Pet-Snakes

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.

This is the second of a two part interview I conducted via Email with Brian Barczyk, owner of BHB Reptiles. Part one can be found over at the ReptileGeeks.com blog page. Be sure to stop by Brian’s podcast site, SnakeBytes.tv and have a look at some excellent video footage he and his crew have shot of their operations!

Do you have a particular snake you would call a “pet”?

I have about 500 that I would call my pets.lol Really I think I have a couple Ball Pythons, a Hypo nile Monitor and a Rock Python that I don’t even think of breeding, they are just my pets. I love them all, but those are the ones that are just my personal pets.

Hmm… I wonder if this is Brian’s “pet” monitor at the end of this video?

Which incidentally reminds me I’m look for a monitor or a tegu. Any advice out there for me?

How do neighbors react to your business?

We really keep to ourselves here. My direct next door Neighbor knows what we do here and he’s great about it. I really haven’t ever talked to my other neighbors about what we do. When you drive by our building you would never know what we do. That’s the way I like it, you just don’t need a mob running to the city about kicking you out.

Absolutely and with the way that people tend to react to snakes and other reptiles low key is just common sense. Loud and proud isn’t always a good idea.

What are three things that you’ve been surprised to see change over the years in regards to keeping snakes as pets?

I think one is the popularity of reptiles. To see them in so many commercials and being kept by so many households. I just never thought it would grow like it has. Second would be how large a company like ours has grown. I just never thought it would be possible twenty years ago to produce the number of animals that we do and still sell them, it’s really mind blowing. And third is the color mutations in all the species. When I started albino Corns and Snow Corns were the big thing. There was hardly any mutations at all, not there are hundreds to choose from.

I wonder if the popularity of reptiles has degraded their quality or is it too much of a hassle for most of the “fly-by-night” people to get involved with? I believe Brian’s business has grown due in large part to how he conducts himself. His passion for his snakes shines through in everything he does and it’s hard not to want to do business with a guy like that. As far as morphs go I’m in agreement. It’s amazing how many different looks that one kind of snake can take on via breeders manipulating the genetics by breeding to bring out certain traits.

How many staff do you employ not counting direct family?

We have eight full time employees. We could probably use more:)

I’ve got someone who’d like to work for you Brian.

Impressive, I am of brazil, all that is forbidden here, I want to work with you? please, work for free, I do not have to pay money, so me of food and water, and place to sleep please …….. …. - Tiliquaskinks (a comment on the monitor video above).

Of course I’m always available, but I’m afraid I don’t do free (at least not on a consistent basis)

Would you do it all over again?

In a second, I love what I do as much now as I did twenty years ago. I always say that the day that I don’t get excited about hatching the cheapest snake I have will be the day I get out of the business.

I doubt anyone can argue with logic like this!

Do you or have you worked with venomous species?

No, I love to look at them an I think there’s a place for them in the industry. I just get bit way too much. I know it wouldn’t be right for me.

I don’t blame you Brian! Getting bit would be no fun at all!

Do you have a formal education in biology, or zoology or a similar area?

I went to colledge for Biology, figuring that I would get my Herp degree. By time I was in my second year I realized that this was the way I wanted to go with my life. I think I made the right decision:)

From the looks and sounds of it you certainly made the right decision Brian. If not there’s always night school!

Biggest regret in the past 12 months regarding a business decision?

I really never regret business decisions. I make a lot of good decisions and of course I make a lot of really bad ones. You have to just put them behind and hope that the good outweighs the bad. I like the quote ” often wrong, never in doubt”.

Great quote I’ll have to keep that in mind. I’m sure I can find a use for it about 50,000 times a day.

Would you recommend breeding snakes to others as a business (or even a hobby)?

Of course I would! If I didn’t believe in what I do, I wouldn’t do it. It’s been so rewarding for me and my family. I wish everyone could share my life. The only advise I would give is to have passion for it. You have to love it with everything to be really good at it.

Excellent advice summed up in one word here. Passion. Without passion for a business like this you’ll quickly go under.

What is the main question I should have asked but didn’t?

What was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to you as a reptile breeder?

I would answer that the day I hatched my first Pied Bald Ball Python was probably the coolest thing that I can remember. They had just been proven out by Pete Kahl a few weeks earlier and I had a ton of money into this project. This was not only a huge investmet, but a picture I saw of a Pied years before is what got me so excited about Ball Pythons. I remember the very moment that I cut the egg and saw the one and only Pied I produced that year. It was such an incredible feeling!! I’ve had a lot of great stuff happen since, but that one probably still is my most exciting moment.

Excellent question and even better answer. That’s why it’s always good to let someone you are interviewing ask themselves a question!

Once again I’d like to thank Brian for taking the time to fill out the interview questions for me! I encourage anyone considering a new snake to at least contact Brian and see what he has to offer! Thanks for reading!

Credit: blog.thorg.com
If you aren’t certain here are some signs to look for that will help you tell if your pet snake is getting ready to shed its skin. All snakes shed and the indications are the same regardless of species of snake. The following will help you recognize when the time has come and help prepare you for it.

Physical indications

One of the first thing that happens is that you’ll start to notice a physical change in your snakes. If you never handle them it might take you longer to recognize the change but it’s there.

• On snakes with light or white colored undersides it will often turn a light pink
• Their eyes will turn a milky color. This is the most common indication
• It’s skin will turn a dull color (compared to it’s usual color)
• The snake will stop being as social spending a good deal of its time in its hide(s)

Remember that during this time the snake is sensitive (shedding isn’t painless), hungry since it won’t eat during the shedding process which can last a few weeks, all but completely blind, and often in a bad mood. Try to leave it alone as best you can. Don’t bother trying to feed it as it won’t eat. Once it’s done it’ll most likely want to eat so have something ready.

Other indication

I already mentioned several other indications your snake is going to shed, but they bear repeating.

• Loss of appetite
• Lack of interaction
• Spends a great deal of time in its hide
• Hangs out in the water bowl (especially if the humidity is too low)
• More “moody” than normal

As you can see recognizing when a snake is getting ready to shed is simply a matter of being observant. When it happens try to minimize your contact with the animal as much as possible. NEVER, EVER attempt to assist the snake with its shedding. That is unless you are dealing with a bad shed situation in which case there are somethings you can potentially try.