A question I frequently come across online and in various emails I receive from readers is regarding how to get avoid getting bitten by a pet snake. Snakes are very simple creatures with rudimentary brains and they only bite for a few reasons. Once you know the reasons your snake is biting you it becomes much easier to avoid.

Fear

Snakes, just like all other animals have a natural defense mechanism to lash out and bite when they feel threatened. This is especially true if you don’t handle your snakes often. I read a description on the internet once that really drove the point home for me. In a nutshell what the person said was this -

Your snake is minding its own business just hanging out and all of a sudden Godzilla comes along, picks up the house, moves things around, grabs the snake and packs it off. The snake is scared to death and strikes out.

That’s not an exact quote but it gives you the idea. If the snake isn’t familiar with you it will fear you. If it fears you then it will very likely bite you.

Hunger

When it is feeding time and you start prodding around in the snake’s tank it doesn’t matter how tame it is chances are that it will attempt to strike at you. It is only a matter of time before you get bit by a hungry snake looking for an easy meal if you don’t pay attention to the signs.

A hungry snake will often exhibit the following characteristics:

• Excessive tongue flickering as it smells the air for possible prey
• A lot of roaming back and forth within the tank as it searches for prey
• When you open the tank it will often sit in the strike position waiting for prey
• Sometimes they will yawn a lot to loosen up their jaws and prepare to strike

Not all snakes react the same way to being hungry, but those are a few common warning signs. You’ll need to learn how to read your own snake’s behavior to determine when it is hungry. You’ll greatly improve the likelihood of getting yourself bit if you ignore the snake’s signals when it wants something to eat.

You smell like the snake’s food

If you smell like the prey your snake eats chances are sooner or later it is going to strike and bite you. Don’t handle the food and then handle the snake before washing your hands. Actually it is a good idea to wash your hands before and after handling your snake regardless of if you’ve handled the snake’s food.

Genetics

When all is said and done some snakes tend to be more aggressive than others which leads them to bite more often. Certain species have a tendency to be more nippy. Amazon Tree Pythons for example are known for being more likely to bite. Young Carpet Pythons are known to be biters until they get used to being handled. Some snakes will outgrow it and some won’t. That’s why it is very important to research the snake you plan to buy and have a through understanding of the type of animal it is genetically.

Those are the main reasons why snakes bite. Sometimes it is tempting to attribute human emotions to a snake and tell people that their snake bit them because “it doesn’t like you”. Please avoid doing this as it is completely untrue. Snakes neither like nor dislike people. They are either motivated or not to bite based on outside stimulus not on emotions. Avoiding snake bites isn’t hard it just takes common sense and being aware of what is going on.

There are a variety of bedding materials you can use in your pet snake tank. This article will help you pick the ones that are most suitable. We will examine each type of bedding based on the following 5 criteria:

1. Availability
2. Cost
3. Characteristics
4. Appearance
5. Personal opinion

This isn’t meant to be a full comprehensive list of all possible types of substrates just the ones that are most common among snake owners.

Sand

There are a number of different specially packaged sands available for reptile owners in your local pet store. Generally they are colored pink, green, red, or something else. A lot of the time they’ll be supplemented with calcium which is more for lizards than snakes.

Availability

It is very easy to find sand that is touted for use as reptile substrate. Almost any pet store will carry it especially the larger chain stores like PetCo and Pet Smart. You can also easily order it online from a variety of sources.

Cost

Sand is relatively cheap even for the specially supplemented kind. It will cost you around $6 or $7 for a 5 pound bag. Of course “special feature” sand will cost more such as the kind that glows in the dark.

Characteristics

Sand is messy. It is also dangerous for your snakes. It is well known for causing impaction because they can’t digest it. It also gets under their scales (including the ones that cover their eyes), but is especially known for getting under the belly scale.

Beyond the health concerns it is also difficult to work with. Each time your snake goes to the bathroom you need to completely remove all of the sand, clean the tank, and replace it with fresh sand. It doesn’t take long before it gets very tedious.

Appearance

As mentioned before it comes in a variety of colors and “styles”. It makes for a very pretty bedding as long as you keep it cleaned out and changed frequently. The glowing in the dark and multi-colored features are kind of neat especially for younger kids.

Personal Opinion

Sand is a bad horrible idea for use as a substrate in a snakes tank. First and foremost due to the health risks it poses. Most people also have a tendency to just scoop a little of it out when it has been soiled, but because of how it absorbs moisture you really need to start completely fresh each time. Save the sand for the sandbox or the bottom of the fish tank. It does NOT belong in with your pet snake!

Astro-turf

Synthetic grass isn’t just for football fields anymore. It has also found a place in the hearts and minds of snake lovers.

Availability

Astro-turf is readily available. You can find it at almost any pet store and barring that you can find it at Home Depot, Lowes or almost any other garden center in your area. You might also find it under the generic names of artificial grass and/or artificial turf.

