Pet-Snakes

It is critical that your snake be able to regulate it’s temperature as needed. This is accomplished largely due to your maintaining the tank temperatures at the correct levels at all times. Trail and error has shown that while there are many different ways to do this only a few are feasible for most people. This article will explain how you can do this.

Find out the required ranges

Before you can start regulating the temperature inside of your snakes cage you need to know what the ranges are. The first range you want to be familiar with is called the ambient or background temperature. This is the background air temperature inside the snake’s tank at all times. Every species of snake is different so you’ll need to figure out on your own what your particular breed of snake requires. A good place to do so is by looking at some care sheets dedicated to your species.

The other range is the basking area. This is the area of the cage that the snake will be in when it wants to warm up a little bit. This will usually be several degrees warmer than the ambient temperatures. Not only does it provide a place for the snake to warm up, but because a snake depends on heat to aid in digestion it is important that you make this type of an area available to the snake as needed.

Setup and testing

I find the best thing to do is to start by getting the ambient temperature correct. There are a few approaches to doing this. One way is to regulate each individual tank’s temperature using various heating elements such as lamps, under tank heaters, and/or ceramic heat emitters.

The second way which I prefer is to regulate the overall room temperature where the snake’s cage is located. An oil filled space heater does a great job of this. Obviously take the appropriate safety precautions if you use a space heater.

Once you’ve decided on the method set up the system and let it run for at least 48 hours without any snakes living in it. The idea is to allow you to work out any problems before you expose your snake to potential hazards. It is especially important to get the ambient temperatures regulated properly because your snake won’t be able to escape them in the confines of its cage. The basking temps you have a little more leeway to work with.

After you have the ambient temps fixed it is time to setup the basking temperatures. In addition to the temperature ranges you’ll also need to research the preferred method of heating for your type of snake. Some snakes, for example Ball Pythons, do better with belly heat than overhead heat in their basking spot. It is important for the health and longevity of your snake to provide the preferred method of heating if at all possible.

A final word about this setup and testing phase. Everything you put in the tank with the snake will impact the temperature. Water dishes, hides, decor and whatever else you can think of. Because of this it is important to test with everything that will be in there with the exception of the snake.

Introducing the snake

After you’ve gone through the 48 hour testing period it is time to put your snake in the new setup. This is the most critical phase because if you did it wrong and didn’t really test you could end up killing your pet. I like to introduce snakes into a new setup on a friday night after work and monitor them carefully over the course of the weekend. This way I can be there to correct any problems should they arise.

Even if you can’t give it an entire weekend you should at least give it 6 hours to be available if you need to make any adjustments. During this time keep a careful eye on the ambient temps and the behavior of the snake. Watch where the snake spends most of its time. A self-regulating snake will move from hot spot to cool spot as needed.

A final word about regulating temperatures

When it comes to regulating temperatures there are two critical components you will need to have. The first is a good thermometer. Without one of these you have no way of knowing how close or far off you are. I find the best one to be made by Acurite and sold at Wal-Mart. It features 2 temperature displays (indoor/outdoor), a remote probe, and a built in hygrometer. You place the main unit on the cool end of the tank about 2 inches off the substrate and run the remote probe over to the basking spot and secure it there.

The next critical piece of equipment is a thermostat. They can be a little spendy ($100+ for a good one), but don’t skimp out on this. Proportional is better than the on/off version but it is also a little more expensive. I’m not going to make special recommendation about what thermostats to use other than to say make sure they are designed specifically for use with reptiles.

It is important to quarantine a new pet snake from any other snakes when you bring it home. The primary reason is the health and safety of you collection, but also because it allows your new snake to get settled in. There are a few things you’ll need to do in order to prepare so be sure to give yourself enough time to do everything.

Set up the quarantine area

Ideally you’ll be able to dedicate an entire separate room to be used, but for many people that isn’t possible. At least make sure the new snake is as far away from your other snakes as possible. When I don’t have an extra room I like to place my new snake setup in a closet with a door. Even though it isn’t technically a different room it gives that extra degree of separation.

When you get the snake home (or in the mail) the only thing you want to do is to quickly inspect it and then put it in its newly quarantined habitat. This means everything needs to be setup before that time comes. In case you aren’t familiar or need a refresher take a look at this article about taking care of your first pet snake. It will tell you exactly what you’ll need to provide for your newest snake.

Aside from the separation the most important part of quarantine is that each snake has its own PERSONAL care items. Do NOT cross contaminate the equipment by allowing it to be used between various snakes.

Plan for the long haul

Some people say the quarantine should last a year, others 6 months, and still others say 3 months. That’s a decision you need to make based on what you are comfortable with. A good length of time is a 3 month “hard” quarantine (totally separate rooms) followed by a 3 month “soft” quarantine (opposite sides of the same room).

