I would say that if you are looking fof a snake that doesnt get thick and around 5 - 6' mark, a corn snake, rat snake, or any one of the king snakes. They all have the same basic care, are hardy snakes and are great for beginners. And a plus is that they are all relatively cheap. (when compared to some of the other high end snakes) Take a look at all the corn morphs. They come in a large variety of colors and patterns. They are easy to maintain and almost never are picky eaters.
The rat snakes dont come in as many colors and morphs as the corns, but they are a beautiful animal in their own right. The black rat snake can attain a length of 6 - 7' and fairly thick, but not like any of the boids or big constrictors. They have a really easy going temperament and are easy feeders.
The kings are easy to maintain as well, with some of them attaining a length of 5 - 6'. There are lots of nice looking kings, and make great beginner snakes too.
Just do some research on them and decide what kind you want. There are caresheets here on kingsnake.com on most of the snakes available as pets. I would recommend looking at the caresheets and deciding which one would be right for you and doing as much research on that animal as possible. Have the cage set up for it before you purchase the animal, this way you will lessen the stress on the animal once you get it home.
I would also recommend that once you decide on what snake you want, to go to a reptile show, or contact a breeder. I wouldnt buy at a pet store, unless you know for a fact that the petstore properly cares for its animals. The bad thing about petstores is that many animals they have carry mites, or parasites and that can be hard for a beginner to properly take care of. Most petstores only have a 72 hour guarantee on live animals. This just wont do for a snake. Once you get a snake, you should leave it alone in its enclosure for a week, only changing the water. This will allow the animal to get used to its enclosure and to de-stress. Once you have waited the appropriate amount of time, you should feed the snake, and minimize handling for the first few weeks to allow the animal time to settle in and get used to you. Handle two or three times a week, for about 5 or 10 min to get the snake used to you. Then you can slowly increase the amount of time until you feel the snake is comfortable with you. Just take it slow with a snake, as it is not like a puppy or kitten that likes to be held, you have to earn a snakes trust.
Once you have some experience with one or two of these snakes, and understand how to maintain them in healthy environment, then keeping some of the harder to keep snakes will be lots easier.
:I am new to the care of snakes, and have been searching for a breed that would be good as a beginner pet. I was deciding between a cal. kingsnake, or a cape york spotted python.:I would prefer a snake that is slender in girth and grows to the range preferably of 4 to 6 feet. I need experience to someday move onto more expensive breeds such as the savu python, and eventually an emerald tree boa. As this is my first snake I only plan on spending close to or under $200.00(canadian funds) which elimates quite a few.
:Any help would be greatful
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