Forums » Smalltalk » What? Snake 4 B-day? I Can't Decide!

So... this summer I'll be celebrating my first birthday after moving out. I plan to get a snake at that time, both as a gift over a decade in coming and as an 'in your face' to my snake-hater dad. For the longest time I wanted a Cornsnake, but events have made me take a look at myself and re-think...

Cornsnakes are great, but they're Colubrids... Colubrids are wiggly and energetic, and personally I don't think I could handle a snake well if it kept moving a whole lot. I'm low-key, and I think I'd do better with a snake that is that way also...

In enter boas and pythons. Granted, most of the popular ones get a good bit larger than a corn, but the ones I've run across are comparatively sluggish and just as friendly. Of all of them, I've narrowed down my choices to two - possibly three.

The first is the Dumerils Boa. It's pretty much the 'perfect big snake': docile, slow moving, beautiful, and they get to be pretty good size(4-6ft on average, 8ft tops). If I could get one on a diet of f/t rodents I'd be happy to no end. Unfortunately they're very shy, and if stressed can be prone to not eating. While this doesn't rule them out, it opens the door to other possibilities.

The second option is the Coastal Carpet Python. I've never had the pleasure of handling one of these, but I've seen videos and 'talked' to owners through the internet. They're more active than a Dumerils and like any snake can be nippy as babies but can be socialized with regular handling. While most don't get to be longer than 8ft, they can get over 12ft on rare occasions.

Then there's the last option, the Red-tailed Boa. I wasn't considering this as an option until recently, when I had the chance to handle a very sweet male of the species. While he's already been sold, I still get the chance to handle him frequently as his new owner pays for him slowly but surely. When he finally goes to his new home, I know I will grieve. And so these snakes too are added as a possibility, even though large males can reach 9ft or a little more and females can reach a whopping 14ft.

So yeah... I have trouble deciding. The local pet-store has offered to order both a Dumerils and a Coastal Carpet for me to pick from. I just have to ask when I'm ready, which will likely be two or so weeks prior to my birthday. If I ask soon enough I can probably convince them to get a Red-tail instead of one of the other two. Honestly if I had the means I'd get all 3. But I can't, so I'm politely asking for everyone's opinion.

Should I change course and get a Coastal Carpet?
Follow my original dream with a Dumerils?
Or should I take a chance with a Red-tail?

To clarify my situation, I'm currently living in NW Florida. I don't live alone, and while this is my first 'official' snake I've kept a few wild-caught ones before while living in Louisiana(never more than a week or so though because I didn't want to get caught). I'm fairly knowledgeable about snakes, and if the wild ones count I'm also fairly experienced. I don't mind taking a few defensive hits while it's a baby; that's usually what baby snakes do, and I'd rather take it from a baby of any kind than the adult. Size a somewhat of an issue, but right now I'm more worried about the 55-gal tank I have in the process of being set up. It's a tall, so unless I get some climbing branches I may soon need bigger house for the snake.

Also, for anyone who wants to suggest a Ball Python... I have nothing against those, but it's not what I want. Nearly every Ball I've handled has been a very impersonal experience, and I just find it hard to form any sort of connection even if I handle the same snake repeatedly and for a long time.

Anyway, please vote and leave a comment. The top two will be my two final options that I'll ask for them to order for me to pick from. If it turns out to be a landslide though, I'll just order the one and save them the trouble.

Thanks!

Sorry you've had bad luck with Ball Pythons! The ones I've handled before have all been very nice. I have to admit I'm partial to corn snakes because they are more colorful!

I don't know much about the breeds you listed, they all sound lovely. Though, if you've really fallen in love with the last breed and can get a tank big enough, you should totally go for it. I googled some pictures and they're lovely

Good luck with whatever you decide on! When you get it, you should share some pictures with us, I'd love to see

Thanks for the input Loki. I put this topic up in multiple forums that I frequent, and so far it's looking like a tie between the Dumerils(which I totally like), and the Coastal Carpet(which I'm curious about). On this one forum I think it accidentally got deleted, so I'm gonna re-post it.

As much as I like Red-tails, I don't think I could handle a big one. The one at the petstore is about 4ft, and he's strong enough that I can't twist my wrist much if at all when he coils his tail around my arm for support.

*Wanted to weigh in on this.*

I don't personally own any snakes, but I have a friend who owns the MOST DOCILE snake I have ever seen. Granted I am a bit... skittish of snakes - I've had bad experiences with them, but this doesn't make me all "EFF ALL SNAKES ALIVE, LET THEM BURN TO THE GROUND" whatsoever - but this thing will just curl up on your lap and chill with you. The owner, a friend of mine, even takes the thing on car rides. He's offered multiple times to let me handle it, but I'm terrified of snakes, so I haven't even touched it yet.

I really think you should just go with what makes ya happy. I'm not really savvy on snake species, but try to get one that's like a big, lazy cat: it'll just kind of sit there, and chill with you, inspect what you're doing, but be more happy just to be around you and near the action rather than in it. If that's what you're going after, I mean. I would also be realistic with what you can actually house and take care of. ...Of course while I was thinking that, I thought - and this is legitimate - "...Unless he can ride it around like a choo-choo train..."

But yeah, dude, go find your perfect snake pet. Even though I'm a big scardiecat around them, I still like them quite a bit (Go figure that one out...)

Thank you very much Bonebag. Dumerils & Carpets are both somewhat like that with proper socializing from what I've seen. Right now it looks like the votes are leaning toward the Carpet pythons. That's fine with me, because either way I'm getting a snake.

I might just reset the poll tho, because I think they're just clicking the topmost one(Carpet) to see what the current standing is. I think this because almost everyone is AGAINST me getting any of them, but the votes for Carpets keep going up. It's somewhat sad really...