Thinking about getting my first snake...

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Pythonlover007

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Hello!

I'm an animal lover who is desperate to get a python of my own. I've been doing as much reading as is humanly possible and I've fallen in love with Black-headed pythons, however, I'm not sure if they are a good first snake?
I don't have any experience with reptiles, so any tips or tricks are greatly appreciated!

Thanks heaps!
 
Yeah, they are fine if they are adapted to eating rodents or a food item you can provide. These days there are enough unwanted snakes around to feed them for free, althought that would be a serious disease risk.
 
I’ve heard that bhp are like the puppy dogs, but also have a strong feeding response so care is required
 
Bhps make great first snakes imo .. quite active and inquisitive . They do have a strong feed response but when no food is around i have found mine very placid and calm . One thing to remember most of the localities get quite big !
 
My hatchies are regularly handled by my 5 year old granddaughter.
I sell heaps to first time keepers and as mentioned above, so long as you take a bit of care when there is food around they are fine as a first snake.
 
Care as In don’t put your hand infront of the food
 
Biggest consideration: are you going to be able to handle it when it grows 2-3m long? Can you afford the housing requirements (which is larger than the average terrarium)? Can you afford the size food an adult would need?

I’m in that place of ‘I really want a BHP’ and have fallen in love with some that I’ve met over the last few expos, but in saying that, I don’t feel that I’d be able to manage a full grown BHP just yet (and this is more of a space issue, or lack of space, in that I wouldn’t have anywhere to put a large terrestrial enclosure just yet).

They start off small but really do explode in size rather quickly.


But other than that, they are a very nice ‘starter’ snake. Don’t usually have any problems eating once well established and are generally a very docile pet for the most part.

If you wanted to consider something a bit smaller, the Woma (a cousin of the BHP) is a great alternative. They don’t grow as big and are just as sweet
 
Biggest consideration: are you going to be able to handle it when it grows 2-3m long? Can you afford the housing requirements (which is larger than the average terrarium)? Can you afford the size food an adult would need?

Most adult BHP's only need a 6x2x2 enclosure and lets be honest they are as cheap as chips to build yourself.
Food...........If you can afford to feed any snake you can afford to feed a BHP. Adults should be fed sparingly to ensure they dont have issues with fatty liver disease. 1 rat every 2-3 weeks shouldn't break the bank.
 
@Pauls_Pythons +1 !!
6x2x2 really isnt a big deal comparered to 4x2x2 ( standard size for morelia et) only 2ft longer . Plus they dont need much furniture/ branches etc . As for feeding they are alot cheaper than others in my collection , arent fed as frequenty and nothing bigger than a medium rat ..
[doublepost=1527117588,1527117491][/doublepost]Also i have jungles bigger than my pilbara bhps
 
Care as In don’t put your hand infront of the food

No actually.
Not going in the enclosure to change water or tidy up while food is thawing.
Once food is out of the freezer leave them alone till you actually present the food.

Once they smell food its game on!

Oh....and while I remember, food doesn't need to be rats. Once established feeders they will eat almost anything. There are pics around somewhere of my BHP's eating fish. Others have fed an array of food items to keep the diet lean including chicken necks, chicken legs, all manner of sea food, quail, chook, ducks and of course rabbit.
 
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Another good reason why they are good first snakes imo , is on the odd occassions they are cranky ( in shed or you have startled or woken them up) they will let you know by carrying on and hissing so as a newbie you will know its not a good time to handle them ! Bit easier to read than carpets
 
Most adult BHP's only need a 6x2x2 enclosure and lets be honest they are as cheap as chips to build yourself.

how cheap is cheap as chips, i see them all from reputable sellers for 3-600$ each :S
 
how cheap is cheap as chips, i see them all from reputable sellers for 3-600$ each :S

People have to charge for their time. I don't build for anyone else because people don't value the time & effort that goes into producing anything. The average tradie earns about $30-35 an hour so if he spends 10 hrs building something for you why shouldn't he charge his normal rate?

I built a 3 high 6x2x2 fitted with radiators all the electrics, glass, sealed etc for about 800.

Without researching prices of materials Im thinking I could put together a single with light fittings for the heat source, simple thermostat for under $200.
I'm sure there are others on the forum who could price it more acurately.

Thanks Manning. Now I may have misinterpretted the question.
If you talking about the prices of BHP's .......how much do you want to pay?
I have animals available now going from 500-1800. You can get cheaper or dearer depending on the genetics.
 
