MY snake! ( I think. ) ( long)

[Pal-O-Mine]

Okay, I've been busting to tell you guys but I think I found MY snake! I was running errands in Red Lion, ( the nearest big town to me ) and happened to notice a new pet store. I decided to go in and see if they had any reptile supplies and price their stuff. ( I've been shopping around for who has the best prices on things. With my teeny weeny paychecks, I have to do that! ) Surprise, surprise! They have a HUGE reptile section in the back! Lots of snakes and amphibians, beautiful set-ups etc. I was about to leave because I didn't see any corn snakes when a young salesman with dreadlocks asked if I was interested in a snake. I told him yes but you don't have any corn snakes. He informed me that oh yes they did! They had them in the back and that he was only allowed to show them to people if they were seriously interested in buying. I told that yes I was interested and I was collecting stuff for my eventual first snake. He was not allowed to bring them out, I had to go in the back with him. So I followed him into the back room where they had more vivs set up and the store's pet tortoise "Tripper". ( named for obvious reasons! He finds the best way to get people's attention is to get between their legs! ) The room was very neat and clean. There was a shelf viv. set-up and within the space of a minute or two this salesman hand both of my hands draped in baby corn snakes of different hues. A red Okeetee was a bit too startled and had coiled up and was dry firing at us! I decided NOT to choose that one! Another one I was holding was a little upset and rattled its tail at me but no more. And then the sales guy said that they had a baby who was a really unusual color, an orange, he said and started rooting around looking for it. Orange eh? I'm not really fond of orange. It reminds me of deer hunter orange. ( Nothing against deer hunters there. Venison is yummy! ) Then he picked out this BEAUTIFUL creamsicle baby and placed it in my hand. WOW! What a looker! It sat there very calm and quiet, slowly checking out its surroundings. It did not seem lethargic. Just methodical in manner. Then it looked at me and my heart was lost! I didn't buy him because I had no money at the time. ( the safest time to shop! ) But I immediately began thinking of names on the way home.

That weekend my friend Kennedy came to visit. She also loves snakes and has been shopping for one. I took her up to this store to show her the little one I had lost my heart to. ( She was SUPPOSED to talk me outta buying this guy/girl(?)! ) She ends up falling in love with a blk & white banded Kingsnake and after 2 hours considering her decision, goes back and buys him! Well she's had "Seraf" for nearly a week now and is tickled to death with her new baby! He's very docile, adjusted to his new digs as if he knew he belonged there and is a voracious eater of thawed pinks. She wants me to get my snake ASAP so we can have snake "play days"! Crazy hunh?

Right now my only barrier is that I cannot buy my new snake until I get paid. I WAS getting paychecks every week. Now they switched to 2 weeks again. ( I gotta get another job! ) That means I won't get my fat paycheck until Christmas Eve! I usually avoid the stores like the plague on that day! UGH!

So here's your chance guys to talk some sense into my head! The store's owner apparently takes great pride in his herps. They all look healthy and well fed. My friend Kennedy's king snake came from a reptile show and the corn snake I'm interested in came from a private breeder in New York state who is a school teacher by trade and breeds corn snakes as a hobby. Does that sound familiar to anyone here? If you see me about to make a major mistake here, PLEASE STOP ME NOW!

Devon

 

[caz223]

If you're looking for one of us to try and talk you out of buying a snake, then you're kinda in the wrong place.
You have it's home all set up already right?
That right there should keep you busy for a week.
I just was at petco and they had a severely dehydrated corn sitting there motionless scared to death with crickets in his cage for food.
I bet I saw him on his last day alive, it was horrible.
So when you say they had corns in the back room and they looked healthy, then all that's left is to figure out how many, and where to keep them....

 

[Nanci]

Be careful having a snake play day with a kingsnake! (You know what they really eat, right??) And you know a creamsicle is not pure cornsnake? Just making sure! Still a lovely snake, you just couldn't ethically breed it and sell the babies as cornsnakes. Because some day, you're going to want to have babies!

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Not actually planning on letting the two LOOSE together! I HAVE been lurking long enough to pick up a few things from you guys! No co-habbing. No letting pet snake play with the dog or the cat. No feeding live prey. I know king snakes EAT other snakes. I was speaking figurtively. The only snakes that should co-hab are stuffed and soft and furry! ( That was VERY CUTE! )

Also, no bringing home the snake until I have a heater. Period! I'm planning on getting that before next weekend.

Kennedy and I went to Petsmart right after to pick up K-9 supplies and I just had to check THEIR snakes. It gave me the shivers! Their snakes were labeled as "Fancy Corn Snakes". Does that tell you how much they knew about the animals they were housing?

Devon

 

[KJUN]

Well, if it is a creamsicle you are looking at, I'll try to talk you out of getting THAT one. get a cornsnake instead - not a hybrid. There. That help? LOL.

 

[Weebonilass]

Well, if it is a creamsicle you are looking at, I'll try to talk you out of getting THAT one. get a cornsnake instead - not a hybrid. There. That help? LOL.

I doubt it And you don't necessarily HAVE to breed your first one. At the rate, I'm going Kieran will never have a girlfriend and that's not a big deal. He was bought as a pet and if he remains simply a pet, so be it I have bought others with the intent to breed... just haven't found them the right mates yet either.

 

[Tracee]

I doubt it And you don't necessarily HAVE to breed your first one. At the rate, I'm going Kieran will never have a girlfriend and that's not a big deal. He was bought as a pet and if he remains simply a pet, so be it I have bought others with the intent to breed... just haven't found them the right mates yet either.

