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1st snake coming soon! I hope...

Zimmer

Zimmer

New member
As stated.... I'm getting my first corn snake soon!!!! I'm going to go to a reptile expo on Oct. 17 and plan to bring something home! If there isn't a great selection I will order online probably, I have yet to find anything very local to me and I REALLY want to hand pick the snake because attitude is probably more important than color for this very first snake experience.

My question is: what do I look for as I'm checking out all these people and their livestock? It's easy when you're talking breeder vs. petstore vs. Petco as far as health and price... But these will all be breeders/"reptile people" etc, so is it safe to assume a certain level of health among vendors? What types of questions should I ask, and what should I watch out for?

Even if we don't come home with anything, this is going to be a big learning mission and a great experience for my daughter. But man, I want to bring home a snake, so if anyone has any pointers about how to not buy the first pretty creature I come across, and actually end up with an enjoyable, quality animal that is healthy, I would appreciate it!!
 
How exciting!!

I would definitely ask how many meals the snake has had, and if they have refused any of their feedings.
Ask what size they are currently eating, and how often they are eating, and then make sure you get some mice from the expo (cheapest place to get them in my opinion) It may benefit for you to grab a bag of the next size up, too, from whatever they are currently eating. The breeder can advise you of the sizes they are being fed at the time.
Ask if the snake is eating frozen/thawed or if they feed live- and you will have to decide if you want to feed live, or go the easier route and do frozen, depending on what the baby is used to already.

Age is important if you are looking for a calmer snake- Babies under a year are very flighty and like to move A LOT, but that is also the time when you get to see their colors change so much and it's such a wonderful experience. I got both of mine young and I don't regret my decision.
Yearlings are a little calmer and larger, and of course there is full grown, too, which are usually pretty chill from what I've heard.
I would look for any kinks or deformities in the back, any type of injuries like cuts or missing scales, check the end of the tail and make sure it looks healthy. Check the eyes to make sure they are clear, check to make sure no discharge from the nose.

Normally the people at expos are breeders and/or experts, but if you're feeling unsure or uneasy about a snake or the person selling it, trust your instinct and move on. Reptile expos are a ton of fun and depending on how big it is, you'll be running around like a little kid.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy it!
 
I am fairly certain that I'm going to be looking for a "yearling" -ish sized snake. I feel like getting one that might be a bit more mellow for the first time around is what I'm looking for. Also, I only know the most basic of basics about morphs and I think getting one that's a bit older will give me a better idea of the end result coloring. I want to balance the line between big enough to be more calm, and small enough to not be intimidating if he gets grouchy.....
 
Congratulatons! It was very fun to read this. I remember that feeling of going to the first reptile show and being amazed by all the different colors and species. I am happy that you and your daughter will be creating that experience. Have fun!
 
Yes, I have actually been watching videos of people's trips to various reptile expo's around the country and some of the things there are AMAZING!!!!! So many different types, sizes, ages, colors (and the people as well! LOL) now I am even more certain I need to get snakey from this upcoming show :D my daughter is going to be mind boggled, but in a good way. She's little, only 3, but so smart. She knows that snakes are reptiles, and that they lay eggs, and that they are sooo soft (she says) ;) she catches me garter snakes all summer and begs to keep them LOL :laugh:

ANYWAY. So it seemed like a lot of those creatures at those shows were off heat. Is it really warm in there? If they are cool, aren't they a bit sleepy/slow? How do we accurately judge the condition and temperament of a creature in a cold deli cup under bright lights?
 
It can be fairly warm in there with all of the lights, and people. Vendors usually don't feed the animals for a few days to a week before the expo, so they do not have any food to digest. The animals do fine without supplemental heat for the day or two.

It is very exciting, isn't it?
Good choice on going with a yearling-ish aged snake for your first snake.
Be sure to post lots of pics when you do get him/her!
 
OK good to know, thanks Mystic - trust me as soon as we have a snake to photograph you guys will be seeing plenty of pictures!!!! This will be the longest 2 and a half weeks ever!
 
Zimmer said:
OK good to know, thanks Mystic - trust me as soon as we have a snake to photograph you guys will be seeing plenty of pictures!!!! This will be the longest 2 and a half weeks ever!
Click to expand...

It will seem to take for-EVER to get here, but before you know it, you will be browsing vendors tables and picking one (or two?) out. LOL

I just noticed you're in my home state!

I'm north of you (north of Seattle).
 
Yes!! I noticed that also! I was actually tossing around the idea of contacting you to see if you had any snakes for sale, until I heard about the expo! Will you be going? It will be like when I went to Disneyland 25 years ago.... LOL
 
Q's: Age of snake. How it's eating. When did it last shed. When did it last eat. What is it currently feeding on.

Other thoughts (my personal opinions): There are a lot of color variations and patterns now associated with corn snakes. But I still personally prefer the ones that look "Natural" or at least close to it. I used to catch Corn Snakes as a kid. Many of them. And every one of them was Orange. I still prefer that today. A white corn snake with pink eyes just doesn't look right to me. (Sorry, nothing personal, but they generally do not look that way.)

Things you can observe yourself: The snake should be fairly active. There should be a lot of "Tongue Flicking." The snake should not look or feel Skinny. You should not be able to see it's bones, it should be filled out and strong. Corn snakes are constrictors. Like all Constrictors they will "Hold on to you." If you happen to handle a snake that just lays there, doesn't move much, doesn't flick its tongue, and doesn't wrap its tail around you, then I personally would steer clear of that animal.
 
Thank you for the tips everyone that's exactly what I was looking for. When I imagine our snake, he is either a locality like a Miami or Okeetee, or some variation of a stripe. Also I really love the look of the Amelanistic/Reverse (?) Okeetee as well.
 
It actually can be a little difficult to get a good read on a snake at an expo, even or especially some of my very feisty snakes will go either very docile or near catatonic with all the overwhelming factors at a show and on the other hand, some of the normally very nice ones will freak out and be extra flighty.

Try to find a vendor that is willing to talk to you and has an idea on which of their animals would be a good fit. Most but not all, vendors are in it for the love of the reptiles, remember their own firsts and will want your first experience to be a good one too. If the vendor is just wanting to sell you something, anything and is acting like that is their primary goal, consider moving on.

Everyone has covered pretty much everything else I can think of. Good luck at the show! They are a blast!
 
Tavia said:
It actually can be a little difficult to get a good read on a snake at an expo, even or especially some of my very feisty snakes will go either very docile or near catatonic with all the overwhelming factors at a show and on the other hand, some of the normally very nice ones will freak out and be extra flighty.
Click to expand...

I noticed this when handling some Texas rats at a show that were incredibly calm and docile. I'm used to them wanting to bite my face off! But maybe I've just had bad experiences with them otherwise. :laugh: :shrugs:
 
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