by Wes Pollock

Created on: January 19, 2009

When choosing a python as a pet careful thought must be given to what type of python one is interested in obtaining.

Will you be satisfied with a small Anthill python? Will a snake that only gets a couple of feet long, resembles a dead brown branch and is not active during the day going to satisfy your serpent related needs?

Would you be better off with a Ball Python? Perhaps one of the beautiful Green Tree Pythons would better suit you. Maybe you're one of those people who not only can but would enjoy keeping giant reptiles and should therefore be investigating Burmese or Reticulated pythons. There is only one way to know the answer to these questions.

Research. Do your homework before you start looking at live snakes. You need to know how big they get, what they eat, temperature requirements, preferred foods, humidity levels for native habitat (which need to be duplicated to insure healthy snakes) and most importantly, how big can they get. Tip number one.

Some, like the Anthill Python stay very small. Others, Reticulated and Burmese Pythons for example, are true giants capable of lengths in excess of twenty-five feet and weights of more than 250lbs. For most first time python keepers, smaller is easier.

Will you have access to the food your pet python will need to eat? If you are interested in a rodent eating python, Burmese, Reticulated, Rock, Ball, BlackHeaded, Carpet, Angolan or Woma, food is readily available at most pet stores. If you're after Green Tree Pythons or White Lipped Pythons who are most fond of lizards and small birds, you may not be able to find food for your snake once you get it home. Tip number two.

Can you meet the environmental needs of your new python? Can you provide the heat and humidity it needs to thrive? Can you make available the space necessary to keep the snake you want for its entire life? That eighteen inch Burmese Python can easily grow eight to ten feet by its first birthday. The ten gallon tank you brought in home from the pet store will not be sufficient for long. Tip number three

Where did the snake you want to purchase originate? The origin of your snake actually can be the difference between you starting a years long relationship with a new friend or buying a soon to be dead reptile. Much like dogs, the better the source, the better the pet.

If possible purchase your snake from the person who bred it, the person who has the parents. You will want to see the parents yourself if possible, pictures if not. How the parents are

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