garter? king? milk? corn?

Question
QUESTION: i do not know much about snakes but i really want one. want do i need to get started? what kind would you recommend? i saw a garter snake at petco and i think they are really cool. they were about a foot long and my dad said its just a baby, how big will a garter snake get? can i hold a snake in my hand? some of the snakes at petco (pythons and corn) have little black mites or bugs in their nose, will that kill them?

ANSWER: Ahhh Petco......  I'll leave that one alone for now.  For your first snake I would suggest a corn.  They are my personal favorite.  They will be the easiest to take care of, the least problematic w/ feeding, and the easiet to find info on.  If you start w/ a baby I'd suggest a plastic "Kritter Keeper" type container.  Remember to buy floor space NOT height.  Before you buy ANY snake especially a baby, INSIST you see it feed, or get a feeding guarantee in writing.  

Mites are a completely separate issue and every Petco I've every been in has them.. What's funny is they sell mite spray in the next isle.  You'd think they would use it....

Any of the snakes you mentioned are good I just like corns the best!

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QUESTION: thank you. and will i need a heating stone and how big will a corn snake get?

ANSWER: Go with an undertank heating pad NOT a hot rock.  Adults are usually 3-4 feet.  6ft is the biggest I've ever seen.  Where are you located perhaps I can recommend a breeder.  BPC

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QUESTION: i live near fort worth texas. if you do find a breeder will you include the price? thanks again

Answer
For a corn, I don't personally know anyone in TX.  But you could check out Serpenco.com or LLLReptile.com.  Both are great people to deal with.  I'll have some babies hatching and rdy to go in about 5 weeks but nothing right now. You should not pay more than $25 for a normal corn, if you want one of the color morphs they can be more.  Shipping will probably cost you $15-35.  You might also want to check for a reptile show coming to your area.  You might find a baby corn there for as little as $10 with no shipping!  Go to kingsnake.com and look under the events tab.