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Are You Ready for a Snake?

Oh wow, you have always imagined owning a snake would be cool, would impress your friends, would be interesting and give you bragging rights, etc. Let's talk about this for a few minutes. First of all, snakes unlike a dog, kitten, rabbit. or even a hamster is not a cuddly pet that will enjoy your company (ok, so a hamster could care less if you exist unless you forget to feed it) A many snakes are a pet that will get to be 10 feet long and weight more than 50lbs, have to be fed live or previous live frozen animals several times a month, they need to be interacted with constantly so they don't begin mistaking your face for prey, and are you ready to clean up a cage from an animal that pees and poos like a great dane? You can forget going away for those spur-of-the-moment weekends causeI don't care how loyal your best friend is, they probably won't care for it when you go away.

Of course just like any other pet a snake is not a pet to decide on spur-of-the-moment, there are things you need to consider before you bring a snake home - after all they are a living, breathing creature and if you bring one home you are making a commitment to provide a quality living environment during it's
lifetime.

**Corn Snake**
Some snakes can be quite expensive, the more exotic breeds (not recommended for a newbie) can run into the thousands. Even a hatchling corn snake can cost $75.00. Young adult corn snakes or red-tailed boas will run between $250 -$300.00 and this is all just estimates. Equipment to start out doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg, but as they grow they become more and more expensive. Some of the large beautiful cages can cost more than $10,000.00. Here again there are many great cages far less expensive - and you can find "build-your own" instructions online. As with any pet there are start up expenses to get the equipment you need to properly care for your pet and then ongoing expenses, but don't forget that there could also be veterinarian costs if your snake get ill so you need to keep that in mind.

Expense

Some snakes can be quite expensive, the more exotic breeds (not recommended for a newbie) can run into the thousands. Even a hatchling corn snake can cost $75.00. Young adult corn snakes or red-tailed boas will run between $250 -$300.00 and this is all just estimates. Equipment to start out doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg, but as they grow they become more and more expensive. Some of the large beautiful cages can cost more than $10,000.00. Here again there are many great cages far less expensive - and you can find "build-your own" instructions online. As with any pet there are start up expenses to get the equipment you need to properly care for your pet and then ongoing expenses, but don't forget that there could also be veterinarian costs if your snake get ill so you need to keep that in mind.

Handling

Some snakes tolerate human handling, others do not. It is important before you decide on what type of snake to bring
home whether you want to be able to handle it. Snakes in general are solitary creatures and prefer to be left alone. Some snake in fact will die from stress if they are handled, some will stress if they are handled too much. Snakes that can be handled include the king snake, boa constrictors, corn snakes and ball pythons. These snakes should be handled a few minutes everyday so that they can get used to the handling and realize you aren't going to urt them. The best snakes for beginners are king snakes, ball pythons and corn snakes.

WARNING! -- Snakes carry Salmonella - so there is a risk of contamination and illness you don't handle them properly. Just like any amphibian they carry this germ and if you have small children or someone around who has a compromised immune system you need to consider whether this is the right pet for your household. There are a couple of things that everyone needs to do in order to avoid contamination. First, wash your hands, very simple every time you handle the snake wash your hands with disinfecting soap before so you can avoid passing something onto your snake and after handling to avoid salmonella contamination. Second - don't wash any snake equipment in the kitchen.

Enclosures

Snakes are master escape artists and some will spend their time trying to find a way to get out of their enclosure. So you need to make sure that you provide a proper home for your snake. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing your snake is how big they will get. Most snakes grow very fast and will need an enclosure that is large enough for them. This can get expensive (some of the beautiful large enclosure you have seen can cost as much as $10,000.00 - of course that is the high end) You can find enclosures that aren't anywhere near as expensive but you will still need to spend money to provide your snake with the proper home and equipment. An example to think about is that a red-tailed Boa starts out as a tiny snake that will fit in the palm of your hand and by the time it is a year old can be as large as 5 to 6 feet long and weigh 30-40lbs and at year 4 will probably be between 6 to 10 feet long. A rule of thumb for the size of habitat a snake needs is that for every foot of snake there needs to be 3/4 of a square foot of living space. A 6 foot snake needs a therefore needs 4 square feet of habitat or a cage that is 4 ft. x 4ft. ( 6 ft. x 6 ft. for 10 foot long snake) -- pace it out, that a rather large cage for your apartment or bedroom.

What Snakes eat

Snakes are carnivores and eat meat. Although in the wild the eat live meat, pet snakes areusually fed flash frozen feeder animals. Mostly this is to avoid injuries to your snake (bites etc.) if you are at all squimish about buying, thawing and feeding animals to your snake then you then you aren't really cut out to be a snake owner. Although many snake owners feed their snakes "pre-killed" prey animals that can be bought frozen, some snakes are not accustom to this type of food and will only eat live, so if before you choose a snake find out what type of food they are used to eating,. Also keep in mind, as they grow, so will the food they will eat.

A snake as a pet can be a wonderful experience and if you go into it prepared you will have many years of enjoyable learning with your snake. Check out the other articles for more in depth information about snakes.

Tame That Wild Thing! has the information you will need to help you in choosing a pet that is right for your family. Check the menu for animal specific information and checklists to help you get ready.