# Want to get my first snake



## SerraChan

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about getting my first snake and I would like to know which snake would be a good choice for my first snake. My father used to have snakes but he had boa's and pythons, I want something small and more colorful. My dad reccomends some kind of corn snake but I am wondering what else is out there and good to learn with. Also I live in Toronto so can any Toronto members reccomend a good place to find a good snake. I've hear reptillia is a good place. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm thinking about getting my first snake and I would like to know which snake would be a good choice for my first snake. My father used to have snakes but he had boa's and pythons, I want something small and more colorful. My dad reccomends some kind of corn snake but I am wondering what else is out there and good to learn with. Also I live in Toronto so can any Toronto members reccomend a good place to find a good snake. I've hear reptillia is a good place. Any help is much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks


I used to own a ball python. Very good beginner snake... Mine never bit anyone, was easy EASY to care for, and only was about 3 feet long. They can get bigger than that, but takes a good long while for that. My suggestion is the ball python for sure. Here's some pics


























Here's a link to a basic guide to ball pythons... there's a ton out there if you want to read up.
Ball python guide


----------



## TimmyTeam

King and Milk snakes are a good starter snake as well, both get to be around the same size as a corn snake generally speaking. Also if you want a snake that will get a bit bigger, rat snakes are neat.


----------



## sick fish man

Kenyan sand snakes stay less than 3 feet when they are adults, and they are constrictors too, so, no venom and they don't bite in defense, they only musk. Additionally, they have the most badass ambush attack ive seen. Lookem up on Youtube, their pretty neat.


----------



## Piranha_man

I've always really like Vine Snakes.


----------



## Leasure1

I say RTB....loved mine...all 3 of them, and my 12' albino berm.....till I couldn't find food for her anymore, bought up every 4h rabbit in the tri county area....lol,,Had to sell her


----------



## Atlanta Braves Baby!

Leasure1 said:


> I say RTB....loved mine...all 3 of them, and my 12' albino berm.....till I couldn't find food for her anymore, bought up every 4h rabbit in the tri county area....lol,,Had to sell her


RTB might be a bit big of a snake for a 1st snake... Might want to start out with a king snake or a ball python. Even a corn snake


----------



## Red Eyes

First off









I would recommend getting a captive bred Kingsnake or Cornsnake as a first snake. They are relatively inexpensive, don't get too big and are quite colourful. Here's a link on caring for Kingsnake and Milksnakes and another on Cornsnakes. There is also an Reptile Expo that will be in
Feb 2008, Click here. This expo has been running for years so they should be posting the 2008 dates fairly soon.


----------



## Guest

Piranha_man said:


> First off
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would recommend getting a captive bred Kingsnake or Cornsnake as a first snake. They are relatively inexpensive, don't get too big and are quite colourful. Here's a link on caring for Kingsnake and Milksnakes and another on Cornsnakes. There is also an Reptile Expo that will be in
> Feb 2008, Click here. This expo has been running for years so they should be posting the 2008 dates fairly soon.


Excellent post.









To that list, I wouls also like to add Rat Snakes, which are very similar to Corn Snakes (they both belong to the _Elaphe _genus). Also, if you want something a bit bigger, members of the _Pituophis_ genus such as Bullsnakes and Goher Snakes are also great.


----------



## dracofish

IMO, Corns do make great Snakes for a beginner. They can be very colorful, are pretty cheap (depending on the color morph), and are generally pretty good eaters and are docile. They are also easy to maintain and don't get excessively large so you don't need a huge enclosure.

As far as Ball Pythons, they are also nice, but I've had a few and they can get a little on the finicky side as far as feeding goes. That could be tough for a Snake newbie.


----------



## SerraChan

Hmmm....so it sounds like King and Corn snakes are the easiest snakes to learn with. Do small snake's create much of a smell? Where in Toronto is a good place to shop for snakes? I know Pj's and places like that sell reptiles but generally pj's doesn't sell pet's that are in very good health. They usually just get the breeders left overs. Also someone mentioned getting a captive bred snake, is there anyway to physically tell the difference or do you have to just go on what the seller say's? I'm guessing you guys suggest captive bred snakes because they are less aggressive correct? Is caring for a snake very exspensive? I've owned piranha's for about 7 year's and I currently own a 16 inch highback Rhom and he eats alot. Would the costs be somewhat similar?


