What is a cool breed of snake for a first time snake owner?

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First of all, snakes don't come in "breeds". Other than color and pattern variations ("morphs"), the only divisions are species and hybrids within species. Okeetee is a wild-type morph of corn snake originating from a locale in South Carolina where the corn snakes are generally a brighter orange with thicker black borders. A beautiful morph, and if I can find enough room for a couple more tanks, an Okeetee and a Blizzard are at the top of my wish list.

Corn snakes make excellent pets. Aside from the rare exception, corn snakes are an overall docile species. If you get a nippy baby, they can usually be tamed down with no problem.Ball pythons are also commonly kept as pets, and are one of the "beginner" snakes, but they get bigger than corn snakes and seem to be a little less straight-forward and forgiving as a corn snake. King snakes and milk snakes are also okay beginners, but they aren't as commonly available or inexpensive as corn snakes and ball pythons.

You should definitely go with a corn snake. They're great pets, and an adult can live just fine in a 20L aquarium (20L critter cage is best. An aquarium that can't hold water with a sliding screen top, basically. $80 at petsmart, you can probably find one cheaper on Craigslist). Any snake would appreciate bigger, but it isn't exactly necessary. Terrestrial snakes, like corns, are best on belly heat, so lights aren't necessary other than aesthetics and mental health if there's no other light sources in the room, only a heat mat (WITH a thermostat and thermometer, of course!).

If you want an Okeetee, find a reputable breeder with nice specimens for sale. My personal favorite is the Abbott's Okeetee... You can find info on various reputable breeders and corn snake care on http://www.cornsnakes.com . The forum was made by one of the biggest breeders in the USA, and the other two biggest breeders are members.

Actually, http://www.franclycac.com/ (owned by a cornsnakes.com member, actually) has some excellent Okeetees right now... If her half off sale hadn't ended 3 days before I found the site, I probably would've tried to convince my mom to let me get one, but I've already got two coming from another CS.com breeder in Louisiana this week and I'm running out of space. =(

Good luck and have fun with the new pet! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions, but any questions concerning corn snakes can probably be answered no problem just by skimming topics on the linked forum. =)

EDIT: After reading some other responses, I have to point out that large snakes like most the boas don't make good beginner snakes for anyone. Beauty snakes tend to be nippy, especially if they feed on live... My Taiwan bit me the day I got her because she thought my hand was a mouse--she'd fed on live her whole life, and her feeding responses have reduced significantly since I switched her to frozen/thaw. There are some smaller Beauty snakes, but they're generally some of the largest Colubrids--Taiwan and Blue beauty snakes both get to be at least 7 ft, as do Red Tail Boas. As a rule, arboreal snakes (emerald&amazon tree boas, green tree pythons, etc) are generally nippy and you should only get one if you're okay with having a strictly display snake and have had experience handling unruly snakes. King and milk snakes are okay beginners, but I can't give a real opinion or any insight on why they aren't often suggested as a beginner since I've never really looked into it. Some boas and pythons can make excellent, gentle beginner snakes, but most the commonly available species are either too big for a beginner or too nippy. Most rat snakes (Beauties aside, of course--they're also rats) will make great beginner pets... The Corn Snake is a type of rat snake; in fact, another name for a corn is Red Rat Snake. However, most rat snakes aren't readily available in the pet trade other than Corns and Beauties.

Beginner boas: Rosy Boas
Beginner Pythons: Ball Pythons
Beginner Colubrids: Corn Snakes
Those are the usual beginners of each division of snake. The overall best beginners are Balls and Corns since they're readily available. My favorite is still Corns. Balls aren't quite as forgiving as corns if you have a poor set-up. This shouldn't be a problem if you do your homework, but it's still a consideration....Show more

"I know squat about snakes." Please PLEASE don't buy one just yet. PLEASE. They are VERY high maintenance animals that require a lot of care and attention. They are NOT like a dog that can be left alone for a while with just a little pat on the head every now and again. Please go do some google searching about caring for a snake, most guides will cover what breed to get. I'm not saying DON'T get a snake, but please try to learn a bit more about them first. THat said, a ball python or corn snake both make GREAT first snakes, they have a very mild temperament, don't get to large, and of all the snakes are fairly easy to take care of. Additional Details: I do apologize, I'm certainly not trying to say dogs are low maintenance nor am I trying to take away the care you give your dogs. I'm just saying it's a different KIND of high maintenance, and that you should research everything and be sure it's something you're willing to do. That said, enjoy and love any snake you get, they're wonderful and extremely cool pets! Also, if you can find a local reptile store (not a generic pet shop, but a true reptile store) buy from there, it may be a LITTLE bit more expensive, but the reptiles will be far better cared for. Plus the people that work there will almost always be highly knowledgeable on the subject, and you can get mice there for food....Show more

Corn snakes and pythons apparently. They're fairly low maintanence, and don't require anything overly special (save for potentially having to feed the corn snake pinkies), or if the python is small.
That's what my roommate says. We had a corn snake for a while. Wasn't too hard to keep... just have to make sure your enclosure is tightly sealed- cuz that's how we lost him....Show more

Ball pythons make good first snakes they are very calm snakes easy to take care of and dont get huge. Corn snakes are also good for beginners....Show more

I personally like ball pythons. I think they have beautiful colors and patterns. There easy to care for. And they don't cost much to maintain. But corn snake are easy to care for and don't cost much to maintain. So its just up to your personally opinion. Either is a good choice. Good luck...Show more