# Any reptile owners?



## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

Well i just got a 55 gallon fishtank, heat lamp and a few other things. Traded my modded xbox 360. lol.
but im looking to get either some kind of snake, or lizard.
for snakes i was thinking a ball python, or corn snake.
lizard, im not too sure about that, maybe a bearded dragon.
do you have and suggestions reccommendations? I dont really want to end up getting a new enclosure.
anyone have any experience with any of these?
im new to the reptile world so i dont want to start out with anything too crazy.

if peanutsmommy reads this i have found a home for her guy, a very good home if your interested.


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## PeanutsMommy (Sep 21, 2008)

i did catch your thread  thanks for looking for me. right now i do have a lady and her son coming to take a look at him. they have an argentine tegu and have had savannah monitors in the past and they even have a pit bull (when i was talking to her on the phone peanut barked so she started talking to me about dogs) if things with her dont work out i will let you know.

i see a you have the reptile bug  savannah monitor (or any monitor) wouldnt be my first suggestion on a first reptile as i learned. 
my lizard suggestion would be a cute little colony of lepoard geckos  they are cute little and their bites dont hurt at all.

as far as Daktyl my monitor we did pick him up and here is a picture of him the day we picked him up. he got big with his last owner


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

oh man! how big is he?
what kind of set up do you have?
thats awesome that you may have found a home! let me know how it all works out.
yeah i talked to my teach that has all the exotics and including alligators she says she's up for it. so if anything doesnt work out he'll always have a chance with my teacher or even me.


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## PeanutsMommy (Sep 21, 2008)

he is about 3 feet long..i havent measured him. he is in a 4'x2'x2 wood enclosure. he has a giant kitty litter pan full of fresh water for him to soak in and drink. he has a UV bulb and 2 heat lamps. we used to keep him on coconut bark but his last owner changed him to playground sand which he seems to like because he has been digging in it and he didnt dig in the coconut. he is on a 12 hour light cycle 12 hour dark cycle. 
if she dosent work out i will let you know. i do appreciate you helping me try to find him a home.
i have to get him a new home because he really doesnt like Peanut. everytime peanut walks by his cage daktyl throws a hiss at him.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

If you are starting with your first reptile then you need a hardy one! lol really some are difficult to keep. I have many types of critters and love them all but they do take a lot of up keep. I have most of my tanks set up on timers for the lights and that makes it easier.

What do you think you will get the most enjoyment out of?
Snakes or Lizards?
I have frogs, geckos, and snakes.


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## kodiakgirl (May 9, 2009)

too bad you're not in alaska! I have 2 ball pythons I'm trying to find homes for...:roll:


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## PeanutsMommy (Sep 21, 2008)

yes the light timers!! we have Daktyl on one since we had him.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> If you are starting with your first reptile then you need a hardy one! lol really some are difficult to keep. I have many types of critters and love them all but they do take a lot of up keep. I have most of my tanks set up on timers for the lights and that makes it easier.
> 
> What do you think you will get the most enjoyment out of?
> Snakes or Lizards?
> I have frogs, geckos, and snakes.


i know about timers, not about reptile light timers, but different light timers lol.
um... im not too sure what i'd enjoy more.
i know you must handle a snake often so that it is docile and is used to being handled. correct?
and aren't most lizard's nippy even if handled on a regular basis?


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

I have a corn snake, she was given to me as an adult. She is around 4 foot long. Shes a very nice snake. Snakes are way lower maintenance than lizards.. and cheaper. I've heard that corn snakes are the best starter snakes. They come in a ton of colors too. I love mine!


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

I would go for a ball python as far as snakes, they are great for beginners, very chill. As far as lizards a bearded dragon is nice and easy, but I kept my adults in a 70 breeder tank so the 55 might be too small. You could house a Uromastyx (sp) in a 55 tho, and they are pretty easy to keep, there are some nicely colored ones if you check out some expos. You can use regular light timers for the heat lights and stuff, just like the ones you use for house lights.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

