Why Snakes Don't Bite Babies Why Snakes Don't Make Good Pets

Choosing to keep a snake equally a pet is very dissimilar from other livestock and companion animals. It's a tricky and potentially risky process. The creatures have unique care requirements and husbandry. Yous need to make sure you choose ane suited to your best handling capabilities.

Picking a Pet Serpent

Nigh snakes are tame. Many are dangerous (even the tame ones). But it's usually the conditions the aggressive behavior. If you're going to go on a ophidian — and trust they will fascinate! — you demand to commit and exist empathetic to their needs.

If you lot're thinking nearly a serpent, have the following into account:

Snakes can alive to two decades. This is a long-term delivery.
Houdini could learn from snakes. They are boggling escape artists. Snakes don't become looking for freedom just they find it. It's of import to take an enclosure that your snake can't outwit.
Most likely, you'll need to feed live casualty to the animal. You can offer them frozen or pre-killed prey (the safest pick), simply the alive food will keep them agile and interested. If you get frozen, prepare yourself for storing everything from insects to rats and mice in your freezer.
Unless y'all're a skilled handler, keeping constricting or venomous snakes — even even ones that stay minor — is not recommended.

Use a Breeder

Go your pet from reputable breeders and vendors. Wild snakes that you capture will be stressed. They are prone to disease and parasites. These traits volition make taming difficult.

How to Handle a Snake

You lot desire to acclimate the pet to your presence. And no owner wants a snake they can't hold! But y'all desire to do it safely. Immature snakes, non used to human bear on, will take some training.

Wash your hands first. Any olfactory property may be mistaken for food. Cleaning also reduces the possibility of harmful parasites or bacteria transferring to the ophidian. 1 day, it may exist unnecessary, but you lot want to get the snake used to the man presence.

Before the kickoff handling, balance your hand in the muzzle for up to three minutes. The suspicious snake will likely avoid you in the beginning. Eventually, their strong sense of odor, recognizing you, will lead them to investigate.

Don't feel a soothing conversation may assistance. While snakes aren't deaf, they tin can't hear human speech. So just read your mag or watch "America's Got Talent" while your paw sits in the tank.

E'er motion predictably and slowly. Never surprise a snake! Fifty-fifty when you're just looking through the glass. Approaching your snake — in or out of its enclosure — direct or from the side. Not from in a higher place and never call yourself surprising it. That ophidian will surprise you!

And while we're on the topic of surprises, avoid trying to selection up a hissing ophidian. The snake is either agape or on the defence. Don't mess with it after information technology's had a meal. Go along Away when information technology'due south shedding. Until information technology's used to you lot, a skilful time to handle your reptile is when it's tired but awake.

The All-time Pet Snakes

Snakes make for great pets! They are unique and fun. In that location are over iii,600 species worldwide and the majority of them are adjustable to captivity. The post-obit 10 animals are popular and relatively low maintenance. These are breeds that stay small. Most breeds swallow alive food, so if you're squeamish virtually that, become a guinea pig. You've got options for kids, for beginners and the experienced.

So here's a list of great snakes, known for their ease of care, temperament, and appearance.

#1 Children'south Python

Best Pet Snakes — The Children's Python gets its name from the scientist who get-go described them in 1842, John George Children, the curator of the British Museum'southward zoological drove at the fourth dimension of the discovery.
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Children's Pythons abound between ii.5 and four feet making them rare medium-sized snakes that stay small. These are great pets for beginners and are docile plenty to be around supervised kids. The reptile requires the most basic care and diets on rodents. Their temperaments are splendid when handled gently and regularly. They live up to thirty years and will run you anywhere betwixt $70 and $350.

#2 Common Boa Constrictor

Due to their very large size, boas aren't the best pet for the novice. At a titillating 13 to sixteen feet in length, the boa constrictor needs an experienced handler. Found in Due south and Central America, the boa snacks on deer, lizards, fish, and other creatures. As a pet, y'all tin feed them rabbits, rats, and chickens. You want to keep them away from kids. Boas are strong and may wrap tight if stressed or threatened. The mutual boa costs betwixt $60 and $200.