----------



## scotty

dude go with a cornsnake< my gf has had a red tail boa, Colombian boa, and a Burmese python, and you need a tall tank for the boas,(they love to climb!!) and high humidity,so you have to mist them everyday, pythons can be temperamental, and as babys they are very picky eaters, they will literally starve themselves to death. so for a good snake to begin with I'D , correction... WE'D go for the cornsnake!!! i know it sounds bad but she hasn't cleaned the tank in like 5 months!!! NO SMELL YET ours is eating fuzzys now. these snakes will grow with you


----------



## SerraChan

I've been doing alot of reading the past few days, I'm growing very partial to either a corn snake or a ball python. I really want something that I can play with alot. I've read that the corn snake isn't really good for play because they're the type of snake that get a direction in they're mind and keep heading that way. Are ball pythons like boa's where they're wrap around your arm and hang off you and stuff. People keep saying that ball pythons can be finiky eaters when they're young, is that all of them or just some?


----------



## Guest

SerraChan said:


> Hmmm....so it sounds like King and Corn snakes are the easiest snakes to learn with. Do small snake's create much of a smell? Where in Toronto is a good place to shop for snakes? I know Pj's and places like that sell reptiles but generally pj's doesn't sell pet's that are in very good health. They usually just get the breeders left overs. Also someone mentioned getting a captive bred snake, is there anyway to physically tell the difference or do you have to just go on what the seller say's? I'm guessing you guys suggest captive bred snakes because they are less aggressive correct? Is caring for a snake very exspensive? I've owned piranha's for about 7 year's and I currently own a 16 inch highback Rhom and he eats alot. Would the costs be somewhat similar?


Generally, reptiles don't smell much. Snakes only poop like once, occasionally twice, every time you feed them and you can just scoop that up from the bedding.

Captive-bred snakes are the way to go. They are tamer than wild snakes. They don't carry the parasite load of wild snakes and their colors are usually much better. Also, you are not removing an animal from the environment that's becoming increasingly more rare.

Usually, you buy captive-bred snakes as neonates (just hatched). Buying older snakes costs alot more because the breeder had to house and feed them.

It probably costs a bit more to keep a snake than a fish because the snakes eat mice. The cheapest way to buy mice is frozen-in-bulk, and then just defrost them as you need them. Buying the mice alive from the store one-at-a-time is the more expensive way to do it.


----------



## Leasure1

RTB is a great first snake.....why is it that everyone always wants people to start out with MAJOR training wheels. I realize they get big(er).....but it takes years. As for aggression....balls suck, pythons suck...rtb's are way more docile. Corn snakes is what I would buy my 10 year old. There is no more husbandry with larger snakes than there is with smaller snakes. Hell......not like he is talking about buying a king cobra or pit viper. YES....those are for EXPERTS!!....Retics....okay...we all know those are very very aggressive, and should only be for experianced peeps. But as for starter snakes, balls, burms, red tails boas, rainbows, they are all the same to me PROVIDED we are talking about juvies. When they get bigger, that is a differant story, but by that time you should be addicted and have like 10 snakes and know the hobby inside and out!


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Are ball pythons like boa's where they're wrap around your arm and hang off you and stuff. People keep saying that ball pythons can be finiky eaters when they're young, is that all of them or just some?


Yes, the ball python will wrap around you to get warm and hang off you. I've never had a problem with my ball eating. Depending on its size will determine how often they should eat, which also effects how aggressive they are to the food. Basically if they're hungry, they'll eat, if they're not, then they'll show signs of it, and ignore it. Ball pythons can go a long long time without food, i think i remember up to about 4 months or something rediculous like that. Like piranhas, they'll start off little and often, then gradually go to a small rat every month or so. I never really thought feeding a ball python was terribly expensive... The pet store sold live mice for about $2 and small rats for about $3-$4. By the time you get up to a small rat, that's 4 bucks a month, not very hard on the pocket.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE

what do you concider small?

you could et something like a ball python (colourful and comes in multiple morphs)

couple ?

what is the biggest size snake you want?
handability? show species / interactive
habitat? desert, arborial, ground...
any preferances?
colour?

i went to reptillia a couple years back and it was pretty cool
they had lots of different varieties of healthy snakes and they had decent prices too


----------



## SerraChan

Thanks for all the info guys, by the way this may sound dumb but wut is an RTB leasure1? I'm going to try to go to reptilia tommorow and see what kind of snake really apeals to me. I've done a lot of reading of different sites about the ball pythons and it seems to be the snake I'm leaning towards for my first snake. What kind of substrate do you guys reccomend the most from experience. I have my friend telling me one thing, each website telling me like 3 types...I dunno which to chose? I want a substrate that makes the snake the happiest and is easier to keep clean. Any suggestions? Oh and is it true that if you put them in a big tank right away they don't like it? Some of the sites say that you have to keep buying new tanks as they grow.