Cost

Astro-turf is relatively inexpensive but unless you buy it from the pet store you will most likely end up with far more than you need. For example a 10 foot x 10 foot square is a common size. Most owners of pet snakes have no need for anywhere close to that amount.

Characteristics

A pet snake will feel right at home on astro-turf (as much as a snake can feel at home). It is easy to clean and easy to change out. Most people will get at least 2, sometimes 3 pieces of astro-turf for each tank. That way when one is soiled they just pull it out and throw in a clean one. Then they throw the soiled one in the wash, let it dry and repeat the process. Very convenient.

The downfall is that it can start to smell badly because it absorbs the odors from your snakes urine and feces. You also have to be very through in cleaning it both because of the odors and it tends to trap bacteria in the fibers.

Appearance

There’s not much to say about the appearance of astro-turf. It looks like fake plastic grass. The older it gets and the more worn the less like grass and the more like plastic it looks.

Personal Opinion

In the past I’ve used astro-turf and while it does the job it certainly isn’t my first choice. Far better than sand, but inferior to a number of other substrate choices. This is one of those situation where it won’t hurt anything to use astro-turf, but there are better solutions.

Cypress Mulch

Cypress mulch is often touted for its ability to hold humidity thus making it easier to raise when necessary. It is readily available at the pet store and fairly inexpensive.

Availability

Just about any pet store will either have it in stock or be able to readily obtain a supply of it. There is of course always the online option as well if you prefer to have things shipped directly to your door.

Cost

You can find 24qts of cypress mulch for about $25 average price. Your milage may vary. You can also get lesser amounts for less cost, but it actually goes fairly quickly if you use it right.

Characteristics

Like mentioned before cypress mulch is touted by snake owners for its ability to help hold moisture and thus raise humidity. It has a nice “woody” smell to it, but isn’t over powering. One of the biggest problems with cypress (or any other wood-based mulch) is that if you have a mite infestation it becomes very difficult to get rid of them because they will thrive in the cypress.

Appearance

Cypress mulch looks like a forest floor. Chunks of brown and black wood substance. It makes for a nice base in a display case where you are showing off your pet snake.

Personal opinion

This is by far my second favorite substrate. If it weren’t for the number of snakes I have this would be my choice as a bedding. If you are looking for a natural substrate that will do what you need it to do then consider using cypress mulch.

Newspapers, and paper towels

Cheap, convenient, and easy. Hard to beat these as substrate for your snakes cage.

Availability

You can buy paper towels by the roll and good sales come up all the time. Newspapers on the other hand you can easily get for free. Go into any McDonald’s in the later morning and you’ll see newspapers all over the place. Grab a few of them. Actually go into any restraunt that serves breakfast and grab some of the papers sitting around on the tables. You can also grab handfuls of free newspapers at the grocery store where the local town paper is often set out and distributed for free. Finally if all else fails go talk to a neighbor who gets the paper. Chances are they’d be more than happy to have you take it off their hands.

Cost

Paper towels will cost you a few dollars, but they are inexpensive and a roll can last you quite a while. Assuming of course that you use it only as replacement bedding in your snake’s tank.

As I mentioned above you should have no problem finding free newspaper. Even if you can’t for some reason get any for free buying a sunday paper should get you enough newspaper to last for a few weeks. At least if you’re the average pet snake owner and only have a few for your personal enjoyment.

Characteristics

Aside from being cheap and easy to obtain newspaper and paper towels are also extremely easy to use. They get dirty you pull them out, clean out the tank and put new ones in. Literally it takes about 30 seconds to give your snake fresh, clean substrate.

By no means is it the perfect substrate however. With paper towels you need to be sure that you don’t get perfumed as it can cause respiratory issues for snakes. You’ll also find they have absolutely no tolerance for moisture. Once they get wet you’ll need to replace it all instead of just scooping out the general area. The same is true for newspapers.

Another issue with newspapers worth mentioning is the fact that some people are concerned with the ink and the possibility of it being toxic. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of ink used in modern newspapers is made of organic pigments. It is the same kind of ink and dyes found in tattoos, and cosmetics. Here’s an article that tells you about using newspaper bedding for livestock and talks about things like toxicity.

Apperance

In a word: UGLY. You won’t be winning any decorating contests using newspaper or paper towels.

Personal Opinion

Newspapers are my favorite substrate followed closely by paper towels. Cost plays a huge factor and then the fact that they are so easily replaced when soiled by a snake. If you’ve never tried it before I highly suggest giving it a shot.

In the end the substrate you choose to use must first and foremost provide a suitable medium for your snake and then it needs to be something you can both work with and afford. There are other choices for snake bedding such as crushed coconut shells that weren’t mentioned in this article. That’s because of time and space limitations not because they are a poor choice.