View Full Version : best starter snake?
ik thinking of getting a snake, but i wnat 1 that doesn't mind being handled, doesn't grow too big nd easy to look after. any ideas?
cheers
Dargath78
07-29-2005, 8:03 AM
Cornsnake? Kingsnake? What do you mean big? 15ft.6ft.4ft.3ft? big around?
fishnthings
07-29-2005, 1:41 PM
i would say a corn snake, ive got 4, very beautiful, cheap, and lots of color morphs. they become very docile if u handle them alot. but if 10 ft isnt to big for u go for a RED TAILD BOA
rayman45
07-29-2005, 1:56 PM
red tail boas are mint looking
they have a perfict head shape :drool:
from what im told
chondros(tree snake) are easy and hardy. but pricy
i havent had a snake in easily 3-4 years
and im jumping to a green tree python
i will have it tommrow :D
cenecker
07-29-2005, 3:06 PM
Redtail boas also get FIFTEEN FEET LONG which I think kind of disqualifies them as starter snakes. I've just seen way too many 8-10 ft long redtails CRAMMED into 40 gal aquariums because the owners didn't think about how big it got when they bought that cute little hatchling.
Best starter snake in my opinion - probably hands-down, ball python. King snakes and Corn Snakes are cool and very easy to care for - but they are also MUCH more active, so actually require more space than a ball, even though they are smaller.
If you want to spend a little more money and get something a little less common (since every 12 yr old kid in the world has a ball python), go for a hognose snake...very unique looking, lots of weird behavior and extremly easy to care for.
Or...you know...get a tegu..wait...thats not a snake.
fishnthings
07-29-2005, 3:43 PM
there has rarley been a case of a red tail getting 15 feet. the males usually get to about 10 but normally stay around 8. the females get around 8-12 ft. 15 ft is rare.
skaterific
07-29-2005, 8:07 PM
how big do gtp get not that im getting 1 (cant) :)
CentralMayhem
07-29-2005, 9:18 PM
kingsnakes are very easy to care for and need virtually no space. a full grown specimen can be kept in a 29 gallon aquarium for life. easily. keep them at or above 70 and they will not hibernate. can be fed mice and small rodents. eat anything from anoles to tree frogs. i have been to a local breeder in my area. they are called www.renegadereptiles.com and have a way cool set up. i have seen there place and they were very informative and cool. i watched some sulcata tortoise hatch and saw a few different breeds of snakes being hatched from the incubators. check out their site, i got my snake from them and hes been great. they have everything from mild to wild and inbetween. have fun
shovelnose
07-29-2005, 9:30 PM
garden snake :hitting:
got any pictures of the snakes mentioned?
Ph0etus
07-30-2005, 1:10 AM
there has rarley been a case of a red tail getting 15 feet. the males usually get to about 10 but normally stay around 8. the females get around 8-12 ft. 15 ft is rare.
It wouldn't be so rare if people would actually take care of them properly. Most of mine average about 12 feet, but I've seen bigger ones. Red tail boas do have the potential to reach 15 feet if cared for properly, and for that reason alone they should not be considered for a first snake.
cenecker
07-30-2005, 2:42 AM
It wouldn't be so rare if people would actually take care of them properly.
eeeeexactly....
D4MI4N
07-30-2005, 4:24 AM
It wouldn't be so rare if people would actually take care of them properly. Most of mine average about 12 feet, but I've seen bigger ones. Red tail boas do have the potential to reach 15 feet if cared for properly, and for that reason alone they should not be considered for a first snake.
Size is not always a sign of health in snakes. "Power feeding" will maximize size but will also abbreviate lifespan, often directly due to fatty liver. A conservative feeding schedule will keep size managable and your snake healthy.
Heppy
07-30-2005, 12:56 PM
i decided to get a banded california king snake is it possible to keep more than one snake together if possible which species can i keep with this?
cheers
cenecker
07-30-2005, 1:41 PM
none...king snakes are cannabalistic.
cenecker
07-30-2005, 1:45 PM
Size is not always a sign of health in snakes. "Power feeding" will maximize size but will also abbreviate lifespan, often directly due to fatty liver. A conservative feeding schedule will keep size managable and your snake healthy.
good point. I just took my largest tegu into the vet...I got him a couple months ago WAY overweight (nearly 15 lbs). He's only a year and a half or so old and alread 4 ft. long...so basically full grown.
Turns out he has a bad liver...surprise...Looks like his former owner stuffing him daily with high-protein high-fat food has severly shortened his life span.
