That's definitely reared its head in the hobby, and sometimes people can be a 5 minutes wonder always chasing down the next purchase, as they are quite low maintenance. However, if that suits you and what you are after, then no, you won't get bored at all. You'll have an awesome, low demand pet, that is there for you when you want, is fascinating to watch and learn from, and that will be a big part of your life for the next 20 years. It's down to your personality at the end of the day. You'll be responsible for it's life and wellbeing and if you are not sure, don't get one.
Hope that helps

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That's very subjective. Depends on what you want in a pet.
If you want companionship and interaction, you will get bored of a snake quickly.

I got all of my pets from people who got bored of them when the novelty wore off.

My advice is the same for those who say they want a particular tattoo - You want it right now and are excited, but wait a year and see if you still want it.

To answer your question: Snake ownership for me is a lot of nothingness (The guy doesn't move a lot) in between moments of awe at watching this amazing creature.
Had my guy for many many years and the satisfaction for me is giving this guy a good life, becoming part of my family, and now watching my 2 year old son look at him with the same amazement I did when i first got him

 

Corn snakes are very low maintenance, undemanding and easy to keep once they are set up correctly. I think if you keep it in a nice sized vivarium and give it some branches to climb on and explore you'll find it a very rewarding pet.

I love my girl and I've had her 8 years now. She was a nervous snake as a baby but now she's older she is calm and confident and always comes out to watch what I'm up to when I'm about.

 

Reticulated pythons are definitely one snake that will never get boring. They're active, alert and intelligent. They've even been shown to recognise their owners.

Get a mainland reticulated python. You won't be disappointed.





Joke, don't do that [emoji23]

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In a word, YES

As others have said, they don't do much most of the time. For the investment in the animal, equipment and food you don't get much back in return. The weekly excitement of feeding, the fascination every couple of months when it sheds, and if you have a pair, the thrill of producing baby snakes if that's something you want to do.

The "novelty" factor is different for each person. After 30 years I still find the novelty of keeping snakes fascinating. I still like caring for them, I still like keeping records of all the feedings and shedding and even how often the snake shits ! I still find the attraction of keeping something that is still in effect a wild animal and you have to read it to understand its mood exciting. I still admire their beauty, the markings and coloration.

As others have said, if you want interaction, then a snake is not the pet you should be looking for. Snakes tolerate being handled. The level of stress varies and can make the thing fight or flight. Most bites from a corn snake are trivial but being bit is a risk that you take. Most corns will musk as a defence, again, something you need to be prepared for. This can be said for any pet in that even the most loyal and trustworthy dog can have their off days and bite !

Snakes have the potential of living 20 - 30 years in captivity. In that time a lot can happen, so you need to be able to think long term. If you are a teenager you could finish school, go to uni, get a job, get married, and even have kids of your own. Most of this can have an impact on you keeping snakes. Its a big commitment.

 

Good read!!

Also makes ur selection finding a breeding partner difficult aswell!!

Need a good woman who will cater for boy-man with 30 odd boas! (at present (viv'd) )

so bare this in mind if your a young un!! Them opposite sex can be funny buggers if u let them!

 

Owning the right species doesn't get boring IMO.

But it's about finding the right species, so many people jump on a species that is popular or everyone else has without seriously thinking if that's for you. I see so many keepers purely getting species because they'll get them plenty of 'likes' on social media... There is so much to consider - your own ability and experience, snake's adult size, when they are most active, if they are arboreal, terrestrial, burrower, typical temperament of the species, colour, diet, frequency of feeding, rear-fanged etc... there are thousands of species available, if you're prepared to look and search. Not just the top 10 you're likely to see practically given away.

The way you house them will have a massive impact too, if they're stored away in a basic rack that you cannot see into unless you have it open - yeah that's going to get pretty boring quickly I imagine. However if you have a large viv, plenty of enrichment opportunities with things to climb, substrate to dig, new things to check out - that will allow the snake to behave more naturally, which is better for them and show more natural behaviours, therefore more likely to be more rewarding to watch and observe.

Another thing to consider is reptile keeping can become addicting. So many people don't know when enough is enough, they love the easy access to all these different species and they keep buying more because it feels great and brings them happiness but then they start stressing and finding dealing with them more of a core than actual enjoyment. They say they have enough, no more but forget to count future babies they have bred into those numbers.

