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How on earth do you slow yourself down?

Corny Noob

Corny Noob

Proud Momma
Of course when it comes to which slithery friend you want next, this is a snake forum afterall :grin01:

I mean jesus I just want so much now that I've start. Clearly more corns. But I also want: A ball python, rosy boa, milksnake, and kingsnake.

Sure some of you are big grown up people with more than 50 snakes so you can just buy whatever you want :sobstory:

But damn, how on earth do you choose what to get next?!
 
Actually it helps if you only have limited space for snakes. It makes you slow down in a way because when the space has gone, it's gone.

A while ago I was in complete indecision about what snake I wanted to buy next. What I really wanted was a BRB, but I didn't think I had the space for one. I decided to buy a couple of smaller snakes instead. But then I thought about it, and if a BRB was what I wanted more than anything, it was worth a little extra money and hassle rather than settling for something which is still good but not really what I wanted and which I may come to regret buying a bit further down the line.

I found room for the BRB vivarium btw, and I'm now on a hunt for the snake itself. ;)
 
I know what you mean - its so hard to stop once you start! The first snake I had was a "hand-me-down" as I liked to call him - a friend got it from a friend who got it from a friend ... so on and so forth. Of course they were all college kids who were charmed with him for a while but then didn't want him anymore - which was a shame because he was an awesome snake (a rat snake). I had him until he passed away sadly - and I was sure I wasn't going to get another. But now I have my own place again, and the space... and here I am waiting for the male I bought to arrive! :)
And I almost bought a boa at a pet store the other day, thank goodness a friend was with me and talked me out of it! I have a huge list of what I want... and I'm fairly sure that in the future when I own my own home I will be a breeder, but I just have to restrain myself until then!
 
Plissken said:
Actually it helps if you only have limited space for snakes. It makes you slow down in a way because when the space has gone, it's gone.
Click to expand...

My problem isn't limited space. It's limited funds. :rolleyes:
 
at first it was limited funds, but now that I work it's limited space. If I could, I'd get a smaller bed. I have a queen and it's uselessly huge.
 
Shade said:
at first it was limited funds, but now that I work it's limited space. If I could, I'd get a smaller bed. I have a queen and it's uselessly huge.
Click to expand...

Get a futon. OOOOOOOHH...or one of those loft beds. The bed would be 6ft up in the air and you could set up the underneath part with racks and vivs!!! :cool:

I'd rather lack room than money. You can always rearrange and build, but you can't pull dollar bills out of thin air.

The last two reptile shows have coincided with the due date for my mortgage payment. That's a fun dilemma...mortgage or snakes...mortgage or snakes...hmmmm.... :shrugs:
 
Plissken said:
Actually it helps if you only have limited space for snakes. It makes you slow down in a way because when the space has gone, it's gone.
Click to expand...

Then you just buy a bigger house... :crazy02:

I have my hubby convinced to build me my bigger house. ;) I'll have plenty of room with the larger house!
 
Another huge limiter is time. I used to say to myself: "two are almost as easy to take care of as one." Then it turned into: "ten are almost as easy as six." And while sixty-eight aren't much more work than sixty-five, they're a lot more work than one. Don't fall into that trap. And when my ~130 in the incubator hatch, it's not going to be all fun and games. I get attached to my established snakes, and I hate having to let any go, but there's a collection reduction event looming on my horizon. :(
 
Oh Dean, I am right there with you 100%. That answer was so suiting I could have given it!

I am busting my a$$ taking care of my 50 adults and 30 hatchlings with 30 more hatchlings to come out soon. I just realized on my lunch break that one of my hatchlings is missing. It somehow got out of its rack drawer...Now do I take the time to look all over the snake area for one little hatchling when there is so much other stuff to be done??? Of course I will, because that is the right thing to do. But I certainly am resentful of having to do it!

I love my animals. I wouldnt do all this and have them If I didnt . Matter of fact , today I went out and bought a 75 gallon tank and stand to put my super large ratsnake in so he is more comfortable...but wheeww..it sure does take up alot of my time.
 
Roy Munson said:
Another huge limiter is time. I used to say to myself: "two are almost as easy to take care of as one." Then it turned into: "ten are almost as easy as six."
Click to expand...

