Hey, New to snakes! need help

[CrazyNewb]

Im 18 i live in New Jersey, and i always wanted a snake. But i dont know what kind i should get, and since idk what to get idk what to research on... Im looking for something that doesnt get bigger than 2 feet, arent aggressive, and i can hold and play with everyday...
just pretend money isnt an option and hit me with names and details please! Thank you guys=D

[Lefitte]

Under two feet? You're going to have a hard time finding something like that that also doesn't mind handling, I think. I think some hognoses stay pretty small. I'm not sure how well they like to be handled though. Looks like Mexican milk snakes do, too. Try doing a search for pet snakes under 2 feet and see which you'd like to look into further. Why so small?

[sharthun]

Hey and Welcome!

[Tsubaki]

Welcome! :) Snakes are not toys and should not be played with, some snakes are tolerant of handling but every day is too much. If you want a pet to play with, i suggest either a mammal or a bird. Not saying you can never hold a snake, but less is best for the animal. If you still want a snake, i would suggest reading up on cornsnakes, kingsnakes or milksnakes. They do not stay under 2 feet, but are slender snakes that stay relatively small (very easy to hold for 1 person). They are also not hard to care for, and generally tolerate a moderate ammount of handeling.

[drumcrush]

Maybe a male garter. They get a little over two feet, depending on the species

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes CNB.

[Will0W783]

Welcome and good luck in your search. Snakes, as mentioned before, are not generally the type of pet you play with every day. Some species do get very tolerant of handling, but I wouldn't recommend it more than a few times a week at most.

Docile, small species include western hognose snakes, Children's and spotted pythons, kingsnakes and milksnakes.

Kings and milks can top out around 3 feet, and can be nervous.

Personally, I'd look for a Children's python, or spotted python. You might spend a bit more money and have to have it shipped to you from a breeder, but they are hardy, pretty little snakes that tend to be very tolerant of handling and docile.

[NewHerp293]

Rosy, rubber, and sand boas all stay pretty small. Rosy boas being my personal choice here!! Ranging from 2 to 4 ft at the most and pretty easy to care for and dont mind handling too much at all! They do spend quite a bit of time hiding though...and from what i quickly learned with snakes, 2 ft feels tiiiiny and even a 5 or 6ft carpet python doesnt feel that big in your hands.

[snakekid6996]

What about a male african house snake? I believe they average out at an adult size of around 2ft and I've herd they are easy to care for and pretty tame for the most part. I'm about to order my first pair of them. Also, I think childrens pythons stay pretty small or maybe even some kind of sand boa?

[metalcopper]

I'm a python fan, even though they get over two feet, I still recommend a Ball python for a good starter snake. Otherwise, I agree on a Western Hognose too, nice looking snake and stay fairly small and docile.

[CosmicOwl]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I see a few red flags here. First of all, snakes aren't toys. It' been mentioned already, but it's worth repeating. If you want an animal you can play with, you should get a small mammal or a bird. However, if you're capable of owning a snake without needing to handle it frequently, there are plenty of good options. That brings me to another red flag: why does the snake need to be two feet long or less? If I was a beginner, I wouldn't want to reduce the number of options I had to choose from.

Personally, I recommend you look into a corn snake. Yes, they can get upwards of 4-5 feet long, but it's a manageable 4-5 feet. They're basically the gold standard for a beginner snake because they are easy to care for, have great appetites and usually have a solid temperament. They're also one of the most widely kept captive snakes, so there is not only a vast amount of information available about them, but also many keepers available for advice regarding specific issues.

[CrazyNewb]

I only said 2 feet because i had no clue about snakes and id want a smaller one so i wouldnt have the problem of to small of a cage. Ive done some researching and i want a Garter, but i dont see the point of having a snake if you arent going to play with it... Im not going to be throwing it up in the air or whipping my friends. Im a lonely guy, maybe i was just planning on laying in bed with my good ol' pal snakey and let him run around me. Which is what i was intending to do... So someone please explain to me why i shouldnt be handling it frequently...

[LiL Zap]

Snakes are animals that don't do very well with excessive handling. This can cause them to be stressed and they'll start refusing food which will eventually cause their health to decline. Some species are very tolerant of handling but handling ANY snake every single day is way too much.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I think you need to do a bit more research on snakes and reptiles before you make this commitment. If you want a pet that you can handle everyday with no issues, try a small mammal.

If you have your heart set on snakes though, please do a TON of research. If you want a snake to have something to "play with," they're really not for you.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

I am a keeper of few snakes, and I also like to handle them regularly. I have taken my king snake out as often as 4 days a week--he's left alone on feeding day and the two days following, but I consider any other day fair game. I don't do this EVERY week, nor would I recommend it, but Noodle has never shown signs of stress. He eats every week when not deep in blue, sheds in one lovely piece, doesn't bite or musk or rattlesnake tail me, and when I go to get him out of his enclosure he just sits there and waits to be scooped up without running away.

Some snakes cope just fine with us handsey handlers. You just need to make sure you find one of these snakes, and respect them if they're not.

Now, my garter snake is a different story--he is captive bred but still young and skittish. If you do get a garter I recommend trying to find an adult. This means you get to skip the scardey baby phase and you can find one with a known temperament already. This may take patience on your part.

If you do end up with a hatchling, understand that it may take a long time for you to reach the point of handling that you want. I've only just started taking mine out once or twice a week for brief (<5 minute) handling sessions. I get musked a lot. All I do is take him out, hold him in my hands until he stops trying to flee and is calm, and then put him back. Eventually, he'll learn that I'm not that terrifying...I hope. He may never relish it, and that's okay. The great thing about garters is that they are active snakes and fun to watch even in their home.

I think the best path for you is to find and adult that is already known to be docile and tolerant, and go from there.

[Zoo Nanny]

I would strongly suggest that you read care sheets for different types of snakes. Your lack of herp knowledge may get you in over your head if you jump in before reading, reading and then reading a bit more. If you go back to the main forum listing page you can scan through and read about the snakes that you have interest in. Find out about the temps, humidity, feeding and habitat needs of each snake.

[CrazyNewb]

Thank you Obsidian you give me hope! And i dont plan to get a snake until mid February so i still have a lot of time, ive already done a few hours of research and plan to do more when the time is near... Thank you guys for your help and how aggressive you are to make people learn before they buy=D

[Mikoh4792]

I think a good place to start would be, how much space could you afford to give your snake? With that information it'd be easier to give suggestions.

[Nick V]

Get a woma! Two feet is s little small for a snake you want to handle, but womas are just about the most laid back snake you can get (except when feeding), and give you the best of both worlds, they are pythons with a sweet colubrid look to them. Totally worth the money, and you can get juveniles pretty cheap these days if you find the right seller. No offense to anyone here, but they are SO much more exciting than a ball python and are just as hardy. Very active snakes that tolerate handling pretty well and have a strong feeding response. They are so inquisitive, watching me as I go about my business in the room, until I unlock their cages and let them have the run of the floor or hold them. They may not be two feet, but are tolerant of much more handling than something that size, like a garter, and they are much nicer looking IMO. If you're worried about size you can get a male instead of a female because they are quite a bit smaller than females. My male is four foot and my female is just shy of the five foot mark but she's grown almost a foot since last year. On the other hand, hognoses are pretty awesome too, but do what you want! Just giving you my input since womas were my first "real" snake, all I had before was a ribbon and backyard browns and garters I kept as a kid. As far as handling goes, daily handling may be a little too much for any snake, but I hold these guys like every other day, except when in shed, breeding, and prior to or right after a feeding.