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Thanks for all the info guys, by the way this may sound dumb but wut is an RTB leasure1? I'm going to try to go to reptilia tommorow and see what kind of snake really apeals to me. I've done a lot of reading of different sites about the ball pythons and it seems to be the snake I'm leaning towards for my first snake. What kind of substrate do you guys reccomend the most from experience. I have my friend telling me one thing, each website telling me like 3 types...I dunno which to chose? I want a substrate that makes the snake the happiest and is easier to keep clean. Any suggestions? Oh and is it true that if you put them in a big tank right away they don't like it? Some of the sites say that you have to keep buying new tanks as they grow.


As far as substrate goes.... When i first got my ball, i had wood chips. But... you have to change the wood chips every so often so parasites and disease don't creep in and harm your snake. I found that out the hard way.. My ball got sick from the lack of changing the wood chips and refused to eat for about a month. I took him into the vet, and they told me that's prob. why he wasn't eating. So after that, i just said screw it, dumped the wood chips, and everytime i fed him, i'd clean out his cage and put fresh newspaper down and wash the fake plants, the wood, his rock and his water bowl. The newspaper worked just fine for me, but it wasn't the most attractive.

But.... bad news. My ball died about a month ago.







I turned his light off for the night, my roommates and i went out to drink, i came home earlier than they did, and they left the door open the whole night in 30 degree weather and the poor fella died. (his cage is right by the door)


----------



## SerraChan

Ah man sorry to hear that, that sux... I read that woodchips aren't good because the snake can sometimes accidentally injest the woodchips when they are eating and it can make them really sick or kill them.

Oh and the terms, so bull says neonates means just hatches so I got that one, and I'm guessing yearlings means born within the year? What does the term subadult suggest?


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Ah man sorry to hear that, that sux... I read that woodchips aren't good because the snake can sometimes accidentally injest the woodchips when they are eating and it can make them really sick or kill them.


Party foul.... Don't ever feed your snake in it's cage. It's more prone to bite a hand that reaches in the cage thinking it's food if hungry. Get a big box to feed it in. That way, you kinda "train" your snake when you put it in there. When it goes in the box, it knows it's feeding time, rather than the uncertainty of knowing when feeding time is when you stuff your hand in the cage. You see what i'm saying? The explanation isn't coming out as well as planned..


----------



## Leasure1

but what you typed is perfectly understandable and a very good point.


----------



## dalyhawk

Leasure1 said:


> but what you typed is perfectly understandable and a very good point.


Agreed. Sorry if my post comes across in a condescending manner... Not intended in that way by any means... You do have a good point though.

What other substrates are they recommending other than wood chips?


----------



## SerraChan

You can't be condisending at all because I am a newbie man....I had no idea that you feed them in a seperate box and what you said makes perfect sense. Thanks!

Leasure still wondering what an RTB is?

Saw a cool pic of a snake that a fellow member had it's called a Sand boa. He's one of the guys who wants to buy my fish. Anyways would this be considered a hard snake to take care of?


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> You can't be condisending at all because I am a newbie man....I had no idea that you feed them in a seperate box and what you said makes perfect sense. Thanks!
> 
> Leasure still wondering what an RTB is?
> 
> Saw a cool pic of a snake that a fellow member had it's called a Sand boa. He's one of the guys who wants to buy my fish. Anyways would this be considered a hard snake to take care of?


Well everyone has to start somehwere so i didn't want to give you the impression that i was "better than you" or "more experienced than you," cuz sometimes that can be intimidating...

But.....

Not sure what it is either, but i'm guessing it's a red tailed boa.

I'm just giving you info on what i've had experience with. Ball pythons are a good snake, especially for "beginners"

As well with piranhas, i went into the hobby with no background whatsover, and i had great success with my ball, so my 2 cents are with the ball python


----------



## Leasure1

Red tail Boa constrictor


----------



## dark FrOsT

vine snakes are def not a good choice they eat lizards and they are rear fanged ... burms and rainbows do not make a good first snake they both can be aggressive rainbows are messy and burms get huge .. they are cute when they are born but they grow fast ... when feeding your new snake you dont have to take it out of its enclosure, if your feeding live mice just toss it in and if your feeding f/t use tongs and the snake will take the food from them no problems .... listen to red eyes and bullsnake they gave you some solid advice on a good first snake for you


----------



## SerraChan

A HIM fan eh...I saw them live, they were pretty sick. They punked off a buncha fans that were booing them.

