# help needed on new snake purchase!!!



## chunk93 (May 9, 2011)

hello guy: victory:

im new to the site 

i have a problem and that is that im going to buy my first snake in about a months time. The problem is though that i really have no idea what kind i will choose. as i said this is my first snake, however about two years ago i done some volounteer work for an exotic pet shop, so i do have a degree of an understanding what it takes to keep certain kinds. I also own a bearded dragon. The reason for posting this though is that i would like some suggestion on the kind of snake i could get i would like something quite simple to take care of but slightly unusual for begginers, nothing over £300 or over 6 foot soooo any suggestions? 

any advice or information would be very much appreciated 

thanks alot guys: victory:


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## chunk93 (May 9, 2011)

in fact make that 7 foot:2thumb:


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

A western hognose...


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## Kingcooke (Apr 17, 2011)

can get some nice looking royal morphs for £300, they dont get over 6 foot


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## chunk93 (May 9, 2011)

thanks alot guys : victory:

we used to have some hognoses in the shop they were nice

but i was thinking £300 including set up forgot to mention, sorry

any more suggestions?

thanks guys:2thumb:


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## shisha123 (May 10, 2011)

if ur looking for a snake to start off with i would recomend a corn snake they cost about 60 pound on adverage depending were u get them from an only grow on to 4-5ft females are bigger than males so if u want a small snake buy a male and they come in a variety of colours . i was looking into buying a snake in a reptile shop with my bf then we ended up gettin a bearded dragon so cute ent they. and yea it will cost u about under 200 for viv an set up some places do a lot of deals like pets at home they dont sell snakes but the vivs are good an cheaper than some reptile shops we got are viv for are bearded dragon at a garden centre real cheap so its good to shop around hope this helps ..


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## chunk93 (May 9, 2011)

thanks alot for the tip on the viv setup but i would like something a bit bigger perhaps and i know people might disagree but i really think i could handle something a bit more advanced maybe as i do have a lot of time which i would be willing to spend on the snake 

and aye the beardies sure are wee belters

keep the suggestions coming its nice to have quite a few opinions

thanks to all:notworthy:


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## louise83 (May 10, 2011)

*Hi* 
*Have you thought about a California Kingsnake? We were thinking about it for ages and wittled it down to a Corn Snake, Milk Snake and the King Snake. We settled on the King Snake (got him yesterday ) He is easy to handle, my 7 and 9 year oldswere able to pick him up and hold him today, and is likely to grow to 3/4 feet. Gorgeous markings and from what ive read are great snakes for beginners!*
*Hope this helps *
*Louise*


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## reptFAN (May 25, 2011)

Bairds rat snake. Feeds well and handles welland nice looking. nice manageable size too.


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## Kyleman (May 16, 2011)

As much as I love the royals I got the other week, my favourite is the boa. She's just so inquisitive and great to handle. Seem like a good choice!


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

Kyleman said:


> As much as I love the royals I got the other week, my favourite is the boa. She's just so inquisitive and great to handle. Seem like a good choice!


Except they can reach double the OP's size range.....unless you get a dwarf or small locality


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## imitebmike (Jun 22, 2008)

i vote for Womas  i love them xD


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

If its your first snake I would suggest a Corn or a Royal. they are nearly always easy to handle and rarely bite.
Corns are the best eaters as Royals can sometimes be a bit finnicky.

Always make sure you are buying captive bred snakes and ask for a feeding record.

I wouldnt reccommend King snakes or Boas as they can be unpredictable.


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## cbreakenridge (Apr 27, 2009)

Paul B said:


> If its your first snake I would suggest a Corn or a Royal. they are nearly always easy to handle and rarely bite.
> Corns are the best eaters as Royals can sometimes be a bit finnicky.
> 
> Always make sure you are buying captive bred snakes and ask for a feeding record.
> ...


Speak for yourself :gasp: Besides, he doesnt want anything getting over 6 foot, and boas have potential of doing that. 
I tell you what you should get, everything you need first. Viv. Heating. Substrate. Accessories. If you get a ceramic bulb (which most people here recommend), get a thermostat fitted in the viv etc, and a little guard, because snakes can be pretty dumb when it comes to realising half of its skin has shrivelled off because its sat on something thats 80 something degrees.


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## RhianB87 (Oct 25, 2009)

I would definatly recommend Kingsnakes.

I have a cali king and she is pretty chilled out but interesting and nosey when out. 
Royals are also good first snakes but I find then a tad boring :whistling2:


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

Paul B said:


> I wouldnt reccommend King snakes or Boas as they can be unpredictable.


I think unpredictable is a bit unfair, boas are usually pretty chilled out and soppy but I wouldn't reccomend them for this person. Kings are great though, they have so much personality and if they bite you it really doesn't hurt...


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## mooshu (Mar 24, 2010)

My first was my milksnake and hes awesome! but I would recommend a Brazilian Rainbow Boa! they are awesome snakes and are quite easy to keep! oh and stunning!


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## stevemusson (Oct 16, 2010)

my first was my little hoggie i got in march and if you go for a norml as oppposed to anaconda or albino then you should be able to get the set up and snake for less than the £300.


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## dan112 (Oct 14, 2008)

go for a corn:lol2::no1:

i dont know about kenyan sand boas might be ok


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## emmilllyyy (Oct 9, 2010)

if you want something different id say a male common boa, they generally stay around 6-8 ft though but can get bigger, or maybe a trinket snake, ribbon snake, or a garter snake? triple 8 reptiles are doing a deal, you get a hatchling setup and a choice of an albino/normal checked garter snake  only £77 :no1: then you can save your excess money for when its an adult for a mint adult setup:2thumb:

http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=6573&ProductGroupID=2758


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## Janos (Oct 26, 2009)

Go for a spotted or children's python, they both fit all your criteria and look gorgeous =)


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

chunk93 said:


> hello guy: victory:
> 
> im new to the site
> 
> ...



What snakes do you actually like? It's no good us giving you suggestions if you don't like the snakes we are suggesting :whistling2:. Any snake can be a good starter snake if you research, research & research them & get the set up running for at least 10 days before you get the snake so you can tweek it so it's at correct temps, humidity etc... If it's larger snakes then research the larger species & don't be afraid to ask questions about them on here. Hope you get the snake you really want, there's nothing worse than getting one that has been suggested as it's a good beginers snake & then deciding it's not what you wanted (i know this as i've been there).


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## ShaunIOW (Aug 25, 2010)

Russian Rat Snake - grows to about 6 foot, gorgeous looking, normally docile and friendly, in your budget and not as common as some others.


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## cjsnakes (Feb 15, 2009)

Its quite an overlooked beginners snake but Taiwanese Beauty snakes are something to look at, they are semi- arboreal, so love to climb an often just sit in the branches, espesh at dinner time!! great quite aggresive feeding response, so always good to watch!! very pretty markings, can be quite fast when young but do calm down, They stay quite slinder but reach about 6 ft, females can reach 8ft, easily kept, 4ft viv would be ok for a lone male, very active snake and will use all the room you give them, like to be fairly humid. Like to burrow in the soil, just as much as in the branches, so heat matt, an basking area, (on seperate stats) temperature gradient from the warm end at 29°C (84°F) to cool areas at 24°C (75°F) . Night time temperatures should be around 24°C (75°F). A basking spot of 30°C (86°F)


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