Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to have a snake as a pet. But i dont know what kind of snake is suitable for a novice like me.
DEFINITELY NOT VENOMOUS kind of snake. Not AGGRESIVE. Can only grow to 3 or 4 feet long or less. So please help me
choose one that perfect for me and where i can buy it.
THANKS.

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I have been keeping snakes for a year now. My first snake was a corn snake. They are VERY good beginner snake. I bought my first corn at a local Petco but if there is a a reptile show in your area GO. I bought my 2nd corn from Bill and Kathy Love at a reptile show. Corn's get to about 3-4 feet and are very tame. Mine eat well and let me hold them without striking or biting.
Reptile shows are wonderful and you can see all kinds of snakes and talk to alot of different people. What ever you choose DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST before buying one.

Beware...snakes are addicting...I now have 2 corns, a milk and a jungle carpet python. I want more but no room :0)

I would say your best bets within those restrictions are a cornsnake (as suggested by others) or a Rosyboa.

Ball Pythons are OK if you get a captive born and bred snake. If you buy one at Petco, etc., it won't be (those snakes, and most of the other babies on the market, are born to wild caught females on "snake ranches" in west Africa and they don't do well). If you want a ball python buy it directly from a breeder who has a reputation for producing good snakes.
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Chris Harrison

Another thing about petco is that they always say their reptiles are captive born and bred, at least in my experience. I was at petco the other day. The ball pythons where very skinny, and when I asked about it they blamed it on their vendor, saying they came in that way. The corn snakes all had mites and they didn't seem to be making any attempt to keep the mites from spreading to every reptile in the store. Actually half the reptile tanks where empty, but they blamed their vender or course. The employee I was talking to even tried to tell me that mites aren't dangerous. He claims that all the snakes are fed weekly, but those pythons where seriously skinny, and I'm not a snake expert but I think it would only take one or two mice to get their ribs to stop poking out, no matter what condition they arrived in. A guy at petsmart says that petco never feeds their reptiles, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

Don't trust petco. If all their reptiles seem healthy, come back in a couple weeks. Petco has healthy reptiles sometimes, but sometimes it doesn't, don't let them trick you. If your local petco can keep all their animals healthy for at least a month and you don't suspect anyone working there of lieing, I guess it would be safe to buy from them. One thing I've noticed about every petco I've been to is that the water dishes are always filthy. Can't they clean them every once and a while?!

>>I want to have a snake as a pet. But i dont know what kind of snake is suitable for a novice like me.
>>DEFINITELY NOT VENOMOUS kind of snake. Not AGGRESIVE. Can only grow to 3 or 4 feet long or less. So please help me
>>choose one that perfect for me and where i can buy it.
>>THANKS.

Kenyan Sand Boa.....very nice especially if you are at all nervous with snakes as they appear almost comatose at times.

Garter snake......not a constrictor.

Corns, generally active but not aggressive snakes and come in various morphs. Many will get bigger than your 3-4ft requirement.

Children's Pythons can be nippy with a feeding response that startles you. Otherwise fun little things. Mine are just over 2 ft....others will be longer.

Milksnakes....many are smaller than corns and some are strikingly marked.

Western Hognose. Mild rearfang venom. Can be a bit problematic feeders but 'cute' and mild tempered.
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Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

in a snake. For instance, is color important to you? How is your humidity in your house, high or low? What size cage do you have room for? What kind of temperment do you want, active or more laid back? Do you want a snake that will need to be kept hotter than average or cooler than average?

There are several other questions that I cannot think of right now, but you can start by going to different care sheets on snakes that catch your eye and doing some research on your own. Otherwise we will recommend a snake that is perfect for US, not YOU!

Another option that you should consider is attending a reptile show in your area, so that you can see some different snakes in person. That might also help you to narrow down your choices.
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sue

yeah the petco by my place i KNOW sells wild caught. they always have butlers garters in that are close to full grown. and one day i saw a 4 foot northern water snake there. there is no way they would get those from their dealer that big. they also never mention the laws that go along with keeping natives. i got lucky ang got my first snake, a cal king from pet supplies plus for way too much. ity actually turned out to be a great snake, extremely calm, a little finicky eater but i've solved that, and extremely healthy. i'll always wait for a retile show before getting something from a pet store regradless of the deals. i love when i see california kings for 80 bucks. i saw a pueblan milk for 85 yesterday....lol

Well, i live in malaysia. Tropical environtment. Looking for nice little snake. So, can anybody tell me a good place to buy it? A breeder maybe? Please send it to: jimz98@hotmail.com
Thanks....