im looking at getting my first snake, looking for tips..?

Question

like the title states, i am looking at getting my first snake. i have done a lot of research already, but real people always help more then a scientific internet article. i want a snake that is about 3-5 feet, but not as "girthy" as a ball python, so i was thinking a corn snake or a king snake, any reason i should pic one over the other? any information about cages and habitats would be nice, also feeding, live opposed to thawed?

Answer 1

ok well ball python was what i was going to say lol because i love my little guy BUT you said you dont want one that girthy.

So a corn snake great! its awsome for beginers easy to feed they accept almost anything you want to feed them i.e mice/rats of differnt colors. the cage needs to be atleast a 20gal for full grown but i would start a baby in at 10gal less room yes but the babies are TINY the rule of thumb here is the tank needs to be half the length of the snake. so a 10 gal will work for a long while. Habitat for them isnt bad i prefer Aspen Chunks not shavings because shavings can get into your snake easy and harm it. have a soak bowl large enough to let the snake coil in it. and HIDES are a must i prefer the half logs on either side of the cage so it can hide whever it wants on warm or col side. also a plastic container with reptile moss in it is great mine love it. that will keep them humid enough when shedding. Mist the enclosure daily and a Under Tank Heater is a great idea! Stay away from the heat rocks heat coild ect. The corn snake at full elngth get 3-6 feet depending on the sex and nature. also if the heater wont do it i would suggest a basking buld to provide a little extra heat and a spot for it to bask in.


King snake is another great snake but for a starter im not sure. they can be nippy at times and a bit picky on what it likes but still really easy to have as a first snake. The habitat is almost exactly the same as a corn snake.

As far as feeding goes, thawed is best. all you need to do is feed it once a week, with mouse or rat of appropriate size. the rule of thumb here is The prey is NOT to be any bigger than the biggest part of the body. it is not hard to switch snakes to F/T. i have done it with all 6 of mine no problem. all you need to do is get a frozen rat out of the freezer put it in hot water wait till it is completly thawed use tongs and put in snakes cage. DONT BE ALARMED if the first few feeds they snake wont eat. its just stressed from the move and new habitat. wait atleast a wekk before trying to feed it. and just try every week on a certian day (its monday fr me) until it eats.

If you need anymore info please feel free to contact me! i have 4 Corn Snakes and 1 king. and i have raised many.

Answer 2

DO NOT get a heat rock. Heat rocks are not good for snakes and can result in burns.. an under the tank heater on one side of the cage is the best.. this creates and cool and a warm side.
For bedding I use carefresh, it comes in all kinds of colors but I know a lot of people that use aspen also.. Corn snakes really don't care what kind of substrate they live in. I wouldn't recommend the reptile bark that's sold in the reptile section of most large pet stores, it's not easy for the snakes to burrow in.
In the cage you should also have a water dish that is big enough for the snake to submerge its whole body in, this should be kept on the cooler side. You should also put a hide on each end of the cage.
I would suggest a corn snake over a king snake for your first. Corn snakes are very friendly, don't get that large and are easy to care for.
Frozen is always the best option with feeding. When purchasing your snake you should get information on its feeding habits, see if it's 'trained' to eat frozen or if it's fed live. I personally think frozen is easier, you could just thaw a mouse from the freezer when it's feeding time and there is no risk of your snake getting bitten by the mouse.
My corn snake eats f/t and all I have to do is put the thawed mouse on the ground of the container I feed him in and he eats it right away, no dangling or tricking him into thinking its live.. very easy.

Answer 3

If I was getting my first snake with what you have told me I would get a corn snake. The only reason why is because I like the color variations the corns come in. A snake set up is a pretty basic set up.

A basking light and heat pad for under the glass. All to one side of the tank. Some ppl might say "oh but Crystal why both" because I like both ok! And it isn’t going to harm any.
So one side of the tank should be your hot side and the other should be your cool side. keep the water at the cool side too so he can take a soak if he gets to hot. A timer would be a good idea too so the lights turn off and on at the same time everyday and u can set the heating pad to turn on 30 minutes before the lights go out! Make sure it’s the right size pad for your tank. Repti bark for bedding is good. and 2 hid boxes one on the hot side and one on the cool side. Aside from all that get a temp gun. Live is always better some ppl might be like "oh but the mouse can hurt your snake if your snake doesn’t eat it" or "they have germs! and the frozen ones are cleaned" PFFT! How are u so sure that they are cleaned? Are you there to view the process!? No! As long as you watch your snake with the mouse and make sure its ok then its fine to feed live. If your snake doesn’t eat within 20 minutes put him away and save the mouse for the next day. If you don’t like the idea of having to check up on your snake to see if it ate then put the mouse in a paper bag and bop it on a hard surface...like your computer desk! It might take 2 - 3 bops but it will still twitch! So that’s about it, hope this helps out a little.

