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Right Decision?

Meghan

Meghan

New member
Hello all! I've been looking around the forum for a few hours now, and you folks seem like good peoples, so I decided to take the leap and ask for some advice.

My boyfriend and I have recently decided to get a corn. He's always wanted a snake and has finally convinced me to get one.

Now, I am a proud rattie owner (I have 4: 2 girls and 2 boys that I love dearly!), and, I'll confess, I am scared of snakes. However, I have done a lot of reading in the last few days, and I gotta admit, the kind we picked out (Blizzards) are very cute!

However, I am still a little apprehensive. I read on one of the forums here that snakes are not capable of emotion, and this freaks me out a little. My ratties mainly care about getting fed, but they still have their very own unique personalities, and they are very affectionate. When I walk in the room, one in particular will get excited and always comes out to greet me. I can play games with them and they will cuddle with me.

Now, I don't expect a snake to "cuddle" and I have read that snakes will interact with their owners, and that they have personality, but I was just wondering if we are making the right choice. I really want to try being a snake owner; like I said, I thought that the babies were adorable! But it's gonna take a bit for me to get over this fear.

I guess the crux of this post is: Are my boyfriend and I making the right decision in getting a pet snake, taking into consideration the fears that I have?
 
I believe that most people that come in contact with a corn snake and realize how gentle they are will overcome their fears. You always hear, "Snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them" and this is TRUE. But even knowing that doesn't quite quell your fears until you actually hold one and realize just how scared that thing is to be in your hands.

After a short while, they began to realize you're not a danger to them, and become more calm. They DO have unique personalities. Some will love for you to hold them, while others will merely tolerate you until they can get back into their hides. Some are very active, like one of mine, and it's fascinating to watch. Owning a corn snakes has taught me so much that it feels like I'm taking a class.

There's a few reasons people are generally afraid of corn snakes. Let's start with the basic fear - the fear of being bitten/attacked. Corn snakes VERY rarely bite a person. I've heard of it, I've seen pictures, but it's still very unlikely. I did all the wrong things in the wrong ways at the wrong times and still haven't been bitten. Just keep your hands washed clean and make sure you never smell like a mouse, and it won't mistake you for food. It won't have a reason to attack you unless you TRY to make it, such as flicking its head with your fingers or something.

Then there's just the fear of the unknown. It slithers and flicks out its tongue and all that can be creepy and scary to people. But once you learn and understand the biology and behaviors, it makes sense. It slithers in waves to use the scales to create motion. The tongue is flicked out to smell the air for danger and food. It's just as harmless as the way we use our ears and nose. And while snakes may look slimy, they're not. Snakes are dry and comfortable to the touch.

In my opinion, a snake is a wonderful pet. And addictive! They are also very low-maintenance. Rats bite quite a bit (or at least the ones I've encountered) and you seem to love yours. Snakes not only will likely never bite you, but if they ever do, a corn snake's bite doesn't hurt, not even close to a rat's.

It's true you won't be able to play games with a snake and such, but you'll be able to hold them and let them crawl around, observe and learn from them, and experience something new.

I hope if you do decide to get the Blizzard, that you become as fascinated with snakes as I now am :)
 
I useto fear rats lol

HI, I am a fairly new snake owner although as a child my friend and I useto catch garder snakes. One thing you should keep in mind is what you will have to feed your snake. That was the most difficult part for me. Also you may want to be certain the one you get if you decide to get a snake is that it is already eating frozen thawed mice. One of mine Im still working on but it has taken a few months for her and trust me it is much easier to feed dead mice well thats my opinion. My other snake I havent had an issue she has been on frozen thawed and never refused. On a positive note I useto be terrified of rats then the neighbours dog came over with a siamese colored one in her mouth (golden retriever). The young rat was still alive and became my pet as well as a few others that the dogs found I found homes for most of them. I groom dogs and we have horses I think someone had a litter and dropped them off thinking well Im not sure what they were thinking but these rats were by far not wild. Anyways the moral of my point is that well it is really your decision and take your fears and concerns into consideration. My boyfriend never liked rats and still wont go near one. He also doesn't like snakes. we have an understanding when he is around I don't bring the snakes near him I hope that someday he will begin to like them. Oh one more thing if you are unwilling to feed the snake and your bf has to go out of town you may want to keep that into consideration. my bf will not touch my snakes so if I go away for a couple weeks I will have to make arrangements for the snakes. Good luck and I really enjoy my snakes but they arent for everyone
 
Corn snake are one of the best "beginner" snake to get. They are not aggressive and easy to take care of but....snake have no emotion and no they won't get excited when you walk by the cage. Their eye's (head) might follow you but that only means they know you are the large beast that bring them food. That being snake are not robots either. They have their unique "personalities" but please don't put a human perspective on this.
They have no emotion like a dog. I
I would fine a breeder or go to a show or last, a pet store and handle a hatchling. Corn are fun and with all the difference morphs out there, you'll fine you can have just one snake.
And if you want another tip...just buy two, a male and female, some morph that you can breed in three years. Believe me it will save you in the long run.
 
