First Snake: Baby Or 'bombproof'?

[Leishkin]

Hi guys,
Brand new to the forums, so hello!!
My husband and I are long-term reptile/animal lovers but our son (4) is absolutely obsessed with them and has been for months now. We thought perhaps he would get over it so haven't rushed into anything, but we take him to a local animal farm every weekend just to hold the snakes, which is a bit of a pain!

We have recently gotten a juvenile Blue tongue which he is great with and he is settling in well.

Of course holding the snakes every week has reinvigorated the love of snakes in us (we both wanted them as teens but were never allowed!) so we have been looking at options and tank setup sizes, snakes with enclosures on gumtree etc etc for a couple of months to get a feel for things.
Hubby is keen to build his own enclosures and has already drawn up plans and ordered thermostats, we have put in our basic license application but what i am worried about is this decision:

Do we start out by buying a young snake and get ourselves used to the idea of being nipped while it is not so big, but are younger snakes not as hardy? I am not worried about manhandling because our son is extremely good with them, but i worry we're not experienced enough to do it all 'right'
or should we seek an older snake that is used to handling but obviously larger and a bit more intimidating!
We are all quite used to handling them at this point but have no experience with removing them from cages, feeding etc.

How did you start out? Young or old?

Husband is keen for a diamond python but i like Murray Darlings or perhaps a spotted/stimson to
Start.

Looking forward to your thoughts and advice,and sorry about the essay!!

Aleisha

 

[Wally]

I think watching them grow is all part of the experience.

 

[Leishkin]

Very true,
Plus i get to get used to thawing cute little mice while they are pink and alien and don't look like mice
Have read about click-clacks to start but would you the. put them straight into the full sized enclosure from there or start a bit smaller and later move up? (We have books on the way! Lol)

 

[Wally]

Click clacks are great for getting young pythons started. I would defiantly recommend going down this path.

 

[pinefamily]

Welcome to APS and the world of reptile keeping.
It's great to see someone who has looked into it first and doing their research. So often on here we get posts like "I bought a snake, help!" Lol
Wally's on the money. A click clack is the best option for a hatchling. There is a great thread on here on how to set one up, if you haven't seen it already.
There's no right or wrong way with a first snake, just as there's no right or wrong first species of python.. Our first was a 7 year old bredli, "rescued" from a marriage breakup. A hatchling is good though because you grow in knowledge and experience as the snake grows.

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[alex.snaith]

Hi, and welcome to APS!

Firstly, like everyone has previously said, please start with a click clack!!!
- They eat better in click clacks
- Easier to monitor in click clacks
- Cheap to start off with
- Safer for them so they don't ingest substrate or anything nasty

Secondly, please buy the book Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons - Good read and very informative.

Thirdly, what you are already doing great is doing HEAPS of research, know EVERYTHING about your new pets, but it looks like you are already doing that.

Fourthly, ensure that you are OK with all the costs associated with reptiles. $150 thermostats, $300 cage, $150 + in lighting / heating. It all adds up!

Finally, Young or Old! I completely understand you asking this question since nobody really answers it while you are doing research. I can guarantee, a lot of breeders / pet shop owners will say get an older one - I don't know why, maybe they think that they are doing you a favour. I will say that if you enjoy snakes that much, and have good husbandry and have researched everything about those snakes, you will be completely fine. I started on a hatchy, and I can safely say that most people on this experienced forum would have started on a hatchy as well. Now, no snakes in the world are 'bombproof'. Every snake needs good health and hygiene maintained by a good owner. However, YES an adult snake would be slightly more tolerant for a week if your heating goes out e.t.c. That being said, it sounds as though you have done a lot of research and you know what you are doing - you haven't just dived into snake owning and hoping it would just be a cool 'showoff'.

I personally say get a hatchy. As said before, most of the fun is just watching them be all grown up!

Hope this helps,
Cheers Alex

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

I'm not sure there is any bullet proof snakes.
Every age/size or species you buy has the potential to have a few challenges.

I always prefer to buy hatchies myself though when looking for particular traits/markings this has not always been possible. My one piece of advice that no one has yet mentioned is get a species that you really like. Don't get pushed into buying something just because it's the right size or handles well. If you really want a Scrubby that should be the one, (maybe not a great example) but you get my drift.

 

[Leishkin]

Thanks so much for the kind words, we are definitely wanting to take it slow while also reeeeally wanting them now, we don't want to do wrong by the animal by not knowing what we're doing
I am 90% sure that was the book my husband was looking at on ebay so will go ahead and get it!

They are such a big investment for sure, we bought the enclosure/setup for our blue tongue from the shop so we know all too well!! Definitely wanting to build our own setup next time! What a rip off!
Have been looking at the diy area and lizard landscapes for inspiration!
Very excited

Thanks for the advice, will do some more research on setups for young snakes and go from there.

 

[Nero Egernia]

When I began with snakes (which wasn't that long ago) I first acquired adults (South-west Carpet Pythons). I was not the least bit intimidated by them, but perhaps that was because I keep many lizards, some of which had the tools to do quite a bit of damage e.g. tail whipping, scratching, dental structure designed for slicing and crushing. One of my adults is extremely placid, and may be what you would consider "bombproof". Not much, if anything, seems to phase him. My other adult, while he doesn't bite, can be rather vocal if he's in the mood. I know that some people can find this a bit off-putting. I also have a hatchling, and yes, that has bitten me. It was perhaps one of the least noticeable bites I've experienced, just felt like a slight prick and it was all over within a second. A python's dental structure is generally designed for piercing and grip. It's a fairly clean bite, and beyond the initial piercing, is relatively painless.

