they just keep coming

[JWFugle]

i got 2 corn snakes for my 11th birthday and have since moved out to college and when i tried to bring my snakes with my mother and little sister refused to let me take them because they loved having them in the house. worked out great for me i was wanting to get a larger snake and now i know they are taken care of.

so last summer i got a dwarf super jamp retic and thats all i want or need for a long time, unless i steal Dave's purple beauty haha

[psychocircus]

It can be "addictive", but as others have mentioned, the best thing to do is decide what you want and then sit on the idea for several months and do lots of research. If you still want the animal 6 months later, then follow through and purchase it.

That being said, If I am purchasing my animal online, which is usually the case, I will sometimes purchase two that I've been wanting to save on shipping.

[pdomensis]

I found that when I got my baby Bredl's almost a year and a half ago I was itching to get another snake mostly because I still wanted that "big" snake experience and not just the little guy. Since he's grown I'm much more content with what I've got.

[kwhitlock]

For me, there are only a certain set few species that I really want to work with, I have 1 of them. Right now I'm pretty content with the two I have, there are many species I think are amazing but I can't garuntee that I'm going to have the space to provide them with, like a retic, I would never get a female, but maybe a jampea dwarf, but still pushing it. Right now, I got it narrowed down to 5-6 snakes including the two I have, but a Blue Tongue is going to happen. If I ever did get into breeding, it wouldn't be serious, probably hobby breeding.

But don't rush it, I caught the bug when I first got my first snake, and I couldn't wait to get more. Right now, I'm happy with what I have. And as time goes on I'll add to it

[Hotchkiss]

I only got 2 snakes myself, the other 2 reptiles were a leopard gecko and a blood python that I had no idea i was getting them until the day I got them becuase they were gifts from my parents, I've been researching care on all my species since long before I even started keeping and I've already set a limit to 1 more snake for the time being...

[kelzerman]

Originally Posted by kwhitlock

For me, there are only a certain set few species that I really want to work with, I have 1 of them. Right now I'm pretty content with the two I have, there are many species I think are amazing but I can't garuntee that I'm going to have the space to provide them with, like a retic, I would never get a female, but maybe a jampea dwarf, but still pushing it. Right now, I got it narrowed down to 5-6 snakes including the two I have, but a Blue Tongue is going to happen. If I ever did get into breeding, it wouldn't be serious, probably hobby breeding.

But don't rush it, I caught the bug when I first got my first snake, and I couldn't wait to get more. Right now, I'm happy with what I have. And as time goes on I'll add to it

You just hurt Nessa's feelings.... She wants to know what you have against her people?

[bigsnakegirl785]

I got my first snake, my ball python Bud 7 years ago. About 5 years later I got my Colombian BCI Cloud, and just a few months ago I got my checkered garter Draco, and I'm expecting a second garter sometime this year. Looking back, ball pythons were not the best thing for me to start on, they just aren't all that interesting to me and don't do much for me as a keeper. Don't get me wrong, I love my little one, but Cloud was the one that got me hooked on snakes. Ever since I got him, I've also wanted a retic, but I want to experience a full-sized retic before I get one. I have quite a few on my list, but I'm planning carefully to see which one I'll want the most and which one I'm most able to care for. A retic is my dream, but if it's impractical I'll pass on one until I can care for it. I'm trying to only get one snake at a time; have the snake through quarantine and get it settled in before I look for another, I want to keep my snakes for a long time and hopefully their whole life. I'm not realistically looking at another python or boa for another year or two most likely.

[kwhitlock]

Originally Posted by kelzerman

You just hurt Nessa's feelings.... She wants to know what you have against her people?

I love mainland retics, I think thry are amazing, I just don't think I can give them a good home and the space they need when they are 18 feet long!

[kelzerman]

Originally Posted by kwhitlock

I love mainland retics, I think thry are amazing, I just don't think I can give them a good home and the space they need when they are 18 feet long!

I understand. I have respect for you decisions. I told my fiancée she wont get that big..... she is worried about the cats.

[Snakefood]

I started with my corns, and I purchase 2 adults and 1 hatchling. I did all my research and bought and read all the books. When i chose to breed my 2 adults, I ended up with 9 hatchlings, I kept 2 and sold the rest. my girlfriend fell in love with one of my holdback hatchlings and so I gave him to her as a gift, she still has him and still loves him.

