I know some of you have snakes and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on them since since I was little I've wanted one... my friend has a ball python that's been hand rasied since birth/hatching I'd like to learn more about the care and need of a snake and was wondering if anyone could recomend some good books and just some good advice in genral about snakes as pets.
Also is there anyone snake that'd be good to start with...
Questions for those who have snakes...
Moderators: Mystic Dragon, Xalia, Shard, JKatkina
Ball pythons are good to start, and small boas. Boas are in general slightly more 'nice' snakes, they're not as aggressive as pythons. However, balls are smallish, and many boas grow to be ... pretty effin huge. 
Cy? You out there? I do believe that she's the one to ask about this. I own a huge boa, but I did not raise her from a baby. I got her when she was around 4 feet long, so that doesn't much count
Cy? You out there? I do believe that she's the one to ask about this. I own a huge boa, but I did not raise her from a baby. I got her when she was around 4 feet long, so that doesn't much count
Author of Repurposed
kshau-protectorate.com
kshau-protectorate.com
Cy is here :D I should be the resident herpetologist-wanna-be *snicker*
Okok.
First, some basics that will help me help you decide which snake would make a good starter snake.
What size range are you looking for? For a beginner, this is a really big thing. I'm very fond of ball pythons. Of all my snakes, my ball has been my favorite. I find them to be a lot calmer and slower moving, and more prone to being 'cuddly', when raised correctly. If you get a male, it's rare for them to exceed 5 feet long, and they stay about as big around as a baseball.
Rat snakes and corn snakes are good too. They stay around the 5 foot mark, and stay thinner than balls, but are a bit more quick and active. They do have a wider range of looks though. With balls, you're either going to get a dark brown, light brown, stone color, caramel color, or yellow color [though those are expensive] but rats and corns are like WHAM variety.
Rainbow boas are also gorgeous, and can be good for beginners :)
http://www.cornsnakes.net/index.php3 - that site has some good pictures of different breeds of corn snakes.
http://www.ratsnakes.com/ - that's a good one for rat snakes
http://ballpython.com/page.php - balls :D
http://www.corallus.com/cenchria/ - rainbow boas
Google has all sorts of results for care sheets for specific breeds, and they're always easy to follow. There are also forums all over the place dedicated to specific breeds that you could join and talk to people about :) And of course, Shard and I [and a few others] are here as well :)
I'd recommend not buying from a pet store, when you do decide what you want. They jack up the prices, and their snakes are often sick and mishandled. I'd buy straight from a breeder off the internet. FedEx has an excellent reptile shipping service.
I don't want to repeat everything in care sheets XD So take a look over those snakey suggestions, and look for care sheets, and read up what you can find on the internet, and then I can answer specific questions :)
And Shard, the reason boas tend to be "nicer" is because by all technicalities and measurements, they're "dumber" than pythons. But it means if you wind up with an aggressive boa, it's harder to tame it out of them because they're so basic. :D Whee random information.
Also. Let me go ahead and tell you. You are going to get bit. Maybe even a few times. You can invest in a pair of gloves if it makes you feel better. You shouldn't need them as the snake grows and you tame it down. But most snakes are nippy in the young stages until they get used to you.
Oh, and in case the care sheets don't mention it... I find it important to tell every new snake owner this.
Don't feed your snake in the tank it lives in. Feed it in the bath tub, a plastic storage box, the kitchen sink, anything. Just not in it's living tank. If you do, they'll begin to associate your hand with food, and that's no good if you're trying to pick it up, is it :P Plus, they'll eat quicker that way. My snakes know the blue plastic tub = food. They go into hunting mode as soon as they enter that tub. They strike, eat, and come out. It's usually pretty darn quick unless one of them is in their shed cycle.
Okok.
First, some basics that will help me help you decide which snake would make a good starter snake.
What size range are you looking for? For a beginner, this is a really big thing. I'm very fond of ball pythons. Of all my snakes, my ball has been my favorite. I find them to be a lot calmer and slower moving, and more prone to being 'cuddly', when raised correctly. If you get a male, it's rare for them to exceed 5 feet long, and they stay about as big around as a baseball.
Rat snakes and corn snakes are good too. They stay around the 5 foot mark, and stay thinner than balls, but are a bit more quick and active. They do have a wider range of looks though. With balls, you're either going to get a dark brown, light brown, stone color, caramel color, or yellow color [though those are expensive] but rats and corns are like WHAM variety.
Rainbow boas are also gorgeous, and can be good for beginners :)
http://www.cornsnakes.net/index.php3 - that site has some good pictures of different breeds of corn snakes.
http://www.ratsnakes.com/ - that's a good one for rat snakes
http://ballpython.com/page.php - balls :D
http://www.corallus.com/cenchria/ - rainbow boas
Google has all sorts of results for care sheets for specific breeds, and they're always easy to follow. There are also forums all over the place dedicated to specific breeds that you could join and talk to people about :) And of course, Shard and I [and a few others] are here as well :)
I'd recommend not buying from a pet store, when you do decide what you want. They jack up the prices, and their snakes are often sick and mishandled. I'd buy straight from a breeder off the internet. FedEx has an excellent reptile shipping service.
I don't want to repeat everything in care sheets XD So take a look over those snakey suggestions, and look for care sheets, and read up what you can find on the internet, and then I can answer specific questions :)
And Shard, the reason boas tend to be "nicer" is because by all technicalities and measurements, they're "dumber" than pythons. But it means if you wind up with an aggressive boa, it's harder to tame it out of them because they're so basic. :D Whee random information.
Also. Let me go ahead and tell you. You are going to get bit. Maybe even a few times. You can invest in a pair of gloves if it makes you feel better. You shouldn't need them as the snake grows and you tame it down. But most snakes are nippy in the young stages until they get used to you.
Oh, and in case the care sheets don't mention it... I find it important to tell every new snake owner this.
Don't feed your snake in the tank it lives in. Feed it in the bath tub, a plastic storage box, the kitchen sink, anything. Just not in it's living tank. If you do, they'll begin to associate your hand with food, and that's no good if you're trying to pick it up, is it :P Plus, they'll eat quicker that way. My snakes know the blue plastic tub = food. They go into hunting mode as soon as they enter that tub. They strike, eat, and come out. It's usually pretty darn quick unless one of them is in their shed cycle.