Introduction/new reptile owner questions.

[Animallover25]

Hello! I am new to this page, and didn't find a forum for the questions I have in a specific one so I figured I'd put it in this one along with a little introduction.
Basically, I'm a lover of all types of animals, but have a special love for livestock and reptiles. In about a year or so, I'll be able to obtain a larger room and be able to finally have room for a reptile 😁 The only problem is I'm not quite sure what to get 😂 I've been debating between a hog nose snake, or leopard gecko. Since I've never had either I really have no idea what I'd be getting myself into, so I figured I'd start learning ahead of time 😁 I've heard leopard geckos are very good beginner reptiles, and many people I personally know and have asked told me to choose the gecko, but that was mostly since they are terrified of snakes, which I have a soft spot for. Although I am fine with either animal, I would appreciate to hear other people's experiences with owning both or some other similar reptile. Also I will be housing two guinea pigs in the new room, and I'm not sure if that would be an issue of predator v.s prey sort of thing, so info on that would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Scubadiver59]

Welcome to sSNAKESs!

[ClockwerkBonnet]

I've never had experience with hognoses, but I currently have an adult leopard gecko myself. They don't get too big (adults only need 20-gallon enclosures) and are aggressively active eaters. They also only use one area of the cage for a loo, making spot cleaning relatively simple.

[Aaron_S]

Both are good options. I prefer snakes myself.

[craigafrechette]

Welcome to the forum!!

Honestly, Hognose are adorable. I love my boy Cosmo to death. But they can be very tricky snakes, especially for beginners. They can be extremely difficult to get started eating, especially males.
And it's VERY IMPORTANT to understand that they are rear fanged and mildly venomous. So if you or anybody in your home has any allergies like bee stings or any illnesses that affect the immune system a Hognose might not be a smart choice.

I can't give you any advice on the leo, since I'm a snake guy, but I do know they make good beginner pets.

As for the guinea pigs being in the same room, won't be a problem. My snakes shared a room with my ferrets for a few years with no I'll effects at all.

Obviously, if one is out the other is securely locked in their enclosure though.

[Veronica]

Well, I can't say anything about hognoses (except that they are adorable, and I've heard that they are picky sometimes.)

But I have a leo, and while she isn't any good for handling, she's adorable to watch, and I loved building her a fancy enclosure for her to explore.

[sinisajerkovic]

What morph of ball python is this?

[SnakeWells]

Hello everyone, new here and looking forward to getting help and trying to help out others with questions. Somewhat new to having snakes but have had bearded dragons for years and also had some turtles along the way. We also have a new Axolotyl and he is pretty awesome. Looking forward to learning new helpful things. Thanks ��������