If you have family or room mates it is also important to involve them so they know what is going on so they’ll know how everything is supposed to work.

Final thoughts on quarantine

Here are some final things to think about when you are quarantining pet snakes.

• Spend time with each animal. Even while they are in quarantine you should be enjoying the new arrivals on a daily basis once the initial settling in period has passed
• Each time a new snake comes into the quarantine room the clock should be rest to day 0 for all of them. It might sound drastic but it is better to keep them separated than to introduce something to your general collection.
• Quarantined animals should have the bare necessities in their tanks and nothing more. Don’t worry about pretty decor keep it simple. Newspaper substrate, a water bowl, and a hide are all there should be in the tank
• Record keeping is important in general, but especially important when it comes to quarantined animals
• Clearly label the quarantine area with a sign saying exactly what is there and why. This way no one can “just forget” about it

Finally here is a video talking about the importance of quarantining your new snakes. In this case it is “only” a case of mites, but it could be much more serious.

One of the largest costs of owning a snake is the cost of a tank for it to live in. When it comes time to buy a new tank for your pet snake it is always wise to prepare before hand if possible. There will be times when you don’t have time to prepare and you’ll just have to spend whatever you have to spend. More often than not however you’ll have plenty of time to shop around for the perfect tank at the best possible price.

This article will help guide you through the process of researching, locating, and purchasing a new snake tank. It is written with the assumption that you are able to spend some time looking for what you need and you aren’t desperate to have a new tank yesterday.

Research what your snake needs

Your first step in the process is to educate yourself on what your snake needs to thrive. That’s the starting point and everything else will be secondary to that. Some people might think cost would be the starting point, but with a little effort cost won’t be a factor in choosing the tank.

Some questions that you should know the answer to are:

• How large is the snake now? - You need something that fits the snake now not 2 years ago. Sounds like it should be common sense, but sadly that’s not always the case.
• How large will it likely get? - Part of the reason to upgrade your snake tank is to give it a home for the future not just for today.
• Is it a terrestrial or arboreal snake? - Arboreal and semi-arboreal snakes like to climb. In that case you are looking for a snake tank that is taller than it is long.
• How much room do I have for the tank? - If you don’t have a place to put the tank there’s no point in getting it. A 100 gallon tank doesn’t look all that big on the display room floor, but once you get it into your cramped little apartment it might seem much larger than it did before.
• Do I need special accommodations? - Sometimes there can be certain features that a snake’s cage should have in order to make life easier.

Locate the appropriate tank

Once you’ve determined what your snake needs in a tank it is time to find the right tank. Many people go right to the pet store and go no further. Experience has taught me that the pet store is generally the the last place you should look for a snake tank. They are usually way overpriced and very likely to sell you exactly what you don’t need.

Instead start by looking online at www.craigslist.org and selecting your appropriate location. Once you have your location set look under community for pets and look around in there. You can also click on the For Sale heading a do a search for aquarium. Craig’s List is the most popular classified site online, but there are others as well. Also don’t forget to check your local newspaper for garage sales, and flea markets.

The main reason I recommend buying a used tank instead of a new one is simply the cost. Used tanks will usually cost much, much less than the new tanks. For example a few days ago I saw a 75 gallon tank being sold on Craig’s List for $45 At a pet store it would have been closer to $250.00 The only catch according to the posts disclosure was “it has a slow leak and won’t stay full”. Sucks for a fish owner, but a snake tank doesn’t need to hold water. It needs to hold snakes!

Spend some time shopping around for the tank. Trust me you can find one for far cheaper than you think if only you are willing to put forth the effort.

Purchase the tank

Once you know what you need and have found it you’ll need to actually buy it. Everyone knows how to give money to complete strangers in exchange for their goods and/or services so I won’t get into detail about this step except to say congratulations! If you’ve researched and located the tank this part shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time.

In the past I’ve advocated building your own snake tank and for the record I still do advise taking that approach. If however you can’t be bothered or are afraid to try then by all means buy a tank.

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.

One of the most challenging tasks for any pet snake owner is keeping the humidity where it needs to be in order for the snakes to not only thrive, but also to simply be content and healthy. Not all snakes require a great amount of attention to the humidity in their tanks or tubs, but many of them do. Especially tropical and sub-tropical species.

Why humidity is important to your snakes

Before we get too much into the hows of humidity it is important to take a look at why humidity plays a vital role to the well being of snakes.

First you need to realize that snakes do not adapt well outside of their natural environments. That’s not to say that they don’t do well in captivity, but that the place they are kept in captivity needs to mimic their natural range as closely as possible in terms of temperatures and humidity.

