advice please

[mich1]

Hi all.
I recently got myself a lil turtle and im tottally in love with him.
the deal is ive also fallen in love with reptiles,
i love snakes but i dont think i could stomach feeding them dead mice, it just freaks me out too much.


my question is, i would love to own a lizard! but i dont know alot about them. im looking to get something in the new year.
so thought id do some research-
whats a good lizard to start with?
something that is going to live long too, i get very attached to my animals.
i think i like beardies, do they eat dead mice?
i would love some advice
thanks guys

this might be a silly question....any snakes that are vegetarian??

 

[norris]

I think most people start with bearded dragons, blue tongues etc. No snakes are vegetarians. I think a beardie might eat the odd pinky mouse but its not necessary . Most reptiles live for a relatively long time. (snakes maybe 20 + yrs, turtles even more, not sure about lizards). Beardies eat veges, crickets, roaches and need uv light, nutrient supplements and a hot spot. I saw somewhere were they have sausage like things they make for snakes but that might have been overseas and probably wouldn't be that good anyway.

 

[Whisper2]

mmmm the mice thing is kinda sad but you get over it pretty quick. i got snakes first and in no way regret it. but getting some beardies soon i hope and would reccomend them. get a couple of hatchies or yearlings and you will see you will be buying more reptiles than you can afford soon!
: ) goodluck!!

 

[nickamon]

Trust me, you get used to feeding dead rodents. It stops affecting you after a few months.

 

[mich1]

thanks guys, do the dead mice smell?
man, now im thinking about a snake...
also what are some smaller snakes? or do they all grow huge?
thanks again
shell

 

[Hydra]

Trust me you'll never regret getting a snake. There like no other pet.
Get one you'll love it.

 

[JoandDrew]

I was just the same, the thought of dead mice was all too much, but we got a spotted python first, he was 10months old, they are one of the smaller snakes and a good first snake for the timid. He started on baby mice, which I found easier to stomach, due to the fact they have no fur, and by the time we got our second snake who is 6 years old I was used to the rat thing. I buy them frozen in a bag and dont think they smell (ive never stuck my nose close enough to find out) I tip one at a time out of the bag, without touching it, and put it in a container that I cant see through until it is defosted, eg 5 hours. Then I tip it into the snake enclosure. I have never once touched the rats. (I know Im a sook). You do get over it though, except the touching issue, I have no problems now.

 

[slim6y]

thanks guys, do the dead mice smell?
man, now im thinking about a snake...
also what are some smaller snakes? or do they all grow huge?
thanks again
shell

No, as far as i am aware dead mice can't see or feel either :lol:

Seriously tho... when they're frozen they're fine. It's funny when I invite people over and they want to get ice out of the freezer and they have to move a bag of 25 rats to get to it (and toads, i freeeze them to get rid of them - not to feed them to my snakes - I am working on breeding non toxic toads so i have an unlimited supply of food for my snakes, so far the breeding program isn't a success).

I find the frozen rat/mice thing is pretty easy. I don't particularly like killing animals, so I buy pre-dead ones. Generally I'd say you'll get over it quick enough and snakes are just absolutely awesome animals to keep!

But good luck with the beardies or blue tongues - I am thinking of them myself, just don't have the room yet

Oh - and to your vege question - nope, no snakes are vegetarian though there are some that specifically feed on reptiles or fish (ie not mammals). I don't even think there's any insectivorous snakes - so yep... all meat all the way... the real 'man' animal!

 

[Clairebear]

I cried the one time i had to kill a mouse to feed to my snake. But as soon as i see the frozen ones i'm fine. You don't even think of them as every having been alive. Beardies are fantastic apparently. They can be like scaly dogs! Snakes are so easy though.

 

[nickamon]

I suppose dead rodents do smell if you don't freeze them. But no, the frozen-thawed rats that I feed don't have an odour.

Pythons from the Antaresia genus only grow to 1m, that's Children's pythons (A. childreni), spotted pythons (A. maculosa) and Stimson's pythons (A. stimsoni).

 

[Whisper2]

i can tell you they smell if you microwave them!
but i think most arnt as stupid as me to do it twice...
the grossest part about feeding rodents imo is actually when the snake squeezes just a little to tight and you get a good view of the insides of the mouse.....

 

[ALLANA]

Snakes are great, you get over the whole rat/mouse thing pretty quick. It's harder when you have to kill your own but then again you get over that pretty quick too (best way is not to even think of them as a rat or mouse but just your snakes food) bit like you do with a tin of dog food, if you new or thought about what was in it you wouldn't even buy it. Lizards are great pets as well, before you know it I'm sure you'll have one of every. Beardies I would recomend are one of the best (very entertaining, and what I would consider one of the very few reptiles that actually enjoys keeping you as a pet . Blue tongues are very hardy, easy lizards although most find they get quite bored of them quick and move onto something else. If you want a small starter snake, Maculosus, stimson and childrens are the smallest (although I find most to be snappy little buggers) but then again they are small so you won't even feel them. BHP's are great snakes IMO to start with as most are very placid, easy going snakes that don't mind even a nervice newbie, they do aventually get quite big but you will be fine with it when that day comes (it's not overly fast). Anyhow have a read I'm sure you will find plenty of threads on all the different one's available

Allana

 

[Jen]

You get over the dead mouse thing REALLY quick, i used to breed mice as pets, now to me they are snake food. i still breed them and occasionally get attached to an unusual coloured one, but killing and freezing them is easy once you get used to it. Personally, mice, rats etc don't bother me, but i will never be able to breed or feed woodies to my gex, i shudder just thinking about touching a cockroach, dead or alive. there are several types of snakes that eat insects, tho they are mostly in the Americas

 

[mich1]

thanks so much guys! i cant resist getting a snake....off i go to research !
i used to be a vegetarian so i guess i can think the same way about the snakes food....i hope
thanks again everyone