may be getting a snake,advice please

[I-Love-him]

i've owned a milk snake before when i was younger, so i pretty much roughly know about snakes.

but sometime next year i may be getting a snake,i'm either going to get a milk snake or a python (the smaller ones lol). although, getting a snake may mean me not owning fish anymore because i have not got enough room to house them both,and i love my fishes .
anyways,i was wandering if you could give me a few tips on snakes please?
if you own a snake, how much did you pay for your vivarium and equipment??
how many times do you feed them?
and how often do you need to get them out to excersise etc?
any other advice or tips would be extremely aprieciated .
thanks.

[Power Cosmic]

Since you've owned a milk snake before, I won't bore you with the basics like what size of vivarium you'll need and how thermostats are non-negotiable etc.

I'm assuming you'll be getting a hatchling, (its about the right time of year to be getting hatchlings), and what you need to remember is that they don't like lots of space, that will stress them and make them and make them stop eating.
Hatchlings start off on defrosted pinkie mice once every 5 days, the number of days increasing with the size of mouse, which for milksnakes is to be 1.5x the widest part of the snake and for royal pythons the same width as the widest part of the snake. If you get a royal python, switch it to rats as soon as possible, since when its older, you can either feed it 1 rat or 10 mice per feed, and the latter is a hassle, stressful for the snake and pricey. Make sure the shop gives you feed and shed records, and if they don't, don't buy the snake from them, since that might mean its a problem feeder.
For a good price guide, check out:
http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/
Hell, unless your local pet shop is perfect, I'd recommend that you buy from them, their prices are the best you'll find anywhere.
Also, for a detailed caresheet on royal pythons:
http://www.theroyalpython.co.uk/roya...care_sheet.htm
Here's one for milk snakes:
http://www.thekingsnake.co.uk/Milk_s...are_sheet.html

Also, both those above forums have loads of really expreinced reptile owners and are a really friendly bunch on top of that, so feel free to join the community there.

One final thing is that whilst royals are really timid and won't bite, milk snakes sometimes tend to be nippy as hatchlings but will tame down really fast when they get used to humans. Hatchlings are so tiny though that it probably won't even draw blood.

[Concrete Angel]

I think Janos has given you all the or at least most of the information you'll need! Lol!
Have fun with your pet snake!!

[I-Love-him]

Originally Posted by Invictus

Since you've owned a milk snake before, I won't bore you with the basics like what size of vivarium you'll need and how thermostats are non-negotiable etc.

I'm assuming you'll be getting a hatchling, (its about the right time of year to be getting hatchlings), and what you need to remember is that they don't like lots of space, that will stress them and make them and make them stop eating.
Hatchlings start off on defrosted pinkie mice once every 5 days, the number of days increasing with the size of mouse, which for milksnakes is to be 1.5x the widest part of the snake and for royal pythons the same width as the widest part of the snake. If you get a royal python, switch it to rats as soon as possible, since when its older, you can either feed it 1 rat or 10 mice per feed, and the latter is a hassle, stressful for the snake and pricey. Make sure the shop gives you feed and shed records, and if they don't, don't buy the snake from them, since that might mean its a problem feeder.
For a good price guide, check out:
http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/
Hell, unless your local pet shop is perfect, I'd recommend that you buy from them, their prices are the best you'll find anywhere.
Also, for a detailed caresheet on royal pythons:
http://www.theroyalpython.co.uk/roya...care_sheet.htm
Here's one for milk snakes:
http://www.thekingsnake.co.uk/Milk_s...are_sheet.html

Also, both those above forums have loads of really expreinced reptile owners and are a really friendly bunch on top of that, so feel free to join the community there.

One final thing is that whilst royals are really timid and won't bite, milk snakes sometimes tend to be nippy as hatchlings but will tame down really fast when they get used to humans. Hatchlings are so tiny though that it probably won't even draw blood.

no no i'm getting a grown up getting it next year though.
thanks for all the advice and for those links.
o yes one more quick question, you know the heater light in the snakes vivarium?? well does it need to be on all the time??

[Power Cosmic]

Yes, but if you're using a red light bulb/heating bulb, it MUST be controlled by a dimming thermostat. They're pricey, but if you don't, your snake will get cooked. If a pet shop advises you otherwise, ignore them, there's far too many that do that, just so customers arn't discouraged by the price. I know I'm making assumptions here, and I'm sorry if I feel like I'm assuming the worst, your local pet shop might be run by great guys, its just I've read horror stories of poor wee snakes with nasty burns and stuff.
Make sure you get a digital thermostat for both sides of the viv too, you can get them for about £3 each on ebay, since the thermostat's dial isn't that accurate, but it will keep the bulb on and ensure the correct temperature is achieved.

Also, make sure you have a properly fitted light guard that the snake can't get through.
Since reptiles don't automatically flinch away from heat sources like we do, so by the time they realise they're being burnt, it'll be too late.

So yeah, those are two musts ^^;

Sorry again if I'm putting you off Snakes are amazing pets, get those basic requirements done and they're great =).

[x-gothic-princess-x]

I own two royal pythons, which is one of the smaller species of the python. They dont do much in the words of a snake and is nippy when they want to be. They also suffer from eating problems where they go a year at times without food, and without the right weight can cause them problems. Some are better than others, but I persoanly wouldnt get this snake for your second snake.

I would go for a Corn/King/Milk snake.

[I-Love-him]

Originally Posted by x-gothic-princess-x

I own two royal pythons, which is one of the smaller species of the python. They dont do much in the words of a snake and is nippy when they want to be. They also suffer from eating problems where they go a year at times without food, and without the right weight can cause them problems. Some are better than others, but I persoanly wouldnt get this snake for your second snake.

I would go for a Corn/King/Milk snake.

ooh thats good advice,i may stick to the milk snake then not a fan of corn snakes to be honest.thanks