Answer 4

I had a royal python for ten years. Live food is always better than frozen, a corn snake is less agressive than a king. When you take the snake out of it's cage, keep a small towel handy, it is likely to pee or defacate and that smell is hard to get out of clothing. Keep chemical hot packs available in the winter to keep your snake warm if the power goes out.

Answer 5

I really like corn snakes. They are not aggressive and with enough handling they can be very tame.

As far as cages go, make sure to secure the cage top, or your snake will escape. Get clamps to hold it down, or put something heavy over the top of it, like a book or a rock.

With reptiles its also important to have a heat source. You can go with one of these 3.

1) Heat lamp over the top of the cage
2) Heating pad underneath the cage
3) Heat rock placed inside of the cage.

I personally prefer the heat rock, with the heat lamps you end up spending a lot of money on replacing bulbs. Also, with a heat rock, your pet can get heat when desired.

A lot of snakes won't even eat a dead animal, and it seems to be better for the snakes health to eat live animals. Your local pet shot should sell baby mice, called pinkies, that are perfect for a smaller snake.

Answer 6

WELL IF U GET A BABY SNAKE MAKE SURE U FEED IT HAIRLESS MICE. MY SON LEARNED THE HARD WAY. HE HAD TWO OF THEM AND WAS FEEDING THEM MICES AND THE SNAKE WASN'T DIGESTING THE HAIR SO FINALLY SOMEONE TOLD HIM WHAT TO BUY BUT THE SNAKES HAD ALREADY DIED.... NOW HE HAS A CORN SNAKE OR SOMETHING LLIKE THAT AND HE FEEDS IT MICES. AND MAKE SURE U GET A GOOD TANK WITH A GOOD LID CUZ THEY SURE WILL GET OUT.. OH DON'T FORGET THE WARMING LAMP IT HELP THEM IN DIGESTING THE FOOD. WHEN U GO BUY IT THEY COULD HELP U WITH THE CAGES AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS U COULD PUT IN IT. GOOD LUCK

Answer 7

whats up! As a familiar rule, Corn snakes and Royals are reluctant to chew. notwithstanding, corn snakes are swifter and could react in what looks a more desirable menacing way once you attempt to %. them up. oftentimes they're going to balk from you and it would look as if they're on the factor of chew you, even with the very undeniable reality that it truly is practically by no skill the case. i have owned corns for 4 years now, and performance by no skill been bitten. notwithstanding, Royal pythons (Balls) have a tendency to be a lot more desirable timid, and could more desirable likely curl up in a ball at the same time as threatened (consequently the call) and so could be even a lot less likely to chew. notwithstanding, as with each and every animal, the aptitude it nevertheless there. notwithstanding, a chew from wither a corn or royal shouldn't truly damage- in the journey that they 'tag' you it isn't likely that you'll comprehend that they made contact until eventually they have drawn blood (a sturdy chew could encompass many tiny punctures from their needle like enamel. it may likely look as if there is more desirable blood than there truly is, notwithstanding it is going to clot over very nearly top now, and likely gained't truly damage in any respect). a thanks to evade bites is to be careful at the same time as feeding, so use tongs to substantiate the prey merchandise is a lot out of your fingers, as it truly is completely the wide form one reason behind bites to keepers. The snake has undesirable imaginative and prescient, and is determined by way of their experience of flavor. at the same time as the prey merchandise is round, they're going to likely imagine that any move is foodstuff. at the same time as picking them up, be positive, and raise them up astounding and rapidly from below, helping the body. With corns it may help to bigger cage furniture faraway from the snake, so it would not get tangled in something at the same time as it inevitably tries to flee (it truly is amazingly likely that they're going to regard your fingers as a predator once you initially attempt to %. them up). notwithstanding, they exceptionally a lot continuously settle down once you've them out of the vivarium- they have a tendency to imagine of you more desirable as a tree! it truly is likewise a sturdy idea to gently stroke them a pair of situations earlier picking them up, purely to enable them understand that you're there. sturdy success

Answer 8

WELL, I CAN'T SEE GIRTH BEING AN ISSUE UNLESS YOU ARE PUTTING THE SNAKE IN A YOUR NO-NO PLACE. YOU SHOULD ALSO BE CAREFUL OF BLACK MEN IF THAT IS A MAJOR CONCERN. ALSO, N E V E R POST ALL IN CAPS, 'CAUSE IT MIGHT BE REALLY ANNOYING TO THOSE AROUND YOU.