New to Snakes

[REM955]

Hello.
Had family dogs and a guinea pig.
Never owned a reptile before. Still have some issues with handling them. More concerned with dropping one than getting tagged. Friend has a California King. Plan on practicing with said snake.
And, because I know I'll catch some flak for it, I am interested in getting a Woma Python when comfortable. They seem to be considered beginner types despite of their cost and availability.
That's the short of my projected future.

[REM955]

Hello.
Never had a snake as a pet before. Quite certain much different than a dog.
Looking to own a Woma well into the future.
Have to both move out and get used to handling. Afraid of dropping more than I am of getting bit. Friend has a California King I can practice handling. Supervised.
All I can think to say.

[millertime89]

Merged your threads.

[Albert Clark]

Welcome REM955, that is a great desire and you stick to that! Nice of you to drop by and hang out with us.

[Charis]

Hello and welcome!

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes.

[mistersprinkles]

Welcome to the forum. Snakes are interesting pets. Most people have multiple snakes, rather than just 1. I suggest that you start with a beginner type and then gradually move to something more advanced as you get comfortable and learn more. I think that garter snakes are an ideal beginner snake, personally. They are easy to care for, and inexpensive, and almost always tame to handle. A lot of people do, but I don't suggest that you treat snakes as pokemon trading cards. What I mean is, don't buy, sell, trade, buy again, etc. If you buy a pet you should keep it. JM2C.

btw just incase you didnt know, this is what a garter snake looks like



There are many species of garter snake. Not all look like this.

[REM955]

Pardon me for not being clear.
I plan on holding onto any pet I own for the duration of their life. I don't see how trading would really work for me.
That being said I only want one for certain to insure its health. Perhaps I am giving a single snake too much concern. I do know too much handling will cause stress.

I do understand the logic behind starting on garter snakes, but I still do plan on pursuing a woma keeping the count at one. Only after research and exposure is enough.

This response is meant as clarification, not a hostile rebuke.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Hello and welcome.

[prairiepanda]

Originally Posted by mistersprinkles

Welcome to the forum. Snakes are interesting pets. Most people have multiple snakes, rather than just 1. I suggest that you start with a beginner type and then gradually move to something more advanced as you get comfortable and learn more.

Some people have limited space, financial restrictions, or time limitations that would make having several snakes impossible. While I do agree that starting with something easy, forgiving, and low-cost(garters, kings, milks, corns) is best, if the OP can only have one or two snakes for whatever reason then we should think about his "goal" snake and consider whether we can take bigger steps towards it or if it's an alright starter snake as is.

I do think that a woma would be a fine first snake for someone who has experience with midsized pythons. A woma is veeery different from a cal king; as far as handling goes, they are much much larger, stronger, and act differently. Experience handling the king(and feeding it, if it has a psycho feeding response like many womas do) would be valuable, but would not prepare you for a woma. I think you should talk to breeders and visit expos to try and get some direct contact with midsized pythons, whether they be womas, blackheads, carpets, or whatever. Just so you know exactly what you're getting into if you really want a woma to be your first snake. As far as care goes, they're easy, but you do need to be prepared to handle a python, not a kingsnake.

[ARCH3R]

Woma is the perfect starter snake in my personal experience. Awesome temperament, easy setup and decent size. They do have a heavy feed response, but from my experience it's no different from a kingsnake, and is a benefit to any keeper. I've had snakes for almost 20 years now and my newest addition is not a heavy feeder which is quite stressful. You'll love it!
The only real downside I can think of is that hook training is a necessity, and if they start rubbing there noses against you during handling I would put them back.

[REM955]

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

I do think that a woma would be a fine first snake for someone who has experience with midsized pythons. A woma is veeery different from a cal king; as far as handling goes, they are much much larger, stronger, and act differently. Experience handling the king(and feeding it, if it has a psycho feeding response like many womas do) would be valuable, but would not prepare you for a woma. I think you should talk to breeders and visit expos to try and get some direct contact with midsized pythons, whether they be womas, blackheads, carpets, or whatever. Just so you know exactly what you're getting into if you really want a woma to be your first snake. As far as care goes, they're easy, but you do need to be prepared to handle a python, not a kingsnake.

Ok. Can you explain the differences between experiencing the two? My understanding is that the woma is generally docile in temperament, while the king variety not so much. And the feeding response in the woma is pretty intense.

(These are observations which I know maybe wrong. )

[REM955]

Originally Posted by ARCH3R

The only real downside I can think of is that hook training is a necessity, and if they start rubbing there noses against you during handling I would put them back.

The mention of the nose rubbing behavior contradicts the image I had of Womas being docile...
Is there reasoning behind it?

This hook training in short is letting them know that the hook means time to come out and use that to maneuver them to pick up, right?

[eminart]

Originally Posted by REM955

The mention of the nose rubbing behavior contradicts the image I had of Womas being docile...
Is there reasoning behind it?

This hook training in short is letting them know that the hook means time to come out and use that to maneuver them to pick up, right?

Even the most docile snakes can, and sometimes do, bite. The nose rubbing is a feeding response. They're looking for the spot to start swallowing.

But snakes are great pets. Pick out a snake that you're interested in, and that isn't so defensive it scares you, or beyond your abilities as far as husbandry, and you'll do fine.

[REM955]

I know they all bite. My interpretation of docile just meant "less inclined to bite".