• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Snake recommendations for beginner?

P

procyonloser

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Lacey, Washington
Hi, so I own reptiles but I've never owned a snake before aaaand I'm thinking about bringing one into the family later off in the year

But I can't decide what species would be best

I'm hoping for a snake that won't be large enough to move up to full sized rats - so ball pythons aren't on the page (I've also gotten the impression that BP's are often finicky?

So right now I'm most fond of Rosy & Sand boas, w. hognoses, and corn snakes (but open to suggestion. Price isn't a big deal, but I'm not interested in expensive morphs - just pets)

I know corn snakes are pretty standard beginner snakes, but I'm worried about them being handling them in a house with cats? (I've heard they're harder to handle but again I don't know a ton)

Meanwhile I hear very mixed comments about hognoses, some people say they're beginner snake, others say they're hard to keep.
Rosys are what I'm leaning towards the most, but I don't see much about them.

So if anyone has any suggestions to what they feel is a good beginner snake that's more in the smallmedium size spectrum - I'm all ears

I'm not going to just immediately run out and buy anything, I just want to hear back from some owners themselves. I do as much research as I can on the species I buy beforehand, so I'm just curious.
 
Whatever you ultimately choose, the cats and the snake should be apart even while you are handling the snake out of the cage, and the cage should be secure enough so that the cats cannot get in.
 
Lucille said:
Whatever you ultimately choose, the cats and the snake should be apart even while you are handling the snake out of the cage, and the cage should be secure enough so that the cats cannot get in.
Click to expand...

Oh, I don't intend to have them anywhere around eachother, I have a completely separate room for my reptiles - but I have this paranoia of a snake getting out of hand and getting under the door before I can do anything. I've just heard corn snakes have a tendency to be more escape artists, so it gets me worried.
 
Any of the species on your list would be suitable for a beginner. However I would lean more strongly towards the corn snake, if for no other reason that I can not think of anything even slightly negative to say about them.
 
By far the easiest is the corn snake, and they are wonderful pets even if you're not a beginner: they come in beautiful color choices, are generally docile & curious, EASY to feed on frozen-thawed rodents, do not usually go off-feed in the winter, & their cage temperatures are easy to maintain: they do fine if the air averages 70-75*, similar to what most of our houses are, and they need only UTH heat under one end of the cage (not more than 1/4th of the cage unless your house is very cold) so they can use it as needed to digest. If you start with a hatchling, they are delicate & should be allowed to eat & grow (ie. settle in) for a while before you handle them. Any snake will bite in self-defense if afraid, but you'll be hard pressed to even FEEL a bite from a baby corn. By the time they grow (& have bigger teeth) they'll be tame anyway. I wouldn't call them "hard to handle" at all, but like most snakes, they don't naturally sit still, that's all.

Yes, ball pythons are far more difficult, needing a very warm cage & prone to being fussy eaters. I've raised rosy boas for years, & while I like them, they stay small & are normally docile, they typically go off-feed for several months in the winter, which can frustrate anyone new to snakes. For that reason, I'd say they're better as a second snake (once you have a bit of experience), same for W. hognose snakes. Sand boas are cute little snakes but tend to hide under substrate to pounce on prey above them: some find them nippy, less social. King snakes are easy to keep, but while all snakes are "food focused", let's just say that king snakes make more mistakes than most- sort of a "bite first, ask questions later" in case that hand is edible? (lol) Milk snakes are very colorful, but very quick & hyper, a challenge to hold, better to just look at.

A few other snakes you might want to consider:
Trans Pecos rat snakes only get about 4- 4.5' long (similar to corn snakes) & perhaps are my favorite kind. Very laid back- gentle & slow moving- nosy- & good feeders year-round. If you start with a hatchling, make sure it's well-started (ask to see feeding record)- actually that applies to all 'baby' snakes, especially if you're new at this.

Australian spotted python (Antaresia Maculosa)- stays a bit smaller than a corn snake, prefers pre-killed small mice (f/t is fine) easy to feed, tends to cling when held (sits still, lol...that's rare); does need a warmer cage & a humid-hide to shed well. The only one I've known (& currently keep) to judge from has a ferocious appetite, but has never bitten me. (Then again, you need to learn how not to confuse any snake so they know you aren't prey: most are easy, but as I hinted before, king snakes can be rather obtuse.)

My top suggestions (corn, Trans Pecos, spotted python) all enjoy climbing branches, & my spotted python & Trans Pecos rat snakes all love to bask under black lights for warmth at night. (they still have UTH heat at all times too) This makes them interesting to watch & easier to interact with. In fact, I've wired baskets into the corn & Trans Pecos' branches & they often like to sleep curled up in them, which is awfully cute.
 
By the way, Trans Pecos "rat snakes" eat mice just fine, they never need rats (& couldn't eat more than a baby rat anyway)

Another small snake you might look into (one I've never kept)- African House snakes.
 
hotlips said:
By the way, Trans Pecos "rat snakes" eat mice just fine, they never need rats (& couldn't eat more than a baby rat anyway)

Another small snake you might look into (one I've never kept)- African House snakes.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! I appreciate all the advice. I'll definitely be doing more research on the species you recommended
 
Happy to help. As far as caging, most of these do great with a 40 gal. tank when fully-grown, if space matters. Corn snakes can actually get 4'-5' long- slender snakes never seem that big because they're not bulky, it's only when they stretch out that you realize.
Another thing that corn snakes appreciate is a 'humid hide'- a plastic box with damp moss inside. One of my (5) corn snakes can usually be found under his damp moss, peeking out at me- it's pretty funny. Only by offering choices do you find out what they like best. (Trans Pecos are desert snakes, so I've never offered humid hides to them.)
 
Definitely the corn or trans pecos. AHS are inquisitive and delightful, but fussy eaters as babies; you’d need to make sure you were getting a100% guaranteed F/T eater. And they are incredibly slim and lightening fast babies.
 
Thanks again all, I'll probably be looking at a corn smaller but I think I'll check out my local reputable pet shop ( not PetSmart or Petco -I did see a I believe a tessara? Looking Corn snake at PetSmart and fell in love, but didn't want to act hastily), and going to a reptile expo or two to talk to folk.
(It's funny, when I told my 63 year old mother I was thinking about getting a snake, she was upset ... Not because of a fear of snakes, but because she wanted me to get a rubber boa instead of anything else. )
 
May I suggest to you Cornsnakes.com, owned by the same person who owns this site? It is a veritable encyclopedia of great information, very nice people, and some wonderful vendors.
 
Lucille said:
May I suggest to you Cornsnakes.com, owned by the same person who owns this site? It is a veritable encyclopedia of great information, very nice people, and some wonderful vendors.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I'll be doing a lot of reading in the coming months I think.
 
I breed both rosy boas and east African (Kenyan) sand boas, and I used to breed cornsnakes. All of these species make excellent first snakes, and I have a litter of sand boas ready soon if you're interested. I have also worked with hognose in the past and found that many of them are finicky feeders, so I wouldn't place them at the top of the list of easiest snakes to care for, but they don't require an expert by any means.
 
Your mom sounds cool. Rubber boas are similar to rosy boas only from higher elevation (hence a different coloration, presumably to absorb more heat/sun); I've never kept any but I'd assume they might be a little fussy too.
AHS- agree with the cautions, only mentioned because you didn't say whether you're looking to get a hatchling, & often you can find great well-started pets (all kinds) that are yearlings+ (someone's breeding 'hold-out' etc).
We'll be curious to see what (or how many, hahaha!) you end up with? Hard to choose!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top