1st time having pet snake not so good :( *Update new snake with pic :)

[froggie71]

DS wanted a snake. I tried to talk him out of it. He however had his own money and really wanted a snake. Doing research and talking to people he decided on a rosy boa. We found one at a local pet store and he was really happy. Unfortunately we were not able to get it to eat. Did everything we were told to do. We were told this was not totally abnormal. Finally this past week the lady told us if it didn't eat by Thurday to bring it in on Friday and she would get it to eat. Drove 40min in a snow storm. They didn't have any pinkies small enough in stock so I went to a different pet store and got some frozen ones. Brought them to the lady, who thawed it and we waited. She was hopeful as she saw it curl around the pinkie. Long story short. It didn't eat. She told us we could leave it there and she would call us. Well DS got the call today that the rosy didn't make it.

I'm so upset for my DS. This was supposed to be a great starter snake. They are going to take care of him and make sure he has a snake, but it really doesn't make it much easier to lose his pet. We will find out tomorrow what's gonna happen now.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Aww poor guy! I know nothing about snakes, but I do know how hard it is to loose a pet.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Awww, poor snake! Rosy boas are so pretty... Sounds like there was something wrong with the snake, I doubt it was your fault.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.

 

[Teach97]

it happens...I just lost most of my snakes...not real sure why...had several for years...

ball pythons are great starter snakes as are corn snakes...

you might go with a larger snake...the little guys can be harder to get eating.

glad to hear they are making it right...the thing with the little guys is you can't wait...some adults will go on hunger strikes that last months with no real negative effects

 

[baldie]

Quote:
I was gonna say the same...ball python or corn snake. Ball pythons do get somewhat big though...compared to a corn snake.

 

[Teach97]

not compared to the burmease I had!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I am so sorry to hear that. I have a ball. They a cheap and easy to care for. I got mine for free with his setup. He is 13 and still going strong. Some snakes do have that problem where they dont eat. Just try agin and hope for the best

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
I would actually recommend against Ball Pythons. They are usually touted as being great beginner's snakes but they can also be very picky eaters. I had one who only ate for 2-3 months of every year. The first year I had her it was hard offering her food over and over, only to have it refused - for nine whole months! (Not to mention hating the waste of the life of a mouse/rat, since even though I was feeding frozen, they can only be thawed, heated, refrozen, rethawed so many times....) I had her 7 years and she was an easy keeper in terms of not costing much to feed but otherwise, was not that great a pet.

I would really recommend corn snakes, however. I currently have 6 and have had others over the years. I've almost never had one refuse to eat - and when they do it is usually only because they are in shed. They come in a wonderful variety of colors and actually have different personalities. I read this before I ever had a corn snake and thought "a snake with personality? I can't even imagine that". But its true. I have one who loves to curl up in a PVC pipe. Others won't go near the same PVC pipe. I have some who duck their heads out every time you lift the lid of their enclosure to see what's up and others who hide away and could care less about visiting. Some like to be handled - others are more shy. One of mine is such an aggressive eater that he'll strike at anything that moves first and ask questions later. Others are more selective, examining every inch of their food before deciding whether or not it meets their exacting standards. I even had one who would take the food politely every time it was offered, but if he didn't feel like eating that week, he'd bury it under the bedding at the back of the enclosure. Needless to say it was usually several days later before we knew he hadn't eaten, so we learned to check on him an hour after feeding to make sure he actually did eat it.

For a child, a corn snake can't be beat - they are generally non-aggressive, easily handled snakes who eat and shed regularly. They don't require quite as exacting temp/humidity as Ball Pythons and are interesting, lively pets.

 

[theOEGBman]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I agree that corn snakes are the best. They're awesome snakes, I own 8.

 

[halo]

I have a corn snake that lives in my barn. Scares the crap outta me every time I see it.