Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all!

I'm new to the snake forums here. My name is Sarah.

I've always been attracted to snakes, the larger constrictors especially. I've never owned a snake, personally, but I've interacted with a few on a regular basis who belonged to people I've known in the past. I've done *some* research into care, behavior, cost, et cetera (i.e., using heat lamps over heat pads; feeding frozen rather than live mice) but I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be an expert, and I don't know a thing about NY State laws, in regards to the legality of constrictors as pets. Any info on that line is GREATLY appreciated.

Anyway, I've been looking into finding a suitable AAT animal. I won't get overly personal and say for what. I know snakes aren't the first animal that comes to mind, like a dog or something, but personally I think snakes are more my speed, and thus more conducive to therapy -- they don't bark or screech or have ridiculous amounts of jumpy, bouncy energy. At least, not that I know of.

Space and cost aren't too much of an issue. Likewise, I'm not going to be impulsive about it, and I won't adopt until I have all the necessary information and a proper enclosure, for the sake of the snake's health and happiness.

I understand that all serpents are different, just like any other person or animal, have their own independent personalities, and bond on their own terms. I'm looking for a species that is generally tolerant of being handled regularly (though I don't intend to have others handle him, and obviously not right after he eats) and isn't too "high maintenance." Any other pointers are welcomed and appreciated!

Thank you for your time and consideration!
Sarah

Addendum: if anyone here knows of any honest/reliable breeders in NYS, please feel free to drop me a line for future reference. :3

REALLY,,,Buy a rat snake... ,more your speed to start with ...

HAVE A GREAT DAY,AND SMILE

Welcome to the minority! I think a pet snake is nicer than any other pet, but of course you are on a reptile forum so the replies are biased for sure.

The bigger the snake, the bigger the cage, the food, the poop and the more attention you must pay to heat and humidity. Also, laws exist on size in NY. It is often easy to apply for a permit, and someone in NY should give you the link to the animal organization.

I think a nice big Florida kingsnake makes a good pet. As adults they are the most laid back kingsnake there is. If you like kingsnakes. A black ratsnake is another colubrid choice. They get pretty robust for a colubrid, like 6 ft.

If you do want a thicker, slower snake, then a boa constrictor is probably the one to get. Another good choice is a carpet python. Female boas get more massive than males, so if you want a smaller boa get a male, though keep in mind males can still get large, they just do not bulk up quite like females do.

There are many fantastic manufacterers of plastic cages. Boaphile, Northwest Constrictors, Repti-Racks, Animal Plastics, Vision, Neodesha Plastics - just to name some of the biggies.

And of course, there are ball pythons. All they seem to want to do is hide, but they do get nice and robust in a manageable-sized package.
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Mark

Hi Mark,

Thank you for the reply. It was very informative and helpful.

There are a couple things I forgot to ask, though: insofar as mites are concerned, if my future companion ever gets blighted with them, is there commercial medicine readily available, or will I have to go to the vet to obtain a treatment? Also, I will try to get a male, since they tend to be smaller than females...but in the event that I get a female, do I have to worry about "egg binding" (like with birds)?

If you think of any other general tips, I'd be happy to hear them.

Thanks so much!
Sarah

Sarah,

I've kept a number of species over the last 30 years and I find that handling the following to be wonderful stress relievers:

corn snakes
Thayeri kings (the calmest, most well-adjusted snake I ever had was one of these)
California kings
adult Honduran milks
ball pythons
boa constrictors
grey-banded kings
San Diego gophers

I personally love the kings and milks because they are the smoothest and feel almost like liquid glass as they glide over your skin.

Some of these species can be jumpy and/or nippy as babies, such as Honduran milks, so you may want to take that into consideration. The classifieds here are a good place to find adult snakes for sale if you don't want to start with a hatchling.

Good luck!
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.snakerack.info

Hondurans
Pueblans
Corns
Grey-banded King
California Kings
Speckled Kings (Calcasieu Parish locality)
Brooksi
Goini/Brooksi Crosses
San Diego gophers
Texas Rat
Jungle Carpet Python
Ball Python
BCI
Sulcata
Leopard Geckos
Wife, Caucasius Mexicana Integrade WC

Hello, Mike!

Thank you so much for your response. I'll definitely do some more research into these species.

I checked out your reptile info site, and looked at the slide show of your pets. I was wondering what species this snake is. He is absolutely gorgeous! http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikefoux/4387529521/#/photos/mikefoux/4387527721/lightbox/

Thanks again!
Sarah

That's a jungle carpet python. They usually start out a little flighty and nippy but calm down as they grow. Mine only nipped me once when he was very small. He's much calmer now but still doesn't like being held unless he is well supported. He's almost 8 feet long, which is pretty big for one of these guys. He's about 6 years old.
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.snakerack.info

Hondurans
Pueblans
Corns
Grey-banded King
California Kings
Speckled Kings (Calcasieu Parish locality)
Brooksi
Goini/Brooksi Crosses
San Diego gophers
Texas Rat
Jungle Carpet Python
Ball Python
BCI
Sulcata
Leopard Geckos
Wife, Caucasius Mexicana Integrade WC

I love that idea! I am always telling people that snakes are the perfect pet. They don't make hardly any noise, they don't shed hair all over every thing, and you only need to feed them once a week.

As for what kind of snake, I have kings, corns, a nelsons milk and a BP (ball Python) and my experience is that for beginners the corns would be one of the best choices. Corns are hardy and easy to care for and most have verry calm and easy going personalities. I have never taken a bite from any of the corns I have had.

Not true for the kings. The kings are just as easy to care for but are more apt to bite, usually mistaking me for the mouse at feeding time. I had one king once that was a very poor aimer when striking and would even bite himself. He got so eager during one feeding session that he cralled out of his tub, came acrost the floor and bit me on the big toe and rapped himself around my foot. Ouch.

Ball pythons are one of the most docie kinds of python and verry rarly bite. I have had mine for more than 15 years and only ever been bitten by him once, he missed his rat and got me. Ouch again. BPs are more demanding in the care department and not usually recomended as a persons first snake.

Hope this helps, and welcome to our adiction!

A
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1.0 BP Nicodemus
0.4 Cal Kings 3 alb 1 het Dora Queen Ace Pearl
2.0 Alb Corn Bizaar Elixir
0.0.1 Rev Alb Nelsons Oden?

Yeah, I agree that kings have a feed response that makes them a bit crazy, but you have Cal kings. They are nuts. Not all kings are crazy like Cal kings.
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Mark

I personally find my snakes very soothing. I've kept a few different constrictors - I tend to like pythons - but I'm finding more and more that my Brazilian Rainbow Boa is more of a joy than any other snake I've owned. You want to be sure you find a baby that will tolerate handling; some BRBs are tempermental. My little girl is sweet as pie, beautiful, and has a good strong feeding response. Some people will say that animals with a high humidity requirement aren't good for first-timers, but there's a ton of good advice from kind people to be had on the rainbow boa forum here. Here's my favorite picture of her:

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~Cynthia