Black Headed Python - First Snake

[Harry1]

Hi all,

I've had plenty of lizards but this will be my first snake. Very interested in the Black Headed Python.

I have two questions, please.

1. I know there are a few posts with the similar question of "Is this a good choice for a first snake?" but what's one more? Is this a good choice? I know they get quite large and large snakes don't intimidate me.
2. Heat mat vs lamp for BHP

Appreciate your advice; it will greatly help this noob!

Cheers.

 

[Sdaji]

Hi all,

I've had plenty of lizards but this will be my first snake. Very interested in the Black Headed Python.

I have two questions, please.

1. I know there are a few posts with the similar question of "Is this a good choice for a first snake?" but what's one more? Is this a good choice? I know they get quite large and large snakes don't intimidate me.
2. Heat mat vs lamp for BHP

Appreciate your advice; it will greatly help this noob!

Cheers.

Any snake can be the best first snake, it depends on the person. I know some people whose first snakes were deadly venomous ones and none of them have any regrets. If there was one best first snake that's what we'd all start with. I don't know you so I can't say what's best for you personally. People in Australia usually start with Children's or Carpets because they're probably the easiest to care for of the non venomous Australian snakes. Black-headeds aren't terribly more difficult, but they're a small step up in difficulty from Carpets in terms of care and handling. If you're not going to be upset about taking a chomp from a large snake which might clamp down and not let go for quite a while, and you like large snakes and know what you're doing, and a Black-headed Python is what you want, then a Black-headed Python is the best first snake for you. If you want the easiest possible thing to keep which poses the smallest bite issue, get a Children's Python. If you want something almost as easy but larger, get a Carpet. If you want something else because that's what you really like, as long as you're capable of looking after it safely, that's the best snake for you.

Black-headeds are generally difficult to start feeding, but that should be done before you buy one, and once they start feeding they're usually absolute pigs and will enthusiastically try to eat anything including water bowls, handling sticks, doors, you, etc. When they try to eat things like paper or their own sloughs they're often successful. They're more sensitive to cold than some other pythons (incidentally, I'm in their distribution at the moment, it's in the 40s every day lately and hasn't dropped below 30 here for weeks) but generally they're pretty hardy snakes.

The easiest way to give them the heat they need is with floor heat (a heat mat or cord). Getting it absolutely spot on with a lamp is more difficult, but sometimes possible depending your room's temperatures. Using a combination is ideal, but make sure you use them properly.