New to the snake hobby.

[Oh Clueless 1]

I am feeling a tad out of my element but I will just throw myself out there anyway. HELPPPPPPP lol

With that said... My husband and I have spent the day looking at pictures of different types of Ball Pythons and Corn Snakes. Going over care sheets and checking out web sites. We are leaning more towards getting a BP. We saw come wonderful color morphs in corn snakes but I think our chances of finding any of the ones that we really liked in our area aren't very good. We saw a lot of snake breeders online too but I don't feel comfortable buying much of anything online. The little pet store where I buy my fish from seems very nice. They had a couple BP's when I was in last. Its a nice little store and there really aren't a lot of good pet stores in my area. Just the big chain pet stores that I really hate.

Where has everyone found their's?? Whats the average price?? Whats better a rubbermaid tote or should I go with the old glass tank route?? Where can I buy F/T mice and rats?? What about heating?? I have gotten the hint about heat rocks.. What does everyone else use?? And if I go with the plastic tote how can it be heated with out worrying about it melting?? And thermostats?? I assume those are to control the temp in the tank?? I have a gazzillion questions and not sure where to start. Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Aaron_S]

I got my first one at a pet store when I didn't know better to go to a breeder. I'm sure you could get a captive bred ball python for about $100-$200.If it is a pet snake then I would go with the tank set-up cause then you could see the snake and make it look real nice and natural.You should be able to buy feeders where you get your fish if they do have snakes there.I would heat the tank with a over head heat lamp or an under tank heat pad. If you have any more questions you came to the right place.A lot of people would help you out here.Just remember to get a captive bred ball python. You will have way less problems with that one then you would with a captive hatched or wild caught.

[Oh Clueless 1]

I had read about the captive bred pythons on some care sheets I have read.

Oh yeah what does the 1.0 and the 1.1 and I think I have seen a 2.0... What does that mean?? I am so lost.

The undertank heating pads?? How do they work?

[Lisa]

The numbers 1.0 and 0.1 refer to the number of a particular gender in the format male.female.unknown

ie 1.4.2 would be 1 male, 4 females and 2 unknowns.

as for undertank heating pads, i find they work very well. :)
what they do is stick to the bottom of the tank and provide heat for the snake. you have to plug them in for them to work.

you usually want 1/3 of the tank covered though some heat pads will say what they're rated for (X gallons)

[Quervo]

I have a gazzillion questions and not sure where to start
That's okay .. we have a gazillion answers.:D
I got my first snake from a pet shop .. and although I am very happy with the snake and the store .. I got my second from a breeder, and would only buy from breeders now.
I agree with Aaron .. if this is a pet, get a tank that will display it. Glass tanks work, but an open top tank makes it very hard to keep humidity up. Balls like about 60% humidity ( I take this from the average percentage you will find quoted as the best .. anywhere from 30% to 80%) I keep mine at 60 and give them a humid box for shedding. There are many tank ideas as well as custom builders on the web (I myself build customs, but I think shipping from B.C. would be a killer. .:D )
I would use either an under tank heater or heat tape in combination with overhead lighting to heat the tank .. snakes really appreciate the belly heat for digesting. The overhead lights are used mostly to simulate day and night as well as provide a basking area. You should have the lights on the same end as the heater .. this makes a hot side and a cool side to the tank .. the snake will utilize this for thermo-regulating. I use heat tape for my tanks (available from The Bean Farm) .. they use less energy than the uth's.
Thermostats (I assume you are refering to a dimmer switch) are used to limit the under tank heat .. most of the heaters will get to hot if just plugged straight in .. if you were to use a plastic tank .. they could get hot enough to melt the plastic, or at least start it offgassing.
Frozen food is debatably best :rolleyes: .. I would try to get your snake on frozen .. it is much safer .. unfortunately I don't know much about who to buy from in the U.S. .. I'm sure someone on this site will be able to help there.
Feel free to ask your questions .. this site is full of very helpfull and knowledgeable people. :D

[stormyva]

Oh Clueless 1,
First off definitely go with captive bred, you run less of a chance of getting a parasite loaded over stressed snake that way.
Heating a cage for a ball or corn is very easy.... (depending on the ambient temperature in the room) a 60 Watt bulb will keep a 20 gal long tank the perfect temperature. If the room is cold you may have to step up to a 100 Watt or down to a 40 Watt if the room is too hot. Another great way to heat the tank is a human heat pad, never set it above medium and make sure that you raise the tank about a half inch to allow air flow between the pad and tank.

