Newbie

CobraStrike397 · 05-12-17, 11:45 PM

Hello everyone. I'm obviously new here, and actually joined to gather information about snakes as I am hoping to get my first one. Surprisingly, my wife gave me the okay as long as she doesn't have to take care of it. Hah.

Anyway, I think I have it narrowed down, but I'm still learning about environment requirements and such. Most of what I've learned has been from random articles and YouTube videos. So I thought a forum with experienced folks might be my next best step.

If anyone is interested in which snakes I'm considering so they can provide insight, I would be happy to provide my list and would absolutely love the feedback and opinions, considering this will be my first snake. I just don't want to start with that information and it be in the wrong area of the forum.

**Tsubaki** · 05-13-17, 12:50 AM

Welcome to ssnakess!! You could share you list here, or make a new topic for it with a clear title so more people will read it.

dave himself · 05-13-17, 01:32 AM

Hi and welcome

Scubadiver59 · 05-13-17, 07:12 AM

Welcome! Did your wife say 'one' or did she fail to specify a limit?

dannybgoode · 05-13-17, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scubadiver59

Welcome! Did your wife say 'one' or did she fail to specify a limit?

One snake doesn't exist does it?!

Reminds me of one of 'The Rules' which apply to cycling. The correct number of bikes to own is n + 1 where n is the current number of bikes. Married cyclists can modify the equation to n - 1 where n is the actual number that would lead to divorce.

As far as snakes go I am well and truly at n - 1!

Do list the species you're thinking of - we've got most things covered here...

CobraStrike397 · 05-14-17, 06:03 PM

She definitely failed to specify a limit lol. I said "a snake" to which she replied, "You'll be on your own".

Anyway, my list is as follows in no specific order. Please keep in mind I have no general idea what most of these run monetarily other than what I've seen at PetsMart whom I'd prefer not purchase from. Also a lot of what I know has either been read online or seen on YouTube. So, not one-hundred percent sure how solid my information is.

1. African house snake- Good: Supposed to be very docile and eat well. Bad: Not my favorite as far as looks go.

2. Brazilian Rainbow Boa- Good: Not super large when an adult. Bad: Can dehydrate easily.

3. Ball Python- Good: A lot of morph options. Usually docile. Doesn't get too large. Content just chilling on one's arm or lap. Bad: Can be picky eaters and go extended periods without eating for no apparent reason. Can be pricey depending on the morph.

4. Corn snake- Good: Docile and from what I've seen it's kind of what started snakes as pets. A lot of morph options. Inexpensive. Bad: Unknown.

5. Garter Snake- Good: Docile and does not necessarily need rodents. Cooler operating temperatures. Bad: Unknown.

6. Kenyan Sand Boa- Good: Docile and a steady eater. Doesn't grow very large at all. Bad: Hides in the substrate (could be considered good from the Mrs. point of view.)

7. King Snake- Good: Docile and will eat. Kind of cool that it can whip up on other snakes in the wild. Interesting colors and patterns even without breeding new morphs. Bad: I'm not really sure.

8. Rosy Boa- Good: I've heard they're docile. Bad: Honestly don't know much about this particular boa.

9. Western Hognose- Good: Docile with handling and mostly just bluff striking. It's cool they will flair out their hoods like Cobras even if its a much lesser extent. Bad: Technically "rear-fang venomous" and with my luck that would be the one thing I'm allergic to if it did chew on me.

Also, and I plan to do some reading, but what's with heat pads and lamps? Heat rises, so I feel like a heat pad would make most sense. But in the case of say, a sand boa, would it burn the snake? Are either of these fire hazards? I read that a pad is supposed to be better than a lamp, but do snakes require both?