I think I'm at a time/number cusp. If they would all just EAT it would be so much easier. Choco eats fine. Jake is being weird. I could swear he's eaten FT just fine. Is it because they aren't white? But he's eaten colored mice. Is it just this batch? Oh, but if I tease him, he's fine. Zee has skipped three feedings. I think he hates the switch from peach fuzzies to hoppers. Same with Inez, who used to be the psycho feeder! Addy, force feed. At least that's fast and easy. Lila, she's ok. Maizey- feeds ok now, but will she regurge or won't she?? I spend three days stressing about that, then in two more it's time to feed her again! Even though it's only two days a week- I'd be a lot happier if it was a simple as thaw a mouse, feed a snake.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
I think I'm at a time/number cusp. If they would all just EAT it would be so much easier. Choco eats fine. Jake is being weird. I could swear he's eaten FT just fine. Is it because they aren't white? But he's eaten colored mice. Is it just this batch? Oh, but if I tease him, he's fine. Zee has skipped three feedings. I think he hates the switch from peach fuzzies to hoppers. Same with Inez, who used to be the psycho feeder! Addy, force feed. At least that's fast and easy. Lila, she's ok. Maizey- feeds ok now, but will she regurge or won't she?? I spend three days stressing about that, then in two more it's time to feed her again! Even though it's only two days a week- I'd be a lot happier if it was a simple as thaw a mouse, feed a snake.
Click to expand...

Yep, and the more snakes you have, the more of these feeding idiosyncracies you have to deal with. And the whole breeding thing comes with its own set of wrenches to be thrown into your works. There are the ones that you just know to feed in the dark. There are the ones that were bumped to hoppers and ate them twice, but have refused the last two, so you offer fuzzies and they eat them. There are the ones that will wait for hours in the feeding tub before eating their cold mouse. There are the mature males that eat after a three month breeding season fast, then refuse the next two mice. There are the females that should be bulking up after laying, but they are refusing...

The list goes on and on. :awcrap:
 
Roy Munson said:
Yep, and the more snakes you have, the more of these feeding idiosyncracies you have to deal with. And the whole breeding thing comes with its own set of wrenches to be thrown into your works.
Click to expand...

These two facts are what really help me limit my choices. I want a lot of different kind of snakes, but I want them to have similar feeding habits. For example, it is very easy for me to resist the temptation to buy a green snake because I don't want to deal with crickets. I have two hatchling ball pythons, which I know are notorious for feeding problems, but that's why I chose hatchlings over an older snake (the big ball dumped off at a Petco doesn't count).

I don't think I will be tempted to get too deep into snake breeding because I'm so busy with my birds and I fully understand the responsibilities and constraints of breeding. I also understand that breeding creates exponential growth, which is completely different from adding one animal at a time. It sounds really obvious, but a lot of people forget that. :rolleyes: Going from two animals to 24 animals in a matter of hours is VERY different from acquiring those 22 additional animals over a two-year period.
 
texastailfeathers said:
It sounds really obvious, but a lot of people forget that. :rolleyes: Going from two animals to 24 animals in a matter of hours is VERY different from acquiring those 22 additional animals over a two-year period.
Click to expand...
How right you are! :D
 
I have had various kinds of snakes over the years. Balls, rosy boas, grey band kings, desert kings, cal kings....If I really wanted something, I got it. I never really wanted anything hot, or hard to keep, or something that attained a huge size. Within the last few years I have come to the conclusion that to me, the cornsnake is the perfect snake. They are easy to keep, their size is big enough without being monsterous, their colors and variety outdo anything in the reptile kingdom, and they are American. I can't ask for more!

I currently have 16 with plans to get 1 or 2 this year. But even if I stopped there, there are all the keepers I will be holding onto and possible trades and such to make. I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it :)
 
Well, it used to be size constraints but I always seemed to find just one more nitch for the darn snakes. Then I moved and now have an honest to God snake room. Now it's money and space constraints again. It always seems that a snake will come up that is too good to pass up. I have a few others on my list and if the opportunity arises, I'll get them. There really is no stopping...although I do have a limit to what kinds I want.
 
Limited space helps us consider new snakes carefully - but when push comes to shove we always managed to find the space. Of course, we sold off around 15 of our older snakes this year to make room for younger ones because it's easier to find space for 15 new shoebox tubs then it is for 15 adult sized tubs. lol...

Money is another limiter, but we work around that by setting aside snake money for shows or for hatchlings we plan to purchase. Of course, spur of the moment buys do occur, but more rarely now that we've obtained a large established colony.

When the hatchlings come this year though, we'll be well over 100 with our planned purchases still to come. It doesn't bare thinking about - especially considering that I do the majority of feeding, cleaning, and handling when it comes to the entire collection. Tim helps when he can, but he's working longer hours now with lots of overtime on the weekends that makes it hard for him to help like he used to.

And yet... we still want more... OH yes... lots more...

Jenn (Yes... we are addicted and we LOVE it!)
 
MegF. said:
Um Jenn....you do know those 15 babies grow up don't you????
Click to expand...
No! No! Please say it isn't so!

*snickers* Of course I know that... but by then we can make more room... or get a real house...


Jenn
 
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