What is the best snake for a Beginner?

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There are lots of different species of snake available - so how does the beginner snake-keeper choose their first snake?

It's not actually as difficult as you might think.

Infact, the vast majority of snakes commonly available in reptile stores and from specialist breeders actually make great pets in most instances.

They reach a reasonable size, are easy to care for, reasonably priced and simple to feed.

Just a few examples examples, as featured on this site include:

Corn Snakes

The corn snake is probably the world's best snake for the beginner. They come in a range of different colors, all of which are very attractive and grow to an ideal size - large enough that's it's safe to handle them, yet small enough to be easily accomodated in the home.

You can check out our corn snakes section here.

King Snakes

Growing to a similar size as the corn snake, king snakes represent even more color forms and diversity and generally grow to a similar size as the corn snake.

You can learn more about king snakes here.

Other possibilities include garter snakes and milk snakes.

There are as many different snakes as their are kinds of owners and the perfect match is what you're looking for.

The best way to make a choice is to do some serious research on the Internet, then visit some real-world reptile stores to actually see and, ideally handle, a few species so you can learn about their needs and characters before you actually invest your hard-earned cash on a new pet snake.

Any of the above will make an ideal introduction to the hobby. Feel free to examine the individual snake area to learn more about these species and take a look at a few of the phot options.

Please also be aware that some snakes such as corn snakes and king snakes are available in different color forms - albinos, those missing red pigments, different stripes, arrangements and colors.

So the pictures here on this and other websites, and even what you see in books, may in no way resemble the specimens available in your local pet store.

This does not mean that any source is wrong, just that they are different color forms of the same species - like a yellow, chocolate or black labrador.

A few examples of words you may find describing color forms are snow, blood, red, amel and anerystristic.