Snakes

[Robyn Hode.]

Hello, I'm new to this thread but I'm an avid lover for snakes especially ball pythons. I don't have much snakes so far but I do have one ball python and another one on the way!

This is Cinder, my baby ball python I got her last December and she is such a sweetheart
I believe she is either a normal ball python or a mocha ball python.


My next ball python is such a beauty and I will be getting him in the next couple months. He is around five years old and his current name is Shan-Yu though I'm not sure if I will keep it or not. He is a Ghost Killer Queen Bee. What do you guys think? Should I keep the name or go with anything different? If different, any suggestions?

[Jun.]

Opinions on red tail boas for a possible second snake?
I've always wanted one, but I wasn't able to get one as my first snake, so I settled with my rosy boa
But I've been looking into possibly getting another snake sometime in the future.
I don't mind their size at all, but is there anything else I should be worried about in case I decide to get one?
Or are there any other snakes that would be better?

[~Tornado~]

Opinions on red tail boas for a possible second snake?
I've always wanted one, but I wasn't able to get one as my first snake, so I settled with my rosy boa
But I've been looking into possibly getting another snake sometime in the future.
I don't mind their size at all, but is there anything else I should be worried about in case I decide to get one?
Or are there any other snakes that would be better?

Honestly I'd say go for it, their care is pretty simple outside of their size. Humidity is probably the trickiest thing but even that's not that hard. They're honestly fantastic snakes

[salmondragon]

I volunteer at an exotic animal rescue and most of our animals are snakes and lizards! I have a bunch of photos of my favourite noodles!


This one is called Bubbles, they're a corn snake and a sweet baby.


This is Gingernut! Another cornsnake, they're a little underweight but we're working on it ;o;


And thsi is Sam! He's an albino burmese python, such a gentle sweet puppy. Not sure how big he is, maybe about 10 feet? We have even bigger one called Debbie who's 17 feet ;'D we don't let her out though

[Kat]

I went to reptile and exotic expo yesterday and fell absolutely head over heels in love with this guy. Had to out-offer someone else on him, but managed to bring him home with me. I've named him Loki and he's my first ever kingsnake.



Any advise? I have him in a huge neodesha enclosure that I got from my local zoo. Currently using a heating pad with a thermostat, though it isn't being enough to keep the ambient temperature up. So, I've ordered a heat guard and will install that over an added heat lamp once it arrives on Wednesday. Ambient temperature on the warm side reads 79.0 degree F with the floor directly over the heating pad (if I clear away the substrait at point the temp gun right at the bare floor) reading at 86.5 degree F. Is the cage floor temperature on that side too cold? He loves to burrow. That's why I'm concerned about turning the thermostat up any higher. I don't want him to accidentally burn himself.

---

@TurtlezSoup
Those are some gorgeous snakes!

[Transkitty]

I finally was able to get my first snake, which I've wanted for years. She's a Brooks Kingsnake and I'm in love. The local pet store that bred her was feeding her live, but she took frozen thawed without prompting the first time it was offered.

Her name is Tesla!

[General Chaos]

New Snake Owner Questions

So, as I dont own a snake yet I've always been really intresting in owning one.
After binge watching Snake Discovery on youtube trying to get as much info on snakes before getting one, I still have quite a few questions.

After watching the 'Top 5 Best Begginer Snakes' video im really more intrested in a Ball Python. (Although hopefully down the road after having experience I want to get a Hognosed Snake.) But, Im not going to get one before knowing absolutely everything I can first.

Question 1
What size enclouser do I need, and more specifically, what is the best encloser I can get?

Question 2
Is it better to live feed Ball Pythons, or use frozen thawed mice and rats?

Question 3
Does it matter if you have a male or female, is one gender more dosile than the other?

Question 4
Do you think doing feeding inside their enclosure or outside of it is better? Ive heard both sides, as some people think feeding them in their enclouser can make them connect your hand to food and be more likely to strike.

Question 5
What do I really need to watch out for when finally purchasing my snake? I know i need to look on the jaw and tail for mites, but anything else?

Thank you to anyone who answers my questions, Ive been doing a ton of research on this topic lately but have gotten mixed answers about all these questions. Im not comftorable owning a snake until I know exactly what to do to not only make them comftorable but everyone that comes around it as well.

[kivr & fireflii]

New Snake Owner Questions

So, as I dont own a snake yet I've always been really intresting in owning one.
After binge watching Snake Discovery on youtube trying to get as much info on snakes before getting one, I still have quite a few questions.

After watching the 'Top 5 Best Begginer Snakes' video im really more intrested in a Ball Python. (Although hopefully down the road after having experience I want to get a Hognosed Snake.) But, Im not going to get one before knowing absolutely everything I can first.

