Finding a snake to adopt easy. You’ll find them available for the following reasons:

• It got too large
• Kids lost interest in it
• It has become aggressive
• Lack of time
• Lack of money
• Owner health issues

Finding snakes to adopt

The first place I go if I’m looking to adopt a snake is Craig’s List “Community pets” section. If you use the search feature and type in snakes, pythons, boas or something along those lines you will almost always turn up something.

Then I contact the local Humane Society. They are best known for furry critters like cats and dogs but they also get snakes in from time to time.

Finally a good place to find a snake is a website called Pet Finder where rescues will often list what they have available. You can search by species, location, age, size, and gender.

One thing you’ll probably find in common with all of these place and anywhere else you might look for a snake to adopt is that you’ll see lots of Ball Pythons, Corn Snakes, and Boas that need new homes. There are of course other snakes to be found, but those are the most common that are in need of adoption.

Questions to ask when you adopt a snake

Having adopted my share of snakes (and other animals) I’ve come to realize it is important to know what you are getting before you agree to take the animal. That’s why it is important to go with a list of questions ready. I like to ask the following:

How long have you had the snake?

That might not seem important, but someone who claims to have had their animal for any amount of time should be able to give you a lot of information. If they say they’ve only had it for a few days or weeks you’re not going to get very much useful knowledge from them. If on the other hand they’ve had the snake for several years asking some questions could prove worth your while.

Where did you get the snake?

It’s good to know where the snake came from prior to reaching the most recent owner who you are doing business with. If it came from a breeder you can contact them and maybe establish a relationship. If it came from a pet store at least you’ll know. It’s also quite possible the snake was adopted by this person the same as you are considering doing.

How old is the snake?

This will help you to gauge how long of a commitment you might be making to the snake. If the snake is only two or three years old you’re looking at twenty plus years, but if it’s 20 or 25 years old the snake is getting along in age. All snakes have various life expectancies so you’ll need to be familiar with the species you are considering.

What is the snake eating and when?

It’s always best, at least initially, to keep a snake on the same feeding schedule and diet as it is currently on. Being moved to a new place is very stressful to a snake and the less chaos you cause it the better off things will be.

What vet do you take the snake to?

I’ve only ever once had someone give me an answer to this question. Most people don’t take their snakes to the vet. If possible I like to know who it is so I can find out any health concerns from the vet BEFORE I take it to my vet.

Why are you getting rid of the snake?

This is perhaps the most important question. The purpose isn’t to pry into someone’s private affairs but to figure out if there is anything that you should be aware of concerning the snake. Maybe it is just too big, or it could be a biter, maybe it has a chronic illness. Whatever the reason it will only make your life easier if you know the answer.

There are many more questions you could ask so the best thing to do is draw up a list of questions you think are important so they are ready when it comes time to start asking them.

Before you pick the snake up

Just like when you buy a new snake from a breeder there are some things you need to have in order before you get it.

• Housing should be setup and ready to go
• Have food on hand or a local source of food
• Care sheets for the snake you are getting if you aren’t familiar with them
• Online resources to help you as needed
• A vet you can contact “just in case”

Once you’ve found the snake you want to adopt, made the necessary arrangements, and put everything in order then and only then is it time to get the snake. Go pick it up (or whatever arrangements you’ve made) and give it a good home.

Most people don’t have the luxury of living within easy driving distance of someplace like NERD to get their snake “fix” like I do. For those of you who don’t live close to a local snake breeder you have a some options for getting your hands on a pet snake.

• Buy them at a local pet store
• Buy them at a local reptile store
• Drive out of the way to a snake breeder
• Order online

While many people might think a quick trip to the pet store would be the best bet that isn’t usually the case, especially to a general “Pets-R-Us” type store. As you read this article you will see why ordering online is often the best option. It should be noted that when I say “online” in this instance I am refering to internet, phone, and/or mail.

4 Reasons to order online

It costs less

When you order a snake online you can literally save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars vs the price of a snake from the local pet store. For example there is a local pet store trying to sell a normal red tail boa that is about two and a half feet long. They are asking $275.00 for it and they claim it is a male. On the other hand I spend 5 minutes browsing over at Fauna Classifieds and I can find them for under $100.00.