That's what I have is regular house timers for my set ups. Uromastyx are awesome lizards and I think they could be ok in a 55.
Also snakes are great I really enjoy mine. I am not into pythons that much but Ball's make great snakes for first time owners. 
I have a red tail and a Blood python. The red tails get really big I use to have a female that was 10' long and she made me pass out once! lol She was on my shoulders and I was not paying attention and she curled around my neck, the next thing I remember I woke up on the floor. That is why when they are full grown you should always have a person with you when you handle them. My Blood python is harder to take care of but they are short fat snakes and can be nasty.
So a Ball gets 4-5' not too big and easy to keep. Also corn snakes make a great first snake.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

Shes Got Heart said:


> I have a corn snake, she was given to me as an adult. She is around 4 foot long. Shes a very nice snake. Snakes are way lower maintenance than lizards.. and cheaper. I've heard that corn snakes are the best starter snakes. They come in a ton of colors too. I love mine!


my cousin had a corn snake too when we were growing up. he was pretty docile so i might be looking into that.



performanceknls said:


> That's what I have is regular house timers for my set ups. Uromastyx are awesome lizards and I think they could be ok in a 55.
> Also snakes are great I really enjoy mine. I am not into pythons that much but Ball's make great snakes for first time owners.
> I have a red tail and a Blood python. The red tails get really big I use to have a female that was 10' long and she made me pass out once! lol She was on my shoulders and I was not paying attention and she curled around my neck, the next thing I remember I woke up on the floor. That is why when they are full grown you should always have a person with you when you handle them. My Blood python is harder to take care of but they are short fat snakes and can be nasty.
> So a Ball gets 4-5' not too big and easy to keep. Also corn snakes make a great first snake.


i think the last thing i need is a 10 ft snake lmao.
i've decided on getting a snake.
now its ball python or corn snake!

looks like i have some research to do.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

so i got an email from the guy i traded the modded 360 to. it doesnt play regular 360 games, it only plays burnt games. he knew this and was ok with it.
anyway the email was like, i was playing _______ game, which wasnt a modded game, and the red ring came on. 
he went on about "how it sucks he cant play it now". 
but IMO i told him not to play regular games so i feel like he is at fault here, not me.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

My RTB is only 5 or 6 feet, I have carefully fed and hibernated her in hopes of keeping her like 7 or 8 feet max. SHe is sweet as pie, and a great eater. Balls are a bit picky, but almost always docile, my male boa just passed and he was MEAN! Vicious and nasty and we held him regularly, he had a chip on his shoulder from day one lol.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

Nizmo357 said:


> so i got an email from the guy i traded the modded 360 to. it doesnt play regular 360 games, it only plays burnt games. he knew this and was ok with it.
> anyway the email was like, i was playing _______ game, which wasnt a modded game, and the red ring came on.
> he went on about "how it sucks he cant play it now".
> but IMO i told him not to play regular games so i feel like he is at fault here, not me.


No refunds!


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

It depends on what you want in a snake. Ball's can be picky eaters, like it was stated above, and stay kind of small. They are constrictors so they are impressive when they eat. Corn snakes are cool too but they are colubrids and they are sloppy eaters and not as efficient in kill prey.

Both are great my suggestions is to start going to pet stores and holding them both. If you get a Ball Python make sure you get captive bred not wild caught.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

My corn is very efficient in her kills. lol She moves FAST.


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## Czar (Nov 11, 2009)

my reptile just died to days ago..RIP LiL EvE


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Shes Got Heart said:


> My corn is very efficient in her kills. lol She moves FAST.


I should say many are not good at killing  I have seen corns even eat them alive and backward,, anyway they can to get them into the their mouths! lol


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

picky eaters as in they are picky about what they eat, or where they eat, or when they eat? or a combination of the 2-3?
im trying to find some good info reads but i just get a whole bunch of forum crap. do you have any lisa?
or anyone else?

thanks for your guys' help i really appreciate it!
im sick today so maybe at the end of next week i'll go into a couple petco's and petsmarts.

would you guys recommend getting one from a breeder or would petsmart be ok?
i feel stupid asking that question because i would never never get anything furry at a pet shop lol.
idk if the same case with reptiles


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Go to a local pet store not PETSMART, they do not have good stuff there. No I do not own Ball's or corns because I do not like as much as larger snakes. When I was young 15-18 I worked at a pet store and because a reptile and salt water specialist. I worked and learned from some of the best in ALB but I hate to say i forgot a lot about what I learned over the years. But I did get a lot of time with many types of snakes. I really do not like Ball's because of all the issues I saw ppl having with them, but then again I know ppl who LOVE them and do well.

