aiming for.

This method has worked for me, and although I do have many snakes, they are all well cared for and doing very well. Sometimes I went up to a year without purchasing a single snake and sometimes I got 3 at a time, but I always made sure I had enclosures ready for them before bringing them home.

I am sure most of you would have no problem beleiving how many opportunities I passed by to get an awesome new addition. But being realistic and knowing that the projects I am working on now are the ones that caught my eye, I keep myself in check, after all, these are living creatures who depend on me to keep them safe and healthy.

[Teal]

I acquired all my snakes in a relatively short amount of time... but they are all species I have pined after for years, researched for years, and it just so happened that the ideal individuals came along all around the same time. I am very happy with my group of snakes, and while I am still researching others I want.. I am in no hurry to snatch up the first ones I come across. I believe in bonding with individuals... after all, we will be spending a lot of time together and it's important to get along, if you ask me!

[Hotchkiss]

I acquired all my snakes in a relatively short amount of time... but they are all species I have pined after for years, researched for years, and it just so happened that the ideal individuals came along all around the same time. I am very happy with my group of snakes, and while I am still researching others I want.. I am in no hurry to snatch up the first ones I come across. I believe in bonding with individuals... after all, we will be spending a lot of time together and it's important to get along, if you ask me!

I was reading your sig and it said "canines" and I'm like "huh, what species is that?" and then I felt really dumb...

[LiL Zap]

I've had my one and only snake for 10 years now. She is a normal corn snake but I love her like a daughter lol. About a few months ago, I bought my brother his first snake so now there's two snakes in the house.

[natsirtremraf]

I acquired my first Nicarguan Boa back in March/April Last year (2013).
Then I got my next CA Boa at the October Tinley Park show.
Next, In December, when RAACA did the first auction for the USARK Defense fund. I bid and won a pair of Argentine Boas(BCOs). These were sort of an impulse buy. However, some of what drove me to do was it was for what I felt was a good cause. Buying 2 snakes, all the while contributing to my defence in keeping my current Boas. I still haven't gotten them as its too cold to ship. Once I recieve them, I will be at 4 Boas/snakes total.

I have to admit, I am slightly freightened as to how quickly I gained these cuties. Its hard when both my girlfriend and I really enjoy just about any types of animals. In any case though, I... WE are fully committed to caring for our animals to the best of our ability. I am currently in the process of building 2 48"x2"x18" enclosures for my 2 CA's. The BCO's will have to start in tubs until I can get something going for them. Since they get bigger I will most likely look at building 2 72"x2"x18" cages for them.

At this point if I was to get anything new, it would be a smaller snake. A king, corn, hognose, etc. Perhaps a gecko or lizard instead. But I need to get caught up on my cage building before I buy anymore!! lol

[Aaron_S]

Dozens per year.