When a snake sheds higher humidity helps them to get their old skin off. If you’ve ever seen a snake that has old crusty pieces of skin stuck all over it there’s a good chance that the humidity was off (meaning too low) and caused the shed to not go smoothly.

On the flip side of the coin humidity that is constantly too high can contribute to scale rot and other afflictions which can put your snake into great danger health wise.

Beyond the concerns with health and shedding there is also the issue of comfort. A tropical or a sub-tropical snake is naturally more comfortable when kept in higher humidity than something like a Western Hognose would be.

Humidity needs of commonly kept snakes

In this section we’ll take a look at some of the more commonly kept pet snakes and show you what the normal range of humidity is for each snake both during shedding cycles and normally.

Species	Normal	Shedding
Ball Python	50-60%	65-75%
Carpet Python	60-70%	65-75%
Red Tail Boa	50-60%	65-75%
Burmese Python	50-60%	65-75%
Green Tree Python	75-80%	85-90%
Reticulated Python	50-60%	65-75%
King Snake	"Household"	"Household"
Corn Snake	"Household"	"Household"

The above chart is in no particular order and is not meant to indicate any one species of snake is better than another. As you can see the ranges don’t vary a great deal except in a few instances. If you’ve ever been to a large snake breeder who deals with more than a few kinds of snakes you’ll normally see them keeping their temperatures and humidity pretty even across the board despite what kind of snakes they might have on hand. This isn’t to say that humidity levels aren’t important, but it is to say that you have some leeway as long as you fall within the general ranges.

Methods of regulating and manipulating humidity for your snakes

Fortunately with a little effort getting and keeping the humidity at the levels you need them to be for you snake is actually quite simple. First you need to start with a basic understanding of what humidity is and what can affect it.

Humidity is simply:

Moisture; dampness; a moderate degree of wetness, which is perceptible to the eye or touch; — used especially of the atmosphere, or of anything which has absorbed moisture from the atmosphere, as clothing. - Source In plain English that translates to how wet the air is.

Airflow (wind), and heat are the greatest culprits when it comes to humidity issues for pet snakes. Both conditions cause evaporation which lowers the humidity. Controlling humidity levels in your snake’s environment is largely an exercise in controlling these two elements.

The first thing to consider is the living quarters you are going to give your snake. Most average consumers with pet snakes have them as display animals. By that I mean they enjoy looking at them. This of course necessitates the use of a glass tank. Often these tanks are large and elaborately setup. Then you have the breeders. They don’t have time to mess around with glass tanks and fancy setups. Their snakes are usually kept in plastic tubs in racks, or large very spartan setups. In between both of those extremes you have people like me who have snakes as pets and as a part of the family yet have no desire to deal with glass tanks. We tend to come up with solutions involving stand-alone tubs or specially made “cages” which take very little work.

By far the glass tank is the most popular habitat for the average pet snake owner so we’ll focus on that for now. The average glass tank setup has either a hood with a light fixture built into it, or a mesh screen. Neither of which lends itself too maintaining humidity levels. The first thing you should do is cover the top of your glass tank and size a hole just large enough for a heat lamp if need be.

The easiest way to do this is with some tinfoil. Get a piece large enough to easily cover the lid of your tank and tape it, shiny side down, to the lid. Some people use one layer, some two. I myself use and recommend two when I’m using a glass tank (which isn’t often). This one step alone should bump your humidity levels in the tank up by a good 8-12% just by virtue of it severely limiting the amount of evaporation that is occurring.

Once you have the top covered with foil you can always cut out an area just large enough for the heat lamp (if you use one) to fit. I’m referring to the round heat lamps in this case and not the hood systems. Using one of those would totally eliminate 95% of the benefit you get from the foil.

The other option is to have a piece of plexiglass cut and fitted to the top of you tank. It certainly looks much better than foil and isn’t really all that expensive. If need be you should also have a hole fitted for your light cut into the piece of plexiglass. It will only make your life easier.

What’s inside the tank has a large impact on humidity levels as well. Certain substrates help retain humidity better than others. Cypress bark for example is well known to help increase humidity levels in a snakes enclosure. The size of the water dish plays a role. The bigger (meaning wider in this case) the water dish is the more the water will evaporate and the more moisture is released into the tank and the higher the humidity gets. Place your water dish over the heating element in your tank will help promote humidity.

Where the tank is located also has an impact on the humidity. If the room is as dry as a set of bleached bones in Death Valley there’s a good chance your humidity will be difficult to raise. Or if you keep the room like a sauna expect it might be harder to lower. You want to keep the tank in a room that is kept at average temperatures and average humidity levels. The goal is to micromanage the environment of the tank not the entire house. Keep it away from drafts as well.