Noob to snakes and I have questions.

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
T

Tongue33

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 11, 2006
8,060
16
0
47
Utah
www.davescichlids.com
Well My son is going to be five here in a month.

He is infatuated completely with snakes!! I want him to be happy and herps right? Anyway What a hobby to get involved in. I would rather learn about this with him than watch him be a lame game freak!! :( Don't get me wrong I love video games. And they will definitely have their place in his life. I just don't want him consumed by them.

I believe he is getting to be responsible enough to have one. Well for me and him to have one.

I am looking for a good suggestion on where to start.. A species anyway.. He likes the big ones.. And Pythons are his fav..

So if you wouldn't mind given me a suggestion on a species to start his path into the hobby I would greatly appreciate it.

At least if I have a good sopecies suggested I can start reading on that species instead of looking at hundreds of different ones...

My wife doesn't want anything that gets really big so there are some confinements :) Say 4' at the very most.... Something he can grow with.

he's kept Garter snakes that he has caught and released of course. :) My wife is a strict believer in him not keeping anything that was caught outside.. Good system I think..

Anyway.. Hook me up please ;) So I can start some more in depth research.
 
Also I know a few snake keepers .. But my wife hates their suggestions.. As they all end with us getting a snake capable of 15-30'


They are a good lot.. Just no t for htis decision.. they will be tons of help once we have what we are capable of caring for.... As they have kept allot of things... Just not for the decision :D
 
just a heads up: be carefull of salmonella (from thier waste), and have him wash his hands after handling whatever reptile you choose for sure.
As far as snakes ball pythons can hit six, but usually dont.
Might want to check out something like a ribbon snake, their on the smaller end.
 
Pythons eh? 4' is preferred?

Children's and Spotted Pythons are nice averaging between 2.5' to 5'. Carpet Pythons are also nice, but they can be nippy as hatchlings, but they easily grow out it with handling. They average between 3' to 9' depending on the subspecies and gender. Even though Carpets can get to be 7', a lot of keepers keep them in 3' long semi-arboreal cages. I realize this is bigger than you specified, but they are thinner than the "heavy boids" that is the Boa constrictor, Dumerl's Boa, Burmese and Reticulated Python et cetera.

Ball Python is the classic "fat" boid. ;)

Those 4 are probably the easiest pythons you can find on the market at a reasonable price and are decent for beginners.

Some care information:

http://www.acreptiles.com/carpet_python_care.htm
http://www.antaresia.info/index2.html (It's the best site I found, even though it's in German and they practice Euro-style herpkeeping, Google Translator does give you the information you need. Just know if you go American-style keeping, you can keep the Antaresia pythons in 2' plastic totes if you desire.)
 
Man!! Thanks!! I do have a couple breeders I know and see here and there come to think of it..

Those were excellent reads so far! I am less skeptical now..

We have room if we need it. Snake cages are easier to accommodate than large aquariums :D

And I have seen the breeders I kn,ow keep their snakes in Bins. I was kind of amazed at the size of snake pulled from some of those bins.. But have done some reading in the past and found that in allot of cases it is better...

Thanks for the headstart hope to show some pics if we get cleared by my beautiful wife for one :D

Last time I asked... She said
Marissa said:
You should not ask me about this....If you really want him to have a snake.. YOU should just go get one...
Click to expand...

:D Wonderful woman .. Just a little scared of snakes :D She's getting better though.
 
The good thing about pythons is that there's only 40+ species and subspecies of them.

The other good thing about them is that... well Reticulated, Burmese/Indian Rock, African Rock, Natal Rock, Amethystine and Moloccan are to be avoided if you are worried about safety.... so that's like seven that are knocked off to narrow down for you. Not to mention some of them are bitey like Green Tree Python and White-Lipped Python... and the three to four species of Water Pythons... so that another five knocked off the list. ;) That's not including the subspecies that are included under those species either!

With pythons, I go by weight not by size. A 9' Coastal Carpet Python does not need the same amount of room that a 9' Papuan Python require.
 
unannon;1445232; said:
just a heads up: be carefull of salmonella (from thier waste), and have him wash his hands after handling whatever reptile you choose for sure.
Click to expand...

Handwashing is a must, but I promise you that you have no greater risk of contracting salmonella bacteria from a snake than you do from your kitchen counter. That's a very long-standing myth surrounding the reptile hobby that has been proven wrong long ago.

If he likes pythons, like earlier posts suggested, I suggest a Ball Python all the way! I'm pretty biased though, I have about 20 of them....definitely my favorite snake by far.

Just make sure you a get a healthy CAPTIVE bred animal from a reputable breeder. That basically eliminates PETCO from your list of sources, they sell imported ball pythons exclusively.

I can probably help you find a good breeder local to you so PM me if you're interested.
 
I would go with a male pastel ball.. IMO of course..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom