Jynarik Slushy said:
Though this is a late reply I will still put in my words.
In the case that you do get a snake-
I would suggest getting a somewhat easier snake such as a Corn Snake. Although Ball Pythons can make decent first snakes, they aren't always the best for beginners. It is very common for Ball Pythons to become "picky" eaters, which can cause a new snake owner the stress of dealing with it.
Do me a favor and stay away from pet stores. 1-Do not take advice, nor ask for advice from them. 2- Do not buy from them.
Not only will they overcharge you, they are likely to give you false information as well as selling you a sick snake, wild caught snake, or falsely aged snake.
If you do get the consent from your parent I suggest you do a lot of research. Browse multiple sites. Looking up all the information you need to know.
You would also need to have your caging system set up at the minimum of a week before getting the snake. Mainly for the temperatures to get acquainted.
I would also suggest buying from a reputable breeder from your area, or online.
Good luck.
Not all pet shops are like that! I know the one I worked for certainly isn't. I would never, EVER sell a sick animal to a customer. Nor did I or any of my employees falsify any information given to our customers. If we had a sick or injured animal in our care, it either went to the vet or was sent back to the breeder or dealer. If my employees were ever uncertain about the answer to a question on a particular animal in the store, there was information available to them so that they could look it up for the customer. If they still didn't understand the text book answers, they would call me at home and I'd explain it as best I could. We always took care of our customers -- why else would they keep coming back to us for all their pet needs? Jynarik, I'm sorry if you had bad experiences with pet stores in your area, but don't group us all into that bunch.
If you buy your snake from a pet shop, make sure you ask some questions and gauge the salesperson's answer. If they're uncertain about the animal and aren't able to explain basic husbandry information to you, shop elsewhere.
For the best price (and usually choice specimens), go to a reptile show. You aren't likely to find a decent selection this time of year, though. If I were you, and your parents consented to a pet reptile, I'd ask for the caging first and foremost. Get everything set up to your liking and then go to a reptile show late Spring/early Summer. You'll be able to handpick from the newest '06 hatchlings.
I'm not sure where you're located, but here are some reptile shows I know of..
Georgia:
http://reptileandexoticanimalshow.com/ga/
Kentucky:
http://kentuckyreptileexpo.com/
Ohio:
http://www.allohioshows.com/
Indiana:
http://www.midwestreptile.com/
Nevada:
http://www.westcoastreptileshows.com/
Texas:
http://www.texasreptiles.com/
You might be able to find more information at
http://www.herper.com/forum/events.html. It looks like they have lots of listings for upcoming shows. Maybe there is one coming soon in your area? If nothing else, you could just go check one out and talk with breeders. Find out just what snake would suit you best.
From my experience, ball pythons are idea beginner snakes as long as they have been captive bred and raised. You want to make sure that the snake you choose has shed at least once and is readily eating mice. If you prefer that your snake eat prekilled mice, you might find a breeder that already has a batch feeding on frozen.
Another great little snake is a hognose. They're incredibly cute and have great personalities. They stay fairly small, too.
I really like cornsnakes, but they're little Houdini's if you're not extra careful. I lost a parakeet to one very resourceful little snow corn and he was still a young snake at the time! He managed to get out of his cage, slither all the way to my bedroom, up the dresser, and into my bird's cage. *grumble* I'm still quite peeved over that incident. She was a great little bird and that's definately not something I wanted to see happen to her. Anyway.. yeah, corns, milks, and kings are all great, but they can (and will) find any escape routes in their caging.
