Snakes are limbless, cold-blooded and scaly reptiles belonging to the order of Squamata. Keeping Snakes as pets can be easy only if their requirements are understood completely. Their needs are different from other reptiles. Owners must also understand that some of them grow very large and can become dangerous with the passage of time. There are different types of Snakes available for pet owners with different preferences. Every Snake has a different diet and needs a different environment to live in. Snakes, which are kept as pets, range from the common Garter Snake to Pythons. Snakes sometimes live for more than 40 years, so potential owners should be aware of this fact and be ready to make a lifetime commitment before thinking of keeping some types of Snakes as pets.
Snakes frequently escape from their owner’s custody. They always look for small openings in their enclosures which will let them out of their captivity. Owners must be extremely careful in this regard and should make sure that their pet has an escape proof enclosure and that it is never left open unattended, even for a minute.
Snakes are carnivores. They do not eat vegetation at all. The favourite food for Snakes is rats and mice. Bigger Snakes are fed with squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals. Some species even eat insects and fish. When your pet Snake eats a small animal, it is advisable to kill the prey before it is given to the Snake. If this job is left to the Snake, it could be a risk to its life, depending on the type of prey. For example, rats and squirrels can be very vicious if they are trapped in the cage with a Snake and in fear for their life.
Usually Snakes that have been bred in captivity are an excellent choice as pets. Wild Snakes carry lots of diseases and parasites with them, get really stressed out during transportation and frequently are very difficult to tame.
King Snakes, Ball Pythons and Corn Snakes are popular choices as pets. Their diet and environmental needs aren’t as complicated as other species of Snakes. They are also smaller in size, but King Snakes can sometimes grow up to seven feet long. Ball Pythons have eating issues. They like to feed on live prey instead of pre-killed prey. Also, they sometimes stop eating food for months. Ball Pythons that have been bred in captivity have lesser eating issues. Before buying a Ball Python, the prospective owner should test whether the reptile eats dead prey or not, if the seller cannot provide this information.
The more challenging Snakes that can be kept as pets are Red-tailed Boas, Water Snakes, Burmese Pythons, any other Pythons and wild Snakes. The most dangerous of them are Burmese pythons. These are the Snakes that have been abandoned in the Florida everglades and are now endangering the alligators and humans native to this area. They can completely swallow a human being. So it is recommended that you have people around while feeding this reptile so that they can help if problems occur. Burmese Pythons are very strong Snakes and it would be very difficult, or next to impossible, for one person to free themselves from the Snake if captured in its grip. They grow more than twenty feet and weigh more than two hundred pounds. Even Red-tailed Boas grow up to ten feet and weigh more than fifty pounds. These Snakes are also difficult to manage by yourself. All these species demand the right temperatures and humidity in their environment.
Reticulated Pythons and Anacondas are extremely dangerous pets. It is not recommended that you keep these Snakes as pets. Another variety that could be fatal are venomous Snakes. They are not only a threat to the owner and family members, but also to people in the neighbourhood, if one of these type of Snakes escapes.
Snakes are also bred for their skin, which is used to make belts, bags, shoes, etc. They are also eaten as a delicacy in many countries including parts of the United States. In many of the Asian countries, the Snake’s meat and blood is consumed for medicinal purposes.
Mom and dad have talked to a number of people who own Snakes and asked them why they chose a Snake as a pet. The most common reply was that they found it extremely soothing to let the Snake slither through their fingers. The second most common reply was that they were fascinating to watch. So, if you want a Snake as a pet, check with your local pet store to see if they sell them and it they do, ask them if they can tell you the name or phone number of someone who has purchased a Snake from them. Contact this person and find out all the pros and cons of owning a Snake. Once you have done that and researched the requirements of the particular Snake you are interested in, then return to the pet store and get your new pet and all of the equipment that you will need to house it and the food you will need to feed it.
Until next time,
Teia
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