Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey ya'll. Well, I have been considering a pet snake for around seven months. I have done tons of research and have finally convinced my parents to let me have one. I want an Irian Jaya carpet python. My only problem is I am 13, and don't really have a lot of money. I can't decide if the snake is worth $150 plus right now for all of the responsibility it will take. Feeding is the main issue I'm worried about. Is it very time consuming or anything inconvinient? I have always been interested in herps, but I can't decide if I will get tired of it. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Maybe it would be better to start with a corn snake or a ball python they are super easy to care for, and easier to afford.

But at the same time, I'd hate to see you buy something that you really don't want and end up losing interest later.

Snakes in general are easy to care for (somewhat) feeding is only inconvenient if you let it be.

We care for a lot of snakes, and I enjoy feeding them.
-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
Dances With Reptiles

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & Kids
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.2.0 Thamnophis ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake(Blue Phase)
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.2.0 Thamnophis Sirtalis - Florida Blue stripe Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC Pink eater!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
??.??.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish / Giant roaches
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Wayne has a point about starting with an easier species but I agree that it may be a bad thing to get a species you don't have an interest in purely for that reason.

Corns, Kings, Milks, and Ball Pythons are pretty typical starter snakes. If you are unsure whether or not you will lose interest in it then do you know of any places near your home where you could volunteer that will give you a good idea of what caring for a snake is really like?

I kept lots of various animals as a kid but unfortunately for me I wasn't as serious about husbandry as I should have been. Fortunately for them, my mother wouldn't let me keep snakes. When I started college I volunteered at a local aquarium in the animal care department and worked very regularly with snakes and other reptiles while I was there. It re-sparked my interest in captive husbandry and I now have a collection of just under 10 snakes that are very meticulously cared for. It is a commitment and if you are unsure if it's something you will maintain an interest in then I'd suggest trying to figure out a way to find out first. Yes, it is possible to pass an animal on to somebody else if you lose interest, but it's really the next to worst case scenario (the worst being that the animal dies of neglect). If you end up getting a species that will grow to huge sizes like a Burmese I think you'll find it's very difficult to find somebody willing to take it (even carpet pythons to an extent, especially if you live in a rural area).

I have read countless caresheets, called breeders, posted forums, and everything else you can think of to figure out the care of carpets, and before that corns. And to be honest, the only difference is a larger cage, different heating requirements, and of course larger food sizes. I really do love the color of normal corn snakes, but carpets are a much more interesting captive, in my opinion, due to the fact they are very active as opposed to most colubrids that stay in their hiding places most of the time. Carpets also perch, which I love. I still love corns, but c€arpets appeal to me as a better and more interesting captive. I don't like bps at all. They aren't very pretty (can't afford a morph anyway), stay in their hides, ball up when being helded, and most of all, are horrible eaters. I am only 13, so I don't have many options on finding a place to work with snakes. I also live in rural North Georgia. Thanks for your help.

Well hey, if you decide that this is something you really want to do and will remain interested in, your parents are ok with it, and you have a way to pay for the food and any medical attention the snake might need, then I say go for it.

Vet bills are something lots of people starting out might not consider. I recently had one of my very young snakes prolapse and the bare minimum something like that costs to have professionally fixed is about $100 and other things might cost a lot more (at the local vet, an emergency visit after regular hours is $95 just to walk in the door). With proper husbandry there is a much better chance that you will be able to avoid a trip to the vet but stuff does happen and it's not always avoidable. Just something to keep in mind

Good luck!

A really great and often overlooked snake is the Garter Snake, They are very active, easy to care for, relatively small, cheap to feed and come in many stunning colours.

They are really active, they move around in the tank all day, checking things out. You can find all you need to keep them fed at at most any store.

-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
Dances With Reptiles
Thamnophis

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & Kids
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.2.0 Thamnophis ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake(Blue Phase)
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.2.0 Thamnophis Sirtalis - Florida Blue stripe Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC Pink eater!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
??.??.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish / Giant roaches
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.