May 26 2008
Having Snakes As Pets
I have a friend who adores all animals. She even adores snakes. This is one creature I could never get used to, however, I don’t believe in harming them unless it is in defense. My friend had a pet corn snake. She would let it out of its tank and allow him to slither around her body but mostly her neck and arms. Snakes are typically wild, but many can do well when they are raised by a human. Never try to capture a snake and take it home to have as a pet. It can never work. You will only depress the reptile along with stressing it and possibly accidentally killing it. They are also prone to diseases. Be careful when choosing a snake as a pet.
There are particular snakes that do best in captivity. The Corn Snakes, King Snakes, and the Ball Python are the best choices for having a snake as a pet especially if it is your first time having one. Snakes do not eat vegetation. One thing you will have to get used to is giving mice or rats to them as a meal. The rodent should be dead already; however, a select few will not be as quick to eat the rodent if it is not alive. It could be the warmth of the potential food or the thrill of the hunt that makes the snake more intrigued to eat. They should be raised eating dead mice and as they get bigger they can eat rats. First of all, it is the most humane way to give the food and it will also protect the pet snake from any potential injuries it may get in order to kill the rodent. You should realize that the rodents used for food purposes only are usually wild and not hand-raised which means they could be rather vicious. Especially if they get out of the tank somehow it will become a big mess and everyone loses. To be on the safe side simply give the pet snake a mouse or rat that is frozen.
The Corn, King, and Ball Python’s are the easiest to take care of since they require the basics and will not get too big where you find yourself buying a bigger tank each couple of months. The largest these snakes will get is between 4 and 5 feet long. The Corn and King Snakes can live up to 20 years while the Ball Python can live up to 40 years. Therefore, be sure you want the snake as a pet. They will get used to you. My friend managed to keep the snake happy with plenty of attention and the right foods and right sized tank. The snake had plenty of heat and room to move around.
Snakes that will be harder to take care of are the Boa Constrictor, Burmese Python, Water snakes and any Boa’s and Python’s that live in trees. These are the hardest to take care of since they require more attention and larger food. They can get as big as 20 feet which means they may have to eat rabbits as well as rodents. Their area of living will have to increase to larger and larger tanks. They also have more potential to attack as opposed to the smaller snakes. Any snake chosen as a pet needs to have an owner that knows and understands its needs.