They have too many, it sucks the enjoyment right out of keeping. Stop while you're enjoying keeping, don't keep adding more and more, quickly, thinking it'll make you even happier and you'll get even more enjoyment.

 

I wrote three replies to this this morning and decided not to post any of them until some positive replies had been posted first. :lol2:

Malc's last paragraph covers most of what I was thinking.
It is very age related.
If you are fairly young (I've no idea?) there is an awful lot that can get in the way of keeping any animal that lives a long life, especially one that doesn't actively promote "bonding" like a cat or dog would. School, college/uni, social life, other hobbies, 1st love, moving home, kids etc, etc. All of these things take over you life.
You can happily keep animals during these times, but they can also dim your enthusiasm if things aren't going so smoothly. I lost interest myself in my mid to late 20's, and gave away all but one of my snakes. The interest returned, but I have always remained cautious about getting too many animals. Snake keeping is the worst hobby in the world for getting carried away, and we all do it to some degree!

What ever your age, my advice would be; Get one, or two. whistling2 But really......stop there! Don't fall into the collecting trap.
The less animals you keep, the more time and money you can dedicate to each one. The more likely you will be to keep them well and enjoy watching and learning from them. Why keep 20 animals that you don't have time to see? It doesn't make any sense.
And if it all goes pear shaped, then it is far easier to find homes for one or two animals than twenty. : victory:

Esiuol also made a great post while I was writing this!

 

im on yr 22 and my numbers only ever increase. For me the fascination will never fade and some of them living only 20 years may not be long enough!!!

 

Some great post.

I must say I was expecting some very negative responses to this post, perhaps this forum has made me a bit pessimistic these days?

Like many are saying, if snakes are something you are truly interested in, and I don't mean just at the moment, I mean in general, then you will not get bored of them. I love animals and have a special interest in reptiles. I couldn't wait until I got my first one (I was told I had to wait until I was responsible enough so got one just before my 16th birthday) it was a snow corn.

The reason I thought it might be worth putting my two pence in is because I am guilty of many of the things mentioned above.

Once I had my corn, that quickly turned in to a corn and a royal, then a corn a royal and a boa constrictor and then a corn a royal a boa constrictor and a russian rat snakes. Being so low maintenance you think you can handle any amount of snakes so you just keep adding.

Eventually I went to uni and had to study away so had to give up my snakes. I was gutted but I couldn't expect my parents to care for them.

Soon after leaving uni I got my own house and began to get snakes again I then had A bull snakes, two house snakes and ball pythons. The bull died unexpectedly one day and friends of mine that wanted to get in to snakes ended up have my house snakes both of which still have them and are looking great. So I was left with ball pythons that I have had for many years now and I love them to bits.

I now have a bigger house and I am looking to begin to build a collection of snakes I really love which are asian rat snakes. There are 4 or 5 species I really want and that I intend to get now and leave my collection at that as I know I will have them for many many years., picked up a VBB last weekend as a start.

Basically what I am saying is dont fall in to the trap of collecting every species you see, or buy a snake because its only 40 quid. Do a load of research and find out a particular genus or family or region that really fascinates you and go down that route. Then I promise you you wont get bored.

p.s always account for eventual size and longevity of the animals you are seeking. If more people did this there would be so fewer animals for sale

 

It's a fair question. I think part of the reason some people end up with so many is because snakes don't do much, a lot of the time, yet they are easy to look after, so they get more and more to up the chances of something interesting happening at any given moment. It's really important to only get what really interests you, and also that you are confident with.

Not long after I first started, I got a fully grown Borneo blood python but I wasn't experienced enough to provide for it. I hadn't read widely enough so although I was following a care sheet to the letter, if I'd probed a bit more, or trusted my own judgement, I'd have seen there were other ways of doing it, and probably had a better result. Where my lack of experience really showed was in catering for its humidity requirements, which were a lot more important for something like this compared to the mostly corns I'd been keeping. That was a mistake, and a shame. Fortunately I was able to rehome the animal pretty easily but that isn't always a given.

I can honestly say I never got bored of any of my snakes, but didn't make sensible decisions in every case about what to get.

 

I have been researching corn snake care about a month prior to my post. I've been interested in getting one for a while and based on your replies I think I'll do it. And for the questions people had about my age, I am 15 years old and will be a sophomore in high school in the U.S. in a month. I really appreciate all the people that replied. I didn't expect so many and it gave me a to of insight. I will be careful with how may pets I acquire (if I get anymore). Also, I have 3 other younger siblings I consulted and are willing to care for my snake should I move out for college (hopefully I can bring it with me though :blush. I do have space in my home for a good sized terrarium (looking at 36x18x24 terrarium LengthxDepthxHeight) and will make it naturalistic. Hope it all goes well.