Firstly, well done on choosing a snake in the right way! People often ask 'what's the best first snake' or 'what's the best first elapid' and get a bunch of other people's preferences, and go buy something which suits someone else rather than themself. The best snake for you is the one you love most, or the one which will help you learn what you need to get the one you love most.

Building an enclosure is a bit daunting for many people. It's a great way to save money if you're good with tools or keen to learn (I started building my own as a young fella and it was a brilliant way to teach myself some practical skills), but many people these days just don't want to get their hands dirty or fingernails broken, even a lot of men! Enclosure design is also important, and a lot of newbies don't understand it yet (actually, plenty of long time keepers don't even have a clue and put air vents, thermostats and heat sources in completely wrong places). It's certainly a good project if you're up to the task. If in doubt about design you can always copy a good enclosure you've seen or ask for advice.

Black-headeds can make good first snakes for some people. You just need to understand their feeding response and the safety issues with a large snake. I'd suggest going for a hatchling, partly to grow your experience as the snake grows in size, but partly because personally, even as a veteran keeper, I find it much more rewarding and meaningful to grow a snake from a hatchling or newborn and grow it into an adult myself, rather than just suddenly having an adult without having any personal knowledge of or connection to its youth. In my decades of keeping snakes, I've very rarely obtained snakes older than six months old, and I don't think I've ever kept one longer than it took me to get babies out of it and sell it. I guess it's a bit like the difference between raising a child and adopting one as a teenager. That side of it is just a personal thing though.

As for feeding, unless you're looking at keeping large numbers, no Australian snake is expensive to feed, especially any python. As adults they only need to feed a few times per year. I used to feed large adult pythons an average of no more than 10 times per year, I had a very large female carpet over 9' long which only fed 5-6 times per year and produced eggs nearly every season.

Have fun!
 
Firstly, well done on choosing a snake in the right way! People often ask 'what's the best first snake' or 'what's the best first elapid' and get a bunch of other people's preferences, and go buy something which suits someone else rather than themself. The best snake for you is the one you love most, or the one which will help you learn what you need to get the one you love most.

Building an enclosure is a bit daunting for many people. It's a great way to save money if you're good with tools or keen to learn (I started building my own as a young fella and it was a brilliant way to teach myself some practical skills), but many people these days just don't want to get their hands dirty or fingernails broken, even a lot of men! Enclosure design is also important, and a lot of newbies don't understand it yet (actually, plenty of long time keepers don't even have a clue and put air vents, thermostats and heat sources in completely wrong places). It's certainly a good project if you're up to the task. If in doubt about design you can always copy a good enclosure you've seen or ask for advice.

Black-headeds can make good first snakes for some people. You just need to understand their feeding response and the safety issues with a large snake. I'd suggest going for a hatchling, partly to grow your experience as the snake grows in size, but partly because personally, even as a veteran keeper, I find it much more rewarding and meaningful to grow a snake from a hatchling or newborn and grow it into an adult myself, rather than just suddenly having an adult without having any personal knowledge of or connection to its youth. In my decades of keeping snakes, I've very rarely obtained snakes older than six months old, and I don't think I've ever kept one longer than it took me to get babies out of it and sell it. I guess it's a bit like the difference between raising a child and adopting one as a teenager. That side of it is just a personal thing though.

As for feeding, unless you're looking at keeping large numbers, no Australian snake is expensive to feed, especially any python. As adults they only need to feed a few times per year. I used to feed large adult pythons an average of no more than 10 times per year, I had a very large female carpet over 9' long which only fed 5-6 times per year and produced eggs nearly every season.

Have fun!

Thank you! Awesome info, this website is such a gem!
[doublepost=1527132519,1527132027][/doublepost]
People have to charge for their time. I don't build for anyone else because people don't value the time & effort that goes into producing anything. The average tradie earns about $30-35 an hour so if he spends 10 hrs building something for you why shouldn't he charge his normal rate?

I built a 3 high 6x2x2 fitted with radiators all the electrics, glass, sealed etc for about 800.

Without researching prices of materials Im thinking I could put together a single with light fittings for the heat source, simple thermostat for under $200.
I'm sure there are others on the forum who could price it more acurately.

Thanks Manning. Now I may have misinterpretted the question.
If you talking about the prices of BHP's .......how much do you want to pay?
I have animals available now going from 500-1800. You can get cheaper or dearer depending on the genetics.[/QUOTE

I'd probably build my own when I need a bigger enclosure, and that's a really good price!
 
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