Same here, my creamsicle - hybrid! dirty unpure hybrid!! ahem - was only ever intended as a pet, not to be bred, so I say if you really have fallen in love with this little one, it's meant to be Even if you did go ahead and breed sometime in the future, as long as you labelled the offspring correctly and didn't try to conceal their origins, no purist could criticise you.

Most people will confirm that corns (and hybrids, before someone pulls me up on that) are addictive, so be warned that this one might turn into 12! I've managed to stick to just one so it is possible to restrain, depending on how broke you are! Obviously, if I could afford it, I'd have an entire house devoted to my snakes

I've just got to say as well, it's so great to hear from someone with a real passion for snakes, like you have, doing all the research first and talking to people who know their stuff, before bringing the snake home. It drives me crazy when someone complains their hatchling won't eat, and they aren't even attempting to measure temperature, etc. So Kudos to you and Kennedy, you're going to be a great parent

 

[RobbiesCornField]

I have 2 creamsicles! One is calm and sweet, and the other one is a demon. They're brothers that I hatched out last year. You'll love the creamy if you get it. Especially if you're a fan of orange/bright colored snakes!

 

[RobbiesCornField]

Oh, and as far as the addiction factor goes, yeah. They're addictive. Heck, my snakes have their own bedroom!

 

[Bharmonika]

Let's Have a Serious Talk

Okay as a creamsicle owner I am going to attempt to talk some sense into you. You absolutely should not get this snake. I mean it probably will be the most undemanding pet that you will ever own. It only asks to be fed every 5 to 7 days, to be held whenever you feel like it. It never barks,whines, or has "accidents" on your carpet. They feel like velvet to the touch and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It's a horrible addiction. Once you get one all you think about is what color your next one's going to be. Then, the worst, you start to dream of little adorable snake babies. How am I doing so far? LOL!

 

[RobbiesCornField]

Okay as a creamsicle owner I am going to attempt to talk some sense into you. You absolutely should not get this snake. I mean it probably will be the most undemanding pet that you will ever own. It only asks to be fed every 5 to 7 days, to be held whenever you feel like it. It never barks,whines, or has "accidents" on your carpet. They feel like velvet to the touch and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It's a horrible addiction. Once you get one all you think about is what color your next one's going to be. Then, the worst, you start to dream of little adorable snake babies. How am I doing so far? LOL!

Well, you're a tad bit off on the accidents. I've had many a snake poo on my carpet, pants, jacket, shirt, neck, etc. Other than that, you're pretty much spot on! (Gotta love reverse psychology)

 

[sarcare]

true, robbie, I had a snake have a little "accident" all over my sweater--though I think it might have been on purpose--little poopy pants!

 

[Bharmonika]

Seriously! I haven't had that happen yet. My dogs, well...

 

[Bharmonika]

oh yeah, I do remember getting pooped and peed on by the turtles that I used to have all the time.

 

[xerxes]

if you get your first i can almost promise there will be a second within a year. (or three if your like me)

 

[starsevol]

I think whatever snake you get will have a wonderful home, you obviously have done your research. I think that is AWESOME, and I wish every new pet owner was like you!

Personally though, I would prefer to get a snake I'd never seen before from a GREAT breeder, over getting one from a pet shop, no matter how great the petshop is.
That way, you know it's properly sexed, and has no hidden problems.

I have bought quite a few snakes from breeders sight unseen, and have been thrilled with all of them (just make sure they are a reputible breeder).

 

[KJUN]

Personally though, I would prefer to get a snake I'd never seen before from a GREAT breeder, over getting one from a pet shop, no matter how great the petshop is. That way, you know it's properly sexed, and has no hidden problems.

Well said....and too bad I can't rep you again so soon.

Remeber that unless the pet store breed themselves, 90+% of what they get are the snakes that were left over after breeders DID sell the best that they could to retail buyers themselves OR come from LARGE breeders to produce snakes JUST for pet stores. Those large breeders select almost solely on productivity and not quality. In other words, you may get a good snake from a pet store, but you will almost definitely get a great snake from someone like Serpenco, South Mountain Reptiles, etc.

Whatever you decide, remember that this snake could easily live 12-15 years. If you aren't POSITIVE that you want a snake right now - and for the next decade-plus - don't take the responsible for that animal yet.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Hey guys! As far as the BREEDING factor goes, if I'm getting a hatchling, don't I have plenty of time to consider the pros and cons? I'm not a supporter of making snap decisions, especially when it comes to animals! IF I'm going to be a breeder I have a lot to learn! And right now, in the beginning, I will admit that yes, breeding sounds really neat. BUT I recognize this for what it REALLY is : a masking my own frustration of having a beautiful, blonde, Haflinger stallion with an amazing disposition that has been proven to routinely pass this on to his foals and getting little to no breeding business for this wonderful individual. I believe there should be more horses in the world with his disposition. Instead, I've learned by working as a stable groom that the expensive studs that everyone wants babies from; well, many of them ( many NOT ALL! ) are psycho! There is this belief in the horse biz that the difficult studs make the best competition horses. That and the horse biz has been plummeting in America right now. You can't GIVE a good, well-bred horse away right now. People are really starting to re-think they're breeding plans, especially the hobby breeders and THEY SHOULD!

Okay, getting off my horse breeding soap-box. What I'm trying to say is that right now I have absolutely NO BUSINESS breeding snakes! I need to prove to myself that I will be a good, responsible snake mommy. This snake will be a PET FIRST! When I successfully tackle that job, then we'll see about the rest.

( But just between the lot of you and me, I HAVE been considering getting a second snake to play with while the first is digesting. Sand boas have kinda caught my eye. But I need to do a lot more research there too. IF that happens, its a few months away.)

Devon