What kind of snake should I get?

Question

I want a milk or corn snake. Should I get another kind of snake? Why?

Answer 1

i would get a corn snake i just got my first snake and its a corn they are awsome never bite and come in all dofferent colors here is some more information

Enclosure
Corns must be housed in at least a 20 gallon tank. The tank must have a secure top. A determined snake can push against screen or glass until it finds an opening big enough for its head; where its head goes, so goes its body. Some snakes will constantly rub their nose against the screened top of the tank in an effort to find a way out. The resulting abrasions should be treated with an antiseptic and antibiotic ointment. The furnishings in the enclosure should then be evaluated to provide a more natural environment.

Provide a Hiding Place
A hide box of some sort should be provided, and an interesting branch for climbing and resting. Branches collected from the wild will need to be debugged by soaking first in chlorine/water solution, then rinsed thoroughly, soaked in clean water, then left to dry in the sun. No special lighting is required.

Substrate
With corn snakes, there are a couple of different substrates that can be used, such as pine chips (not cedar chips, are toxic), indoor/outdoor carpeting and "Astroturf". If you use the carpeting or Astroturf, you must wash it then let it dry thoroughly before it can be used in the tank again; have two pieces on hand which can be rotated. The snakes will often burrow under the chips or carpet/turf, so don't be surprised if they are not always in view. If you use pine or aspen shavings or cypress mulch, the urine and feces can be scooped out with a cat litter scoop, with fresh chips added as needed. Be sure to remove soiled substrate as soon as possible; urine-soaked material become a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. If you use this type of substrate you will have to place your snake in a secure area to feed it; you do not want it to ingest any chips.

Temperature
An undertank heat pad is placed under one-half of the tank; this leaves one side cooler so that your snake can regulate its body temperature as needed. A heating pad made for people can be purchased at any drug store; set it at medium or low depending upon the ambient air temperature. To maintain health, corn snakes must be kept at 75-85 F, the higher temperature being necessary to digest its food. Temperatures can fall to the lower range at night. To easily monitor temperature, inexpensive aquarium self-stick thermometers can be purchased and applied about an inch above the bottom of the tank on the warm side.

Hot rocks should never be used; they fluctuate too much, and too many reptiles suffer severe ventral burns.

An incandescent light bulb in a reflector shield may be set just outside the tank to heat up a basking area; appliance timers can be set to turn the light on and off at set times during the day. Reset the hours of operation to adjust for seasonal fluctuations in ambient air temperature.

Feeding
An active snake will happily eat every 10 days or so. They will eat, and should only be fed, killed prey. A snake who is not hungry when live prey is introduced into the enclosure often finds itself becoming the meal, especially if the prey is a rat.

To economize, you can buy in bulk and freeze them. Contact your local herpetology society; many members breed mice and rats, and most will pre-kill them for you. Remove the prey item from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature. When defrosted, use forceps or tongs to pick up the rodent by the tail, and hold the prey in front of the snake for the snake to strike at.

Many snakes will eat prey that is just placed in the tank. Occasionally, a quail egg can be offered to wild-caught specimens. If the snake likes it, one can be offered every couple of weeks. (Since quail eggs purchased in stores or from hatcheries are unlikely to be fertilized, they should not form a regular part of the main diet.)

Start hatchlings off with pinkie mice. As your snake grows, gradually increase the prey size by offering fuzzies, crews, then small adult mice or rat pinkies. A full-grown Corn or Rat can eat a medium to large mouse; large Rat snakes can eat small rats. If you feed too much at one feeding session, or feed a prey item that is too large, your snake may regurgitate it.

Water
A bowl of fresh water must always be available at all times. It will be used for drinking and sometimes for bathing. If the snake defecates in it, the bowl must be cleaned and disinfected immediately.

Handling
Corns do not wrap snugly around your arm like pythons or kings. They tend to pick a direction and go for it. Though they are relatively small in body mass, they are quite strong. Always support the body and give free rein to the head. If the head starts going somewhere you don't want it to go, gently guide it into another direction. Many snakes are nervous when introduced into a new situation with new people. Give them a couple of days to settle down before letting new people handle them.

Shedding
As a reptile grows, its old skin become too tight and worn. A new skin awaits just below the old. As a snake gets ready to shed, its eyes will turn a milky blue over the course of several days, and the body color will start to dull and develop a whitish sheen. Once the eyes have cleared, the snake is ready to shed. To assure proper hydration, soak the snake in warmish water after the eyes clear; this should enable to snake to shed easily within the next 24 hours.