He sure is big though! :shakehead
Ph0etus
07-30-2005, 11:06 PM
Size is not always a sign of health in snakes. "Power feeding" will maximize size but will also abbreviate lifespan, often directly due to fatty liver. A conservative feeding schedule will keep size managable and your snake healthy.
I'm not talking about power feeding. What I'm saying is a healthy and well cared for snake will reach it's full size.
Yeah, if you strickly limit the amount of food the snake gets it will stay a more "managable size", but when we purchase a snake, or any animal for that matter, we should have thier best interest in mind and not our own. I understand what your saying and I agree with you, but someone who is new to snakes may take it the wrong way. I've had to deal with way too many people who think that because their snake can survive a few months inbetween meals means that that's only as often as they should feed it.
For most snakes one meal a week will keep them good.
CentralMayhem
07-30-2005, 11:47 PM
one small meal a week is more like it. most large snakes do good on once or twice a month. i feed my king once a week, but he is only a year old, so i will probably slow down once he hits a larger size.
Ph0etus
07-31-2005, 12:31 AM
One small meal a week, or every other week, or once a month will give you a snake that looks like ****.
Yeah, some snakes have slower metabolisms and require feedings less often, but even large snakes should be fed more than once a month.
cenecker
07-31-2005, 2:43 AM
:iagree:
sharks
08-02-2005, 8:17 AM
Meals are a touchy subject. If you were to feed a coachwhip, racer, or garter snake one time per week, it would be a bad situation. California Kingsnakes are an ideal first snake. RTB VERY rarely will get 15'. I have been maintaining a large collection of herps for the past 24 years and have never had a RTB achieve that size. Also some boas such as the Hogg Isalnd will remain small as with other insular localaties. There are a lot of good begginer snakes like corn snakes that could be set up and maintained in a nice naturalistic vivaria. Take a look at "The Art of Keeping Snakes" by Vosjoli.
rayman45
08-23-2005, 6:33 PM
gtp get 5-6 frrt MOST
I have bred MANY a boa over the years and for the most part the males tend to stay well under 10'. Im not saying that there are no BIG males but the norm is usually about 8'.
Females on the other hand when taken care of PROPERLY will AVERAGE 10' with many that attain 10-15'. But a fifteen foot captive boa is a rare sight.
Also another thing to consider is how long it takes for a BOA to reach that size. Sure they reach the 6-8' size rather quickly but after that thier growth slows down signifigantly. And MOST people are NOT going to keep thier snakes that long. Sad but true.
The female that I use for my avatar is a 12 year old 12-13'er. She has been very well taken care of, NO power feeding, NO fasting for more than a week, NO drops in temperature (this particular snake is all pet so no breeding) and PLENTY of room in her enclosure. In my experiance she is the norm. Will she reach 15'? Depends on how long she is with me!
CHEERS!
thefishofdoom
08-24-2005, 12:49 AM
ya i agre with feeding for my corn snake i feed her on temp because i keep her in my sunroom i feed her 2 mice a week in the summer when it reaches 90 degrees but in the winter i feed 1 mouse every 2 weeks or month depending when she wants food. my RTB i feed once a week and theres no temp drop so a steady scedule is key to sucsess. also iv had my corn snak for 8 years and my RTB for a month just a baby female.
softturtle
08-24-2005, 3:46 PM
You guys know that the chances of everyone here knowing the difference between a redtail (columbian) boa and a mexican boa are slim to none. The fact is , that unless you eat, sleep, and breath snakes, you probally don't know the difference between snowballs and your ass. There are a bunch of different types of boas from Central and South America and they all look verry very similar. As a matter of fact you can't tell the difference from some unless you count the belly scales. So just to clear that up. Theres to many boas called redtailed boas. Some reach 4', others reach 15' or more. So picking up the usual red tail boa from the pet store is not a good idea, especialy if you cant tell the difference from a hog island and a columbian. Any ways I'd say your best bet is a ball python. It still has that bulky big snake body in a small snake package.
thefishofdoom
08-24-2005, 7:06 PM
i got mine from a trustable privet breeder and shes a um possible het colombian
You guys know that the chances of everyone here knowing the difference between a redtail (columbian) boa and a mexican boa are slim to none. The fact is , that unless you eat, sleep, and breath snakes, you probally don't know the difference between snowballs and your ass. There are a bunch of different types of boas from Central and South America and they all look verry very similar. As a matter of fact you can't tell the difference from some unless you count the belly scales. So just to clear that up. Theres to many boas called redtailed boas. Some reach 4', others reach 15' or more. So picking up the usual red tail boa from the pet store is not a good idea, especialy if you cant tell the difference from a hog island and a columbian. Any ways I'd say your best bet is a ball python. It still has that bulky big snake body in a small snake package.
