# best snake for beginner budget



## carpet_python

i've never owned a snake before and i would like to know about a what would be the cheapest and the most docile I know about the basic snakes like corn's and ball pythons (i'm in america i know), so here are some other snakes i've heard about and that interest me.

1 carpet python
2 childrens python
3 gopher snake


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## carpet_python

also i'm too young to have a job but i would like to know my options and if you know any better snakes please suggest those to. 😀


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## ian14

carpet_python said:


> also i'm too young to have a job but i would like to know my options and if you know any better snakes please suggest those to. 😀


In which case you need to ask your parents first!
Of the 3, I would suggest that a gopher is the best option.
Carpets can get to a decent size so need larger housing.
Childrens/spotted pythons are easy to keep, and small but I'm not sire how available they are in the States.
A gopher, however, well they are native, don't get big (depending on subspecies), very easy to keep and have a good temperament.
Ultimately, this will be down to your parents as they will be paying for everything.
Corns are an obvious choice, as are garters.


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## carpet_python

thanks for the advice


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## Elly66

Are your parents supportive of you having a snake? Are you preppared to care for it for 20yrs? Personally, I'd recommend a Corn snake for a young, first time keeper. Great snakes, easy to keep and generally good feeders.


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## Malc

carpet_python said:


> also i'm too young to have a job but i would like to know my options and if you know any better snakes please suggest those to. 😀


I would suggest you sit down with your parents and discuss the topic of getting a snake as a pet. You've not stated your age, but if you are a teenager still at school, then you will have education or career changes that will impact the upkeep of said snake. Snakes are long term pets, they have lifespans of 30 + years (dependent on species). A lot will happen in those years. I'm not sure what the education system is in the US or state where you live, but most seem to go on to high school or university. When this happens you will more than likely not be allowed to keep the snake in whatever accommodation you stay in, so your parents will need to be comfortable feeding the snake and doing the normal maintenance required in you absence. Then you may end up meeting a partner and moving out of the family home. If its a rental place the landlord may have strict rules governing pet ownership, so again, you may find yourself in a position where you are reliant on your parents to look after the snake until you have your own place.

If after discussing this your parents are behind you, then look at getting a Corn Snake. Alternatives worth looking at, are Great Planes Rat snakes and Bairds Rat snake. Great Planes look similar to corns but tend to be a bit stockier built, where as Bairds Rat snakes are very slender build. All max out around 5' (females), most average 4'. Husbandry requirements are more or less the same, with day time heating, UV, and a rodent diet. All are hardy snakes, and quite forgiving.

Here's my female Bairds. The video was taken two years ago when she still had a spots. Now she's has her adult colours of a steel grey all over with two noticeable dark lines and a copper coloured belly and edges to the scales


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## wilkinss77

To the OP- provided that your parents are ok with you having a snake, out of the 3 I'd recommend the gopher. But also consider kings, corns & Baird's rats. Or maybe one of the island dwarf boa constrictors, which would be a better, smaller & less ill tempered option than a carpet. If you decide on a king, you might have to tame it as some of them start out snappy but can easily be tamed.


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## ClaudineM

One you mentioned but not on your list 

my first snake I got just before Christmas ( I’m 31 ) was a normal ball python . I got him for £50
it helped me get over my bad fear of snakes .Now I’m so in love with them .

someone told me about touch / tap training , I do with all my snakes now have 12 between fiancé and I it’s made a massive difference


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## LiasisUK

From your list my favourite is a Children's Python, but I would recommend the Gopher Snake as better for a beginner.


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## Malc

ClaudineM said:


> One you mentioned but not on your list
> 
> my first snake I got just before Christmas ( I’m 31 ) was a normal ball python . I got him for £50
> it helped me get over my bad fear of snakes .Now I’m so in love with them .


There are several reasons why we don't recommend Royals as being ideal first snake, mainly the fasting they go through which causes a lot of new owners a lot of stress.


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## LiasisUK

As above. I wouldn't actually recommend royals as a good first snake, even when I worked in a reptile shop I would actively discourage them. As Malc said the fasting is often confusing and stressful for new keepers. However the main reason I discourage Royals is that they don't really behave like other snakes so as a first 'training' snake they are awful, as it doesn't really prepare you for how most snakes behave. I think this is partially why many Royal keepers do not spread further into other species very much, they try them and don't understand them so get rid of them again. Whereas if you start with something like a corn snake, king snake, or even spotted python, something like that, the behaviours they exhibit are much more transferable to other species so it prepares you more.


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## ClaudineM

Malc said:


> There are several reasons why we don't recommend Royals as being ideal first snake, mainly the fasting they go through which causes a lot of new owners a lot of stress.


Thank you for explaining and giving me more knowledge. I appreciate it .


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## Malc

ClaudineM said:


> Thank you for explaining and giving me more knowledge. I appreciate it .


No worries, its a public forum and we welcome your view. As you are new to keeping Royals you may not yet have experienced the traits they have. If its a hatchling, you will soon hit the 1kg wall. By that, it is for some reason, regardless of sex, when they reach around 1000g they all get finicky about food. They often get past this point after a few months, but males can take longer. When adult you can expect a male Royal to fast anywhere between February and September, and for varied lengths of time, is only because they get horny rather than hungry... The first time someone new experiences this they get over concerned and panic.... I was in Wriggles new shop in Stevenage this morning and a young woman was asking why her royal has refused his last two meals and was concerned he would starve.... I and the store manager reassured her it was all perfectly normal.... That's not to say Corns don't fast, males will also go off food, but often not for as long, typically just a couple of months, which again is due to the breeding season. But as it doesn't last as long and some even take the odd meal whilst wanting to breed, so it doesn't become such a worry. I've had a male go almost 10 months before he regained his appetite. In this period he only lost around 25-30g.


