"Beginner" vs "Resistant" Animals

In my mind, there is no such thing as a "beginner animal." The implication behind "beginner animal" is that it is a common (or even required) stepping stone for you to move on to a more complex species. Every pet that exists in captivity has its own difficulties and nuances that you need to learn and overcome. They are all living things that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and none should be seen as lesser than the other. Instead of rating an animal with just "beginner" I find it more beneficial to evaluate parts of its care to see how hardy or resistant it can be if you make a mistake.

Making mistakes when you are just starting out in a new hobby is pretty much inevitable, but you should do your due diligence to avoid as many simple mistakes as you can. Animals are not the same as an arts and crafts project you may have on the side, they are living things that completely rely on you to meet their needs.

Information available- How much information exists on your desired animal?

The more common an animal is in captivity, the more information you can find about how to take care of it because tons of people make care guides either for themselves or for the public. If your desired animal is rare then you would have to commit to a deep dive in research and reaching out to specialized keepers to ask your questions. This can be a time commitment all on its own and may take months to gather enough information for your own care guide. If you have not researched an animal before this may be a major hurdle all on its own.

Longevity- How long does your animal live for?

Some animals have short life spans, and some have long life spans. You need to know how much time you're going to spend with your animal and if you're able to keep them well into your old age sometimes. Some reptiles can even outlive you( eg. tortoises that live 80-100 years in captivity)! You need to know your limits with this and if you are ready to commit to an animal that will live past you, know that you can "will" them to someone after you pass away. This will come down to personal preference of if you prefer having a short lived or long lived animal and which is easier for you.

Diet- Does your animal have a general or specialized diet?

Some animals can live on the same prey item for their whole life (eg. corn snakes on mice) and some need variety (eg. garter snakes that eat frog, mouse, worm, fish, or various animal organs) while others require a very specific prey item that is hard to come by (eg. vine snakes that exclusively eat lizards). Animals that have specialized diets may require you to keep a colony or breeding stock of their specific prey item so that you can keep them fed. Animals that are more generalized eaters, or that share common feeders with many other animals (many snakes eat only mice and rats), are generally easier to maintain because their prey items are easily accessible to the general public.

Size- How large is the animal, and how large will it get?

Depending on your personal preference and comfort level you may prefer different sizes of animal. Some people find small snakes difficult because they may be too squirmy to handle, may escape more easily, or some other reason. Some people find large snakes difficult because they take up more space, have a stronger bite, or are too strong to handle on their own. This applies to animals outside of snakes as well. The difficulty of a large or small animal comes down to what you personally align with. When looking at an animal's size you should look at both baby and adult sizes to know what you'll be dealing with at different stages. To use snakes as an example again: some snakes are born less than a foot long but can grow to be six feet long. An animal's needs may also change as they age.

Enclosure size- How much space does it need available relative to its body size?

Some small animals are comfortable in small enclosures, but not all. You need to take into consideration what the animal's life is like in the wild and how active they are. They have evolved over millions of years to make use of specific habitats, and it is your responsibility to mimic this habitat not just for the mental well being of the animal, but its physical well being also. An animal designed to run for miles every day may need to have some way to participate in this behavior so that it does not become obese or develop joint problems.

CBB availability- Can you get the animal without taking one from the wild?

Usually, animals taken from the wild tend to do poorly in captivity. If there is an established population of these animals being bred in captivity, that means they can thrive under artificial conditions.

Temperature/humidity hardiness- Can your animal handle environment fluctuations?

Most animals are capable of withstanding environmental fluctuations to some degree, or else their species would not have survived this long, but depending on its natural environment it may have a certain threshold of how much it can handle. On top of this, an animal may be more sensitive to fluctuations the younger it is.

Disease and stress resistance- Can your animal survive a stressful situation?

Same as before, most animals can handle a bit of hardship just fine, but there can be a limit to how much they can take. Wild-caught animals often die from stress and disease because of the severe change in their living conditions going into captivity, and young animals can be more susceptible to death from stress and disease as well.