 

There is a HUGE amount of knowledge you can acquire to attempt to keep them well and everyone does it slightly differently. It's really interesting and satisfying to learn as you go and try to provide the best conditions you can for them.

My snake is a perfect pet for me, I love to handle her when I want but she can be left alone happily in the vivarium for extended periods too.

For a 15 year old to think about a question like you asked bodes well. You sound very conscientious. I would definitely try to work out what will happen when you go off to college with the snake though? You will need some disposable income to be able to care for them properly.

Think about how you feel about keeping an animal in captivity and feeding it thawed rodents And line up a good reptile vet near you before you need them.

Good luck to you!

 

good question. I think it's species specific - not all snakes behave the same and they have different characteristics and behaviours , and not every individual will stick to its species' stereotypes

Example most royal/ball pythons much more likely to be shy

Texas rat snakes much more likely to be nervous /aggressive

Garter snakes active,alert, about on display in the daytime

Amazon tree boas beautiful display animals but less good a candidate for a handling snake

Milk snakes beautiful, nocturnal, shy secretive, not aggressive but mostly nervous etc etc

Many snakes are "pet rocks" , these kind are ones I don't get much out of keeping

I prefer active,alert, switched on preferably out and about in the day

So I guess for now keep learning about snakes and the general differences in species you like the look of /sound of and then go from there

 

So I guess for now keep learning about snakes and the general differences in species you like the look of /sound of and then go from there[/QUOTE]

I actually want an active snake. Which is why I am thinking about a corn snake. I've read they are relatively active compared to most snakes and are even great for handling- both of which I am looking for. I want a snake I will see around the terrarium and won't be hiding all day.

 

So I guess for now keep learning about snakes and the general differences in species you like the look of /sound of and then go from there

I actually want an active snake. Which is why I am thinking about a corn snake. I've read they are relatively active compared to most snakes and are even great for handling- both of which I am looking for. I want a snake I will see around the terrarium and won't be hiding all day.[/QUOTE]

Hi. I just got a corn snake 2 days ago. He is a 3 year old, was one of the shops breeders I think as he told me a hatchling would just squeeze through the gaps in the glass of the viv I have. I decided to feed him a few hours after I got him (I was thinking some comfort food in a new place wouldn't be a bad thing). He took the mouse straight away, such a fast strike my brain didn't even register it. But since then he's just been hiding in his hide I guess digesting. He pokes his head out when I open the viv but I think he's just tasting my budgies in the air but he isn't scared of humans and I did handle him when I first got him and he seemed fine with me. I made a mistake of feeding him right away though I should have given him a few days to settle in, explore around (I have spent almost £600 on this snake setup so I'm feeling a bit under appreciated atm lol). Another thing I read though was that if a snake was brought up in a rack which this one was then a larger vivarium might stress him out. I guess that's a pro and a con of buying an adult. They are use to humans, but also use to a small space like a rack. But I'm hoping it's just because I fed him and he'll get out in the next day or two.

PS, budgies are as active as they come so if you're looking for a constant hyper pet get a solo budgie (or any parrot for that matter). Solo budgies will want your attention and to play with you most of the day. More than 1 budgie usually don't care about you though because they have each other.

 

In all honestly - yes, a lot of people do get bored of them.

Compared to many other pets snakes do less, are seen less and want less interaction.
So if you're someone who's only casually interested in having a pet snake on a surface level because they seem easy and 'different', you may well get bored of having one. If you're genuinely fascinated by serpents and have some actual passion for snakes outside of the idea of having one in your bedroom to show to your mates, then you'll be less likely to get bored than the former person.

Also, if you've not considered what you want out of a pet snake and not researched the species you've chosen - that's another bad recipe...

Basically, people own snakes for different reasons and get their own enjoyment out of them in different ways. If you're aware you want something you see often, that is quite active/interactive and you then research active species, you'll likely enjoy your snake more than someone who just wanted a 'snake' and bought the first Royal Python they saw in the local shop - it's just less of a gamble when you actually research. That's just one example, another would be if you want a snake you can handle often, and you buy something that's got a foul temperament, getting musked/bitten gets old fast if it's not your cup of tea.

