WHAT IS A GOOD FIRST SNAKE???
Let me start by saying this is just my opinion and is not in any way directed at any member or other person.
A lot of individuals come to sites like RTB one with just that question and get a lot of different answers. Pythons, Boas,
Corn Snakes, Kingsnakes, etc.
To start the following snakes are NOT good "first" snakes:
Burmese Pythons
Reticulated Pythons
Anacondas
Indian Rock Pythons
Blood Pythons
Any Venomous snake what-so-ever!
There are really to many to list, but these are the main snakes that people ask "Is this a good first snake?"
Here are some others that people ask about....
Ball Pythons,in my opinion, do not make a good first snake. Sure you can get them cheap enough, even captive bred babies can be bought for less than $50. But most of what you see in the shows and such for prices like $25 are the imported farm bred babies that are not the healthiest specimens. Added to the fact that BPs are not very forgiving if you have made a mistake in their husbandry. They tend to go off of feeding for no reason at all and this just stresses out the owner who is frantically trying to find a reason.
Redtail Boas as first snakes....hmmmm..... I love these snakes but I guess it really depends on the individuals commitment to the snake. If you are not going to be commited to owning a snake that can reach the length of up to 10 feet and take into consideration the housing requirements, feeding requirements, and possible vet bills, then, no, a boa is not a good first snake for you.
I don't recommend any type of large constrictor (boas included) for a beginner. There are many husbandry requirements to be met and if even one of them are off just a little, the snake can get sick, refuse to eat, or in extreme cases die.
I do recommend a colubrid (Kingsnake,
corn snake, rat snake, etc.) as a good first snake because most of the ones sold are captive bred and mainly local to the United States. This mean that the habitat is not tropical and they are a lot more forgiving to husbandry mistakes. A
corn snake doesn't require a large enclosure, a maintained humidity level, or a very high temperature that needs special equipment to be reached.
Corn snakes can be kept at room temperatures and humidity levels. The same can be said about most other native colubrids that are kept in collections. There are exotic species (Mandarin Rat Snake, etc.) that do require specialized husbandry, but I am not going to go into them.
I have not kept many Garter Snakes, Ribbon Snakes, or the like, so I am not going to comment on them, except to say that they are more flighty and nervous then the colubrids. Most people looking to get a first snake do not want just a plain ole Garter Snake, they want a constrictor.
Again this is just my opinion and I am sure many will disagree.
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