Guide to beginner snakes

[My Serpentine Mind]

Welcome!

You may or may not be a new snake owner, but for whatever reason you are viewing this page, and that I appreciate
In this thread I am going to list beginner snakes, as well as provide links to care sheets for them (off-site or on-site related). Hopefully this will help a few snake-owners-to-be figure out what kind of snake is right for them!!
To decide if a snake is right for you, check this guide: So you want a snake?

Basic beginners

There are usually four main snakes people list as beginner breeds. These snakes are usually listed because they are very easy and tame to keep as pets, however, all snakes as their flaws, and it wouldn't be fair not to include them, since that one flaw may change everything in the person's viewpoint and they would not want to find out that flaw the hard way! So, lets begin with:

Corn snake
Ah, the corn snake! Such a common breed of snake is reccomended for beginners above all others for a few good reasons:

Pros:
-Easy to care for, requires little humidity and little heat besides thermostats and a heat mat.
-Docile, even wild caught specimens are reluctant to bite a human. Like most snakes, of course, a hatchling can be nippy but especially corn snakes tame very quickly.
-Cheap, can't name an exact price because I use different currency than all you but have heard some are as cheap as 10 pounds which is...15 US dollars according to my converter...and yes in that case I have seen them close to that price.
-Many, many different colors of corn snakes that come in an affordable price, although if you just want a normal that is completely understood!
-And last but not least, aren't picky feeders at all! Have only heard of a few rare non-feeders but have never seen one with my own eyes!! And frozen rodents are easy to find at pet stores OR online.

But like any snake they have their cons to...

Cons:
-For someone who is low on money this may not be the ideal snake. Corns grow to a decent size of 4-6 feet and may require a 4x3x2 tank (estimating) which can be a bit hard on the wallet, despite the breed itself being so easy to care for.
-Not chill out snakes, they love to go-go-go and see everything there is to see. A few corns such as my own will calm down after a while and just curl around your fingers to rest, however, most are little wiggle worms, even though they rarely bite or musk.

Corn snake care sheet/s:
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forum...are-sheet.html
Corn Snake Caresheet

Milk Snake
Not as popular as our first snake, milk snakes are gentle snakes with beautiful coloration. Most are colored red, black and yellow. Two theories on this remain: the first is that the bright coloration is a natural warrant against predators, the second is that they are mimicking deadly coral snakes. Human intervention with breeding has now come out with different morphs like 'albino tangerine hondouran' and 'orange pueblan x hondouran'. Milk snakes are generally inexpensive to keep and don't grow very large.

Pros:
-Pretty cheap
-Small, so if you are worried about size a pueblan could be right for you
-Not aggressive, although can be nervous
-Feeding usually not a problem.

Cons:
-Milk snakes, as stated above, can be nervous and are known to musk until calmed down. Musk is harmless but smelly so small children should not be permitted to handle the snake until it is calmed down, in fear that the child may get very upset at the snake for musking or even pooping on them and harm the snake, causing the snake to harm them.
-To an uneducated person (in snakes, that is) a milk snake may cause that little alarm in their head to go off, thinking that the harmless milk snake is a coral snake, so generally these snakes are not the best "go out in public and show off my pet" snakes.

Milk snake care sheet:
http://www.************.co.uk/Milk_s...are_sheet.html (I'm even using the UK version, how nice am I??)

King Snake
More popular than milk snakes, and less popular than corns, king snakes could be the snake for you!! They are very beautiful, ranging from colors like black and yellow to red, black and yellow to black and even black and white, not a problem with feeding and generally docile snakes.

Pros:
-Feeding is never a problem with greedy king snakes
-Beautiful snakes, rarely expensive
-Don't require much heating except for a heat pad in the winter, very hardy snake

Cons:
-Feeding isn't a problem, but feeding bites could be. A king snake is a hungry snake and often quite hollow-headed so it may mistake a pinky for, well...a pinky :P

King snake care sheet:
Kingsnake care sheet


Royal Python
Named, "Ball python" in the US (though I have heard people from the UK call it, 'ball python' and vice versa--I've called them royals since I've had mine and I'm in the US) because of their defense tactics: balling up into, well, a ball! This makes royals more reluctant to bite than any other snake! However, this factor alone does not mean it's the best snake in the world, and you will soon find out why.

Pros:
-Very popular (tied with corn snakes, maybe even more popular) so it's not hard to find breeders.
-Decent price, but can be extremely expensive if you want a morph other than a normal)
-Not the hardest snake to care for but not a king snake either, requires heat and humidity but still forgiving of mistakes.
-Not very big, average 3-4' but then again some 6' have been reported, yet this is rare.

Cons:
-Are an easy snake to bash since they look like fat lazy slugs (oops)*
-Are notorious for not eating. Even captive-bred specimens can go off feeding for a few months. Rule of thumb: NEVER buy from a pet shop, ever.
-If you get a picky one it could require live food which is both expensive and dangerous.

Royal python care sheet:
Royal Python

"Other" beginner snakes

The four snakes above are so commonly listed for obvious reasons: cheap, easy, docile. But in no way does that mean they are the ONLY beginner snakes out there! Some of these other snakes I list are not just on the list because they are often forgotten: some are listed because they really aren't your greatest beginner snake for size or temperament reasons, however, I will list them because your options should not be limited to a mere four snakes!

Carpet pythons
Found at many reptile shows, carpets are beautiful and not demanding snakes when it comes to care. They can be large (8') but are considered good beginner-intermediate snakes.

Pros:
-Beautiful, pretty inexpesive but not cheap either.
-Adults are docile, and some babies as well
-Not demanding in care, forgiving and hardy
-More exotic if you are looking for a less common snake that is still fit for beginners.