#3 Western Hognose Snake

Native to the U.S., Canada, and United mexican states, the Western Hognose Serpent is known for its upturned pug-ish nose. Agile in the mornings and evenings, the breeds snack on toads and pocket-size lizards and mice (when toads and lizards aren't available). The Hognose digs holes to find toads hiding in the sand. The Hognose's good with proper handling and their hissing isn't ambitious behavior. The boa costs $100–$700.

#4 Garter Snake

Garters are among the world's nigh populous wild snakes and popular home pets. Convict garters gnaw on worms and pocket-sized fish. With common heating and lighting requirements, they don't need a lot of maintenance. It's good to set them up with a basking lamp every bit the garter enjoys resting in the sun. They grow no longer than four feet, making them a rare small snake. The garter serpent is a famous backyard invader and being pretty harmless and tame, they're skillful for kids. The snakes are inexpensive at less than $l.

#five Ball Python

The ball python is famous for its pickiness and its food. They prefer thawed or freshly killed meals, but there so are periods where they stop eating completely. But their nature is existence at-home and docile, and suspicious. You're going to spend some time earning their trust. One characteristic of the snake is crimper into a brawl when intimidated. They can become thick that stay modest, maxing out at five anxiety. Ball pythons live up to three decades and cost, depending on their rarity, cost $25–$200.

#6 California Rex Ophidian

The Cali Male monarch Ophidian is commonly brown-black with yellow stripes, bands, or speckles. An fantabulous beginner snake, the Cali Rex is a shy, docile creature with frequent handling. When stressed, the snake doesn't lash out. The breeds would prefer coiling up and hiding. They have basic care requirements, eat mice, and live as long as 20 years. You can have 1 of your ain for betwixt $seventy and $170.

#7 Corn Serpent

The Corn Serpent is a top pick for beginners. Native to the United States, they're typically in terrestrial habitats. If washed past professionals, you can capture them in the wild. Captive breeds though are healthier with calmer temperaments. You tin keep the three to 4-foot-long snake in a 20-gallon aquarium. They eat pinky mice and have few medical issues. Look at a toll typically in the $40 to $100 range.

#8 African House Snake

The adaptable African House Ophidian can live in many ecosystems. In its native sub-Saharan Africa, they notice comfort living around human dwellings. These animals are harmless just tend to stress over unfamiliar environments and loud noises. Merely as they're more than likely to run than bite, the animals are a safe bet for kids. Outside of its chocolate-brown shade, you'll distinguish the African house snake by a sparse stripe of white or tan running across the top of its body from head to tail. Prices start at $seventy.

#9 Milk Snake

The milk snake calls Mexico and the States dwelling. A rare smaller ophidian for beginners, it has rings of orange, red, white, xanthous, and blackness. Often confused with the coral snake, the milk ophidian'south not venomous and has an impressionable docile temperament. You lot cannot accept more than ane in a single environment every bit these creatures tend to cannibalize each other. They grow upwards to six feet in length. Depending on the species, a Milksnake costs between $70 and $100.

#x Gopher Snake

There are nine subspecies among the gopher ophidian breeds, including the bullsnake, the Sonoran gopher, and the Pacific and Great Bowl gophers. Sizes range from three to 7 anxiety. Behavior and coloration offer have them mistaken as various venomous species. This is too because ane of their defensive traits is fooling predators by imitating unsafe animals similar rattlesnakes. Though non specially domesticated, the gopher does make skilful pets if handled with care. A gopher snake costs between $30–$100.

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What should you proper name your pet serpent?

Pet snakes often accept names based on their color, what species they are, their size, or classic names based on how snakes behave (like Slider). Check out our comprehensive guide 'Snake Names: 77 Incredible Names For Your Pet Snake' to discover more ideas!.

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