Inquire unto the l'Cie.

[Nix]

Cool. I'm hoping to head up to Petsmart tomorrow. Not to buy a snake, because if at all possible I'm NOT getting one from there. But to see if I can hold one and chat it up with the keepers. Maybe see if they can provide proof that the snake was captive bred. Our Petsmart is pretty good as far as stuff goes.

I kind of hope that I get someone who is afraid of snakes...is that wrong of me?

Ah, yeah... Petsmart is, honestly, 50 times better than Petco. Their animals are usually healthy looking, and at least they tell you if it's CB or WC. I'd still go through a breeder, if you can find one. But... yeah. Breeder > order it online > Petsmart > everything else > Petco.

Aaaaand. That's not wrong of you. Everyone I've ever talked to in Petsmart/Petco is afraid of snakes... I ask to hold it, and they're like... *gulp*thisisbad*gulp*. And they freak out when I, in one pretty effortless motion, reach into a tank and grab the nearest snake.

It's hilarious.

[Chozon1]

Hmm...they had no snakes. -_- Sold out. Or under the substrate. I didn't think of that until after I left. XD They had a nice buy on a 20 gal. tank though. And surprisingly, a buy on mice that was twice as much as RP, but still just $2 a mouse.

Is this the last goodbye?

Edit: Thought of another question. If I were to get 50 pinky mice, would the snake outgrow them before he/she finished them?

I can get mice for around $2 apiece at Petsmart, vs $1 apiece at RP. It'd be cheaper in the long run to buy them off the net, but if the snake would outgrow them...

I think of odd things. XD

[Eagle Eyes]

It is also known as the blue headed agama.

[Nix]

Hmm...they had no snakes. -_- Sold out. Or under the substrate. I didn't think of that until after I left. XD They had a nice buy on a 20 gal. tank though. And surprisingly, a buy on mice that was twice as much as RP, but still just $2 a mouse.

Is this the last goodbye?

Edit: Thought of another question. If I were to get 50 pinky mice, would the snake outgrow them before he/she finished them?

I can get mice for around $2 apiece at Petsmart, vs $1 apiece at RP. It'd be cheaper in the long run to buy them off the net, but if the snake would outgrow them...

I think of odd things. XD

Ah. Unless they had a sign that said something like "new companions coming soon" then... they were just hiding under the substrate, me thinks.

And yeaaaaaaaaah. That's the biggest problem with buying the bulk rodents off of RP. What I recommend is this: buy a bag of pinkies, a bag of the next size up, and so on. Go until the box space is full (that way you fill up the box they're shipping to you completely. Shipping won't change, so it's really good to get as much as you can at one time)

It'll be more aspensive, but at least you'll get enough varied sizes to last you a long time and through different growth stages. ^_^

Does that make sense?

It is also known as the blue headed agama.

Hmm... I have never seen that lizard in my life. Seriously... it's wicked cool, though. XD

I'll look some stuff up and talk to some guys... and let you know if I learn anything.

[Chozon1]

Yeah. That makes a whole lot of sense, actually. I'm somewhat ashamed I didn't think of that. XD Thankfully, I found a reptile forum that's for local (45 minute drive) folks, and some of the members put up snakes for sale. ^_^ I'ma keep an eye on that.

Your thoughts?

[Nix]

I think that's probably a good idea.

You can also check Craigslist, btw.

Just make sure to look over any potential purchase before you buy. Like... check for rot around the mouth, feel the snake up and down for parasites (they'll look/feel like tiny pebbles on his/her body), check around the anal section of the body (the "butt", so to speak) for anything that looks... abnormal, and... so on. XD

Bear in mind that, unless you really want a baby, you can always look for something older. My first corn snake was a 7 year old female. Great snake... though she is the one I shot a while back because of sickness/grumpy old age and meanness (sometimes happens with animals -_-).

But yeah, your choice. Obviously an adult won't be with you for as long a period of time.

Also, once you make your purchase, whatever it may be... POST PICS PLEASE.

[Chozon1]

Yeah. I checked local adoptions, and they had some boa's...but I think that's too much snake for me to handle, at the moment. More importantly, I don't have a place to fit a cage big enough. Craigslist too, but they've sold out. I thought the timing was...fitting.

Is it possible to kill/remove the parasites? In case I don't feel them when I pick out the snake, I mean.