There are positives and negatives for both ages. Like Pauls_Pythons has said, just go with whichever snake (age or species) you're most drawn to. If you really are concerned about being bitten ask the seller if the snake is a good handler. Please keep in mind, however, that baby snakes tend to be more snappy compared to their adult counterparts.

 

[pinefamily]

This is only a generalization, but some species as hatchlings/juveniles tend to be more snappy than others. Jungles and normal Darwins (albino Darwins seem to be more placid) in our experience are more snappy hatchlings than say coastals or Murray Darlings. But that is just our experience.
Don't let any of that put you off. As Paul's_Pythons has said, get what you really want, after you have done your research and reading.

 

[Snapped]

Good for you for doing the research first, and welcome to the forum.

For my first snake (I was a complete newbie to reptiles, only having owned a bearded dragon years earlier) I ended up getting a 6 foot adult Murray Darling from an acquaintance, and this snake was very relaxed and quite forgiving as I had no experience on handling, all I did was read up about them, did lots of research and asked loads of questions. It took me nearly a month to get up the courage to get him out of the enclosure, but after that I never looked back. He still is a very relaxed snake, and I've had lots of scared people hold him (supervised of course).

I've since got a few more snakes, as hatchies, and while I think they are great, they are much more skittish, but eventually settle after a few months. The thing is, you don't know what they will be like once they are adults, but in general, MD's are very much a good beginner snake.

Click clack tubs definitely the go for hatchies/juvies, a good thermostat and a decent heat mat, and once they are big enough for the main enclosure, again, don't skimp on things like thermostats, a good one is a good investment.

 

[alex.snaith]

May I just add, I saw you were looking at a couple of species and would like to give you a few options.

Spotted Python
Stimson's Python
Children's Python

These three pythons are perfect for beginners, they handle well, look cool and they don't grow too big. Also very cheap to buy and maintain as they don't need too much heat (spotted's and children's) and they don't eat that big of a meal so light on the wallet. An enclosure needs to be 900x600x600 which works best for me

Woma Python

IMO, best snake out of all these choices! I have never had a Woma, EVER, which I have ever had struggle to eat. Unlike the pythons above, they can be quite picky and sometimes don't eat over the winter for a long time, when just starting out that might worry you a bit. Woma's have VERY cool patterns and they don't get too big of a snake. They are 100% terrestrial meaning their enclosure doesn't have to be tall at all, a 1200x500x500 works best. I seriously urge you to look into Woma's they are great! Perfect size also for a 4 year old, about 2 meters in length but no to girthy (if that's a word). If a Woma is too small, try a black headed python! Same pattern however, MUCH larger!

Diamond Python
Carpet Python

Undoubtedly the 2 best pet snakes that money can buy in Australia. They however do grow quite large, but not too much that it would be difficult. Enough said about those!

Murray Darling Carpet
Darwin Carpet

I have not had much experience with these 2 snakes, however they do seem increasingly popular amongst the community!

Hope this helps,
Alex

 

[Leishkin]

Thanks so much guys!
We went (just for fun) to SECA today to have a look at some babies and adults and talked to the guy there a lot about it.
He let my son hold a little albino darwin which was super placid and lovely, his murray darlings were all a bit feisty! Spotteds and stimsons were gorgeous.
I actually fell a bit in love with a stunning reduced pattern caramel carpet, but they had all just fed the day before so she couldn't be handled.
Loving all the advice here, thank you

 

[pinefamily]

The only time I've seen a feisty MD was one that was under-fed.

 

[Leishkin]

Yeah i think just from lack of handling? He said they were 'like little chainsaws!
Could see them arc up into S shape as soon as he opened their drawers. But if i had been in a drawer for 2 years i'd probably be grumpy too!

 

[user 23122]

I would get a diamond they are our nicest Morelia and although they don't seem to live as long in captivity 10 yrs as some of our other species usually people just keep them too warm for too long. Diamonds thrive in areas that have cold winters and unlike other carpets they thrive in a larger enclosure with a small warm spot. I have owned 6 over the years and never copped a bite even though my larger one hisses when I get him out for his fortnightly poop on the lawn

 

[dragonlover1]

It's hard to pick the perfect snake,my son and I have 10 pythons between us,a large coastal I won in a ballot who is the most placid creature,a darwin who seems to want to get out of your hands as soon as you pick him up,a stimmy who is so gentle,4 spotteds of various temperaments from cuddly to snappy,a little diamond who is sweet as and a pair of pygmy banded pythons with opposite personalities,how can anyone say this is the perfect snake for you ? there are so many variations to choose from.Ultimately you have to choose what you think is best for your circumstances.Best of luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Leishkin]

I would get a diamond they are our nicest Morelia and although they don't seem to live as long in captivity 10 yrs as some of our other species usually people just keep them too warm for too long. Diamonds thrive in areas that have cold winters and unlike other carpets they thrive in a larger enclosure with a small warm spot. I have owned 6 over the years and never copped a bite even though my larger one hisses when I get him out for his fortnightly poop on the lawn

Thanks mrkos,
Looking at your pic i think we have been looking at your diamond's on gumtree! My husband is in love with them and keeps coming back!

Dragonlover1 you're right, i think we will just have to pick a species then choose one based on their personality and hope for the best!

 

[user 23122]

Couple of my favourites

 

[kittycat17]

I breed coastal Carpet pythons and clutches I have previously hatched where perfect beginner snakes great feeders, and nice relaxed hatchies straight from the eggs
This season round about 85% of the hatchies are bitey and defensive (there all feeding on weaner mice or fuzzie rats) and I wouldn't recommend them as first pet snakes

But on the other hand I got a hatchling Murray Darling from a friend and he is the most calm, sweetest little boy, he will let me handle and move him around right after feeding and even in shed [emoji7] which for me is 'bombproof' haha

So yes personal preference is there but there are some standout placid species that are very easy to work with


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