That’s not to say you’ll never find a better deal locally, particularly if you live near a breeder, but it is rare. For the time and effort it takes it is well worth it to spend some time browsing various online resources to locate your next (or first) pet snake.

It is more convenient

What could be easier than greeting the Fed-Ex delivery driver at your door first thing in the morning only to be handed a box containing your snake? It really is that easy. No long waits at the pet store while the store gets the snake “ready” to go. No need to worry about the other people who are inline for dog biscuits flipping out because they are haven’t overcome their fear of snakes.

There is a greater selection of snakes

I’m just as much a fan of ball pythons as the next guy but they aren’t that great of a snake. In fact I’m convinced that they are so popular simply because they are the only “exotic” snake that many pet stores will carry (aside from a few boas every now and then).

When you start shopping around online at various breeders sites such as BHB Reptiles, or Jimi Snakes, or at sites like the aforementioned Fauna Classifieds you’ll really begin to appreciate the large number of available snakes that you would never even consider had you settled on the pet store.

It is discreet

While you might like snakes and want to have one as a pet your neighbors might not like them. Worse yet your landlord might not like them. By no means am I telling you to get something you aren’t allowed to have. If you’re lease agreement says no pets then honor it, but sometimes your lease agreement will specify you are allowed “caged” animals. What I’m trying to say is the less of a scene you make of your new snake the better off it will be for everyone. If your neighborhood see’s you hauling a snake into your house it will prompt a few phone calls from nosy neighbors. Ordering online will prevent this. No one will call you because Fed-Ex showed up on your door step.

Things to be aware of when ordering online

You can be scammed

As much as I advocate shopping online for a new snake the fact of the matter is that you can be scammed. Do your homework before you order from someone you don’t know and trust. In this case I’m going to point you back to Fauna Classifieds to their board of inquiry (BOI) section. It is basically a place where people leave feedback about their experience buying from different reptile breeders, and stores. Make use of the search function on the site and find out what you can about wherever you are considering buying a snake from.

Once you’ve done your initial homework you’ll need to protect yourself in a few other ways.

• Request updated pictures of the snake you are going to buy. They (the pictures) shouldn’t be more than 2 or 3 days old. Sometimes breeders will take a picture and 4 months later have the same snake for sale. Snakes change a lot in 4 months so it is important to get a proper representation of what it looks like
• Make your purchase using a credit card or PayPal. Both of these payment methods allow for consumer protection. Didn’t receive what you paid for? File a charge back. That simple
• Speak with the breeder directly. All online websites have contact information. Use it. Make sure you do so via phone. If they don’t leave a phone number for you to call send them yours.
• Always save a copy of the sale confirmation and email it to yourself. You should also print it out for your records

There are other ways to protect yourself but those are the basics.

The weather is a factor

While the US Postal service might deliver in rain, sleet, and snow snakes aren’t nearly as fond of it. In fact most will die very quickly. That’s why most breeders won’t ship unless weather meets certain conditions during the planned transit time. But we can’t control the weather and sometimes it will come out of nowhere. Before you order a new pet snake make sure you are clear on what the breeder will and won’t do if bad weather kills your snake.

Shipping snakes can be expensive

There are a few reasons for this.

• Snakes are generally shipped overnight. Don’t forget that they are living animals and while it might be ok for your new computer to get stuck for 3 days in the Memphis Hub of Fed-Ex it’s not ok for your snake to get stuck there
• Your snake must be properly packaged. There is a lot more to it than just throwing a snake in a cloth bag and tossing it in a box and throwing some tape on it
• The only legally licensed carrier who allows the shipment of snakes (in the United States) is Fed-Ex, and then only to people who have been properly certified. There’s not much competition out there. Of course people can and do use other shipping methods but you’re taking a chance if you do so

If you practice smart shopping when you are ordering your snakes online then nothing should go wrong. Just use common sense.