Since I loved breeding them so much, I researched what morphs I wanted to work on, and chose 2 morphs, my female snow was the starting point on my coral snows, but the male I had did not fit into the project, I found him a great home and only found the right male last year, so this is the first year starting the multi-generation project for my coral snows. I aslo want to do Orchids, but have not found my sunkissed yet, so that is a project for the future.

8 months after starting into the Cornsnakes, I decided I wanted to keep Balls, again I did my research before getiing my first ball, I still have her (she's my favorite!!) I did my research on breeding balls and decided what morphs I wanted to create, any purchases I made from there was based on creating those morphs.

Since my first BP, I have aquired the genetic makeup for the projects I want to work on and am just this year starting on some of those. Others are for future years as A) I don't want to breed every female I have every year, and B) some of my BP's are still Juvi's.

Just 3 months ago, I got my first Boa, and purchased his mate a month later.

Having multiple snakes is ALOT of work when you are doing it properly. I breed my own mice and buy my rats F/T in bulk to save $$. I have a very strict feeding schedule, I feed 3 snakes every day, and clean 6 enclosures every day. it is a labour of love and that is how I can keep as many as I have. Although there are 5 other morphs I would love to add, this is something for the future.

I also manage to keep down my numbers by going in on joint projects with other breeders, that way I don't have to have EVERY morph neccesary to create the babies I am aiming for.

This method has worked for me, and although I do have many snakes, they are all well cared for and doing very well. Sometimes I went up to a year without purchasing a single snake and sometimes I got 3 at a time, but I always made sure I had enclosures ready for them before bringing them home.

I am sure most of you would have no problem beleiving how many opportunities I passed by to get an awesome new addition. But being realistic and knowing that the projects I am working on now are the ones that caught my eye, I keep myself in check, after all, these are living creatures who depend on me to keep them safe and healthy.

[Teal]

I acquired all my snakes in a relatively short amount of time... but they are all species I have pined after for years, researched for years, and it just so happened that the ideal individuals came along all around the same time. I am very happy with my group of snakes, and while I am still researching others I want.. I am in no hurry to snatch up the first ones I come across. I believe in bonding with individuals... after all, we will be spending a lot of time together and it's important to get along, if you ask me!

[Hotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Teal

I acquired all my snakes in a relatively short amount of time... but they are all species I have pined after for years, researched for years, and it just so happened that the ideal individuals came along all around the same time. I am very happy with my group of snakes, and while I am still researching others I want.. I am in no hurry to snatch up the first ones I come across. I believe in bonding with individuals... after all, we will be spending a lot of time together and it's important to get along, if you ask me!

I was reading your sig and it said "canines" and I'm like "huh, what species is that?" and then I felt really dumb...

[LiL Zap]

I've had my one and only snake for 10 years now. She is a normal corn snake but I love her like a daughter lol. About a few months ago, I bought my brother his first snake so now there's two snakes in the house.

[natsirtremraf]

I acquired my first Nicarguan Boa back in March/April Last year (2013).
Then I got my next CA Boa at the October Tinley Park show.
Next, In December, when RAACA did the first auction for the USARK Defense fund. I bid and won a pair of Argentine Boas(BCOs). These were sort of an impulse buy. However, some of what drove me to do was it was for what I felt was a good cause. Buying 2 snakes, all the while contributing to my defence in keeping my current Boas. I still haven't gotten them as its too cold to ship. Once I recieve them, I will be at 4 Boas/snakes total.

I have to admit, I am slightly freightened as to how quickly I gained these cuties. Its hard when both my girlfriend and I really enjoy just about any types of animals. In any case though, I... WE are fully committed to caring for our animals to the best of our ability. I am currently in the process of building 2 48"x2"x18" enclosures for my 2 CA's. The BCO's will have to start in tubs until I can get something going for them. Since they get bigger I will most likely look at building 2 72"x2"x18" cages for them.

At this point if I was to get anything new, it would be a smaller snake. A king, corn, hognose, etc. Perhaps a gecko or lizard instead. But I need to get caught up on my cage building before I buy anymore!! lol

[Aaron_S]

Dozens per year.