what age snake for beginner?

[firsttimer]

I was wondering what age snake you reccomend getting for a beginner? A friend told me i should get a yearling coz they are a bit older but after talking to a popular breeder here in sa and realised just how many snakes they breed i became a bit worried about buying a yearling. I mean how much handling can one snake get when they have so many? should i buy a hatchling so i can regularly handle it or is a yearling a better choice?

i look forward to your replies and insight

 

[JAS101]

u do know snakes dont like being handled , and some tolarate it more then others . just because a snake isnt handled weekly , that duznt mean its going to be flighty or bitey . too much handling can cause them to be bitey , when owning snakes u have to assume that not IF it will bite its WHEN will it bite. but really id go with the breeders advice .

 

[abnrmal91]

Hatchlings are good as you can learn with the snake as it goes. Breeders don't normally have enough time to handle yearling's as much as really needed to calm them down. Or you can get one about 2 years old that is already established and has been handled alot. Have a look there are alot advertised on this site.

 

[firsttimer]

u do know snakes dont like being handled , and some tolarate it more then others . just because a snake isnt handled weekly , that duznt mean its going to be flighty or bitey . too much handling can cause them to be bitey , when owning snakes u have to assume that not IF it will bite its WHEN will it bite. but really id go with the breeders advice .

Im not expecting a lap dog or anything...... i have three kids if i need a cuddle LOL.......The breeder offered me either a yearling or a hatching( when they are ready) so like i said really just after people opinions and experiences. I'm trying to learn as much as i can before i purchase. Hatchlings for the bredli wont be ready til april so i have plenty of time to Learn more

 

[snakeluvver]

Hatchlings are good as you can learn with the snake as it goes. Breeders don't normally have enough time to handle yearling's as much as really needed to calm them down. Or you can get one about 2 years old that is already established and has been handled alot. Have a look there are alot advertised on this site.

Some snakes are calm without being handled.

 

[Trench]

Some snakes are calm without being handled.

I agree, I got a jungle python that had only been handled when her tank was being cleaned, but she is the most placid snake i have ever seen

 

[abnrmal91]

Some snakes are calm it just depends on the snake, congrats on getting lucky with a placid jungle

 

[lisa5]

I agree that some snakes can be calm without too much previous handling, as with my bredli, who was about 8 months old when I got him. Some of his siblings were really snappy. Hatchies may tend to be a little snappy- defense mechanism, but you just take things slowly and get to know them and vise versa. I've had both and I wouldn't worry too much either way. As others have said it really just depends on the individual snake. If possible try to view the snake first and maybe see how it handles.

 

[hornet]

I agree, I got a jungle python that had only been handled when her tank was being cleaned, but she is the most placid snake i have ever seen

are you sure its a jungle lol


Its up to you, bredli are very very placid so hatchling or yearling, chances are you will end up with a placid snake

 

[abnrmal91]

haha "are you sure its a jungle lol" love it hornet

 

[gavgav]

I was wondering what age snake you reccomend getting for a beginner? A friend told me i should get a yearling coz they are a bit older but after talking to a popular breeder here in sa and realised just how many snakes they breed i became a bit worried about buying a yearling. I mean how much handling can one snake get when they have so many? should i buy a hatchling so i can regularly handle it or is a yearling a better choice?

i look forward to your replies and insight

i would look at something like a stimson or one of the smaller snaker for your first
i would just get a hatching and learn as it grows

 

[firsttimer]

i would look at something like a stimson or one of the smaller snaker for your first
i would just get a hatching and learn as it grows

I was recomended by the breeder to get a bredli, Murray Darling or Gammon ranges python as she said they were hardy, friendly, easy to care for. i havent read anything about the stimson, will have a look into them though. the only other snake i looked at was the woma- hubby loves them but they are a bit expensive.

 

[abnrmal91]

I don't think you really need to get a smaller python first, larger pythons like bredli, murray and darwins are all hardy. They are all easy enough to keep just pick one you like and go from there.

 

[pythonmum]

I think it is a good idea to go with an older animal (yearling or older) that is accustomed to being handled. People are often selling an animal that turned out to be the wrong gender or they are moving or they are going to concentrate on other projects, etc. There are plenty of nice adults that are not snappy, feed well and have no issues. We did this for our first two snakes (stimson and spotted) and were very glad to have done so. The snakes were pets for our kids, so we wanted to have good handlers from the beginning. Later we got hatchlings when we all had more confidence and could deal with flighty, nippy youngsters. Of course, not all hatchlings are nippy, but they are very small and fast!

 

[gavgav]

it comes down to what size snake do you want
do you want one that gets to 3-4 foot
or 6-8 foot
or even bigger
also go by what you like the look of

 

[GeckoJosh]

are you sure its a jungle lol


Its up to you, bredli are very very placid so hatchling or yearling, chances are you will end up with a placid snake

Lol Jungles arent that bad 3/4 of the jungles Iv owned have been great handlers and never bitten.
One of the worse snakes Iv come across was a juvenile Bredli so it really just comes down to each individual snake imo
If you really want a placed snake then buy one that is advertised as that, otherwise its a bit of a gamble

 

[saximus]

Haha I had the exact opposite experience from you Geckoman. My yearling Jungle was a complete jerk when I got him. As it was my first snake it made for a great learning curve. My little Bredli is the star of my collection as far as handling goes. I think this just emphasises your point that it's down to the individual snake.
Also Firsttime have you thought about the size issue? Bredlis and Murray Darlings can get over 6ft so you need to be able to house and feed something that big