Yes, I think you are. Corns in general are gentle creatures, and they're quite beautiful. You're sure to be able to find one that you consider to be just gorgeous. I've had a lot of different animals over the years. I got my first corn in February and I'm completely charmed. I now have 7, and am currently looking for a couple more! I'm a high school teacher, and I've seen a lot of students become less fearful of snakes as a result of being around mine.

If you're nervous about this, you may want to buy a yearling or older. Some babies are very laid back, and seem content with handling right from the start; others are more nervous about it. After all, many things in nature like to snack on baby snakes.

This forum has been a great help to me in my new hobby. The people here really care about the animals and about people too, and are friendly and helpful. Welcome, and I wish you well
 
I can't tell you if you're making the right decision, but I can tell you the reason I chose snakes is for those reasons you fear. I like the fact that they don't need a lot of attention. I have rabbits and degus, and they need interaction, but they aren't demanding as dogs in terms of care.

Snakes do seem to have their own personalities and they do interact with you to some degree, but if my life gets crazy, I don't have to feel guilty because I haven't pet them or held them for a week.

If you are the type of person who prefers an animal that truly enjoys and wants your attention, a snake may not be the best choice. A snake most likely (I've read of few exceptions) will ignore your entry into a room, won't wag it's tail, or greet you.

Good luck with making your choice.
 
Welcome to the forum! Growing up in AZ I was scared of snakes , because out there they can all kill you, but within days of getting my first corn I was well over my fears. I'm just down the road in Findlay so if you need help finding a breeder in the area I can point you towards a few.
 
Many of my snakes are totally cuddley, and will sit through a movie, or at least a half hour show, happily! You will love a snake!
 
welcome
to the forums and honestly i think the only thing that might help you is if i tell you my story and how i got into this. it might help you fell at ease and help you decide. we cant tell you one way or the other but if you listen to my story and what other people have to say you might feel better about making a choice.

i was sixteen years old i found out that i had a brain tumor i wasn't very healthy and spent a lot of time in the hospital. i was really close with my great grandmother and one day at the age of 92 she died. i felt done with everything. well the doctor suggested that i get a pet to help with depression and so on. but i was allergic to dogs and cats and they only made me sicker. so my uncle danny knowing that he was taking a chance went out and bought me a baby BP. it turns out he didn't know i was frightened of snakes. but when he brought me the snake and showed me him taught my a few things and told me that that lil snake know depended on me i fell in love with him. i raised him for 5 years. and for many of those years my snake had a hard time to. he constantly had mites and infections. it was were my uncle bought him from. but i dealt with it i took him to the vet an bleached his cage i cleaned it . i did everything i could. but one day after five long years after a return from my friends. house i found him dead. he died of a parasite that he some how got. i was devastated and thought it was my fault. it turns out it wasn't my fault i did what i could. after that my niebor was into reptiles and just hatched out beardies. and walked over with a non thriving baby girl. she wouldn't eat or anything she was picked on so bad by her 32 other siblings. i kept and raised her from a baby and she is know a fully grown healthy mommy. i am now addicted to these guys and know own 12 reptiles total.

my point is only you can make this descion. but i was once afraid but i let someone teach my about them. and i wasn't so afraid anymore. good luck in your descion and i hope i helped.
 
Welcome Meghan, I hope you stay.
If you're looking for hugs and lovin' I'm not sure you'll find it in a snake. I always think of my snake being programmed in the BASIC computer language, with glitches. Like a series of if/then statements, too warm/ move; too warm/move; good temp/stay; possible predator?/freeze; closer possible predator/move,strike. Of course that's very simplified, but my point is she seems to be an instinct driven animal, she's certainly not like a rat. From the posts of others I've noticed that they act differently but it's mostly a difference in reacting to handling or temps.
You can't compare a fairly intelligent social creature like a rat with a solitary animal like a snake. A social system requires a lot more skills to interact with others of your species, requiring more learning or intelligence.
Even so, a snake is an interesting animal and observing one long-term and close-up keeps me wanting to learn more. I don't get the same thing from my snake that I get from my idiot dogs but I enjoy both.
Have you held a snake? I've found that usually makes people interested in learning more.
 
Wow! I can't believe how supportive everyone on here is! THe other messageboard I'm active on is the IMdB (Internet Movie Database) and admitting you don't know something or expressing an opinion is akin to cutting yourself and going swimming with sharks, lol.

