Newbie. Advice appreciated

[Meljack]

Hi there,

My son and I are new to snakes but have a bluey so not new to reptiles. We are wanting to get either a children's python or Stimpsons python in the near future.

But I was hoping someone could answer a few questions for me please.

Can you recommend one species over the other? We are wanting one as a handled pet for my son. So must be friendly.

Does the sex of the snake matter when it comes to one being more friendlier over the other?

Do you recommend a hatchling, yearling or adult for a beginner owner?

We are in Brisbane if that matters.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Thankyou

 

[user 41856]

There is not much difference between the two, both are Anterasia's. Male or Female makes no difference in temperament, both are great. Hatchies and scarred being so small and new to the world so you can expect to get a bite or two, it is defensive only and doesn't hurt any more than a pin prick. After you have had them for a while (A copule of months at the outside) they get used to you and settle down to be beautiful animals, the more you handle them the better. Yearlings are bigger and are easier to look after and Adults are just gorgous. Be aware that they live 20 odd years so you have a pet for a while, if you get an adult, the life span will probably be a bit shorter than getting a Hatchie. You can't go worng either way you go, just take the time to let it settle in for a week or so before handeling a lot. They are pretty smart and understand where their food comes from pretty quickly, don't handle it for 24 hours after feeding or they can regurgitate the food.

I hope this helps

 

[Susannah]

Anterasia's are amazing pets. Super docile. Super friendly and curious. They're small, but they're still very strong and have have lots of teeth. A bite will probably be more of a shock rather than painful. Think of it like a paper-cut that bleeds lots. Generally they'll just strike and you'll not even know what's happened until you notice you're bleeding.
The older ones tend to be less 'skittish' and feed better. But I wouldn't let that put you off getting a hatchling. They're all so cute.

 

[Meljack]

There is not much difference between the two, both are Anterasia's. Male or Female makes no difference in temperament, both are great. Hatchies and scarred being so small and new to the world so you can expect to get a bite or two, it is defensive only and doesn't hurt any more than a pin prick. After you have had them for a while (A copule of months at the outside) they get used to you and settle down to be beautiful animals, the more you handle them the better. Yearlings are bigger and are easier to look after and Adults are just gorgous. Be aware that they live 20 odd years so you have a pet for a while, if you get an adult, the life span will probably be a bit shorter than getting a Hatchie. You can't go worng either way you go, just take the time to let it settle in for a week or so before handeling a lot. They are pretty smart and understand where their food comes from pretty quickly, don't handle it for 24 hours after feeding or they can regurgitate the food.

I hope this helps

Thank you for your advice. I've been told hatchlings are usually available around February in Qld. Does that sound correct to you? Thankyou

 

[user 41856]

Thank you for your advice. I've been told hatchlings are usually available around February in Qld. Does that sound correct to you? Thankyou

Different Breeders do different things but in QLD the temps are higher than here in NSW in Feb so I would imagine that to be about right.