I still recommend either for a first snake since they are easier to keep.

I mean picky as in sometimes they do not eat.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

when you get some time you should try to post some pictures!
thanks for the info!


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> I should say many are not good at killing  I have seen corns even eat them alive and backward,, anyway they can to get them into the their mouths! lol


lol WOW I am glad my snake is a more efficient kill. Or I would feel really bad for the mice! She moves in really sneeky like... strikes and then wraps them up in the blink of an eye. It happens so fast I scream from being started nearly every time! lol I have a vid on my phone.. but theres no way I can get it on the pc.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

Nizmo357 said:


> picky eaters as in they are picky about what they eat, or where they eat, or when they eat? or a combination of the 2-3?
> im trying to find some good info reads but i just get a whole bunch of forum crap. do you have any lisa?
> or anyone else?
> 
> ...


Go to a breeder! I hear that petsmart/petco's tend to be sickly. And I worked at a Petsmart... we had a few young snakes in the back. They were sick from not eating. But what they were feeding them were previously frozen pinkies.. thawed in hot water and then they were holding the pinkies with tongs down in the cage trying to move it around to get the snake to strike and eat... I told them if they just fed live the snakes would most likely do ok. But its against their policy to sell live prey.. Those snakes didn't want dead pinkies.. lol


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

i think i would hold out to get a young guy that was on a frozen diet. i've heard many good things about feeding frozen, and too many horror stories feeding live.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

Hmm really? I've never known any reptile that didn't want live prey.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

horror stories as in the live prey chews on the snake. lol.
or the mice bite and then the snake will never eat a mouse again.
and i've also heard that once its on a live diet thats its very difficult to go to frozen.
no doubt that they would love live prey, but i dont think i'd want my snake being beat up on by a mouse. for health purposes and my ego. lol


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

When you hear of mice or rats bitting or eating snakes it is because the owners left the rat in the cage to chew on the snake! You never leave a live prey animal in the cage for a long period of time. I have feed both and mostly young snakes will eat live then later one you can get them on frozen, some snakes will not ever eat frozen it just depends.

a couple tips for you
Use light timers they make it easy
Use another tank or plastic bucket (like a rubber made tub) to feed in. That way your snake will not be looking from prey every time you stick your fingers in the cage.
Make sure you have proper heat and humidity for your snake or you will have issues with them shedding and eating.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Woo Hoo Reptile owners. I love breardies their my fave. We have three bearded dragons at the moment but were expecting a clutch soon. I cant wait the babies are so cute when they first hatch. Here's a few pics of my Dragons

Here's my girl Burgundy


















My sweet Brick









And Black Beard's Delight


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

those are some awesome pics. very colorful!


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Most snake enthusiasts will tell you that frozen is the way to go. It only takes 1 second for a mouse to mutilate a snake and the snake loses an eye. An aggressive eater usually wont have a problem, like a corn snake or rat snake and even boas and some pythons, but you always take the chance. If you go to an expo, you can speak with the breeder and get one that is already on frozen/thaw because it can be difficult to switch them. I would never feed a ball python live because they tend to be picky and timid eaters. My boa also is a great eater, but will only eat in pitch dark. I would never put her in her feeding container with a live animal because I cant supervise.

As far as BPs being picky eaters sometimes they go off feed for no reason, and you may have to force feed them (unpleasant) or they will choose to starve to death. There is often no warning and nothing you could have done to prevent it. The best you can do is buy from a breeder so you know some of the snake's history and genetics. BPs make terrific pets because they will just chill with you, corn snakes and rat snakes will be more active, and more likely to nip, but have very small teeth. Even if you handle these guys often, they will still be active, they wont just chill on you while you watch tv and stuff like a BP or boa will, they will constantly be trying to explore and hide. These snakes also need a more secure cage as they are escape artists, when I worked at a pet store years ago we lost baby corns, kings, and cali kings all the time because they were so tiny they could get out easily.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Yea the clutch will be very colorful also, Burgundy is a blood red x green fire so she has some yellow, red, green, and brownish colored babies. I'm so excited about the next clutch. It's Burgundy x Brick they should be very colorful. I'll post up some pics when they get here.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

This is my RTB Princess Peach last year:


















Photos from the Reptile Expo last year


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

OMG those little baby snakes are sooo cute, great pics.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

Beautiful beardies Krystal.. I really want one! I really like black beard!

