Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm going to purchase my first snake soon. I was wondering what kind would be the best for a begineer. What is considered the most laid back and easiest to care for? My sister has a king snake, so I've had experience with them. I'm not sure what kind I want though.

Here are some suggested snakes, rated for several variables which can affect their appropriateness as beginner snakes. Low overall scores (the last column) generally imply that they are better for beginners. High overall scores imply that they aren't good for beginners.

-----
Chris Harrison

It would have been nice if it had factored Habitat Requirements into the equation. Seems like that should be a consideraton for beginning snake keepers. Also, why should price play a role in dictating what a good entry level snake would be? Using a scale where "$100 and above" is the highest rating seems odd as well, sincethe vast majority of snakes are going to fall within that catagory.

It would have been nice if it had factored Habitat Requirements into the equation. Seems like that should be a consideraton for beginning snake keepers.

I originally did factor in cage requirements (wild snakes occupy habitat, captive snakes occupy cages), but it was so strongly correlated with max size that it simply inflated the numbers without adding any more resolution to the scale.

Also, why should price play a role in dictating what a good entry level snake would be? Using a scale where "$100 and above" is the highest rating seems odd as well, sincethe vast majority of snakes are going to fall within that catagory.

If you have been reading these forums for a while, you will know that one of the more common things for people to mention in a "what kind of snake should I get" post is that they don't have hundreds of $$ to spend on the snake.
As for most snakes being over $100, it depends where you buy them. Most snakes on the list I put together can readily be found for less than $100 directly from the breeder.
And many of the more expensive species don't make as good a starter snake or aren't widely available.
-----
Chris Harrison

Very nice, good chart.

I thought that no one in the USA could own an Indigo Snake though because of its threatened/endangered status. Not sure though...
-----
Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe Guttata Guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe Vulpina Gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe Obsoleta Linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis - Eastern Garter Snake

I thought that no one in the USA could own an Indigo Snake though because of its threatened/endangered status. Not sure though...

Because Eastern Indigos are federally protected in the US the Federal government oversees interstate commerce (transport) of the snakes. State governments are left to regulate possession of the species within states. So you can own an Eastern Indigo in states where they aren't specifically protected (i.e. states outside of their range).

To buy a captive born baby you either have to buy one within your state or if you buy one from out of state, you must have a federal permit to do so. It isn't that hard to get the federal permit, but if you live in a state where indigos occur (and are protected by the state), the federal permit doesn't override the state's possession ban.

So for example, I live in Texas. Indigos occur here and are protected (as D. corais). Therefore I can't own an eastern Indigo even if I got a federal permit to buy one from out of state. I have a friend who lives in Connecticut. He had no problem getting a permit and buying an Indigo from a breeder in California.
-----
Chris Harrison

Thanks, didn't know that you could get one with a license.
-----
Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe Guttata Guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe Vulpina Gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe Obsoleta Linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis - Eastern Garter Snake

You also have to keep in mind that there are other types of Indigo snakes, although in my opinion, none are nearly as pretty.

Chris, This is an excellent chart. As a petshop owner, I am constantly explaining the differences in many snakes to newbies, and this chart is right on the money. Would you object to me printing this chart out and posting it in my store?

Basic cage ("habitat" requirements for most of the recommended beginner snakes are quite similar, so I agree with Chris on not including that as part of the equation. However, you are right that certain types require more elaborate housing. For example, boas/pythons and other native tropical species may need not only more attention (and money) in areas of heating, lighting, and humidity setup, but also will need larger and more expensive enclosures - simply because they get a lot bigger.

I think the cost rating should factor in these elements, and perhaps even include feeding costs. Many snakes can be had for well under $100, but when one adds in the cost of obtaining proper housing, accessories, food, etc, you're right in that it would be hard for anyone to start from scratch and end up with a proper setup for under $100, no matter what kind of snake.

I may not agree totally with all of Chris's ratings, and in fact just about everyone who has experience with any of these snakes probably could challenge his numbers. I probably would set the important elements up differently myself. But that doesn't invalidate Chris's scale, or reduce it's value. Chris has the experience to back it up, and it's a very good source of information for those who are just getting started in snakes. I applaud his efforts.
-----
MichaelB

This is pretty cool, I like the idea but I don't think you can make an exact science out of it, first of all everyone is attracted to snakes for different reasons, for some, if its not large and impressive then its not a snake, while others are looking for color or ease of handling, I think that you have to break this up into groups based on size, you can't compare a gartersnake to grey banded king or burmese python to a rosy boa and get acurate results. Someone who is interested in a small lively snake isn't even going to consider a python and visa versa. Also, in most cases when someone makes a mistake with their first purchase, it's usually not in the type of snake but in the health, and age of snake. For instance, for a beginner I would recommend a health established adult milksnake for a first snake, but unproven baby milksnake would be the last snake I would recommend. Also I have to ask why you have rated ball pythons so highly when they discourage many first time snake owner because of their tendancy to fast for months at a time especially when first placed in a new environment.

Perhaps the ball or royal python is high on the list for beginners because if its size & temperament.

~~Greg~~

This is pretty cool, I like the idea but I don't think you can make an exact science out of it

Of course, I was just tabulating it to give newbies some comparisons to think about.

For the record, I have kept 27 of the 34 species listed and have experience with taking care of 32 of the 34.

you can't compare a gartersnake to grey banded king or burmese python to a rosy boa and get acurate results

I agree, but most people who are starting out are making those comparisons. Actually, I don't see anything wrong with your first comparison. The second has obvious problems due to the size of adult burms.

Someone who is interested in a small lively snake isn't even going to consider a python and visa versa

Have you ever kept a Children's or Spotted Python? They are as lively as most popular colubrids. The same is true for a large number of boid and python species.

For instance, for a beginner I would recommend a health established adult milksnake for a first snake, but unproven baby milksnake would be the last snake I would recommend.

I agree. I was hesitant in treating milksnakes as a group. A newborn Black Milk is a very different snake from a newborn Pueblan or worse, Scarlet Kingsnake. Even as adults, I think Sinaloans, Mexican and Black Milks make great "pets". Most of the other milks aren't good starter snakes at any size, in my experience.

Also I have to ask why you have rated ball pythons so highly when they discourage many first time snake owner because of their tendancy to fast for months at a time especially when first placed in a new environment.

This isn't usually true of CBB balls (I have kept over a dozen BPs over the years and currently have a CBB pair that are as easy to keep as any kingsnake). Wild caughts and wild bred/captive born are terrible starter snakes. In fact, I included Balls, not because I recommend them (I don't), but to include popular species. That's why I included Burms and Retics, both bad starter snakes.
If I had been a little less objective about scoring, I could have moved BPs further from the top, but I scored them as objectively as I could, and that's how they fell out.
-----
Chris Harrison