how easy is it to care for sneks? how big of a cage do smaller ones require?
>>2121516
The common ones kept as pets range from very easy to intermediate difficulty. The primary thing with all snakes is to get their habitat conditions correct; correct temperature gradient and humidity, correct decor and ample hiding spots. The good thing is that you can get yourself a tank and heating equipment, fiddle around to get the settings right, well before you purchase the actual animal.
Rough rule of thumb on sizing is a minimum tank size of tank length + tank width = total length of snake, plus a little bit extra. There is a lot of variation in snake size, you can get something that will be maybe two feet as an adult (rosy boa, kenyan sand boa, garters), medium size snakes like corns, kings, milks, ball pythons, children's/spotted pythons, and lots more anywhere from 3 feet to 6-ish feet, and then there are the big boys which of course get fuckhuge.
>>2121516
Trying not to repeat ^ but yeah snakes are relatively easy (compared to mammals) to care
for. Once you've figured out the correct temp and humidity, basic needs would be:
>Appropriate sized food once a week
>A clean bowl of water always
>At least 2 hides, one in the cold spot the other in the hot one
>Spot clean feces when you see them (1 or 2 poops per week)
>A cleanup of the whole enclosure once a month
>UVA lighting if you can: snakes don't need UVB per se, but the UVA helps them regulate their feeding responses.
>Heat mat or heat lamp or both. Depends on who you're asking.
Also, I wouldn't recommend getting a sub-tropical snake species, since they will usually get bigger apart for some boas and dwarf subspecies and are a lot harder to maintain. While we're at it, try not to pick a snake bigger than 6' as your first one.
You can get everything you need under 200$ easily if you build some hides or branches yourself and if you lurk craigslist or such long enough.
Oh, and if you plan to have an aquarium as the enclosure, just put things around it for privacy. Try to leave just one clear glass.
>>2121720
You would be right for the most part. But, honestly, toads and frogs aren't the greatest herps to handle unless you're really into it. Also, they tend to smell a bit more imo.
I really think snakes are the best/easiest herps to keep.
>>2121724
thanks man. yeah i'll probably be going with a snake. Im reading up on how to keep em safe, fed and healthy. any tips that i wont find online?
>>2121740
Nah, not really. Just read a bunch of care sheets for your desired species, try to find a breeder of that species to buy from or better yet attend a reptile expo in your area. Chain pet stores are not good places to get healthy reptiles from.
Check back in here on /an/ with questions. Quite a few people with some reptile keeping experience here regularly.
>>2121748
I approve this post
>>2121516
Easiest pet I've ever had and I've had the lot of them over my lifetime