After reading all of your responses, I feel a lot better about our decision. Feeding the snake is a concern to me, since I am such a rodent fan, but my boyfriend and I have worked out that he'll be the one responsible for feeding him/her.

The breeder we're going to be ordering from is Joni Garcia. She has a ...litter?...of Blizzards that hatched at the end of July. They aren't for sale yet, but we emailed her are waiting to hear back, and hopefully we can take one of the little guys/girls home.

Are there any major personality/behavior differences between the sexes? I am really hoping to get a female, just because I am partial to female animals and I think that having a girl snake would ease me into the whole snake ownership more than having a boy snake.

Then there's just the fear of the unknown. It slithers and flicks out its tongue and all that can be creepy and scary to people.
Click to expand...

I couldn't have said it better! I've always had mammals as pets, so the whole no fur, slithering and tongue-flicking thing gives me the shivers a little, lol.

Thanks again for all your support! I'll keep you posted!!
 
Male = feeding strike each early spring, maybe lasting a few months, upon sexual maturity.

Female = possible egg-binding even with no mating.
 
"Are there any major personality/behavior differences between the sexes?"

No.

But during the shed cycle they will shy away.
Just read the sticky on each forum and check out the Archive located at the very bottom right of any page.
 
Also, just to get an idea...About how much is the "start-up" for getting a corn? The one I'm hoping to get is $55, so I get that, but how much for the heating mat, thermometers, aquarium, etc...
 
I've bought locally for my guys and I think the most expensive thing I've bought have been the Herpstat IIs that I bought to regulate their heating pads. I'm guessing you can get everything you need for less than $100.

Sounds like you are feeling much better about your decision to get a snake. My niece became a Rat pet owner after buying a rat for feeding and then for whatever reason, she found she couldn't feed that one and started raising them. I think as long as you keep in mind that certain ones are food and not pets that you can separate the idea from your mind. I know my friends who raised cattle did it.

I didn't care much for snakes when they came into my life. I wasn't scared of them per se, but I told my 13 yr old daughter that she had better be prepared because I was having nothing to do with it after the purchase of it for her 13th birthday present. Just my luck, we'd buy a non-feeder and I got all maternal and got involved up to my head. We ended up losing that one when she was 6 yrs old, but the one that I bought for myself back in 2001 two months later is still in my life and is simply a pet.

I only have 6 currently (I'm very picky) and each one of them is very different. Kieran, my oldest, is the most social. He appears to love to watch people and is always laying out in the front of his cage watching. He will also come up to the top of his cage if I lean over and start talking to him. Gaileann loves to perch in a paper towel roll hanging from the top of her cage and watch people also, but she prefers to be "hiding" when she watches. Michael tends to stay under cover until he decides its feeding time and will start wandering. He will also pop his head out when it's about that time and I come over to talk to him. Nicevenn is my least social. I never see her and have to go hunting for her when it's feeding time. Daire will come out, but hiding if he thinks I'm looking at him. If I pretend to look at someone else, he'll stay out :) Gunn is my youngest and smallest and when he's out, he's out, when he's hidden, he's hidden. He's probably the least developed personality wise of the six.

Interestingly enough, my daughter who started this all no longer has snakes and I have six :)
 
It depends on the type of enclosure you prefer. used aquariums can be bought cheap but you have to be careful about the lid as I learned they are intelligent enough that if there is a way to get out they will find it that was the first week of snake ownership. I bought exoterra which I love they are lighter than aquariums and the opening is 2 glass door in front. I live in Canada so prices may be different I think about 150$
10-60 /heat lamp depending on brand and if there is a brightness or heat control bulb $4-10
$3 to 10/ Thermomiter
15$-40$Heat mat again brand varies as well as size (I have no idea of the prices of ones with thermostats)
$3-10 or free Hides to well whatever you want to spend on them. water container free if you want to be creative or ceramic

$10 Bedding depending on the type aspen is what I use and its about for a bag that lasts months if you just clean poop whenever you see it and do total cage cleaning every couple weeks. feed per week
50 cents and up for pinkys.
THe above are the prices that I have seen others can correct me but I think thats all the stuff you will need oh and
$? hemostates or feed prongs
$9 feed bin I got one of mine at walmart its advertised for hermit crabs
 
Excellent, thanks everyone!

The local petstore here is a Petco, and I'm not sure how experienced the salespeople who work there are with snakes. See, here in Bowling Green, it's illegal to sell snakes, due to the amount of college kids who get sick of them or get caught with them in their dorms and just set them free. Very sad fact...

Anyways, you all have been wonderful thus far, but I have one more request (for right now at least :laugh:). Would you be willing to create a "grocery list" of the supplies I'll need? I know I could look it up, but I've found with my rats that what is recommended on the sites is very different from what rat owners actually use/need. So if I could get a shopping list of what I need from actual corn owners, that would be awesome-sauce.
 
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