It’s strange how often I come across people who are looking for a name that fits their pet snake. Here are a few rules that I personally use when naming my snakes. They may or may not work for you so feel free to do whatever you like with them.

Choose a theme

The first thing I do when I start selecting names for my snakes (any animals I have really) is to choose a particular theme or category. For example I might decide that I want to name them after Ford cars and trucks or some variation of those names. Or maybe I want to name them after various lakes and rivers in South America. Whatever. The point is that I have a theme with a diverse group of names to choose from.

Masculine or feminine

My next step is to figure out what names sounds most appropriate for the gender of the snake. It’s part of what helps me to remember what I have in addition to cage tags I use.

How does it sound

No matter what name I choose I have to like it. No, I won’t be calling my snake to come to me using it’s name, but I have to be able to look someone in the eye and say it without grimacing in pain. More than that it’s always good when other people who are talking about your snake aren’t making a mockery of it’s name.

My cardinal rule

I have one cardinal rule when it comes to naming animals. Even if I throw all the previous things I’ve mentioned out the window I always, always, always follow this one rule…

NO HUMAN NAMES

Absolutely not. It’s like a crime against humanity (and animals) to name your snakes after other people. It’s not cute, and trust me Aunt Mildred will not be impressed when you name your Red Tail after her.

Ultimately you need to choose a name that fits well for you. These are just my rules. I believe in naming all of my animals, but for people who have hundreds of snakes (breeders usually) naming them all just isn’t a reasonable expectation. Some people simply number them or use some other form of categorization. Whatever works as long as it works.

Here are 3 simple tips that will help your pet snake shed in one piece the first time around.

Provide the proper humidity

We’ll get started with the first and most important tip of them all. There is no single greater cause of shedding problems than the humidity being too low. Every species of snake has an optimal range of humidity levels to keep it healthy. Make sure you stay within that range. Also don’t forget that the upper end of the range usually jumps up when the snake shows signs of shedding so be sure you are aware of when that happens. Then you can make the proper adjustments.

Don’t over-soak your snake

A lot of people when they notice their snake is getting ready to shed will begin soaking it. Every single day for over an hour a day. This is especially common with people who have had bad experiences with shedding before due to the humidity being too low. Chances are they found out that the way to correct the problem is to soak their snake so they figure by soaking before the snake tries to shed they’ll be preventing a bad shed issue. The problem is that the soak actually robs the snake of essential oils that it builds up between the old and the new layer of skin. If you do need to soak your snake briefly at the beginning of the shed is fine. By briefly I mean 10 or 15 minutes at most ONE TIME! After that is unnecessary and moves from the realm of helping your snake shed successfully to assisting it with a bad shed.

Leave it alone while it is shedding

Shedding is a stressful and uncomfortable process for a snake so leave it be. Once you recognize that the snake is getting ready to shed you should minimize contact with it. Spot cleaning the tank is fine, hour long holding sessions are not.

Those 3 tips will help your snake to shed better. The most important thing you can do is to make sure the humidity is at the proper levels.

For a moment I’d like to talk to my readers about the right way to represent yourself and other snake owners to the rest of the world. The sad fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people are terrified of snakes. More so than any other animal or possibly even any other “thing”. For whatever reason snakes carry a huge stigma with them wherever they go. A proverbial monkey on their back that only you as a faithful owner can help them overcome.

When you have an opportunity to talk about your snakes

Put your snake in the best possible light while being honest about it. Don’t embellish the story to sound cool. Snake’s have enough trouble on their own without your words doing more damage to their reputations. Tell people what they’re like as pets and why they make such great pets. You might mention some of the following:

• They don’t chew on the carpet or the furniture
• They don’t shed all over the place
• They don’t sit up all night barking
• You don’t have to change a litter pan every day
• They are 100% allergen free
• They eat once a week in most situations

More than one affinity towards snakes has been kindled when someone’s kid overhears you telling them that absolutely no one in the world has ever been allergic to snakes. And from personal experience I can tell you that people love to hear how snakes don’t chew things up.

