What Is The Best Snake For A Beginner.

I have 2 boys that also love keeping reptiles and comming from a small rural town, the news spread fast the fact that we actually keep and breed snakes. Well, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

As a result of all this, I was asked by one of my sons schools if I would bring in some snakes and do a talk. Well, you did not have to ask me twice. What better way to spread the word and help change peoples perceptions about these magnificent animals than starting with our future, our kids.

Since that day, there has been a lot of interest by both young and the not so young in wanting to know more about reptile keeping. With the interest has come a lot of questions, so I have decided to dedicate several posts to answering some of these questions
and hopefully help you some of your decisions.

One of the most common questions I get asked is.

Q.   What type of snake is good for a beginner?

A. Before deciding to purchase a snake one must take the following into consideration.

1.   How much room do you have to house your new snake? When considering this please look at the overall picture. At this stage many people say to me. I am looking to buy a Juvenile ( baby snake) so I won’t need much room. Well, this may be true but, what about when they grow up?

2. What size snake will you be comfortable keeping? You will be surprised on how many people don’t take this into consideration. This reason here is probably one of the most important decision you must make. There are so many people purchasing animals on impulse that they forget that some snakes grow to be quite big and hard to handle.

These pets then become unwanted and if they can’t sell them, they are often released into an unnatural environment. This causes problems not only to other people but to the animals themselves.

3. Are you after something visually eye catching? This really comes down to personal choice. If you are anything like me, colour is of no importance. All Snakes are beautiful but not all have the same temperament. My advice for someone starting out is to choose for temperament first. That’s not to say that you can’t find a visually beautiful snake with a good temperament.

4.  How much money are you willing to spend? This is something only you can answer. Do your research and speak to different breeders and dealers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Remember, Your careful decisions now, will greatly affect your new pets well being and enhance your enjoyment with them for years to come. Once you purchase the snake, their future is in your hands.

Take care of yourself and your animals.