I'm going to give a brief overview of several breeds of snakes that are excellent as first reptile pets for people. If you are considering any new pet, do your research before you get him. Look up specific snake breeds for specialized care. Be a responsible owner.

Still one of the most beautiful and most popular snakes is the Ball Python, Python regius. They have good dispositions, simple care, and are small, as far as snakes go. A twenty gallon aquariun can be its home all its life. The price of normal colored Ball Pythons is quite reasonable also.

Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia spilota cheynei) is the largest of the species I am including here. There are six sub-species known, but only four are available in the United Staes, and one of these, the Diamond Carpet Python, is still quite expensive.
They reach a maximum size of six-and-a-half feet, and are abousolutely beautiful. Jungle Carpet Pythons tend to be aboreal and you should take this into consideration when planning a cage for them. A high cage would better suit them than a long cage.

Kingsnakes, Milksnakes, Cornsnakes and Ratsnakes. There are literally hundreds of species of these and most make good pets. A few do not, and some are illegal to own. Again, do your research. Per example - someone living in Toledo, Ohio can own any number of Black Ratsnakes as pets. Someone living 20 miles away in Michigan cannot.

California Kingsnakes are great beginners snakes because of their hardiness. They stay small, are generally calm, and come in a multitude of color morphs. One drawback of kingsnakes is that they must be housed separately from each other. They feed on other snakes if given the chance.

Cornsnakes have simple care requirements, can live and thrive ina ten gallon aquarium, and come in a virtual rainbow of colors. Although the newest color morphs will be considerably more costly, more cornsnakes are very reasonably priced. You can also house more than one together, although they should all be about the same size if you do so.

San Luis Potos Kingsnake, the Mex-mex (scientific name Mexicana mexicans) is another beautiful and hardy species. The black, white and red kingsnakes must be house individually, but are calm, good-natured, good eaters, and prolific. Mine live at room temperature year round.

Gray-Banded kingsnakes are one of the most popular of Kingsnakes. They seldom reach more than 4 feet in length, and there are two distinct color patterns. One is gray with black-bordered red bands (Blair's phase), and the other (Alterna phase), which has no red. Hatchlings are more sensative to temperature than other kingsnakes, and require additional heating for their cage.

Pueblan Milksnakes are likely the easiest to raise and most common of the milksnakes. Brilliantly banded red, black and white, there are a couple more expensive color morphs available also. They stay under 3 feet and are an easy to breed species as well.

Rosy Boas - again, there are numerous species, many available at pet stores, or more widely, herp shows. These small, striped mountain-and-desert dwellers are nocturnal and sometimes aboreal. Like all boas, they bear live young rather than lay eggs. In general, they have excellent temperments, but may need a wider variety of foods, such as crickets, mealworms, or lizards, rather than mice. In general, thay are easy to raise and easy to breed. The most difficult thing about Rosy Boas is deciding which of the many beautiful species you want.

There are many other species of snakes that make excellent pets. The most important thing to remember about any pet, is to research its needs so you have a proper home prepared before you acquire your new pet.