Point is that you want to play the role of ambassador for your pet snake’s and the only way to do so is to talk about them when the opportunity is give in a suitable manner. As I said cast them in a pleasant light when you can, but don’t shy away from telling the ugly things as well. People will find out the truth either way so it might as well be in full instead of half-baked from someone else.

Be respectful of other people when it involves your snake

If someone tells you they are horrified of snakes the LAST thing you should do is to try and convince them it is harmless and if you’d just touch it you’d see it wouldn’t hurt a flea! While all that is very likely true they are not in a state of mind to receive that truth. They are in the classic fight or flight mode and more than one snake has been killed by a horrified person who was pushed too far too quick by a well intentioned snake owner.

If someone asks you to leave or get away from them because of your snake don’t try to reason with them. Just leave. Even if you have every right to be there, leave. You can always go back later. In short just respect the fact that not everyone likes snakes.

Always look for a chance to educate people about snakes

This goes beyond just talking about your snakes. This is about educating, as accurately as possible, people about snakes in general. Despite the fear so many people have towards snakes there is also a “morbid” curiosity about them. People will ask you question after question about your snakes. Take the opportunity and build up a relationship with that person. Answer their questions, tell them “extra” things about snakes so they’ll begin to see them in a different light.

I firmly believe most people are scared of snakes for one simple reason. No one in their entire lives has ever attempted to educate them in any meaningful way about snakes. So don’t be like the rest of the nobodies. Spread the knowledge!

One of the most challenging things any snake keeper can do is to tame a wild snake down to the point of being comfortable with you. Before we get going on what to do you should be well aware that some snake’s simply won’t be tamed. You’ll need to know when enough is enough and it time to stop your efforts.

Catching a wild snake

The first step is obviously catching a wild snake. Before you go out to do this check your local laws as some snakes are protected. When it comes time to collect a wild snake you are better off taking someone who is familiar with the native species with you. The next best thing is a good field guide for your local area. Obviously you don’t want to be bit by a venomous snake while trying to catch one.

Before you do anything else do some studying into the husbandry requirements of the snake you are going to be catching and have everything setup BEFORE you go and find one.

You need to take the proper equipment with you. When I go out to catch snakes I like to have the following items in my “kit”

• Heavy leather gloves
• Heavy long sleeved flannel shirt
• 2 or 3 pillow cases
• Snake hook
• A padded dowel (3′ long) for pinning
• Map and compass
• Flagging
• Digital camera

Then I start looking where I know snakes are found and begin hunting. Once I have the snake I want I go back home with it at put it in the previously prepared tank. Once I put it in the tank I cover it with a towel and make sure to let it get as much rest as possible. Getting caught is hard work for snakes and it stresses them out greatly.

Just like a captive bred snake the first week should be one of rest. In other words don’t spend hour on end trying to handle the snake. Give it at least 7 days before you attempt to handle it.

After the first week

Following the first week is when training really begins. Start with short regular handling sessions. I try for twice a day 5 minutes each time to begin with. You have to judge how tame your snake is becoming in order to know when and if to extend the handling sessions. When you are handling an untamed or questionable snake there are a few simple precautions to keep in mind for both your own and the snake’s safety.

1. Wear gloves and long sleeves
2. Keep the snake away from your face
3. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the snake
4. Make sure the lid is secure when you return the snake to it’s cage

In most cases as you handle the snake it will get used to you and calm down considerably. Regular handling will just help to reinforce the snake’s tamed nature. If however the snake is refusing to calm down you can either maintain it as a display animal or return it where you found it. If you keep it you’ll probably find it very difficult to keep thriving because of how stressed it is.

Keys to keeping the snake tamed

Always remember that a snake is a wild animal. Even store-bought captive bred animals are still wild. That means you’ll need to regularly handle it even after it has become tamed. If you don’t it will lapse back into it’s natural ways. Make sure you keep the snake comfortable otherwise it will be unhappy and unhappy snakes are not tame snakes.

The most important key is to remember that a snake is never really tamed. It is at best acclimated to you and willing for whatever reason to put up with you. No matter how much you work at it the snake will never become like dog or cat that comes when called.