Snakes by Matt Price

SNAKES - There are many reasons why snakes make good pets and I will try to outline a few.

 Compact

It may seem a strange thing to suggest but they really are.  Most “beginner friendly” snakes can live quite happily in a 3 ft long vivarium.  This means they won’t take over your house like some other pets.

 Silent

They make almost no noise, and being generally nocturnal animals (with the exception of some species) this means they can be housed in bedrooms and not keep you up all night like hamsters and other rodents.  It is worth noting that snakes are generally nocturnal but with a daytime feeding schedule your snakes can learn to be more active during the day or more usually the evenings.

 Clean

Snakes are clean creatures since they have a slow metabolism they only excrete probably once a week.  If the faeces are cleaned out as they happen there will be no smell at all and the tank can be cleaned out once a month.  Snakes are also hypoallergenic so anyone that is particularly allergic to cats, dogs or any other furry animals might want to consider snakes as a pet.

 Completely Tameable

This is truer for some species than others but most popular species such as the Corn snake are tameable.  Snakes have a fairly primitive brain in comparison to dogs and cats and will never show true affection for the owner.  However they will respond to certain factors.  For instance my Corn snake will happily curl up on my lap, not because she feels affection for me but because she knows I won’t hurt her and she feels safe and more importantly warm on my lap.  The same is said for my scent; my snakes know what I smell like and will come out from hiding when I enter the room as they identify my scent with feeding time.  So as you can see snakes will respond to you like any animal but it is important not to misinterpret this as emotion etc.

 Cost

Most people I have met think buying and keeping snakes will cost an arm and a leg.  This could not be farther form the truth.  A corn snake hatchling and set up could cost you under £100.

Upkeep is unbelievably low no injections to pay for and no overly special requirements like the latest filter etc like you would need for fish.  About 50 pence YES 50 pence a week for food and a slight amount of electricity for heating.

 Educational

 Unusual pets that will captivate younger and older owners alike they can help teach us about the world around us and help squash the image of snakes being relentless blood-thirsty killers which is total rubbish.

Beautiful

They really are just search on the internet for Corn snakes they come in more colours than cars do (Perhaps slightly over exaggerated).

Bad points

I do have to mention if you can’t face the idea of feeding your snake frozen thawed mice then snakes aren’t for you.  Alternatives can be found in the form of what are called snake sausages but I do not agree with these as they aren’t a natural diet.

 What are the best species to start with?

 Well I have to say the common Corn snake because:

Easily acquired as there are many breeders and shops that sell them just search the internet.
Cheap- as low as £35 pounds for a hatchling
Small in size 4 – 6 ft but a slender snake
Calm and placid, if handled properly there should be no bites etc. Plus the corn snake has no fangs as it’s a constrictor so only has little teeth so bites don’t hurt.
Small enclosure 3ft vivarium
Hardy – no special requirements outside the basic set up
Many colours and patterns
 

The King/ Milk snake require the same requirements as Corn snakes except they are not as varied in colour and are shyer than the Corn snake.

 The Royal/Ball python, I don’t have to much experience with these and wouldn’t recommend them as the grow into a big snake 6ft long but carry a lot more girth and are strong snakes and are renowned for being fussy eaters.  See the internet for specialist sites.

 Basic setup

Vivarium

Bedding- from newspaper to aspen bedding, I don’t use bark chippings as pine and cedar can cause health problems.

Heat mat

Hides – at least 2! snakes become stressed if they cannot hide

Water dish

Thermometer – check temperatures

 Common Problems and Diseases


Respiratory infection – This is uncommon but serious basically pneumonia.

 Snake mite- Basically fleas but for snakes they are again uncommon but can be a pain to get rid of if you keep multiple snakes, easily curable with anti mite spray.

Incomplete shed – This is where the snake sheds it skin it doesn’t come off in one piece this is generally due to lack of moisture and can be cured by spraying the enclosure with water during the shed.

 Where to go from here

I hope this little piece was of some use, but please remember this isn’t a care sheet if you want more information there are so many books and pieces on the internet just search around.