Veterinary Care
All newly acquired reptiles should have fecal exams done by an experienced reptile vet to check for bacteria, protozoa and worms. Many of the parasites, bacteria and protozoans can be transmitted to humans and other reptiles. Left untreated, these infestations can ultimately kill your reptile. Medications are available to treat these conditions. When your snake first defecates, collect the feces in a clean plastic bag, seal it, label it with your name, phone number, date and your snake's name, then take it and your snake to a reptile vet.

Signs of ill-health
Snakes, like all other animals, do get sick. Listlessness, failure to eat over several weeks or regurgitating meals can be signs of bacterial or endoparasite infection. Take these animals to a reptile vet, with a fecal or vomitus sample enclosed in a ziplock bag. Ectoparasites, such as ticks and mites, must also be dealt with. With proper instruction, this is something you can do yourself if the infestation is mild. Allowed to escalate, ectoparasites can kill their host. If the skin around the neck forms wrinkles and puckers, the snake is severely dehydrated and you must see a vet. The vet will either administer subcutaneous fluids or show you how to force fluids. Animals cannot digest food when dehydrated, so emaciation will set in if the condition is allowed to continue untreated. Then, respiratory infections, parasites and other problems, and possibly death, will occur. Thin, stringy mucous coming out of nose or mouth or changes in feces or urates (different color, consistency, frequency) signal a disease or infection. Observe your snake every day to be sure to catch any problems early. Treat the problem as soon as it is noticed to prevent other health problems

Answer 2

Corns, kings and milks can all make excellent beginner snakes. I don't know why so many people recommend ball pythons for beginners, they aren't too bad, but they are notoriously bad eaters, can have humidity issues, and, in my opinion, they are pretty boring.

Other good choices would be a rosy boa or sand boa. They're a little more exotic, but they stay pretty small, are very easy to care for, and usually have great personalities.

Answer 3

i prefer the corn snake and it is also the easiest. if you want info on corn snakes a good website to visit is www.cornsnake.co.uk as it has a lot of useful info and they also sell corn snakes and it is the cheapest one i have seen. angel( the owner and breeder) cares for her corn snakes and make sure the hatchlings go to a good home. angel also has a guest book which you can write comments on and also you can read them and you will see that angel is a good person to buy from. i hope my info has become useful to you,bye!

Answer 4

i own a garter snake hes pretty cool my friend moved and couldnt keep him. they r sweet but milk snakes are very good snakes ive own 2 never had a problem. they only seem to like escaping but just weight down the cage a bit. ball pythons r so common are dull and have to many problems. plus some are aggresive and can draw blood when they bite

Answer 5

I have kept snakes and reptiles for years. Ball Pythons are by far the most popular snake. Even for children. They are very mild mannered. They do not bite and they make great pets. Mine would take fuzzies right out of my hand. There are Breeds of Pythons that are more aggressive and demand constant handling in order to keep them docile. Burmese Pythons are beautiful but get extremely large and heavy. They can get aggressive even if you have had them since they were a hatchling. Balls do not get to big and either male or female make a good pet. Hope this helps...

Answer 6

Have you done any other research on snakes? Look into it. Corn snakes and milk snakes are good for begginers because they aren't usually aggressive and high maintainance. And they don't get really big. Milk snakes are smaller-they'll grow to about a foot or two, tops. Corn snakes get to about 3 feet and they are squirmy. Check out ball pythons. They get to be five-ish feet tops and are really mellow. They make a great first time snake.

Answer 7

I would recommend going with the corn snake, they are cheap easy to take care of snakes. Very docile and feed on a wide range of food items.

Make sure you have a nice place for him to warm himself and a cool place for him to hide.

I don't reccomend buying any snake from one of the large commercial pet stores, they are often not well taken care of before you buy them.

Buying from a reputable breeder is the only way to go. Check out internet forums for good breeders.

Have fun with your new pet!

Answer 8

dontlisten to the first 2 fools the third lady knows what she talks about i would suggest a corn snake, not ball python for begginer they are REALLY picky about eating so a corn snake or a kingsnake.

Answer 9

if you want a milk or corn snake..
then get that.
they don't get very large, and they handle well.

If you want a large snake, try a python.
If you want a smaller one, kenyan sand boas only get up to about 3-4 feet.

Answer 10

Two pit vipers, no doubt. Different pattern shown might tell more about the different environment they have grown up into. Lara.