Question 1
What size enclouser do I need, and more specifically, what is the best encloser I can get?

Question 2
Is it better to live feed Ball Pythons, or use frozen thawed mice and rats?

Question 3
Does it matter if you have a male or female, is one gender more dosile than the other?

Question 4
Do you think doing feeding inside their enclosure or outside of it is better? Ive heard both sides, as some people think feeding them in their enclouser can make them connect your hand to food and be more likely to strike.

Question 5
What do I really need to watch out for when finally purchasing my snake? I know i need to look on the jaw and tail for mites, but anything else?

Thank you to anyone who answers my questions, Ive been doing a ton of research on this topic lately but have gotten mixed answers about all these questions. Im not comftorable owning a snake until I know exactly what to do to not only make them comftorable but everyone that comes around it as well.

Off the bat, I'll say Snake Discovery is not a good resource. I don't really know a single youtube channel I would recommend for accurate information for care. (There's one I've seen recommended, I think, but I don't remember the name and I don't watch it anyway.) That being said...

1. "Best" depends on your preferences and location. Tubs tend to be easier because they can hold humidity and heat better, but many people do just fine with tanks. PVC are amazing, but they're expensive. For size, my minimum requirement would be enough to let the snake stretch out. Bigger enclosure is better as long as it's well furnished (ie. lots of hides and leafy decor etc. so the snake can feel well hidden). 4x2x2 is a popular recommended size for an adult ball python. If you're starting with a hatchling, a 20qt tub is fine and you can upgrade as the snake grows, or you can start with the adult enclosure and save money. Larger enclosures are more to clean and more to furnish, but it's also much easier to maintain a proper temperature gradient.

2. F/t has less risks, it's easier to store, it's cheaper to buy (since you can also buy in bulk), etc. but some never learn to take f/t. If you have to feed live, it's fine, just make sure you ALWAYS supervise when feeding (never leave a live feeder in with the snake).

3. No sex differences in terms of personality or temperament. Most are docile because that's their nature, but individuals may have different thresholds (ex. one handles stress more easily than another) -- those aren't really something you'll be able to evaluate (or that most breeders would care to) before you actually have the snake.

4. Inside is generally better. Moving them to feed can stress them out into regurgitating (very hard on the body). You can use tongs to feed so your hand isn't near, and if you always feed at a certain time of day (ex. 10pm), you shouldn't really have problems with your snake striking at you just for opening the enclosure during the day to change the water or something. They do get used to routine (so if you stick your hand in there at night, they may mistake it for food) or if you underfeed them or if their husbandry is off, etc. they can stress out and glass surf or strike more, etc. The only real risk for feeding in the enclosure is impaction from swallowing substrate, but just keep your humidity in proper range, and you shouldn't have issues (otherwise snakes in the wild would have issues all the time).

5. Not trying to be snarky, but literally, find a better resource to learn from and do more research. There are a lot of great resources for ball pythons here. There are a few good Facebook groups, too, like Not Just a Pet Rock (Python Regius) and Innovative Ball Python Keepers.

Last minute tips uhhh... make sure you set up the entire enclosure BEFORE you get the snake. That way you can make sure all your electronics are working and you can post your set up and get opinions on what can be changed/improved. Likewise, you can compile a list of things you need to buy, etc. and ask about that first. Things that commonly get passed around as okay but aren't (or should only be temporary) are heat rocks, heat lamps/night lamps/those red light lamps, the half log hides, etc. Learn the difference between ambient and surface heat, how you read both (you need different instruments), proper thawing/heating, etc. There are a lot of things people read about to "get ready" like the myth that ball pythons are "picky eaters" etc. so they assume it's fine if their hatchling doesn't eat. Not exactly true. If your HATCHLING isn't eating, it's either sick or your husbandry is wrong. Ball pythons are sensitive to their environment, but if their environment has ideal conditions, ball pythons can be fed a variety of food (good enrichment!) such as african soft-furred rats to mice to chicks to rats etc. And yes, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but ball pythons DO need and benefit from enrichment just like any other animal (a HUGE misconception in the ball python community is that they have "primitive" brains and therefore don't need/benefit from enrichment -- FALSE FALSE FALSE).

