Might Get A Snake

[Hobbit]

Ok, out of the blue, my mom told me i could maybe get a snake. totally surprised me, cause shes scared of them. So i was wondering, what should i get? I have a little experience with anoles, and lots of experience with frogs, i like pacman toads, are they easy to care for? One of the cool things about snakes, is that they dont need to eat much. SO what would you guys do? A snake? If so, what kind? Or another reptile? What kind?

Once a suggestion is made, can you please tell me how hard/expensive care is, and how often i need to feed them? I have access to worms, and grasshoppers around my house too.... A lot of them, we have a rather large yard.


Pics would be nice too....

 

[shrimply]

Get a snake and get a cornsnake . They make great pets and are really easy to look after. Any questions just ask and check out my site in mysig for some helpful tips. Innitial set-up can be pricey but after that you r are talking about 50p a week for a frozen mouse. Also obviously they need to be cleaned out every 6 weeks or so and bedding replaced but that ain't pricey. You can't feed them insects from your garden they only eat mice but no matter what pet you get dn't collect the food yourself it could contain all sorts of parasites.

Young Anery

Normal Adult

 

[grahamsokel]

I would also say go with a cornsnake.They are great snakes and make great first time snakes.

first time lizards it depends what size viv you have space for if you have space for a 4ft viv beardies are great but if you only have space for a smaller viv leopard geckos are great.
By Pacman toad i take it you mean horned frog?If so they are not a species you can handle and are just a stomache on legs will eat anything including your fingers and boy does it hurt when they clamp down on you
I keep all of the species mentioned

 

[Rex740]

My bro breeds all kinds fo snakes so i have a lot of babys and adults. Hog island boas are great! Hog islands do get to a couple feet though. Also Ball pythons are great too, that was my bros first snake before he started breeding. Ball pythons are good begginers! Never had cornsnake. I would suggest a ball python or a cornsnake(according to them). My bro does have many baby snakes if you want from us!

 

[Chuka1212]

My first snake was a Ball Python and he was great! I really lucked out because he was such a good eater. They do grow up to about 5 feet long however, and some can be picky and can require force-feeding which is never a fun job.

If a 5 feet python is too long, I would definately try a corn snake or even a milk snake. I have had both and they are easy to maintain and feed. Frozen pinky mice are easy to come by and are cheap. Not sure where you are from, but corns and milks range from $50 to $150 depending on the species and mice are typically $.99. Be sure to do your research on the specific species before you buy, some require specific humidities, substrates, and temperatures.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

Here's some info on PacMan frogs- http/allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/horned.html you should have a look around the site to find info on other frogs, not sure about snakes, but I also like Fire-Bellied toads- another link: http/allaboutfrogs.org/info/mypets/firebellies.html they do eat crickets, but don't pick them from your yard as they might carry diseases, and it just isn't healthy.

 

[yvez9]

I have a corn snake and they are quite easy to maintain. a 20 gallon Long aquarium (30 inches long) will do for all his life. Of course bigger is better. Ball Python was my 2nd choice but corns are more colorful.

You can use aspen bedding for your corn or even newspaper if you want to go the cheap route at first. They eat once a week like most snakes. I buy frozen mice at the pet store and will order bulk qties once i get my freezer. Snakes are quiet, don't stink and you can go on holidays for 2 weeks and not worry about feeding it, just leave a huge bowl of water and it'll be fine! Since they are so widely available and quite easy to breed, you can find some quite cheaply

Just decorate with hides and fake plants, pieces of wood, etc...

They require no special lighting so i set up a desk lamp over his viv. Only thing that is essential is an under tank heater.

Google up "Cornsnake care" and it'll show you hundreds of sites on how to care for them.

 

[Hobbit]

thanks a lot guys, im looking into leapard geckos, or something like that. i love the beautiful look of pythons, but can they be tamed? Any smaller species? Can they be bred? (for later on) Im not too interested for corn snakes, i dont really know why, maybe because they're so common, i like difference.

 

[yvez9]

I doubt you'll have any problems taming a ball python. they're captive bred so they've never been in the wild. The only thing thye know is living in a big box! Same goes for leopard geckos, you'll have no problem manipulating it if you do it properly!

good luck with whatever you choose

 

[Bozza]

You could get a carpet snake? They get big but make good pets. I have one, only have to feed it once a week. Depends on availability where you live I guess.

 

[Chuka1212]

thanks a lot guys, im looking into leapard geckos, or something like that. i love the beautiful look of pythons, but can they be tamed? Any smaller species? Can they be bred? (for later on) Im not too interested for corn snakes, i dont really know why, maybe because they're so common, i like difference.

Yes, in general pythons are very tame and docile. I have had great success with ball pythons as I have said earlier, I have yet to see a mean one, though I know they exist. They stay small so are very non-threatening. From what I understand they are relatively easy to breed in capitivity, though I don't know the specifics. another tame/docile constricter that stays small is the rosy boa, but can be hard to find depending on the area you live in.

 

[shrimply]

Well I don't want to sound cheeky but a leopard Gecko is about as common as they come and with reptiles you have to start with something simple before you go onto more complicated animals with more difficult requirements.

And no snakes can really be "tamed" most will tolerate handling but a reptile can't be tamed like a cat or dog can.

I personally would never go for a royal python they are pretty unreliable in most departments and I have heard bad things about them.

My personal favorite at the minute is my little baby boa.

But it isn't really a beginner snake and he will get big,possibly over 8ft. I also have my eye on a
Jungle Carpet python. And they really are stunning snakes but again I wouldn't suggest that as your first snake. I took a bite off one and I don't really think that that would be a good introduction to reptiles.

Other suggestions for small snakes are - hognoses ( rear fanged but not really dangerous), milk snakes, King snakes ( can be temperamental), a wide range of small rat snake species, garter/ribbon snakes ( can be smelly as they eat mainly fish), Kenyan sand boas, rosy boas. I can't really think of any more at the minute but whatever you choose research it properly before hand.

 

[grahamsokel]

Just because leos are common doesnt mean they dont make great pets.I will always have leos in my collection.
Balls or Royals as they are more commonly called over here can make good pets but they can freak you out if they go on a starvation diet,and royals are well known for it
The bigger Boas can become too much for a first time owner when they get to adult size,Then they start to get aggressive because the owner finds them too big to handle.You would be suprised how many end up in rescues because the owner cant cope with them
I still say you cant beat a corn as a first time snake though they come in so many colours and are usually easy to handle

 

[Leopard-danio]

Corn snakes are the best first time snakes, i'd highly reccommend them, i also like boa constrictors, but am not quite confident enough to get one yet. I'm not keen on royals, they jus don't look appealing to me, i prefer the corn snakes build, sleek and tapering kinda shape.

 

[moray]

I agree with Grahamsokel about cornsnakes, being the best first time snakes, they were my first and introduced me to a whole world of exotic creatures, but I'm so glad I started with corns as they are very forgiving of a novice in reptiles and they are also incredibly beautiful.