Hello!
 

Just wanted to post a quick introduction thread! I have owned reptiles for about five years now. My first reptile was a bearded dragon, who I raised from a tiny hatchling and is a total sweetheart. My second was a rescue leopard gecko who was kept in bad conditions and as a result had lost all her toes and half her tail. She is doing well now.

I'm currently looking into getting my first snake. What I would really like is an African Egg Eating snake. I raise quail so I would always have eggs on hand. If I can't find one, I'll probably get a corn snake to start out with :)

Hey, welcome! I can remember being "new" to keeping snakes so many years ago & wanting all sorts of snakes that I saw in books, including an African Egg Eating snake. Off-hand, I'm not sure how available they are in the U.S. & I quickly got side-tracked with so many other kinds of snakes that I never did check back into getting one of those. I'm sure you know that it's best to avoid w/c (wild caught) imports, as they are usually heavily parasitized & very stressed from travel, making them far less likely to survive than a c/b (captive bred) snake. So, I hope you can find one that's c/b...and if you do get one, please do share your experience with it.

Since this is your first snake, you really can't go wrong with a corn snake anyway...they are beautiful, good-tempered & easy to feed & care for. I'm mostly a "snake person" but I've had a bearded dragon (rescue) many years ago, & also various other lizards (geckos etc.)...I love them all too. Another less common snake you might look into (that's readily available as captive-bred) is an Australian spotted python. I've had one for nearly 10 years now...she's a great pet, full of personality, & a bit smaller than a corn snake. They do need a warmer cage than a corn snake, but since they stay small, their needs are easily met. Either one takes dead prey (fresh or frozen-thawed) with great enthusiasm from tongs, & both appreciate a cage with branches for climbing (<corn) or basking (<spotted python). Keep us posted?

I will definitely let you know if I do get an Egg Eater! I tried to order one back in November from a website but they never responded to my emails and then refunded me with no communication. I thought maybe they sold out but they left the listing for them up on the site so I'm not sure what happened there. I've been looking around since then to see if I can find any c/b but no luck so far.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Australian spotted python! I'll be looking into them, they sound like a species that might interest me. I think at this point it will probably end up being one of those or a corn snake that I end up getting. The trouble with the corn snake is deciding what color I would want. Too many beautiful options!

There's no law that says you're only allowed one corn snake, lol. (I have 5 currently; I'm partial to Okeetee's & "nice normals", but I have a few carmel-corns too.) I'm a fan of most rat snakes, & if you like mellower snakes (which is a really good place to start with anyway), I would also highly-recommend Trans Pecos & Baird's rat snakes. A little bigger than a corn snake, all very personable & easy to handle. Trans Pecos stay about 4.5', while Bairds can get about 5.5-6'. Trans Pecos tend to move very slowly (except for food, & even then are "polite" compared to most snakes) and have large eyes (-very nocturnal desert species). So many cool kinds... (Baird's don't show as well in photos, but many have lots of orange or yellow between their scales...like an impressionist painting?) I've been sharing my snakes with the public for years, and all of these kinds have been reliable "goodwill ambassadors"...they are perceived as friendly even by those who are afraid of snakes.