very good question. there are the ball pyhons, corn snakes, western hognose, pretty much all the common snakes execpt milksnakes... they can be a little jumpy but if you handle any snake for a good matter of time, they all will be good to handle

Carpets are a great beginner pet! This is of course with a good attitude from the keeper and willingness to maintain the animal. Sure they bite, what snake doesn't? If you play this game you'll get bit. I think the biggest question is what strikes you beraiden? What have you seen that you like? It is best to narrow your personal search then ask us which will be best for you. Atleast give us hints of color, size (length and weight), stuff you like. This will help us to help you. Don't let Iherp pick it for you just let us guide. Google is going to be your best friend. Check out Kingsnake.com classifieds. This will pull almost every snake you can think of and give a good price range as well.

Poor carpet pythons and their bad rap.. My coastal has only bit me twice, both at the same time (one then two)  And It was completely my fault, third day I had him and I reached in to change his water, got too close to him, and bam bam...  since then the only time he's ever tried it is when feeding, and I don't count that..

but at the same time i probaly would'nt suggest a coastal carpet for a begginer snake, they can get big, mine's 7' and still growing, and from what I've heard, all (i know mine does) have a very strong feeding response, something that could freak out someone new to snakes.

but in all honesty, as far as care goes, there easier then ball pythons, much more tolerant of lower humidity, and temp chanes (due to there natural range)  and in my opinion are much funner to keep (I know funner is not really a word, but guess what.. don't care, I even use when talking, lol)

but really, how many baby snakes don't come out of the egg biting???

I would say a rosy boa is a great first snake. I have one and he was my first snake. The reasons I would say this is because a male won't get much over 36", they don't require a high humidity so they can be kept in a tank with a screen enclosure, and compared to a corn snake or a kingsnake, I have found them to be a little slower moving and therefore a little easier to handle as babies. Not to mention they won't musk you when they are babies! : )

On the other hand, I love BCI and if you can get the right enclosure and can keep the humidity where it needs to be, they are a great snake as far as temperament. If size is a big concern then you would need to do your research and choose a subspecies that won't get too large.

Overall, do your research and really consider how much money you have to spend on the snake, the enclosure and what is involved in keeping the right environment. Also - I highly recommend handling the snake before you buy it. I have a sweet, gentle rosy boa that has never struck at anyone, but the next person may have a rosy boa that is nervous or nippy.

Good luck!

Rat and king snakes make great beginer pets. I never really liked balls because they really didn't have the get-up-and-go that i enjoy with the more active snakes.  I would also suggest looking into the childrens pythons like kai said. They are not as fast as the rats, but are more active than the balls, and they reach a small size of only around 3-4 feet, very manageable.

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