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How old should my first snake be?

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pearl89

New member
Hey guys,

I'm new and I dont have my corn snake yet. I really want to get one now but I will be traveling around for a while so I figure I will just wait till I'm settled, plus I want to get one from the Pittsburgh reptile show in June because everyone tell me I shouldnt get one from a pet store. So for now I'm reading up on everything I will need to know about having a pet corn snake.

Anyway, my question is, about what age should my very first snake be? I have heard mixed advice, some people said that its easier to start with an adult, because they have had plenty of feedings under their belt so are less likely to have feeding problems. Others say that having a younger snake will let the snake get used to you over its life and become more docile, plus you dont know the adults background. Personally I think I would like to have a fairly young snake cause one of the things about being a snake "mommy" that I'm looking foward to is watching it grow up!

What do you guys think is the best age range of snake to get for a beginner like me?
 
I think there are advantages and disadvantages of each, but...if you want a little one, get a little one! My advice would be to pick a breeder whom you trust, pick a snake who has been eating well and has at least a few good meals under its belt, and enjoy!
 
I agree. We started out with hatchlings and we love them but we decided to get some sub-adults too because they are more fun to hold, and we want to start breeding next year, so adults are kind of a requirement lol
 
I think for a first Corn, I'd go with something about a year/18 months old. It will be an established feeder and be past that dangerous hatchling stage when you can sometimes lose them to developmental issues without warning. It won't be full-grown, so you can still have the pleasure of seeing it blossom into an adult in your case. It should also be less flighty and easier to handle than a hatchling.
 
Remember that a healthy corn can live to twenty, so a sub-adult will have plenty of time to get to know you.
 
I've just gotten my first full on adult, and boy does he seem big next to Yoshi (yearling) and even the other (which I'm now suspecting is not as old, or perhaps has been a tricky feeder...she so much smaller).
I'm loving having the large snake to play with, and someone else did the handling when he was young, so I just have a great big tame corn to hold...very active crazy, but totally tame.
Large snakes escape less (well...they're easier to make sure they cant squeeze out), they have a feeding history (unlike hatchlings that have yet to establish their feeding success), and are not usually as flighty (depending on the snakes own personality of course).
I'd find a really nice sub adult if I were you. I'm so excited for you! The first snake! I cant wait to see what you end up with. :)
 
I just got my first and shes supposed to be a little over a year old. She is about 2 foot in the beginning i wanted a hatchling because i wanted to see it grow. However i am so glad that i got a yearling because she was a little flighty when i was trying to hold her. The hatchlings are harder to hold i think. As they said above a yearling is probably your best bet
 
Well I like to hold and care for adults better than babies. With that said, my first one was a hatchling and though they are a little harder to hold, I'm glad I did because its fun to watch one grow and the colors change. Especially if you get a morph like a bloodred, they change so much from a baby, its fun to me to see the transformation.
 
Maybe go for a happy medium. If you can find one around 6-12 months, it's still pretty small, but also has quite a few feedings under its belt. But jesserca makes a good point too; if you're getting a nice morph, it would be nice to watch the transformation as it grows. There is a small risk of a hatchling dying for no reason, but with the help of this site, I think you have all the info you need to help you be successful with a hatchling, if you can handle the small risk. Make especially sure you find out what the guarantees are before buying a hatchling.
 
I think you should pick a source first, and see what they have. Perhaps if you speak to a good breeder, they'll have a suggestion for you. Telling them its your first snake, they may have one that is more calm than the others, or some such like that. The source is so important, because the start your snake gets is so important. A snake that was well cared for as a hatchling is likely to have less issue later on down the road (like the rest of us :) ).
 
I agree with getting a yearling. I dont know how much experience you have handling snakes, but if you have very little the flighty hatchlings will make it just that much tougher.

I also agree with everything said about watching the yearling grow. The change in size will still be dramatic.
 
Thanks for all the responses and advice.

I guess its safe to say by what everyone has said that I should probably not get anything younger than 6 months. So I gues my range is going to be 6 months- 18 months. Thanks a lot guys!.
 
I think it's great that you're waiting until you're fully ready! That alone, and the fact that you're browsing around here already, getting adequate information, tells me that not matter WHAT age your first snake is, it will be going to a great home!

Although I definitely agree that a yearling might be easier/ nicer for a beginner, I LOVE raising my snakes from babies. I honestly feel more attached to a snake that I've raised from a 5 or 10 gram little worm. I don't want to speak this as some kind of general truth, just sharing my own experience.

I think you should go with your heart. Once you get to that expo, you'll probably see a lot of things that you like. Go with the one that you kind of "fall in love" with. I think you'll do great, no matter what the age is!
 
The first, I think, is always special. I love my Yoshi, he was 8months when I got him (I think. Not easy to get an exact timeline on this guy), and I can't belive how much he's grown since I've had him. He shed a couple days ago, and I was almost flored by how large it was...:p
If you've never had a snake, let me tell you (as someone who's first corn was in the age range your talking about) 6months seems quite small. Feels quite small. Really, unless you've had hatchlings to compair it to, I dont think you'll notice the differance.

....and just to prove the theory, your NEXT snake could be a hatchling, once you've got some hands on time with snakes and such...and then you could see which you liked better, raising from yearling or raising from hatchling...lol ;)
 
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