There are a couple of decent, but VERY expensive shops in and around Annapolis. You best bet in PG County is to wait until one of the shows come up and buy a snake there. There are frequent shows in PA and in Havre De Grace, MD. There is one on Dec 14th at Havre De Grace. The prices tend to be much better at the shows and you have a lot more of a variety available to you. As far as the different corn snake morphs.... most of the popular morphs are available at the shows.
Here is a link to one of the show calenders on the web:
http://www.herpshows.com/cgi-bin/Calcium37.pl?CalendarName=HerpShows
There is another calender at k i n g s n a k e . c o m but for some reason king s n a kl e . com always comes out like this: ************** here on the ssnakess.com forum :(

[Oh Clueless 1]

Thank you Stormy... A breeder in my area and/or a show in my area was exactly what I was looking for. I found the breeder in Bel Air, MD. Its perfect... I am so excited.

Thanks everyone for the heating question answers. I have a much better idea of what I need. Can I assume that I can find all the equiptment at my local pet store??

As for humidity and room heat... My bedroom, which is also the room I keep my fish tanks in tends to be warm and a tad on the humid side due to the tanks. How can I check the tank humidity to make sure its right??

Also about the 1.0 thing... What would someone like myself who isn't interested in breeding be looking for?? Does it even matter?? I am a little confused on that whole topic.

[Pixie]

You can find undertank heaters, hides, substrate at pretty much any pet store. To keep an eye on temps, a thermometer is necessary and to know humidity levels a hygrometer is important too. You can usually find both of these in pet stores as well.

As for the sex of snake, it doesn't make much difference if any on temperment but in some species like the ball python the female is larger.

[Big Mike]

It's really great to see someone asking questions and doing research before getting the snake. A lot of people get the animal first and do the research after if at all.

It would be a good Idea to get your tank set up and running before you bring home your new snake. Get the temps set where they should be. A thermometer is a must. It will be stressed as it is...so you will want to put it in it's home and leave it for a week or so, to settle it. This may be the hardest week of your life...you will want to play with it...we all have this problem but it helps to let it settle in.

Decide what you want to use for substrate. News paper or paper towels are the cheapest and easiest things to use and clean. Aspen, carefresh bedding etc. are also good. DO NOT USE CEDAR it is toxic to snakes. No not use sand either. Keep in mind how easy it will be to clean, this goes for everything. You will have clean up the #1 & #2 when you see it but every so often it good to clean and sterilize everything so you want to think about this when you pic the cage furniture.

I'm sure you will love you snake when you get it...but be warned...it's hard to stop at one.

Good Luck and keep us posted. :)

[Oh Clueless 1]

Its funny because when I started this whole thing I figured it would be something more for my husband where as I have been keeping fish for years. But I am as excited as he is. Even the kids are getting into it. They are pretty good about most stuff. We had a few incidents with my fish tanks but my kids were a few years younger and have since learned anything behind glass is off limits. LOL

I learned the hard way about doing research first. I bought my Oscar at one and a half inches in a 30 gallon tank that I was assured would be just fine. Well needless to say I NEVER expected my oscar to grow an inch a month for almost a year straight. He outgrew that tank so fast my head spun. He is now a big 13 baby at just over a year and its taken me about that long to catch up information wise. I am not going that route again. Gonna try to do this right the first time.

But it seems I have gotten my biggest asset already... A great place to get information and support. Thanks a lot everyone.

[Jeff_Favelle]

FANTASTIC to see someone actually doing research before getting their snake! My hat's off to you guys and I have no doubt your first (believe me, there WILL be more) snake experience will be a good one!

:D :D

[Quervo]

Just one addition to Big Mikes advice on newspaper substrate .. it is best to avoid paper that has coloured ink on it .. most colour ink is still petroleum oil based whereas the black ink is vegetable oil based .. just a bit healthier for the snake. :cool:

[Corey Woods]

I'm assuming MD is Maryland???? If so go with Ralph Davis for a ball. You won't be dissappointed. You can visit his website at www.ralphdavisreptiles.com I don't think he advertises normals but he's got a lot of them forsale. You'd be happy with anything purchased from him.

Corey Woods

[Oh Clueless 1]

Yes, MD as in Maryland. LOL

I checked the site. He has some beautiful snakes. And your right he doesn't advertise any normals he has for sale. I have emailed him but will admit to feeling rather silly for asking for a normal with so many very nice morphs available. LOL Its just a personal thing.. I guess I am just not out for making a statement and I want to keep it reasonable for now. Should all go well... when we get to the point that we want another snake... I would definitely consider a morph. JMHO