Cons:
-Depending on what subspecies, sizes can get over 7-8 feet.
-Semi-arboreal, need "taller" vivs.
-Hatchlings can be nippy, expect to get tagged a few times.

Carpet python care sheet:
Carpet Python Care - ACReptiles.com (*note* US based, so you may need an online converter. I could do some simple converting *F-*C...20-25*C i THINK but also uses US currency so just ignore it, best I could find)

Hognose snake
Cute, small snakes with upturned noses that give them a funny look. Classified as venomous but not DWA. On everyone's "wish list" at the moment.

Pros:
-Very small, 2-3 feet, 3 for females. Rare they ever get 4 feet, so obviously doesn't need a very large enclosure.
-Doesn't need humidity as they are desert snakes.
-Normally non-aggressive as long as they have frequent handling sessions.

Cons:
-A bite could be painful as they have venom and fangs, and although it's nowhere near dangerous it could be uncomfortable.
-In the wild they eat frogs and toads, but is inconvinient in captivity so they could be hard ton feed mice.

Hognose care sheet:
Hognose Caresheet

Childrens and Spotted Python
Childrens and Spotted pythons are the minis of the python world. Spotted pythons grow up to 4 feet (max) and Childrens 3-4 feet (max).
They are not aggressive neither are they hard to care for and deserve more recongnition then they get.

Pros:
-Small
-Docile
-Pretty easy to care for
-Mid priced

Cons:
-May not be as easy to find a breeder for these snakes.

Childrens/Spotted python care sheet:
http://www.petsnakecare.net/childrens-python.php Childrens pyton but as far as I hear Spotteds are kept very similarly.

Boa Constrictor
Man-eating machines? Pah! Boas are, to a poorly snake educated person, big, scary snakes who favor babies for breakfast, but they could not be more false!
Boas are docile, and generally medium sized snakes that would require no bigger food than rabbits at the most. Many people who buy boas say they will never go back [to other species]!

Pros:
-Docile snakes, easy to love!
-Aside from custom enclosures, not too hard to care for.
-BEAUTIFUL
-Affordable (around 130 pounds estimated)

Cons:
-Of course a large boa can be, well, large. Giants can reach 10 feet. Biggest on record is 13'.
-Need custom enclosures of 6x4x4
-Large ones will need rabbits, and can be little wallet-fiends even if frozen. Luckily they don't need to eat often.

Boa Constrictor caresheet:
BCI - MORPHS Caresheet

~If you feel I have left anything out, PM me~

Helpful links

To a new snake owner, anything can be scary: if the snake doesn't eat, if the snake is having a bad shed, or, the scariest of all...the snake's not in it's viv!!!
These are all common things a snake owner will encounter. They are all easy fixes, but, if you are new to the world of slithery friends it could be confusing, scary, or most likely both. Below are some helpful links to some very unhelpful problems that may come up with your new snake:

Snake on the loose:
Lost a snake? Wanna know how to make a trap?

Fiesty snakes-handling:
Handling feisty snakes - Info

Commonly used acronyms:
want to know what the acronyms are?

Non-feeder cures:
Snake Feeding Problems! How to get my snake to feed?

Minimum care for people with low budgets:
The Absolute Minimum Care Required For Snakes

Not shedding correctly:
can you help with shedding

Oh no! Mites!:
Snake Mite Removal and Information

Guide to moist or humid hides:
Beginner's Guide to Moist Hides

That's all I can think of for now! Thank you so much for reading! I took nearly an hour out of my schedule so hopefully it will pay off and I can help someone find which snake is right for them!!!

*I was just kidding.

[Tilly1988]

nice sheet,plenty of good info.

Could help quite a few people deciding on what snake is best suited for them

[bumbleyjoe]

the milk snake care sheet link doesnt work

[Blackecho]

Corns may need a 4x3x2 viv?

Royals look like fat lazy slugs?

Boas need a 6x4x4 viv?

Nice idea, but may be worth owning a few of these animals for a while before you write a guide to them.

[My Serpentine Mind]

Originally Posted by Blackecho

Corns may need a 4x3x2 viv?

Royals look like fat lazy slugs?

Boas need a 6x4x4 viv?

Nice idea, but may be worth owning a few of these animals for a while before you write a guide to them.

I didn't mean 4, I mean 3
I was kidding on that one!!! Did you read the bottom?? I love my royal
Again, I was getting really bored and did not mean to write 6, 4 is more suited. It was simply just a careless mistake. No need to be so harsh.

[My Serpentine Mind]

Originally Posted by bumbleyjoe

the milk snake care sheet link doesnt work

Ooh darnit the edit isn't appearing...dang! my apologies

[EmmaLou]

Originally Posted by My Serpentine Mind

-Are notorious for not eating. Even captive-bred specimens can go off feeding for a few months. Rule of thumb: NEVER buy from a pet shop, ever.

Bought my girl as a baby from a pet shop almost a year ago and she has not missed one feed and came with a perfect feeding record when I bought her

[My Serpentine Mind]

Originally Posted by EmmaLou

Bought my girl as a baby from a pet shop almost a year ago and she has not missed one feed and came with a perfect feeding record when I bought her
[/LEFT]

That was lucky of you, some are like that, but most are very picky. I got mine from a pet shop before I knew and she is a little to feed haha!

[Dragon Wolf]

Originally Posted by EmmaLou

Bought my girl as a baby from a pet shop almost a year ago and she has not missed one feed and came with a perfect feeding record when I bought her
[/LEFT]

One of ours came from a pet shop too, never had any problems with feeding either

[nelly1]

Some wide sweeping statements made there
Dont ever buy from pet shops[royals]they wont eat
Milk snakes are not big, some get to 5ft plus
Viv sizes
I think you need to learn all about your corn and royal fiirst