Well I know that the term REDTAIL REALLY only applies to the "true" redtails, surinam, guyana, ect.
I do NOT eat breath and sleep snakes but I CAN tell the difference between mexican and columbian boas. Its not near as hard as you make it sound.
I would be interested to get a list of the bunch of different Boa Constrictors from Central to South America. Try to keep in mind that they ALL are BOA CONSTRICTOR CONSTRICTOR. While they may differ slightly in size and color from region to region they are still ALL the same species.
And I have never been to a shop or breeder that has sold HOG ISLAND Boas as Columbians. I have been doing this for over twenty years and I can recall only ONE shop where the baby "redtails" were actually "mexican" boas. But remember, they are still both Boa Constrictor Constrictor.
And I could not disagree with you more about recommending a Ball Python. How is someone that doesnt know thier ass from a snowball gonna know if the baby python they are looking at is REALLY captive born?!?!? After all dont we ALL know the heartache of a NON-FEEDING Ball Python??
lophius
08-25-2005, 5:13 AM
kingsnakes have to be the best starter snake in my opinion - my first snake was a florida king - she was 17 years and 3 months old when she died, was 4ft 6" long and at her prime weighed 1.57Kg .... she was a brilliantly eater, reasonable active, very interactive, never bit, peed or poo'd and lived her entire life in a viv that was 3ft long ....
what better snake could you want to start with???
I certainly wouldn't recomend particularly heavy body snakes as starter snakes, especially pythons and boas - I think that starting with a snake that has the potential to reach more than 10ft (regardless of whether it gets to 15ft or not) is probably not a good idea .. likewise balls can be notoriously difficult feeders - and it can be a little daunting to have a snake that suddenly stops feeding for a month or so....
Corns are good (I'm just not a great fan) ...
carl
Dargath78
08-25-2005, 6:48 AM
How bout get whatever snake you want. Look at some books, search the net and find snakes that interest you. Then research the crap out of the one you want and get it. The only thing I would recommend is to buy captive born straight from a reputiable breeder, I think someone else suggested that. A good breeder will try to discourage you if you " don't know a snowball from your ass ", and even if your dead-set on buying they can help you out with what you need to know.
TrickyRicky
08-25-2005, 6:52 AM
I wasn't aware that this site talked about reptiles as well as fish!
Dargath78
08-25-2005, 6:58 AM
Now you know! :thumbsup:
Also where is the thread starter located? There are many great reptile and herp shows around. Many great breeders sell their stock at shows and you can get some pretty good prices, especially compared to a pet store.
guppy
08-25-2005, 10:54 AM
This forum is for all kinds of critters, keeps a leash on them to prevent them from running around in the other ones and chewing on peoples slippers.
softturtle
08-26-2005, 4:14 PM
Well I know that the term REDTAIL REALLY only applies to the "true" redtails, surinam, guyana, ect.
I do NOT eat breath and sleep snakes but I CAN tell the difference between mexican and columbian boas. Its not near as hard as you make it sound.
I would be interested to get a list of the bunch of different Boa Constrictors from Central to South America. Try to keep in mind that they ALL are BOA CONSTRICTOR CONSTRICTOR. While they may differ slightly in size and color from region to region they are still ALL the same species.
And I have never been to a shop or breeder that has sold HOG ISLAND Boas as Columbians. I have been doing this for over twenty years and I can recall only ONE shop where the baby "redtails" were actually "mexican" boas. But remember, they are still both Boa Constrictor Constrictor.
And I could not disagree with you more about recommending a Ball Python. How is someone that doesnt know thier ass from a snowball gonna know if the baby python they are looking at is REALLY captive born?!?!? After all dont we ALL know the heartache of a NON-FEEDING Ball Python??
Sorry, I didn't mean to say species. "Locals?" I was just trying to note the fact that cantral american boas (most species) reach a size that they can become a little intimidating. They are all Boa constrictor constrictor, but they sizes are a little different with the "locals".
Columbian boa constricter (misnamed redtail)= 4-9'
true columbian redtail= 8-13' (the largest ever found to my knowledge was 18.5')
And I agree with you about wild ball pythons being picky eaters. But these days there are probally hundreds of thousands of ball pthons being produced each year in the states by breeders producing highend morphs (That number may be a little steep but theres alot). I don't know if youve hit the shows lately but captive born ball pythons are a dime a dozen($20-$50). BY the way, I did not mean to discredit or say anybody was wrong with, I just trying to give my two cents.