ThirteenRavens · 05-14-17, 06:14 PM

Good list! I have 2 ball pythons, 3 cornsnakes and a hognose (along with a Sunset hog island boa, and a rubber boa). My adult BP is an eating machine unless he's shedding and is pretty docile. My new BP is super sweet also. My corns are variable...my lavender and bloodred are snots and my snow stripe is very friendly. My hognose is a little brat and he has been one of my most pickiest eaters...I actually just got him, my rubber boa and my hog island over their feeding strike -.- and my rubber boa is as sweet as they come

Also, welcome!

brandonh · 05-14-17, 06:34 PM

Great list! I love small boas like rosey and sandboa.
I have a low red western hognose , African house snake, a puablan milksnake and a new apalachicola lowland King.

CobraStrike397 · 05-14-17, 10:06 PM

I mean if I had to group the ones I'm most interested in, I think it would be:
1. Hognose, ball python, Kenyan boa.
2. African house, rosy, Brazilian, king.
3. Corn and garter.

I know that regardless of species, each snake will have his or her own personality. We have four cats and they couldn't be more different from each other. I just want to get some real world opinions because other than some box turtles as a child, this is my first reptile. That, and there is a reptile show June 18th near my hometown, so I thought if I could boil it down, I could then figure out what kind of setup I'll need and acquire everything from somewhere less expensive than the big box store down the road that marks up everything 100%. Get it set up and monitored so I know it will be safe for as yet undetermined snake, and then hopefully acquire said snake at the aforementioned reptile expo.

Thirteenravens and brandonh, I greatly appreciate both of your comments on your experiences and opinions.

And to everyone who has commented, I thank you for your warm welcomes. This seems like a very nice community.

**EL Ziggy** · 05-14-17, 10:45 PM

Welcome aboard Cobra. You've got some nice options on your critter list. When it comes to smaller snakes I'm a big fan of kingsnakes. They're easy to care for, have a lot of cool ssp and morphs, and they eat pretty well. I've never kept any of the other species but hoggies are pretty cute too.

brandonh · 05-15-17, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

Welcome aboard Cobra. You've got some nice options on your critter list. When it comes to smaller snakes I'm a big fan of kingsnakes. They're easy to care for, have a lot of cool ssp and morphs, and they eat pretty well. I've never kept any of the other species but hoggies are pretty cute too.

Kings ate pretty great they seem to never miss a meal! My hoggy eats like crazy but once in winter he did go off feed for 5 weeks before starging again.

Tiny Boidae · 05-15-17, 07:34 PM

Um, ahem. I think I might be able to offer another suggestion. Baird's Rat Snakes are a little bit harder to find but fairly similar to corns in terms of temperament and hardiness. They stay a tad smaller than corns too if that's something you're interested in. They're just naturally beautiful animals and are very interactive in terms of handling. Mine has never struck at me before, although he does buzz his tail from time to time. Also never misses a meal. He could be convulsing and on the verge of death and I'd still expect him to eat. Here's my sub-adult. He still has a lot of his brown and baby markings but they change colors drastically as they age.

CobraStrike397 · 05-15-17, 08:53 PM

I'd never heard of a Bairds rat snake until now. That's a nifty looking snake.

dannybgoode · 05-16-17, 01:50 AM

I typed a long reply yesterday but it didn't post for some reason and didn't have time to retype.

Out of your list personally I'd go for the house snake. I have a diverse collection but would happily have one.

Corns can be docile but they can be aggressive little ****s and echoing what TB has put there's a world of closely related rat snakes that imo are just as easy to care for but more interesting.

One other I'd add to your list is one of the smaller localities of carpet python - the Irian Jaya locality for example. Great snakes to own and easy to care for.

CobraStrike397 · 05-16-17, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I typed a long reply yesterday but it didn't post for some reason and didn't have time to retype.

Out of your list personally I'd go for the house snake. I have a diverse collection but would happily have one.

Corns can be docile but they can be aggressive little ****s and echoing what TB has put there's a world of closely related rat snakes that imo are just as easy to care for but more interesting.

One other I'd add to your list is one of the smaller localities of carpet python - the Irian Jaya locality for example. Great snakes to own and easy to care for.

I really appreciate your time and snake addition. Thank you!