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## ClaudineM

Malc said:


> No worries, its a public forum and we welcome your view. As you are new to keeping Royals you may not yet have experienced the traits they have. If its a hatchling, you will soon hit the 1kg wall. By that, it is for some reason, regardless of sex, when they reach around 1000g they all get finicky about food. They often get past this point after a few months, but males can take longer. When adult you can expect a male Royal to fast anywhere between February and September, and for varied lengths of time, is only because they get horny rather than hungry... The first time someone new experiences this they get over concerned and panic.... I was in Wriggles new shop in Stevenage this morning and a young woman was asking why her royal has refused his last two meals and was concerned he would starve.... I and the store manager reassured her it was all perfectly normal.... That's not to say Corns don't fast, males will also go off food, but often not for as long, typically just a couple of months, which again is due to the breeding season. But as it doesn't last as long and some even take the odd meal whilst wanting to breed, so it doesn't become such a worry. I've had a male go almost 10 months before he regained his appetite. In this period he only lost around 25-30g.


Thank you , 

iv had a couple of females reach the 1000g wall but gave them time offered and patience and they went back on food , my male has went off just now but again I’m doing the same as the females . I did know about the wall , as much as I’m new I do try to do as much research as possible before I get a new animal of any kind - even fish ! 
my fiancé was the first one I bought a ball for so I started learning before he knew about it .
I did have a spinner after I got my first one up until recently . It has extreme corkscrew and wobble , I done everything I could assist feeding , making the enclosure more safe - I also seeked help / advice from breeders locally or keepers that kept very bad cases of neurol.

I have came across some of the stuff you have mentioned yes ! But equally with being new as much as iv done research and spoke to people it’s not as good as hands on experience. 
like with any animal I keep I truly appreciate any advice / support or constructive criticism to help me grow and make the animals life better

my fiancé does have snake experience had other snakes when a boy plus looked after a royal too . This is his “first” royal as an adult and in several decades, so he’s also having to relearn some of the stuff that’s changed

may I ask a question ?


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## Malc

ClaudineM said:


> may I ask a question ?


By all means, that's what the forum is about... If I can't provide an answer I'm sure others will


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## ClaudineM

Malc said:


> By all means, that's what the forum is about... If I can't provide an answer I'm sure others will


I try to learn from different people places and sources .

How controversial is Kevin mccurly - NERD compared to the annoying kid at go herping and Brian barcyzk ?


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## LiasisUK

ClaudineM said:


> I try to learn from different people places and sources .
> 
> How controversial is Kevin mccurly - NERD compared to the annoying kid at go herping and Brian barcyzk ?



What a strange question lol. 

I would consider all of them not very reliable sources of information.


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## ClaudineM

LiasisUK said:


> What a strange question lol.
> 
> I would consider all of them not very reliable sources of information.


 Yeah it is strange lol . Just the way my brain works 😂

I have seen them but do take them with a pinch of salt and do more research before seeing if it was right or wrong .

it came info my head as I saw something about nerd on I think it was this site about it .


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## Malc

ClaudineM said:


> How controversial is Kevin mccurly - NERD compared to the annoying kid at go herping and Brian barcyzk ?


I'll let you search for it on the forum, but a while back there was quite a lengthy discussion regarding The medical practices Kevin performed on his videos, mainly questioning the legality and ethics of doing so and then uploading the procedures to Youtube.

Both Kevin and Brian are credited with producing or importing many of the morphs that are currently found in the shops and at shows. Although they will never confirm it, both have made a decent living for the reptile business. I can't say anything about go-herping as I don't / haven't watched his channel for ages. The antics both Brian and Kevin get up to and how they promote their husbandry can be questionable at times, but then like a lot of things this is subjectable.


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## NickN

The subject of "decent, accurate and informative YouTube reptile video content producers" probably deserves its own thread (if there are indeed truly any considered to match that specification), personally the Brian/Kevin/Chandler videos lean toward a bit clickbaity for my liking.
When doing my extensive viewing before getting my first reptile I watched a lot of Clint (Clint's Reptiles) and Emily (Snake Discovery) and felt they came over very well. Also Brian Boas has loads of info on, well, Boas, but not the most attention-holding presentation.
Can't watch Go Herping and one other, forget the channel, find the constant zooming-in-on-their-face-while-they-say-something-silly effect very irritating.


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## carpet_python

something cool is clint's reptiles is in utah were i live


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## Pirate7

As you're talking about budget, also concider having a small pot of money set aside for the 'oh crap' moments when your animal gets ill. Make sure you have access to an exotics vet... they can be expensive. I get charged £45 for my cats to be seen but £85 for my snakes & hedgehog. 

I struggle keeping pots of money aside so instead i have my animals insured as it makes me feel more comfortable that, even if I over spend during the month my animal will be covered. 

All animals get ill no matter how well they are kept, like humans.... So it's always a consideration when budgeting in animal ownership.


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## Buttersballpython

Elly66 said:


> Are your parents supportive of you having a snake? Are you preppared to care for it for 20yrs? Personally, I'd recommend a Corn snake for a young, first time keeper. Great snakes, easy to keep and generally good feeders.


Much agreed.


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