My corn is an enthusiastic eater, the poor mice don't stand a chance. We drop them in and they are dead within like a minute. But I don't have any experience with any other snakes but my own. So that was some good info floor candy.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Shes Got Heart said:


> Beautiful beardies Krystal.. I really want one! I really like black beard!
> 
> My corn is an enthusiastic eater, the poor mice don't stand a chance. We drop them in and they are dead within like a minute. But I don't have any experience with any other snakes but my own. So that was some good info floor candy.


The Dragons get crazy too they love little mice. Do you have any pics of your snake? I'd love to get a snake but my boyfriend hates them


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Good post floorcandy!
My snakes now will not eat frozen so I am on live food but my old RTB that was 10' she would eat anything dead or alive. She would eat everything from rabbits to chickens, and I agree if you can wait for an expo and get one that is eating frozen then you are good to go!


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

FloorCandy said:


> Most snake enthusiasts will tell you that frozen is the way to go. It only takes 1 second for a mouse to mutilate a snake and the snake loses an eye. An aggressive eater usually wont have a problem, like a corn snake or rat snake and even boas and some pythons, but you always take the chance. If you go to an expo, you can speak with the breeder and get one that is already on frozen/thaw because it can be difficult to switch them. I would never feed a ball python live because they tend to be picky and timid eaters. My boa also is a great eater, but will only eat in pitch dark. I would never put her in her feeding container with a live animal because I cant supervise.
> 
> As far as BPs being picky eaters sometimes they go off feed for no reason, and you may have to force feed them (unpleasant) or they will choose to starve to death. There is often no warning and nothing you could have done to prevent it. The best you can do is buy from a breeder so you know some of the snake's history and genetics. BPs make terrific pets because they will just chill with you, corn snakes and rat snakes will be more active, and more likely to nip, but have very small teeth. Even if you handle these guys often, they will still be active, they wont just chill on you while you watch tv and stuff like a BP or boa will, they will constantly be trying to explore and hide. These snakes also need a more secure cage as they are escape artists, when I worked at a pet store years ago we lost baby corns, kings, and cali kings all the time because they were so tiny they could get out easily.


great post i really got a lot out of it! thank you



kg420 said:


> Yea the clutch will be very colorful also, Burgundy is a blood red x green fire so she has some yellow, red, green, and brownish colored babies. I'm so excited about the next clutch. It's Burgundy x Brick they should be very colorful. I'll post up some pics when they get here.


 makes me want one of those!
but it seems like they require a lot more than a BP.



performanceknls said:


> Good post floorcandy!
> My snakes now will not eat frozen so I am on live food but my old RTB that was 10' she would eat anything dead or alive. She would eat everything from rabbits to chickens, and I agree if you can wait for an expo and get one that is eating frozen then you are good to go!


yeah im going to look up the next expo. im not looking to get one right this second so i may wait unless i just missed one lol.

are there any other beginner pythons that get around the size of the BP?


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

awesome, the expo was just on jan. 23rd lol
theres one in march about 3 hours away. but i'd spend a lot of the money i'd want to spend on snake just on gas getting up there lol.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

KG you should send me out a baby dragon sometime! I've wanted one for a few years now. But I want to get one that is already pretty good sized, the baby ones are so teeny tiny.

This is my corn Magenta, I got her full grown from a very nice lady so I can't take credit for her docile temperament ... lol I would have more pics.. but its hard to get good pics of her with the camera phone.










