I’ve decided I want to get a snake and I have it narrowed down to three.
This will be my first snake.
Which one do you think I should get and why?
Im considering these because the most important traits for me are small size and friendliness /ease of handling.
It doesn’t matter which you get first, imo, cuz they are like those potato chips. Betcha can’t just take one! Lol.
It really depends on your personal taste. Hognoses are rasy to handle and fun. Sand boas are super mellow. Rosys are beautiful and unique. All are simple to care for.
They’re all easy. They all stay small. And they all come in a variety of morphs and locality appearances. I have the most experience with rosy boas out of those choices. Love them. 
Those are all lovely and it will come down to your choice. I would caution that hognoses, though adorable, are kinda notorious for randomly going off food, or worse, even with experienced keepers. They are a more fraught choice as a first snake.
Here’s an idea. Instead of thinking about all the reasons why you would want to choose those species, consider reasons why each would be a bad match for you. I find that kind of thinking adds clarity to decisions when I am weighing options.
100% agree with this statement.
I own a Ball Python that is basically a puppy. Has never hissed at me, never has struck she’s nothing but love.
But I remember that when I was first looking to get one it was between a Boa, my Ball python I have now and a hognose. All snakes are equally beautiful in their own way. I researched forever and talked to as many people that I could that had experiences with them. Trying to consider the good and the bad.
The main thing that kept coming up was go with the python or the hognose Boa’s tend to be more food driven and they can strike cause of it. I went to my local reptile store. Handled all three and surprisingly enough the Hognose was the one that struck me twice! And I decided that for me personally it wasn’t the one to consider anymore. Now my experience is different and it was this hog nose in particular that might have been stressed and not having it that day. Not all Hognose are like that. But I guess what I’m trying to say is going and possibly handling them at your local reptile store could be a start? Cause my experience went different from what I was reading and what people told me. And now I have my ball python and a sweet Boa that i purchased not to long ago. Despite the fact that I was told that the Boa would be the way NOT to go. Good luck with your choice all three are So sick.
I definitely would not recommend a hognose as a first snake as they can be quite fussy eaters. Definitely one of the 2 boas or better still, a corn snake.
Tough to choose. Have you considered African house snakes? They are small and can be brightly coloured. Corns too. Though a bit bigger, they come in a rainbow of colors, except blue and green. Are easy to feed and handle. Easy to find. Lots of of people keep them so you will never have any problem finding someone to offer advice on any aspect of care.
I’m a boa/python guy but if I were looking for something small, corns would be at the top of my list. Then, of course, a milk or king.
I have it narrowed down to:
Rosy boa
Children’s /Stimson’s python
I won’t be getting it until May so I have time to decide.
Just one of my personal preferences…I would go with these. And just personally, I would go with the children’s.
I had a Stimsons myself and it was a great little snake……very calm and a great eater on FT……