TL;DR - actually have a passion for reptiles, work out what you want in a pet and do some proper research into species first, then you're less likely to be 'that guy' who's rehoming it x amount of time later.

 

In all honestly - yes, a lot of people do get bored of them.



Compared to many other pets snakes do less, are seen less and want less interaction.

So if you're someone who's only casually interested in having a pet snake on a surface level because they seem easy and 'different', you may well get bored of having one. If you're genuinely fascinated by serpents and have some actual passion for snakes outside of the idea of having one in your bedroom to show to your mates, then you'll be less likely to get bored than the former person.



Also, if you've not considered what you want out of a pet snake and not researched the species you've chosen - that's another bad recipe...



Basically, people own snakes for different reasons and get their own enjoyment out of them in different ways. If you're aware you want something you see often, that is quite active/interactive and you then research active species, you'll likely enjoy your snake more than someone who just wanted a 'snake' and bought the first Royal Python they saw in the local shop - it's just less of a gamble when you actually research. That's just one example, another would be if you want a snake you can handle often, and you buy something that's got a foul temperament, getting musked/bitten gets old fast if it's not your cup of tea.



TL;DR - actually have a passion for reptiles, work out what you want in a pet and do some proper research into species first, then you're less likely to be 'that guy' who's rehoming it x amount of time later.

Perfect post !

I wish I had your way with words !

I often wish that newbies would simply list what they want / expect from their snake ..

Maybe a sticky thread with a template to complete .

It would be so much easier if we knew things like ..

Display only
Display and occasional handling
Regular handling
Length of desired snake
Do they want something that's awake during the day
Would they prefer an inquisitive snake
Size of space available for the viv
Is money going to be a restriction ?

Just need someone who's good with words to sort it out properly


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There are 'breed matching' quizzes for Dog breeds - a useful tool that are very underused among dog owners. I've been thinking the hobby desperately needs a 'species matching' website for years, but you'll need someone who's more tech savvy than I to get that set up. :notworthy:

 

My experience of breed matching questionnaires is that people just give the answer they think will be most likely to result in the dog breed they have already decided they want - I think it'd be the same with snakes! :lol2:

 

Maybe something like the selection box method where it gives you just two choices each tone and after each selection the choice of snake species gets smaller ..

They use that method for identifying things like amphibians as I recall ..

You could start off with

Over 6' or under 6'






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Can be kept in a shoe box. (Sssshhhh no one need know!)
Can't be kept in a shoe box.

 

i'v kept tarantulas for almost 10 years and i'll admit i lost my passion for them a few years ago. however i'v kept my 15 strong collection as they are so easy to look after and the occasional moult can be exciting.

i feel like it would be the same for snakes and i feel i may lose interest after a few years so i refrain from getting any.

 

I find once your talking over a period of time such at his i can relate.

I tend to go in and out of fads with them where I may get them out and spend alot of time in the room for days/weeks then I may spend months where I just clean/feed etc.

The level of care is always as high as possible and no corners are cut and everyone has ample room and means of exercise and so all my animals keep a good body structure regardless.

I could not imagine my life now without them and feel blessed to be able to spend the time I am with these animals and my desire and fascination has never changed in the last 20 odd years and it only gets stronger.

I like the idea of a brainstorm of ideas for reasons of keeping, I keep for pleasure, conservation, colour, pattern, size, bloodlines.

 

I just like knowing snakes are in my home,don't need to interact with them,their presence is enough : victory:

 

Can they get boring? Not if you're really into them as a hobby, no.
But they can if you only keep them as some kind of fad.

 

I say that it will all depend on what you want gizmo my BP sleeps all day and he comes out about 11pm but when he does come out it's good watching him

 

In my opinion, this is more a question to ask about yourself than about the snake.

Are you the sort of person who gets bored easily?

What are you expecting from any snake?

For some the fact that snakes are 'low maintenance' is a huge benefit but for others this can mean they are forgotten about.

 

Absolutely perfect response !


I was gonna put ‘snakes never get boring , WE simply get bored’ but you said it so much better !


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So did the OP get their snake 2 years ago and did they get bored?

 

Guess the important thing is that we’ve discussed the point ..


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Ive been keeping snakes for 49 years. Dont ask me why, I just love them. However, I can see why people might get bored of them as for the most part they don’t do much.