Hi Im new! *waves*

[trinastar]

[h=6]Hi guys Im newbie who has joined to try and find my son a snake
A little about us :
We are in the yarra valley Victoria and we are looking at getting my 14 yr old son a snake for xmas...he currently goes to LHS where they have an amazing reptile program and he is a zoo keeper in this program. we were wondering if anyone could point us in the right direction for reasonably priced enclosures (at lest 1500mm x 600mm x 600mm) and a breeder we are looking for a yearling diamond python? his teacher recommended a diamond python for him (my son also loves black headed pythons?) Originally a friend suggested a Stimson or children's but my son point blank does not want one!( my friend is were the love originally come from) Apparently a diamond can be a little tricky to look after I'm not sure about a black headed? We were thinking a yearling so he has a chance to bond with it? my son says he also wants a boy as girl snakes can be moody lol learning young! what are your thoughts? He has a fair bit of experience with them from working in the reptile room every chance he gets ( He is in vr 8 and was chosen to do a talk to the yr 11 biology class and go to do different talks at camps etc)and is a wealth of knowledge we went on a behind the scene tour at the zoo and he (pretty much knew it all the staff were very impressed) Sorry for the long post thanks in advance Katrina[/h]

 

[Jazzz]

hey diamonds can be pretty good first pythons, but you just have to watch their temps and they require uv as they are prone to 'diamond syndrome'. They can get quite large though... a hatchling or a yearling would be fine =] i wouldnt recommend a black headed as a first snake as they do get massive but i do know people who had them as their first and had a really positive experience. You should show your son a few pictures of the different localities of stimmies as there are some gorgeous ones, this would probably be the best first python for someone of that age. As far as im aware there is no 'mood' difference between male and female pythons. I have 2 girls and ones snappy and ones amazingly placid, just depends on the snake.

 

[StellaDoore]

I reckon get a black headed python (BHP)! They do get large (2.5-3m), though, which is something to consider in terms of enclosure size, food size and handling. They are, however, very hardy and the vast majority have beautiful natures, even as hatchies. I also think they're more visually impressive than diamonds, and are honestly the cutest baby snakes ever! Be aware though that at 2 years old they'll be around the 2m mark. You're son sounds old enough to handle a large BHP ok, just do so under supervision, just in case. These guys are terrestrial (ground-dwelling) snakes and need a long enclosure.
Diamonds aren't a bad choice, but do need to be kept cooler than other snakes. There's also debate over whether or not they need UV light, but I think get it anyway, better safe than sorry. They usually have good temperaments, but no where near as good as a black headed, in my opinion =) They're also an arboreal (tree-dwelling) snake, so need a tall enclosure.
Regards enclosures, you can either buy one from a pet shop but you're looking at around $500+ for a plain white melamine box. A few options: build it yourself or convert an existing cabinet (there's a great DIY section and group on this forum), or buy one second hand on ebay, gumtree or APS; found a $50 6ft black melamine enclosure on gumtree, with light/heat sockets, looked amazing.
From my experience working with pythons there's no difference in temperament between males and females. Girls tend to get a tad longer and heavier than guys, but nothing extremely noticeable.
Best of luck to your son with all his zoo work, it sounds fantastic! Hope he enjoys his snake (BHP ) for Christmas!

 

[Darlyn]

Hi there,

Grew up round there (Warburton) where abouts are you?

I have a BHP he is a delight. Altho I live in Darwin so there is no temp issue. Also
I'm a smidgen older than 14. Your son would need to be very responsible and prepared
for the future with a BHP, they are not 1 year pets and grow quite fast.

Oh yeah, waves back.

 

[trinastar]

Thanks guys He is pretty good from all the feed back from school etc and knowledge wise...wow! lol We are in Launch and he goes to lilydale high
I liked the idea of a smaller first snake but it seems no one else did hahaha I'm just a little confused atm as to what to do! I know both of these snakes get big so I was hoping if we got a young one by the time it had grown he would of too! Any information anyone can offer I am all ears! Thanks again!
Katrina

ps whats "diamond syndrome"?

 

[Jazzz]

probably go diamond then... but if his heart isnt set on a diamond there are many other variations of carpet python that arent as 'tricky'. Diamonds just dont seem as hardy as many of the other carpets like coastals, bredlis, darwins ect. Just have a look around the forum at a few of the variations before deciding =] he would be able to grow into a carpet more then a bhp

diamond syndrome is just where diamonds die quite early for no real reason...

 

[nagini-baby]

hi "waves" all snakes are diferent, ive had grumpy boys and grumpy girls, 2 of my best handlers that i let ppl hold are girls.
get what you guys like, there is nothing worse than getting what others say you want and hating it. if you dont want something quite as big as a bhp maybe a woma? different localities are different shades of colour and some are quite dark. i have 3 womas and i think they are fantastic! i was skeptical about stimmies aswell until i actually met one and fell in love haha i now have 3 of them aswell hahaha best of luck and follow your gut

 

[Jazzz]

good idea nagini =] woma would be good!

 

[trinastar]

[h=6]Ok so sorry again to annoy all you lovely ppl After a long talk with the o/h and my son this is the conclusion that we came to:
We wont be getting a diamond(after some more research they seem not an ideal first snake) or bhp as they are very costly.
We would like a snake that wont get to big as his first snake :1-2metres is great lol
We want something hardy
We want something that wont cost a small fortune ( I know most snakes do lol)
We want something fairly friendly.......[/h]So after posting on a few different snake pages on Facebook it was suggested : children's, Stimson, or spotted pythons....he decided on a spotted...can anyone point me in the direction of some one with yearling ones?

 

[nagini-baby]

all of those are small and related under the anteresia family, i thought he didnt want something that small? either way another option is a woma, it ticks all of the boxes you just mentioned

 

[blackhawk1975]

Look at the herpshop .com.au under section herp trader someone there is selling them 140 each and they are in Vic they have 10 available hope this helps

 

[Triddo83]

I'm buying my first snake soon too. I've chosen a spotted python(mac) as it doesn't get big and a usually have a great temperament. Then one year on I'm going to get a woma and a bhp. start small then work your way up. best of luck with you decision.

 

[snakes123]

I would highly recommend a woma if you want something in that size. It is pretty much a black headed python but smaller and an range head.

 

[junglepython2]

If he doesnt want one from the ant. family then maybe a woma or a murray darling.

 

[Nayla]

Hi & welcome.

I got my 1st snake about 6 wks ago. A female Coastal. I had my heart set on a Murray Darling initially as all the research i had done ended up recommending this sname. All round relaxed, hearty, friendly snake. Medium size. Alot recommend childrens python or other similar in size as first snakes but as far as a decent size sname the Murray Darling ticks all the boxes.
Good luck and keep us posted as to what your son ends up choosing

 

[Black.Rabbit]

Woma!!

 

[Darlyn]

Good old Launching Place, aaah the memories.
Womas are a lovely snake, very similiar to BHP's.
Darwin's are great too.
Really there are lot's to choose from and everyone will reccomend a snake
they have cos they love them. Have a look around lots of different ones available.
We are all here to help with any questions.

 

[trinastar]

Ok guys after much research and talking to ppl going to look at snake etc we have decided on a coastal so now we just need to find a young one and like all things when you are looking for one you cant find one anyone know of someone with some young ones?

ps would love a woma but you cant kep them on a basic in vic

 

[junglepython2]

You can get an advanced license just pay the extra $$$