Snakes are very interesting animals to keep for company. You need to carefully take care of them.
Steps
Step 1. Get informed
Learn more about the pet you want to buy - habits, food needs, habitat. Make sure you really want a snake and are really prepared to care for one properly.
Step 2. Find a competent breeder
Snakes sold in pet stores are often in poor condition, mistreated, or captured. Find a breeder who offers snakes in good condition for a price you are willing to pay.
Step 3. Observe the snake, before deciding to adopt it
A healthy snake should have visible eyes and nose, well-ordered scales, and should breathe easily. It shouldn't be too lethargic, but it should get carried away without struggling too much.
Step 4. Ask the snake's previous owner about the animal's past
You need to know what it eats and how often, if it has difficulty with food, the date and quality of its last moult (a well made moult leaves the skin layer in one piece, if the snake moults to pieces it may not be healthy).
Step 5. Buy a house for your snake
You will need a terrarium, soil for the cage, a heat source, thermostats, a water container large enough for the snake to bathe in, something for the snake to climb, and a hiding place that is large enough. to allow the snake to hide. The cage must be at least 2/3 the length of the snake. Make sure you have space for such a large cage.
Step 6. You will also need to buy food for your snake
The best thing for snakes is to take pre-killed prey: buy frozen prey, thaw it at home and give it to the snake. Make sure you are comfortable with the idea of doing this.
Step 7. If you plan to give your snake live prey, be aware of the risk
Live mice and rats can carry diseases and parasites, and they can bite and fight, risking injury to your snake.
Step 8. Prepare the terrarium, then take the snake home and have it adapt to its new environment
Step 9. Enjoy it
Snakes make good pets and great friends. Tie up with your new partner, and enjoy your luck.
Advice
- Make sure everyone in the family is comfortable with the idea of living with a snake. Also, try to make sure at least one other person is willing to feed the snake if you go on vacation.
- Don't buy on instinct. Do research on the animal you intend to take before you even take it home. Make sure his habitat is equipped and ready before you get home with him.
- The best snake for first-time catchers is the grain snake. Grain snakes are docile, relatively small, commonly raised, and non-poisonous.
- Don't feed or handle your snake for at least a week after introducing it to its new home so it has time to acclimate.
- If you catch a snake shortly after its birth, be sure to handle it regularly so it becomes tame. Baby snakes are more shy than adults, so if your snake is nervous at first, don't give up.
- DO NOT take a poisonous or notoriously aggressive species.
- Do not get a snake unless you are absolutely sure that you will be able to hold it for the duration of its life. Animal shelters and zoos are full of adult snakes that the owners were unable to care for or no longer wanted.
- Garter snakes are one of the best types of snakes to have as a first time. Depending on where you live they may not even need heating during the warmer months, and they can feed on insects and fish if you're not comfortable with the idea of feeding them mice.
Warnings
- Poisonous snakes are illegal in many countries, and should only be owned by very experienced reptile owners. Don't get one just because you think it would be cool.
- Get a thermostat or heater dimmer underneath the terrarium. Unmonitored heaters can reach temperatures of 50 ° C, which would burn your snake. Monitor all temperatures.
- Never allow a constrictor to wrap itself around your torso or neck - if caught by surprise or frightened it may instinctively squeeze and injure or kill you.
- You should always be very careful during the moments when any snake eats, they are the moments when it is most aggressive. Never handle your snake when it is hungry, or even immediately after it has fed. It could cause it to regurgitate its prey.
- Never handle a large snake alone. Get help from at least one friend every time you feed or pick up a large snake. If it begins to wrap around you, gently untie the coils starting with the tail. DO NOT START WITH THE HEAD! It is dangerous, because the snake may go on the defensive and bite, or squeeze more.
- Don't get a large snake (getting longer than 1.50m) the first time. Large snakes need someone with a lot of experience, and they need to have a large snake-proof enclosure of their own. No matter how "cool" you think it would be to have a big snake: if you've never had one before, a Burmese python or red-tailed boa is not a good choice. Don't think that you can gain the right experience or save enough to be able to safely maintain such a snake as it grows from a puppy to an adult. They grow faster than you think.
- Don't use heated rocks (small electric rocks that heat up to warm your snake) - they will cause burns. Make sure the heat source is not inside the cage or somewhere the snake can't get too close. Check the terrarium temperatures carefully.
- All reptiles carry salmonella bacteria. After handling the snake, always make sure you wash your hands well. Never clean the terrarium or its parts in kitchen sinks, and keep the snake away from food and dishes used for humans. Don't let children under the age of 6 touch the snake, and if older children do touch it, make sure they don't put their hands in their mouth afterwards.
