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Help-I need a snake!

L

ljmt

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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!
 
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.
 
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"
 
ljmt said:
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"
Click to expand...

No ball pythons do not get large. They are a very popular python and come in all different colors. Well they can get very expensive. But a normal ball is rather cheap.
 
ljmt said:
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"
Click to expand...

Sure there are! Here's one in Montana, and hey - it's tomorrow matter of fact. :D Might be a fun outing for the whole family.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256036

If you go, make sure you come back and share how it went. I'm moving to MT in a few months and would love to find a show or two to go to, just haven't had the time to research any of that yet.
 
I personally think a rubber boa's is a great choice. I keep several adults, and babies. The hard part is finding them for sale, and ones that are reliable feeders, most are wild caught. They are very gentle, soft slow moving snakes. I also keep kenyans they are some of my favorite snakes but you never see sand boa's they stay hidden until its time to eat. Rosy Boa would be a good choice as they are simple to keep. I would agree with what others said a perfect first snake would be a corn, they are inexpensive they come in a variety of colors, usually docile and very hardy and forgiving to a new snake owner. I would probably stay away from most pythons for a first snake they generally require more care with temps, humidity etc.
 
I wouldn't keep a ball python as my first snake. They spend most of their time coiled up in a ball, and sometimes can be picky eaters. My first snake was a Brazilian rainbow boa. (I was just like your son, dint care what kind it was, just wanted one. Then I saw my first Brazilian..) they are docile, active, and if you take them out in the sunlight you will see why they call them Rainbow Boas. It caught my eye and I handled that snake every day possible because I loved it so much.

But the choice is yours and your sons. I would recommend doing some research, who knows, maybe he will end up finding something that catches his eye.
 
If you are still interested I have some input too. I would not get a ball python as a first snake. It is a great snake, stay docile even with little handling in a lot of cases, and even though it requires some temp/humidity control is fairly sturdy. However, they can be SUPER picky eaters (mine took months of working to get consistent), they are not super sociable and active, and spend most of their time in their hides coiled up until they come out late at night. Corn snakes are awesome, but can be nippy. The plus side is it doesn't hurt, the down side is it doesn't hurt at all. By nippy I mean, if not handled rather often they can get defensive, and if not fed well they can get testy with fingers. Cover those two and you are good :) Is he strictly snakes or is he into all reptiles. Bearded dragons are AMAZING first reptiles and I highly recommend them. Also be warned, if you get any sort of constrictor they are strong and are very very good at escaping. Make sure you have a tank with a lid that seals. My ball pushed up a tank lid that was duct-taped down (not super well mind you), slithered his way through a 2 1/2" crack (he is 5') and got himself into the air vent underneath my cabinet once. Tricky little things. Welcome to the herp world, its a great place to be :)
 
Correct myself. With the nippy snakes... it doesn't hurt, but the down side is it can be scary because of how fast it happens so take that in mind with your kid (I wouldn't worry about it and it seems like you have an awesome kid that would be fine, just tossing it out there). The two times any of my reps have gotten me my hearts been flying afterwords haha
 
I started with Garters - bit smelly and didn't settle to handling well (might have been me of course),

I then went on to Corn snakes/ Rat snakes (essentially the same things in different colours), added Ball Pythons and finally a larger Boa.

Obviously everyone has their favourites, and I've ended up a firm Boa lover, but in your situation I'd really recommend a small Cornsnake.

They come in beautiful colours, I found them easy to feed and handle and yet they will grow to be a decent size snake without becoming unmanageable, and their needs in caging, heat and humidity are simple.

I know many people love Ball Pythons, and the two I had were fine, but it's my impression that the main fun is in cross breeding them to make different colour "morphs", they are rather docile (don't move around much at all, and tend to curl into a ball and stay that way when you pick them up) and perhaps are not as much fun to interact with. I'm talking in generalities here, I'm sure there are many Ball Python lovers who will not agree with me on this, but it was my experience.

What ever you decide do make sure you find out the following vital statistics;

1. How large will it eventually get?
2. What food does it need and can you get it easily in your area?
3. What kind of environment does it need (Temperature, Humidity, Lighting, Flooring, Cage size) and can you provide that easily?

Don't worry too much about getting a complicated snake at this stage - judging by most of us on this forum, and certainly by my own experience, this will be his first snake, not his only snake - he'll have lots of times to explore other species in the future! :thumbsup:
 
I ment I saw the post about the MT expo a day late....didnt make much sense when the above post showed way down here...
 
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