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What Kind of snake should you choose?
The keeping of snakes as pets is becoming more popular. When you decide to acquire a snake as a pet, you may want to begin initially with a king snake, rat snake, or gopher snake before moving on to the more rare and difficult species like a big boa or Burmese python. Some species of snakes are quite easy to care for while others reach an enormous size and correspondingly require large accommodations and food items.
Therefore, it is important to learn about each variety of snake before you acquire it so there are no surprises. A pet snake owner must be responsible, keeping in mind that the confined animal is dependent on the keeper for its well being.
You may decide that a green snake, garter or brown snake would be a good choice to begin with because they require low maintenance. All are relatively small, eat a diet of insects, worms or fish and can withstand reasonable temperature fluctuations. But, if you have always wanted a huge snake, a Burmese python would be a good choice as it can reach more than 20 feet. Many species of python are endangered and need to be treated with care.
Some experience in caring for one of the smaller and harmless snakes in recommended before acquisition of a huge or venomous snake that eat mostly small rodents and require delicate temperatures in their environments.
What do snakes eat?
There are as many different varieties of diets for snakes as there are types of snakes themselves. Some eat worms, insects and toads while others feed on birds and small mammals. Some examples of snakes that feed on rodents are pythons, the king, rat and gopher snakes. A captive snake must be offered the right type of food to give it the proper kind of security to feed. If the snake feels insecure, he will not eat, even if he is very hungry. Do not handle the snake after it eats. You must wait until it has digested its meal otherwise it may regurgitate the meal and refuse to eat for several days following.
For brown snakes or garter snakes, earthworms are a good choice of food item. Worms are easy to collect after dark on a dewy or rainy night or can be purchased at a bait store. Many snakes eat fish, fresh or frozen, which can also be purchased. Frozen fish should only be used when fresh fish is not available. There has been much evidence suggesting that a natural diet is the best for a snake in captivity. Snakes need to eat at regular intervals. Ones that are smaller than three feet should be fed prey the size of a mouse once or twice a week. Larger snakes take larger prey at less frequent intervals. Force feeding a snake should be a last resort. They will swallow a food item if it is placed far back in its mouth.
Caging of snakes
Types of cages can vary as much as the varieties of snakes themselves, simple or extravagant. Caging snakes is very much a matter of individual preference. Many smaller snakes can thrive quite nicely in a ventilated plastic shoe or sweater box. However, proper ventilation is needed to prevent humidity in the cage. Holes can be easily drilled by a soldering iron and should be done on at least two sides of the cage and sometimes on the top of the cage as well. More expensive aquariums can be used as terrariums and are available readily in pet or department stores. A terrarium is a container that creates as near as possible the natural habitat that the snake is accustomed to. An appropriate climate must be provided in their housing. As snakes are cold-blooded animals, they need heat. To heat your cage you can use lights, heat rocks or heat directly from the room heating. A snake is best kept at warmer, summer temperatures of 85-100 degrees F, unless the cage is being cooled for hibernation. The cage can be cleaned when it becomes dirty with the use of disinfectants. Do not use toxic cleaning materials. Their residue could be hazardous to the snake’s well being.
What kind of behavior do snakes have?
It is important to realize that determining what is normal behavior for a snake takes hands on experience. A snake may show no outward signs of ill health until long after contracting an illness so it is a good idea to have a snake veterinarian picked out. It is important to select a healthy snake to begin with, whether you buy it from a pet store or order it from a dealer or breeder. The snake should display an alert appearance but not be overly aggressive. Some types of snakes can be defensive while others have a calm demeanor. Until you are knowledgeable about the behavior of the type of snake you are going to obtain, it is good to seek the advice of someone who has had experience working with snakes that can observe the snake’s behavior.
The health of the snake will determine the frequency that the snake will shed its skin. Baby snakes are fast growing and healthy and will shed more frequently than an adult snake. If there is a skin problem or disease, the snake may shed its skin to rid itself of the disease, which may be cured after two or three sheds. A healthy snake will have no problem shedding. When holding a snake, support the body of large snakes in several places. They like gentle handling which will often quiet many snake species. A snake hook can be used when it is necessary to move a snake that is short tempered or gently restrain the head while holding the snake.
Many snakes produce venom because they possess a Duvernoy gland, which is associated with venom production. Some very common snakes like garter snakes and hog snakes have Duvernoy’s glands. It is a little unpredictable to know whether a snake is venomous or not. Some that are found in the wild are reluctant to bite, while common water and garter snakes make strike with even the gentlest of handling. Hog-nose snakes have a wonderful smiling countenance and seldom bite which makes them a favorite pet of snake hobbyists.
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