Just1nK4ng
08-27-2005, 12:18 AM
ik thinking of getting a snake, but i wnat 1 that doesn't mind being handled, doesn't grow too big nd easy to look after. any ideas?
cheers
ball python is good starter
thefishofdoom
08-27-2005, 2:26 AM
well i would go with a corn snake only beacuse i;v had mine for 8 years and she was my third snake. first snake ball python and got out and died in sofa
Isis_Nebthet
08-27-2005, 11:35 AM
My cb ball was 29.99. If you have a good shop you're going to they will be captive bred and feeding. Mine even eats f/t mice for me (a very good thing because weekly trips to the petshop were killing me on gas).
I was thinking of getting a bigger snake after I move. You guys think I'd be okay with a boa? They're a bit pricey right now with the housing and 100$ for the snake. I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake if I do. What are the temperments of boas?
Dargath78
08-27-2005, 2:15 PM
WHy don't you pick up one or two of these?????
http://www.bobclark.com/d_learn.asp?id=124
Just kidding! Unless you have 40-80k laying around. :WHOA:
softturtle
08-27-2005, 2:28 PM
Last time I seen one of these for sale it was $100,000. I don't even think bob clark is selling any of his leucistic balls on his web site. You can get the average looking parents of the luecistic for $65,000 a pair.
seighten
08-27-2005, 2:46 PM
think some here missed the original point.... the person asking about a good starter snake mentioned several "requirements"... one being ability to be handled. alot of what i have read, and of the actual cases of people i have known that have had boas, most of these snakes have an ornery disposition, to put it nicely! not a good starter snake for that fact and the size issue...
also, as there is still quite a bit of info out there regarding ball pythons and their feeding issues... yes, every snake is individual but these guys still are associated with this issue as a group.... a little lower on the list of possible starters in my opinion!
i side with cornsnake people, also gophers can be a good choice, but are more expensive and can be a little hard to find... but worth looking for!
Rob553
09-06-2005, 4:57 AM
If you are looking for something a little more exotic than a corn or king try a carpet python yes they are nippy when young but if you handle them they will calm down. The other thing i like about carpets is that ive never had a problem getting them to eat unlike hognoses or ball pythons. Check out Kingsnake.com for tons and i mean tons of info on reptiles.
thefishofdoom
09-07-2005, 12:48 AM
If you are looking for something a little more exotic than a corn or king try a carpet python yes they are nippy when young but if you handle them they will calm down. The other thing i like about carpets is that ive never had a problem getting them to eat unlike hognoses or ball pythons. Check out Kingsnake.com for tons and i mean tons of info on reptiles.
allright theres a problem with carpet python they get big for starter, eat alot, have big ass teeth, they are aggresive and evern if u tame it u need to hold it at least once a day to keep it at a nice position, um what else i get one if u be comfortable with it and willing to keep it for out its life and not give it up then get one but i dont recommend as first snake.
Rob553
09-07-2005, 4:28 PM
Dont believe the hype. First off they get big well that depends if you consider 5-6 ft and about as big around as your wrist as big then i guess your right oh yea dont some king snakes & ghopher snakes which were also mentioned get that big. I know each snake has its own personality but ive had mine for 4 years and have never been bitten and have heard from many other owners who have had the same results. Ive been keeping snakes for over 15 years and it is mine and others opinion that these are great snakes. It really comes down to the person and how responsible they are and if your taking the time to do some research before you even buy a snake then you can handle a Carpet.
cornsnakes are neat little starter snakes i think their cool :)
rweedon
09-09-2005, 9:47 PM
Don't get a garter snake you can never hold them get a ball python they are a really good starter.
thamunsta
09-09-2005, 10:22 PM
get a burmese python :ROFL:
thefishofdoom
09-10-2005, 1:31 AM
Dont believe the hype. First off they get big well that depends if you consider 5-6 ft and about as big around as your wrist as big then i guess your right oh yea dont some king snakes & ghopher snakes which were also mentioned get that big. I know each snake has its own personality but ive had mine for 4 years and have never been bitten and have heard from many other owners who have had the same results. Ive been keeping snakes for over 15 years and it is mine and others opinion that these are great snakes. It really comes down to the person and how responsible they are and if your taking the time to do some research before you even buy a snake then you can handle a Carpet.
k im sorry im just sayin i wouldnt recomend it as a starter maby get a different snake first and see how u fair
lizardfishman
09-18-2005, 8:51 AM
very funny thamunsta my friend has one that is abou 9' long and still growing