Greetings....

[carobchips]

I don't have any exotic pets yet. I'm interested in getting a snake, lizard, or tarantula... in that order. I am fortunate enough to live near a vivarium and work with people that have experience keeping all kinds of animals (monitors, snakes, spiders, you name it).
Currently I have a dog that's on a prey-model raw diet; I'm not squeamish. I might be the only vegetarian that's chopped up a kid goat in their backyard for her dog to eat! (Note, the kids arrived already deceased and legless at my doorstep...)
I have been busily trekking to the vivarium and reading up online but any additional information, websites, books are welcome.
People have told me to get a boa or python as a beginner snake... but for some reason- I don't know why- I might not. See, I will probably just have one snake (don't laugh! I'm sure those are famous last words), and so far, the most interesting to me so far have been diurnal, tree-climbin', lizard-eatin' snakes. I have read that vine snakes and elegant bronzebacks (so far these are the most appealing to me) can be tricky to keep/feed, though. I am also reading about mangrove snakes. Plus, there doesn't *seem* to be nearly as much information available on keeping these types of snakes. So I don't know...
I would prefer having a very tall vivarium that's full of humidity-loving plants, some little lizards, and the snake... but then I'm learning I should worry about the live plants harboring bacteria, and lizards having worms, and will the lizards harm the snake?, and a million other things. Also as I've looked around, the vivariums available in shops and online all seem so... well, small and horizontal. I'm wanting something like a glass-fronted cabinet that looks like one of those high-school sports trophy cases, so the snake has plenty of room to move around, vertically and horizontally. I don't feel the need to have an amazingly docile snake, but I also realize with this type of set-up I would need to be able to trim plants, remove leaf and snake litter, etc. without overly stressing the snake.
Anyway, this is too long already. Thanks for reading; I'll be busy reading past posts and probably asking stupid questions. Feel free to shoot any input my way.

[ssjsmits]

Welcome to the site.

[majkill]

Originally Posted by carobchips

and so far, the most interesting to me so far have been diurnal, tree-climbin', lizard-eatin' snakes. I have read that vine snakes and elegant bronzebacks (so far these are the most appealing to me) can be tricky to keep/feed, though.

Although these kinds of serpent may appeal to you more then RTBs or BPs, they're far from ideal for a beginner to keep. You're much better off starting with a hardy snake that has a rodent based diet, then you know you'll always find food! it'll also be cheaper.

Originally Posted by carobchips

but then I'm learning I should worry about the live plants harboring bacteria, and lizards having worms, and will the lizards harm the snake?, and a million other things.

Cohabitation between two species isn't a very good idea for many reasons, just don't do it...

Originally Posted by carobchips

Also as I've looked around, the vivariums available in shops and online all seem so... well, small and horizontal. I'm wanting something like a glass-fronted cabinet that looks like one of those high-school sports trophy cases, so the snake has plenty of room to move around, vertically and horizontally.

Most pet shops don't provide ideal conditions for the animals there, remember they want to squeeze in as many snakes in the littles area they can for bigger $$. The kind of enclosure depends a lot on the kind of snake you have, you should choose your snake before you start thinkin about enclosures .

I hope this helps

[RevMojo]

Welcome aboard. I appreciate you only wanting one snake. I would advise though, if you want something difficult to keep, that you start with something simpler first. You're going to make mistakes. We all did/do. Better you do it with something that's likely to survive it. Good luck, and let us know...

[carobchips]

Thank you!
I work at an animal shelter, so I get to see the hundreds of animals of every variety (dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, and, of course, rarely-been-handled "it-got-too-big" iguanas) that come in every day as a result of their owners not being educated, responsible, financially stable, etc. enough to maintain their pets... I don't want to be a part of that and don't want my ignorance to result in the, uh, untimely death of a snake.
I don't plan on getting any critter 'til after I've done a load of research and have done a "test run" with the viv for several weeks, so it'll be several months.
What kind of other arboreal snakes would you consider "simpler" and "difficult to keep?" (I kinda laughed at that; I didn't really *mean* to want something "difficult to keep," but I'm willing to put pretty extensive time, money, space, and effort into maintaining a snake, heh.)

[majkill]

There are some arboreal pythons that would fit your criteria, although they are tough to keep for a beginner. But its good that you wanna do your research first

	Arboreal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.<br> In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.