Pet-Snakes

Credit:carolinarodents.com It seems congratulations are in order! You’ve apparently decided that you have the traits of a good snake owner and you have familiarized yourself with the overview of commonly kept snakes. Now you are ready to move onto the next step, choosing a snake! In this article we will examine some important questions to ask ourselves and the breeder that is interested in selling us the snake.

Answer some questions

To start off ask yourself a few questions and write down the answers. You should probably print at least the question section off and write your answers below the questions. You’ll see why in a moment.

1. Why do I want a snake in the first place? What attracts me to them?
2. What is my financial situation? Can I actually afford both the initial purchase price and the long term costs of snake ownership?
3. How do I feel about feeding it “cute furry critters”?
4. How much do I really know about snakes and their needs?
5. Do I have room for the snake?
6. Am I afraid of certain snakes? Certain sizes, colors, attitudes, or whatever
7. Is there a particular breed of snakes I’m attracted to?
8. Is there a particular disposition I am looking for when choosing my pet snake?

Take your writen out answers and stuff them in your pocket. Every day or two for the next couple of weeks read them again and see if you still agree. You should never buy any animal based on emotions. This is especially true of snakes due to the specialized care they require. If after two weeks you’re not as excited about getting a snake as you were when you first wrote out the answers, reconsider your purchase plans. Snakes can live a very long time (often over 20 years depending on the species) and you should make sure it is something you want to hang around with for that long.

Selecting the source

Once you’ve determined to go through with the purchase of a new snake you’ll need to select a source. The source should be known within the snake communities, and be well regarded. Consider the following as you look for a place to purchase the snake.

How long have they been in business?

The snake trade can be a lucrative market. Unfortunately there are people all to happy to take advantage of you so be wary. Telling you to avoid doing business with someone who hasn’t been in the trade for X number of years wouldn’t be fair to anyone, but you should exercise your best judgment.

What species of snake do they specialize in?

Suppose you liked poodles and wanted to buy a poodle. Would you go to a Pit Bull breeder to buy a Poodle? Of course not! Why then would you go to someone who breeds Burmese Pythons in order to buy a King snake? Make sure that your potential breeder specializes in the species of snake you want. Meaning that is their main species of snake they work with. Not necessarily exclusive but their main species.

Can they provide references?

Request at least three references, but more is better. If they refuse move along to the next place. Once you have the references actually take the time to contact and speak with each one. Before you call though be prepared to ask a few questions. Otherwise you’ll just be wasting their time. Possible questions for the references might include:

1. Why did you buy your snake from “Acme snake company”?
2. Would you do business with them again?
3. Were you pleased with the entire transaction?
4. Did it leave you with any doubts?
5. Would you purchase from them again?

You can certainly think up more questions to add to that list. This is just to get you started and thinking.

Where do they get their snakes from?

We won’t go into detail in this article, but snakes generally come from one of three sources. They are either captive bred,captive hatched, or wild caught. For more information on what those terms means see understanding snake trade lingo. It’s always best to try and get captive bred snakes if at all possible.

Do they guarantee their animals?

This varies widely in the snake industries. Some places guarantee the snake until “you walk out that door with it” while others will give you upwards of a month. If you’ve ever dealt with dogs or cats and their health guarantees you’ll quickly come to realize that snake breeders do not, as a general rule, give guarantees on the genetic health of the animal which is a departure from the norm for those of us who have dealt with cats and dogs.

Who is their vet?

Yes even snakes need to see a vet every now and then. You should get the name of the their vet for two reasons. First you might need the snakes medical documentation at some point. Second you want to be certain the breeder cares enough about his snakes to spend money on them. The third reason is unless you already have the contacts finding a good herp vet can be a challenge.

These aren’t the only questions you could ask the breeder they’re just a few to get you started. If you can think of more by all means don’t be shy! Remember you’re going to spend a decent amount of money with this person and you deserve to get as much information as you can from them.

Places to avoid

Avoid like the plague the big chain pet stores. They’re ok for supplies (a bit spendy, but ok), but don’t buy animals from them. Especially not snakes. You need to find places and people that specialize in snakes. They are called exotic pets for a reason. A place that specializes in them is going to serve you much better than the place that keeps the doggie biscuits next to the snakes. Another place to be very wary of are online classifieds such as Craig’s List. You’ll likely be overcharged for an animal that comes with a host of health related issues. If you are going to buy a snake from someone on Craig’s List do some research first before you purchase it. A few weeks ago I saw a Brazilian Rainbow Boa advertised for $500.00 on Craig’s List. The advertisement said it had “a unique pattern” and that’s why the price tag was so high. After about two minutes of research it became clear that the snake was worth about $100-$150.00 if that. There was nothing special about the pattern and I suspect the seller honestly thought the snake was worth that much because he probably got it at a pet store.

Preparation

When you go to pick up (or receive via shipping) the snake you should have already prepared for its arrival as best you can. In optimal circumstances you’ll be able to get it in the house, check it for obvious issues and then move it into its new home and let it be for several days. There are some steps you can take to get everything and everyone ready.

Preparation of people

Before you ever get a snake make sure everyone agrees about it. Snakes are completely different than things like dogs and cats. If you bring one of them home without everyone agreeing generally everyone will settle in and get used to it in a few weeks/months. With a snake however that doesn’t generally happen. So be certain everyone is in agreement over the snake being there. If somebody in your house is truly afraid of snakes and you can’t keep the snakes and the person well seperated for some reason you should reconsider a decision to get a snake until you’ve figured out a way to either get the person over their phobia or to keep them separated.

Preparation of the snakes housing

The next thing you should do is prepare a place for it to live. Part of your study into the snakes husbandry should have been to learn what temperatures, humidity and surroundings it thrives in. Try your best to replicate the conditions and keep them stable before you have the snake home. Most hobbiests will opt for a 10-20 gallon glass tank for a starter and some substrate, thermometers,a hide (or two), and a water bowl. My experience is that the glass tank makes it very hard to properly control humidity and temperatures. Instead try using a plastic tote/storage box such as those made by sterilite. There are several advantages to tubs over tanks.

• Way cheaper
• Much easier to clean and maintain
• Very easy to increase the humidity, maybe too much
• You can fit a lot more plastic tubs in a small space than tanks (if you have more than one snake)
• Tubs are much lighter than glass tanks and are therefore easier to manage

Finally be sure to choose a spot that isn’t overly drafty or overly hot. Depending on the snake you get you’ll need to control the snakes housing temperatures to a fairly small toleration between highs and lows. A room that is generally around the same temperature will make life easier on you.

Preparation of the snake

If the snake was shipped to you then you should expect it to be prepared already. If you’re picking it up you should plan on preparing it (and yourself for the journey). Since endothermic creatures rely on outside sources for heat you’re going to have to do something in order to ensure it can stay warm enough but not too warm. If it’s just a baby snake then putting it in a bag, tying the top off and placing it inside your shirt should do the trick. On the other hand if you’ve got a 10 foot Boa that probably wouldn’t be as good an option. In that case you’d need to look into a secure tote with heating pads in order to transport the snake. Ultimately whatever you end up doing try to keep the snake’s temperature regulated, light low, and the animal calm. Don’t pick it up and go out to dinner or anything like that. Just get it, and go home.

There you have it a quick guide to choosing a snake (and a little bit more). If you have any questions or concerns regarding this article please leave your comments on the article so everyone can see them including myself.

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