Sorry to info dump, but there's just so much out there. I hope I answered your questions, though, and at least gave enough tidbits of other things that you can start to look into those. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help or you can check out one of the sources I posted above (wheremyscalesslither is a friend of mine and where I learned about ball python care, and I'm in both of the FB groups I mentioned). All of them have, together, mentioned the things I addressed above, so make sure you use the search function, too! :)
-fireflii

[General Chaos]

@Winter & fireflii

Thank you so much for the insight-I will for sure be checking out all of the sources you have mentioned. Im really glad you told me that the YouTube channel I have been getting a lot of my info from, may not be the best. (Hence why Im doing research elsewhere before even looking at a snake to buy.)
Ive handled snakes before, Ive just never personally owned one. Knowing that, is there a better breed you would suggest as a starter snake. I personally just love snakes, and dont really mind what breed it is. Just looking for a breed that is great for beginner owners so I can gain the knowledge to start to own a wider variety.
Also, would it be better to get my snake as a hachling? I know this could possibly make it easier to ease their temperment a little but I have no experience with hachlings, and mainly have only handled my friends adult snakes. Knowing that, would it be a better idea to get a slightly older snake, or just jump into owning a hachling?

[kivr & fireflii]

@Winter & fireflii

Thank you so much for the insight-I will for sure be checking out all of the sources you have mentioned. Im really glad you told me that the YouTube channel I have been getting a lot of my info from, may not be the best. (Hence why Im doing research elsewhere before even looking at a snake to buy.)
Ive handled snakes before, Ive just never personally owned one. Knowing that, is there a better breed you would suggest as a starter snake. I personally just love snakes, and dont really mind what breed it is. Just looking for a breed that is great for beginner owners so I can gain the knowledge to start to own a wider variety.
Also, would it be better to get my snake as a hachling? I know this could possibly make it easier to ease their temperment a little but I have no experience with hachlings, and mainly have only handled my friends adult snakes. Knowing that, would it be a better idea to get a slightly older snake, or just jump into owning a hachling?

Really up to you. Corn snakes are the one I recommend for beginners. Their husbandry requirements are slightly looser, they're less sensitive, and generally don't stress out as much. But they can move faster, not all, but they are colubrids. They get a lot longer, but not as thick. But they aren't ball pythons, and they still live quite a few years, so if you're set on bps over corns or other species, that's fine. I think a lot of people tend to say to get some experience, etc. first, but a lot of reptiles live so long, it's... kind of weird to buy an animal you're not really set on and have to keep it for several years or rehome it. As long as you do proper research and you have a good resource(s)/people to rely on if you have questions, etc. it's better to just go for the snake you want (giants like retics and anacondas and, of course, hots (venomous) excluded in that). Passion for a certain species can take your knowledge a long way.

And I mean... even though I don't always recommend ball pythons for beginners, they were my first (serious) snakes so... :P It would be hypocritical to say you CAN'T. You certainly can. But even when I had resources and asked questions, etc. I still did stuff wrong. As long as you HAVE those people and you're always open to learning/changing (even if that means spending money and buying different supplies), I think you'll do just fine with a ball python.... or a hognose, since you mentioned those, too. I-m-snek (member here that posts occasionally also knows wheremyscalesslither, and is in the FB groups I mentioned) has a hognose, and she could tell you more about them. 100% recommend her for a good go-to resource for snake things, including hognose, if you decide to get one of those. :)

Hatchling vs adults it depends. Adults can be better if they were raised well -- in a good environment, not used to skipping meals, handles well, etc. But if you get an adult that someone didn't take care of, it might be more of a struggle for you to get it to eat (or switch from live to f/t if you prefer that) or it may not be used to being handled, etc. Adults are more forgiving of mistakes, though, in the sense that if they do go off feed, they already have a good amount of weight. If a hatchling goes off feed for an extended period of time, they can lose weight pretty quickly, and that's bad. But a lot of people start out with hatchlings (including myself), and... again, you just do your research, have people "on hand" that you trust and can ask questions to as potential issues arise, etc. and you'll be fine. A lot of hatchlings are pretty "open book." Their temperaments are often pretty close to what they should be for the species (ex. ball python being docile) -- unless they're not take care of at the breeder and stress out etc. They get used to how "you work" pretty quickly, ex. if you're the kind of person that wants to handle your snake every other day, just work them up to it, and they'll generally get used to it. Versus if you only handle once a month, they'll get used to that, too. (But always check on your snake each day, even just a quick visual, to make sure it's looking alright, didn't get an injury in the middle of the night, etc.)

It's a lot of info at first, but once you get into it, it's really not as complicated as it seems. :) I think whether you get a hatchling or an adult or a ball python or corn or hognose, you'll do fine. Just take it slow. I notice once a lot of people decide to get a snake, they do some quick research, and then they get the snake too fast, they come across issues that they could have been better prepared for. So just take your time in your research, and the more prepared you are, I think the more you can enjoy your snake when you get it. :) More fun and less worry.

(Excuse my infodumping lol)
-fireflii