Good Starter Snake
- Thread starter Ellron
- Start date
chams1
Member
How about a hognose? I love these little guys and they are fantastic little snakes. They really don't get very long/big and they are easy to keep. Althogh you may want to check your state's list for species you aren't allowed to have. While hognose are smaller snakes, they are rear-fanged and thus, are not allowed by some states.
weezyboi94
New Member
Sand boa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:d
SS4Luck
Established Member
why do you say 17" max? thats kinda small and smaller snakes can be difficult to handle. I for one, hate having to handle the small guys cuz my big hands/fingers are not nimble and gentle and im always worried im going to hurt them. You could go the ball python route like most people. 99% of people had never had the BP strike at them even once, mine is the spawn of satan, but its completely a random attitude. There are also carpet python morphs that stay under 5', which is super easy to take care of. If you have questions PM me, i have way to many snakes and can help you with breeds, husbandry and cheap routes to go with setups.
SS4Luck
Established Member
as babies corns and garters will eat fish, but its best to get them on pinkies asap
good luck snake hunting, once you get one its horrid to keep yourself from getting another.
ooo and another piece of advice i wish someone would have giving me when i started keeing snakes, although it may seem a bit strange/inhumane, rubbermaid tubs are your best friend every for keeping snakes. Get one of appropriate size, drill holes in the side of it for air, get aluminum tape and take your heat pad to the bottome of it, plug your heat pad into a rheostat/thermometer, tape your heat probe into the bottom of the tub over the heat source, cover with substrate, drop in snake and enjoy!!!
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
There really isn't much to think about in the care of many snakes. We have corn snakes, ball pythons, and columbian boas and there isn't anything we do for one that we don't for the others. They just need a tank (or a plastic bin, that's a very space efficient way to do it, because snakes don't move much anyway), a heat pad, bedding, water, and voila! The Boa and pythons require large "pools" of water to raise humidity a bit, but that's the only difference. You really can't go wrong with snakes, even with balls, that tend to be a pit picky.
Ellron
Established Member
I would say Kenyan Sand BoaThats what I have for our first snake and I was asking the exact same questions as you. I am so happy I went with a ksb.
He is super mellow, a great eater, beautiful and doesnt get huge.
I have researched this one and its my favorite so far. I am looking into pacman frogs and poison dart frogs too. I don't know what reptile I will be getting next. My mom is not exhilarated about me wanting another pet, especially a reptile. I even mad her a keynote presentation about husbandry and how if I can care for a cham, with very advanced husbandry, then I can deal with throwing a pinkie to a snake weekly... She is apprehensive to adding new animals to my collection. Shes more of a mammal person, I'm the opposite. She also doesn't like the idea of high humidity for the frogs, and gross musty, stagnant water. I told her all the snakes needed was a water bowl and she said, " Doesn't it get yucky? "
Me: Yes, thats why you change it daily.
Her: You wouldn't do that
Me: Sigh......
Silverdusk
New Member
I'm very fond of the Rosy Boas. Just as easy to care for as the Sand Boas, but you have a lot more choices in color. They stay small like the Sands also.
Hypo Borrego
Hypo San Felipe
El Rosario
Magdalena Plains
Hypo Borrego
Hypo San Felipe
El Rosario
Magdalena Plains
Silverdusk
New Member
Generally below $250.00 and most are in the $75.00 to $150.00 range.
JCDenton
New Member
For the most part you can get pretty much whatever fits your fancy. I haven't had a snake in probably 15 years but none of were hard to take care of. My first snake was a garter snake who by some twist of fate LOVED the fish fillets from tv dinners. If you don't mind mice I'd recommend something else though. Garter snakes are too fast to handle much and tend to crap on you when you do.
Corn snakes, milk snakes, and pretty much any kingsnake will be good. Don't worry about the length so much. A four foot python is a LOT more snake than a 4 ft of any of those. Don't get one too young. I remember my saddest experience as a kid was when I got a baby Prarie Kingsnake that I had been wanting for a long time. I could never get him to eat though. One time I put him in a paper bag with a pinkie and left him alone for a couple of hours. When I looked inside later, he was starting to eat it but quickly spit it out. That was the closest I ever got and he died eventually. You can get a juvenile snake, but I'd avoid a tiny baby.
Oh, and the person who suggested hognose snakes is right on the money...they're a riot. I had a wild caught one (self caught!) that was incredibly tame and a great pet.
Corn snakes, milk snakes, and pretty much any kingsnake will be good. Don't worry about the length so much. A four foot python is a LOT more snake than a 4 ft of any of those. Don't get one too young. I remember my saddest experience as a kid was when I got a baby Prarie Kingsnake that I had been wanting for a long time. I could never get him to eat though. One time I put him in a paper bag with a pinkie and left him alone for a couple of hours. When I looked inside later, he was starting to eat it but quickly spit it out. That was the closest I ever got and he died eventually. You can get a juvenile snake, but I'd avoid a tiny baby.
Oh, and the person who suggested hognose snakes is right on the money...they're a riot. I had a wild caught one (self caught!) that was incredibly tame and a great pet.
