Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking for a good beginner snake. I've been looking at sand boas and those seem pretty good. Is there some good boa/python species that are small (no bigger than 4-5 ft at the most) and good for a beginner such as myself?

thanks

Rosy boas, childrens/spotted pythons, sand boas, and in some people's view (though I do not think so) ball pythons. Rosies are great snakes. They hit about 4 ft max, though most are smaller. Childrens and spotted pythons hit about 3 or 4 ft as well. I do not like to recommend balls as they can be finicky, but they make a good second or third snake for sure. Andy
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

Sand boas rock pretty hard, in my opinion. Were you looking at Kenyans? Indians (smooth scales) are pretty awesome too, and a bit bigger.

yeah I was looking at the Kenyans.

If it has to be a boa/python, I'd agree with the other posts and go with a Rosy Boa. I did a lot of research and was about to get one for my 12 year old daughter because they were such good beginner snakes but then she changed her mind.

If you're more flexible, Corns are supposed to be perfect starter snakes. I would have followed this path but they're illegal in Georgia (stupid law) so I went with a California King. Not as good a first snake but I learned a lot about tail rattling, bluff striking, musking, etc. in other words - patience!

Ball Pythons fit your size description perfectly and come in some amazing morphs. Mine has a great disposition but stays in his hide a LOT and is a somewhat picky eater.

Do your homework, pick something out, and go for it! Good luck.

What about a Gartersnake? not expensive,easy to feed, easy to care for. and it stays a nice small size. That was my first snake and still one of my favorites.

Just a thought.

L

You would have to make sure it is a CB. WC ones can have problems (parasites, diseases, ect). And I would say that most garters you see for sale are WC. But if you can get some CB's they make nice little captives.
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

I saw plenty of nice CB garters offered for sale at a show just this week. Albino Checkered and the like. Beauties.

Still my favorite beginner snake.

L

Rosy Boas and Sand Boas are both good choices but do have their quirks. Rosies have special humidity requirements and Sand Boas, specifically Kenyans, seem retarded when it come's to shedding, at least mine do anyway ; ) Both can develop a very argressive feeding response. Some of my most painful bites have come from hungry Rosies. Personally I think Corns are the best all purpose, non-destructible starter snake. They handle different evironmental conditions better than most, they average between 3 and 5 feet, and are less likely to swallow your hand when they're hungry. But really any of the aforementioned snakes are good to start off with.

For a first snake for a child I would recommend a cornsnake for several reasons.
1. they remain a manageable size and are about the tamest snakes out there. babys may rarely nip but it causes no damage and they stop biting soon with regular handling.
2. They are very attractive and have countless variations in patten and color, you can have dozens with no two looking alike.
3. Many morphs are very inexpensive so if weeks or months down the road she changes her mind you are not out large sums of money. and they are popular enough you should not have trouble reselling it.
4. They are very hardy and forgiving when it comes to husbandry. They don't require fancy heating and humidity systems or special caging and if you fudge a little here and there and correct it
they can usually bounce back without much trouble.
5. Maybe most importantly, Corns are a great snake to learn the basics of snake keeping with, ie feeding, shedding, heating, cage cleaning, ALWAYS SECURING THE LID! (been there, done that). Once you have mastered
cornsnake care it is much easier to deal with snakes that require more specialized care such as finiky feeding ball pythons, humidity loving rainbow boas and "energetic" kingsnakes and ratsnakes.
If you discover keeping a cornsnake is too much hassle, then snakes are not the animal for you.

The only cons of corns is small baby hatchlings require tiny pinky mice which may or may not be a problem in aquiring and corns usually do not reach an impressive size. Lets face it the boids do generate
more ooooohs and aaaaaaghs just sitting motionless coiled up in a corner for days on end (which they often do) than a strikingly colored corn gently gliding through some dispay branches.
Corns also poop more often than a boid requiring more freq cage cleaning. The flip side is a boid may only poop once a month, but that will be a month's worth of poop in one mighty pile.

Corns are great snakes and even experts that raise the most bizarre, exotic snakes in the world will often have a couple of corns too because they are a pleasure to keep.
Hope this helps.