Looking for advice on my first snake

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Malpas

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Hello I've been looking at videos and articles about reptiles for a while and have decided to get my first snake. Initially I was leaning towards a jungle carpet python or one of the pythons from the antaresia genus. I've decided that at this stage the jungle carpet python wouldn't really be a good fit for me. Now I need help deciding between a children's, stimson's or spotted python. I'm less interested in the pygmy than the other three. When it comes to the three of them I don't have any major bias towards any particular species.

I want to make sure I make the right choice for myself and the snake so I've come here to ask some advice. Ideally I'd want the snake to be on display so of the three I'm interested in are any of the particularly drawn to to climbing around or being out in the open more than the others? I understand they'll likely spend a lot of time in their hides. Also I was wanting to use a glass enclosure for easier viewing. I live in central queensland which should help mitigate any heat retention issues from a glass enclosure. I've been looking at the reptile one and exo terra terrariums. These both have hinged doors and mesh tops. Would these be secure for one of these smaller pythons or is there a better option for a glass enclosure I haven't considered?

I plan on getting a hatchie or juvenile snake. I've got a 7L sistema container to house it while it grows and a space ready for a full enclosure. I'm looking at getting the 5W 14cmx15cm heat mat from reptile one to use with the container. I take it this should be reliable. Is there a go to thermostat that's reliable and affordable for the container or is it best to just invest in better one from the start and move it to the bigger enclosure later?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Good thought on the Jungle, they are a lovely snake but can be harder to handle. I would recommend any Antaresia, beware that if you get a young animal, they WILL bite you but it doesn't hurt and probably not even draw any blood. I have Stimson, Children's and a Spotted and all are very laid back easy to handle and look after, they aren't a big snake but very friendly when they grow a bit. Snakes can be scarred if they are in a large enclosure, because of this, I never recommend a glass enclosure so they can feel safe. Others might not agree with me but this is what I have found works with mine, Lizards don't have this problem so they are good in glass enclosure because they are inquisitive. Get your temps right and get a Laser thermometer to check the animals temp is not too high, they do get burned if the heat is not setup properly.

I hope this helps
 
The main reason at the moment against the jungle was the size. I feel like as long as I know they can be a bit nippy going into it I could manage it but I don't want to commit to a somewhat large snake without having a space I can dedicate to an enclosure I'd be happy with. I'm expecting some bites from whatever snake I get because it's going to be nervous and as much as I've seen people handling and talking about handling snakes I'm still probably going to make mistakes as I get used to things. I think at this stage I've pretty much settled on getting a children's python when they're available in a few months.

I've seen some of the snakes that got scarred by their heat sources and it doesn't look very pleasant. I'll definitely be getting a thermostat set up and running either a small heat mat or a heat cord off of it. I'd probably only use the mat while I have a single hatchie in it's click clack. I'd go with the cord for it's full enclosure when it's an adult or if I decided to get two snakes instead of just one. I have been considering going the route of building my own enclosure when it reaches full size. The more I see the glass enclosures around here the less impressed I am with them for a snake. They seem like they'd be fine for lizards but for small snakes the doors seem more like a suggestion than a barrier. I'll have plenty of time to plan exactly what I want to do for an enclosure while the snake grows up though. I've also ordered the book the complete children's python so when that gets here I'll be flipping through that too.
 

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