Help-I need a snake!

Im new...my 11yr old has a birthday coming up, and ALL he wants is a snake. Since this child could walk, all he talked about was snakes, he wants to be a snake, and we cant keep he hands outta holes in search of snakes. I thinks it's time I put my fears (not fear, more lack of exposure) aside and feed his love. I have looked at the Banded King(I think that's right?) the Kenyan Sand, the Rosy and the Rubber Boa. I love the Rubber Boa, but Im not having luck finding one. So Im wondering what you experts think, am I on the right track and where can I get a Rubber Boa???? I want something that will stat small and I have 2 other younger children, so I want something "nice" Can you help me be the Best Mom ever!

Are you asking for opinions, or is this a 'Wanted' ad?

Why not get him a ball python. I know you like boas but if its going to be his snake I would start with something along those lines. Plus there are plenty of good ball breeders on here.

You can get him a ball python or a corn snake. My first snake was a corn snake.

Corn snakes make great first time snakes.... I hear Sand/ Rosy/ Rubber boas can be tricky to keep. Probably best to look for ease of husbandry first.

(For an 11 year old a Ball Python might not be as interesting as a Corn - they aren't terribly active)

It might be a fun project for the two of you to research together, with a few spots to slip in some lessons. I'd have loved it as a child, if my parents had taken any sort of interest in the things I was passionate about! That way, he'll get to find his perfect herp and you are the awesomest mom in the world.

sand boas tend to stay hidden a lot (burried in their substrate) - but a really colorful rosy boa might be a good choice, a king snake or corn snake would be another good choice as they are quite active and come in a large variety of colors and morphs. Another option you may consider is a childrens python (small python) however they aren't as colorful as the other options.

I would suggest google image search the varieties you are intersted in and see if any specific ones catch his eye. Also if you have a local reptile shop that is also a great idea so you can see how he interacts with them before making the purchase.

Good luck!

All the recommendations and advice from the users above is great. I might also encourage you to try searching on youtube for good beginner snakes. The videos will show you the actual animals so you can see what you'll be getting into!

Jim

There's a lot of options, besides the commonplace cornsnake or ball python. As some have mentioned, there's rosy boas, kingsnakes, African house snakes, small boa localities (Hog Island?), western hognose, etc. The key is research, and the determining factors are your pocketbook and essentially, which every species looks and acts the coolest to your son!

I suggest attending the next nearby reptile expo to get a little firsthand experience looking at some of these species. Might get a better idea than looking at image searches from Google.

Thanks so much for all the great advice. We live in MT-no reptile expos-only the local pet store where we frequent and he holds a snake or two then leaves in tears cuz I never take one home with us I just keep seeing the same snakes here, corns, a few kings and a python here and there. Dont the ball pythons get large? I guess I havent looked at those or the childrens pythons-I'll do that. He's told me "I dont care WHAT KINDA snake I get, I just wanna snake" and the garter snakes he keeps trying to bring in are not on my list of "Ok'd"