first snake???

[5ammyJay]

Hi I want a snake... I want it to be small and easy to learn... I was peaked by a video of the Dekay's Brown snake... but I don't know where to get one.
Thanks for any help...
Sam in Colorado

[chairman]

You will probably have a hard time finding a Dekay's. Captive bred animals are quite rare in the hobby.

If you are looking for a smaller snake then I would consider sand boas, hognose, children's pythons, corn snakes... and probably a couple more that aren't immediately coming to mind. They all stay fairly small and, for the most part, are considered good choices for beginners.

[toddnbecka]

Basically any sort of corn, rat, or king snake will be fairly inexpensive and easy to care for. Speckled and thayeri kings are on the small end of the size scale. Japanese rat snakes also max out around 4', but aren't as commonly available.
Check out a local reptile show, or look around morphmarket or faunaclassifieds.com online. Kingsnake.com is another site that lists a variety of snakes for sale, but is generally less comprehensive than the first two.
Avoid wild caught and particularly imported snakes. They're likely to carry parasites, and while the selling price may be less, proper treatment at a vet (if you can find one locally that works with reptiles) costs as much or more than buying an established captive bred snake. Captive breds also tend to be in better overall condition, and don't have to becoe accustomed to captivity after living wild all their life.