[Nix]

Ah, well... you'll get lucky somewhere. Or maybe Petsmart will have one in. ^_~

Aaaaaaand yes, it is. There's some stuff that you give the snake that's supposed to work great. I'll link you... if I can find/remember what it was called... XD

But yeah, parasites are usually able to be removed. Both internal and external ones.

[Chozon1]

Shweet. ^_^ At the moment, I'm shopping around for terrariums, heaters, ETC. And still wrestling around with whether I can provide proper care for a snake. I mean, I know I WANT one. I've always wanted one. Heck, I carried around a toy snake for like a year or two, when I was a kid. XD Thanks for all your help. Because...it was extremely helpful.

How many and what species of snakes do you have?

[Nix]

Well man, they're really low care. Just make sure their temp is right, they're shedding well, keep their cage clean and feed them roughly once a week (depending on age and stuff, as I told you). You should be able to do it. Corns are the easiest to care for, I find. ^_~

Aaaaaand.

At the moment I have only the two snakes, mah boa and corn. I've had a few ball pythons... one I gave away because we were moving somewhere where a snake wouldn't have worked out, and the other from Petco that died( ). I've also had other corns and such... but so far only the one boa.

And I'm thinking about ordering another snake (though I'm not sure which one..)... like... soon. Within the next few days maybe, if the temp is right.

[GarthVader]

Why have I been gone so long?

[Chozon1]

It's not so much the cleaning, feeding, watering part of taking care of it, as much as it is spending time with, holding it, and such. There's a really long sad story behind this, where I didn't take good care of my bearded dragon, and have regretted it ever since, promised myself that I wouldn't do that to a living creature in my care ever again even if it meant never getting another reptile, but...that's for another time.

Or maybe never. Honestly I'm rather ashamed of it. I really hate myself over that one. Point is, I'm afraid history would repeat itself, and so I'm wrestling with myself over it. -_-

Also, does the newspaper need to be shredded or left in sheets?

[Nix]

Why have I been gone so long?

That's what I was wondering.

Where have you been? <_<

It's not so much the cleaning, feeding, watering part of taking care of it, as much as it is spending time with, holding it, and such. There's a really long sad story behind this, where I didn't take good care of my bearded dragon, and have regretted it ever since, promised myself that I wouldn't do that to a living creature in my care ever again even if it meant never getting another reptile, but...that's for another time.

Or maybe never. Honestly I'm rather ashamed of it. I really hate myself over that one. Point is, I'm afraid history would repeat itself, and so I'm wrestling with myself over it. -_-

Also, does the newspaper need to be shredded or left in sheets?

Ah, good points you have there.

But.

Know that, while it's good to hold a snake to get it to know you... honestly, they don't need it. I mean, yeah. They don't, in the end, give a durn about their owner. You can leave for a month and as long as they get their basic requirements... they'll not care. Though, it's good to hold them to, as I said, get them to know you and also to tame them down.

Other than that... well, they're not like a dog or something. They'll know and like you... but not need you. Is... that making sense? Probably not. XD

Aaaaand.

I just lay it down in sheets. Works great, cuz it's easy and cheap to clean.

Also, I recommend feeding the snake in a separate container (a cardboard box is fine). Not only does this prevent small substrate shavings from going down with the food, but it teaches the snake that they're not going to get food in their home cage... and thus they'll not nip at your hand thinking it's food. XD

[Chozon1]

It sounds like snakes are like most cats or fish.

I thought of two more questions. ( ) I've gathered that bothering a snake too much after it's eaten can cause it to barf (which my Mom would NEVER forgive. XD) how long do they need to digest their food before being handled?

Number two is random: Have you ever had a snake try to steal your food?

[Nix]

Yeah, cats and fish are... pretty much like snakes in terms of care. XD

And yes, you don't want to handle the snake right after eating because they will regurgitate their food. Which is bad. o.o

I usually wait 3 days or so after they eat, unless I can still see a large lump in them. However, with a corn, you might be able to get away with holding them sooner... because they've got in insanely fast digestive system, it seems like. Seriously, I fed mah little corn an adult mouse yesterday, and that good size lump... is no longer good size. o.O

Boas, on the other hand... not so much. XD

Aaaaand.

No, I haven't had one steal my food. o.o

I have fed corn snakes directly out of my hand, though. Some you can do that with. Some you can't, like the one I've got now... because he still kills the dead food... but yeah. Some just eat it calmly.