I'm very happy with her.. shes a very simple pet. I don't take her out a whole lot, but we enjoy sitting and watching her when shes out and active. We saw her shedding the other night. That was pretty cool to catch.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Awesome snake I can totally send you a baby if you want one. We usually breed them for the pet store but Ive given them away to friends too. What color are you wanting we will probly have a mixed clutch.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

kg420 what kind of set up do you have your dragons?
i was looking at some info. sites and i've read 55gal is quite ok for 2 full grown beards


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## ppits (Sep 10, 2009)

reading about all this makes me want to get back into reptiles. when i was younger in H.S. i would help part time at a pet store (this covered buying animals and feed). i owned 3 green iguanas, 1 spiny tailed iguana, 5 clown ball pythons(captive), 2 ball pythons(wild), 1 albino burmese, 1 red tail boa, 3 leopard geckos, 3 bearded dragons, 1 sandfire bearded dragon, 1 savannah monitor, 1 dumeril monitor (colorful as baby ugly when older), 1 nile monitor, 1 asian water monitor, 1 freckled monitor (think this is name like blue/green color with white spots very sneaky). owned most of these at same time. my bedroom was like a miniature pet store, when one of the snakes got out my mom said get rid of them or do something, so i built a lil building with shelves and it was climate controlled, started breeding my own mice, and tried with crickets but was not very successful. it was blast but my wife wont let me get anything. i wish they would of had all these different bp's they got now, buddy of mine has some killer bee bp's, and some others dont remember names but very colorful and beautiful.

just remembered it was called a mangrove monitor not a freckled monitor


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## Lex's Guardian (Aug 8, 2009)

Shes Got Heart said:


> KG you should send me out a baby dragon sometime! I've wanted one for a few years now. But I want to get one that is already pretty good sized, the baby ones are so teeny tiny.
> 
> This is my corn Magenta, I got her full grown from a very nice lady so I can't take credit for her docile temperament ... lol I would have more pics.. but its hard to get good pics of her with the camera phone.
> 
> ...


Nice corn snake you have there... I've thought about getting a snake but don't want to add to the python epidemic in the everglades...

Corn snakes don't grow too big though do they? I saw this faded looking one I wanted at a fish/reptile store we go to & have seriously contemplated.


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

i used to have 2 iguanas, but i kept them at my girlfriends house.. they got out and her dogs killed them.. 

this was over 10 yrs ago though


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## PeanutsMommy (Sep 21, 2008)

performanceknls said:


> It depends on what you want in a snake. Ball's can be picky eaters, like it was stated above, and stay kind of small. They are constrictors so they are impressive when they eat. Corn snakes are cool too but they are colubrids and they are sloppy eaters and not as efficient in kill prey.
> 
> Both are great my suggestions is to start going to pet stores and holding them both. If you get a Ball Python make sure you get captive bred not wild caught.


captive bred is definately the way to go! you can tame them alot eaiser and they are much more predictable. Daktyl our Sav that i am rehoming was not captive bred he was imported as an egg. Anyway he was well behaved as a hatchling and up until a year old then he started being a little grumpy when we got Peanut he decided to start snapping at me....so that is when it became time to look for a new home with a dog free house.

something you should look into is a reptile forum like http://www.kingsnake.com/
lots of info there and maybe you can pinpoint what you want and get all the details about that specific species so you know what you are getting into before getting it and maybe find a reputable breeder or direction to one.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

kg420 said:


> Awesome snake I can totally send you a baby if you want one. We usually breed them for the pet store but Ive given them away to friends too. What color are you wanting we will probly have a mixed clutch.


That would be awesome. I'm not sure what all the color names are.. but I think the one I like is called sunburst.. with lots of oranges and reds.


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## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

Lex's Guardian said:


> Nice corn snake you have there... I've thought about getting a snake but don't want to add to the python epidemic in the everglades...
> 
> Corn snakes don't grow too big though do they? I saw this faded looking one I wanted at a fish/reptile store we go to & have seriously contemplated.


Thank you.. she is around 4 foot long.. I think that is about as big as they get. And they don't get very big around.


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## roe1880 (Nov 8, 2008)

hey everyone hit up my buddy BX Pits... he breeds snakes & has been dealing in reptiles since he was 13 years old...


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## Lex's Guardian (Aug 8, 2009)

Shes Got Heart said:


> Thank you.. she is around 4 foot long.. I think that is about as big as they get. And they don't get very big around.


Sweet!

I started doing a little research but there may be another priority before hand 

We'll see though.

What do you have to feed the corn snake? I know you can feed them frozen mice but is 4 ft too big for that? I don't think I could feed a living animal to another >.<


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