Still curious about this sand boa. Would this snake be a little out of my league. Well most likely looks like I'm going with the ball python. With my type of personality towards pets it wont be long till I'm hooked and my house is full of em. Hey dark why do you say Rainbow's are so messy?


----------



## CLUSTER ONE

sand boas will hid throught the hole day and burry if they have a sand substrate

balls are larger snakes but they are still a managable size for even a beginner and have no chance of killing anyone unlike some larger constrictors
balls are attractive snakes even in the normal form but there are also many morphs like 
pastels ( brighter colour)
super pastels (very bright colours)
pine stripes (genetic stripe on back)
ghosts (snake looks like its constantly about to shed)
mojaves darker with more black then brown in dark sections
albinos
bumblebees
pies.......

as you can see there are tons of morphs to chose from but a good and fairly cheap starting ball would be a normal, het, pastel , or mojave (these last three could be a couple hundred of more each but thats pretty cheap compared to albinos, clowns, stripes and bumblebees cost)

i think it is best to feed any snake in a seperate box with no substrate so they cant swollow any when going for prey (could lead to impaction) and so they dont associate taking them out as meal time
its also best to feed dead prey (frozen- thaw it first) so they prey cant fight back and possibly bite or scratch your snake

and the term subadult means not juvies and not quite adults so in human terms its about teenagers

as for substrate i would recomend and outdoors carpet (works well in my bearded dragon (bd) tank) or a simple slate tile (easy to clean, looks good,cheap and can also act as a basking rock to keep the floor warm)


----------



## Trystan

The sand boa is a great snake but as said they tend to hide most of the time. The whole time that i had mine I seen him out of his own free accord about a dozen times. They are super easy to care for and fun to handle. They always turn heads when you show them off to friends. Most ppl just can't get over the fact that such a tiny snake is actually a boa. All in all I recomend a sand boa for a first snake. I really enjoyed it as a first snake. RTB's are great but I think that I would have been a bit overwhelmed if it had of been my first snake. Then again I got mine at the 6 foot mark(never had a problem handling her just a bit intimidating the first few times). Hope that this helps a bit.

Trystan


----------



## SerraChan

Ya trystans sand boa was the picture I saw. Such a good looking snake....i guess maybe my second snake. Still wondering why it was said that rainbow boas are messy? What makes them so messy? And when you say they grow fast...how fast is fast.


----------



## dark FrOsT

rainbows i find tend to be messy snakes in regards to theyre waste load. i have worked with them and found theyre a lot of work ... dont get me wrong i love the snake and im thinking about adding a pair to my collection soon but i dont think that its a good starter snake

and the grow fast comment was directed towards the burms python, in 6 months you will notice a big difference from your cute little baby burms.

my advice pick a snake you really really like and well depending on what it is go with that one, there are so many snakes that would be great suitable choices for you, but just choose something that you will really enjoy. i would choose a couple you like and then ask about those species and other experince with them.

ball pythons are a great choice i have one looking at getting an albino ... anywho mine sometimes goes off feeding but other then that its a piece of cake snake, i have it on natural looking substrate, i find using reptile carpet on snakes not really important they will crap once after a feeding ..maybe twice .. and with a python it will be easy to find, and clean up no biggy. i used carpet for my beardie with it was a baby that worked well but now its on crush walnut shells .. i like the look of natural substrates. i feed my animals all in there cages your ball python shouldnt give you any trouble when it comes to feeding responses when you put your hand in its tank to grab him out ... just dont handle mice before doing so. i have watched kids yank out ball pythons to hold them and not once have i seen or heard or of one biting someone... im sure someone has been im not ruling it out as something that never has happen but i dont think its something you need to worry about.

this is my ball python, just to give you an idea of my tank setup and substrate, as of now both plants are planted right into the substrate not just the one side and the substrate is deeper
















as for sand boas i looked into them once a while back and they didnt seem all that difficult to keep but i have never worked with them personally so not sure exactly

hope that helped sorry i took a while to get back to you been working 12hr shifts basiclly all week. anymore questions just let me know and ill get back to you


----------



## SerraChan

Okay so I'm gonna get the ball python which in my area cost's around $175-$200.

I'm going to have to get the tank and all the other stuff.

SO I know I need a tank, heat pad, stick on thermometre, heat lamp, substrate and water bowl. Is there anything else you guys would reccomend I should get. Also how much should it cost for me to set up a proper habitat.


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Okay so I'm gonna get the ball python which in my area cost's around $175-$200.
> 
> I'm going to have to get the tank and all the other stuff.
> 
> SO I know I need a tank, heat pad, stick on thermometre, heat lamp, substrate and water bowl. Is there anything else you guys would reccomend I should get. Also how much should it cost for me to set up a proper habitat.


Its that expensive? I think i got mine around 60-75 bucks at my pet store... But then again, i got mine when it was really little, probably about a foot long and it grew out to about 3.5 feet or so...

I would get one of those rocks that frost has in the second picture on the right. I filled mine with moist peat moss so when my snake shed, it had good moisture to properly shed its skin. It also helps with stress and comfort. If your snake feels safe in there, then feeding is a ton easier and you'll experience very few problems, if any at all. I wouldn't mess around with a small water dish either, cuz as your snake gets bigger, you're only gonna have to upgrade the size of your water dish. Mine liked to chill in the water every once in awhile. I would also get something that your snake can crawl on, like a piece of wood from the pet store. Other than that... you're set. What size of tank are you gonna get? I housed mine in a 20 gallon, but i needed to upgrade hardcore. Luckily and unfortunately, my snake died so i didn't have to upgrade, but i still miss the little booger.

I was told when i bought my ball to always feed in a box, so i took the advice and only fed in a box. Not sure if frost is correct or not about feeding in the cage, but it never hurts to be safe. Better safe than sorry your hand hurts like hell after a bite. But take it for what it's worth and do as you please


----------



## Leasure1

SerraChan said:


> Okay so I'm gonna get the ball python which in my area cost's around $175-$200.
> 
> I'm going to have to get the tank and all the other stuff.
> 
> SO I know I need a tank, heat pad, stick on thermometre, heat lamp, substrate and water bowl. Is there anything else you guys would reccomend I should get. Also how much should it cost for me to set up a proper habitat.


a ball python 20" or less shouldn't cost more than $30-$70. Order a snake online. Find a breeder, and have it shipped. I found you will spend a LOT less money this way, and get better quality snakes. Check out some breeders.

http://www.vmsherp.com/ViewBalls.htm
http://www.newenglandreptile.com/available...wcat.php?cat=23


----------



## SerraChan

Where would you reccomend I find a breeder. I know with other pets alot of people claim to be breeders but don't know what the hell they're talking about. I don't want to end up with a sick snake or anything.

And as for the habitat, what size tank do you guys reccomend? Some of the sites say you should grow the tank with the snake or it makes them angry. Duno if thats true or not. If not what do you think is the biggest tank I would ever have to get for a ball python.'

Pete moss huh? So you used just the pete moss for the substrate?


----------



## SerraChan

Thanks for the links leasure. Damnnnnn these snake morphs are damn exspensive..


----------



## SerraChan

Ive been reading up on the import fees and all those other fee's...to even get a normal ball in would cost well over $200....I love the bumble bee morphs and the super lemon pastels....I would love one of those


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Ive been reading up on the import fees and all those other fee's...to even get a normal ball in would cost well over $200....I love the bumble bee morphs and the super lemon pastels....I would love one of those


If you're looking for a basic ball, they shouldn't cost 200 bucks like leasure said. Where do you live? Hell petsmart has them around 30-75 bucks if you live in the states


----------



## SerraChan

Naw leasure said they should be cheaper. Here in Toronto the pet stores charge 175-200 bucks for a regular ball.

I've been watching videos online and alot of ppl reccomend alpine as a substrate. seems kinda common. So if I use that I just stick a little pete moss under the balls hiding spot rite?


----------



## dalyhawk

SerraChan said:


> Naw leasure said they should be cheaper. Here in Toronto the pet stores charge 175-200 bucks for a regular ball.
> 
> I've been watching videos online and alot of ppl reccomend alpine as a substrate. seems kinda common. So if I use that I just stick a little pete moss under the balls hiding spot rite?


that's what i did and was recommended to do by the pet store.... I'd take a handful of peat moss, get it moist, put the rock over it, and my ball would chill in there during the day and come out at night. And i would get it moist every week or so... It's similiar to hiding spots with piranhas... if your P feels secure behind a plant, it's good


----------



## blackmaskelong

***


----------

