Pet-Snakes.com

Contest Tuesday: Complete Ball Python, A Comprehensive Guide to Care, Breeding, and Genetic Mutations

PetSnakes — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:28:13 +0000

Every Tuesday we’ll be hosting contests to win various prizes here at pet-snakes.com. Today’s contest is for one copy of The Complete Ball Python by Kevin McCurley of New England Reptile Distributor. If you wish to sponsor a contest in the future please email us at contest@pet-snakes.com with the prize you wish to award the winner. If the prize has not been won/claimed by the following Monday at 11:59:59pm (EST/EDT) the contest will end and a new one will start the next morning.

How to enter
Send an email to contest@pet-snakes.com with a list of three topics you’d like to see covered in future articles. At the end of the contest on 5/25/10 we’ll put the email addresses in a list and chose one using www.random.org

The fine print

You must use a real email address. It’s how we contact you to let you know if you won
We will only ship the book to United States addresses
We won’t sell, trade or otherwise disclose your email address to anyone else

If you’d like to order the book directly you can do so here:

5 ways to heat your snakes cage

PetSnakes — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:58:13 +0000

Properly and adequately heating a snakes cage is paramount to its well being. There are several methods that can be used to ensure the proper temperatures are reached and maintained. You want to avoid going to extremes either higher or lower than the optimal temperature ranges for the species of snakes you are keeping. It should also be noted that regardless of the type of heating you decide to use the temperatures must be carefully monitored to ensure that it is maintained. A properly operating thermostat is essential for all methods of heating described below.

#1 – Ambient room temperature
If you are able to raise the air temperature of the room that the snake’s cage is setup in that is a great way to heat the cage. This is best accomplished by using a space heater in a smaller space to avoid forcing the rest of the house to endure unseasonably warm temperatures in the summer. During the winter people don’t seem to complain quite as much about the extra heat. Be certain to read and understand all safety precautions related to any space heater you decide to use. We can not be held responsible if anything goes wrong. Also beware of your heating bill. I’ve found a small space heater with a thermostat and an overheat safety is a good method of heating small room such as a guest bedroom, or walk-in closet.

#2 – Heat Lamp
A heat lamp situated to focus in the cage can provide your snakes with additional heat. If you decide to use a heat lamp to keep the cage warm you’ll need to either get to decide if you want to use two bulbs; one for night and one for day, or just one bulb for both. ‘Before you decide either way consider the implications of each approach.

Get two of them. One for day time and one for night time. The night one provides heat and lets you observe your snake but the light is filtered through a coating that makes it invisible to your snake’s eyes. You can get either red or blue. The red ones provide a marginal amount of UVB benefits, which is wasted on snakes because they don’t need it. The UVB won’t harm the snakes it just isn’t an additional buying point.

Get one bulb, a red or blue one, and use it for both day and night. During the day the light provided to your snakes is natural sun light that gets into the room, or whatever overhead lights you use are. The heat lamp still has to be left on to help maintain the proper temperatures.

Whatever setup you decide here is some information about the bulbs themselves.

Incandescent Bulbs:
These bulbs are what you generally see in overhead lights in a room. They are cheap, provide a high heat output and are easily obtainable. Their heat output can be significant so it is important to monitor your temperatures closely.

Compact Florescent Bulbs (CFLs):
CFLs are those energy saver bulbs that look like spirals and the manufacturers often claim to last much longer than traditional light bulbs. I’ve not had as many hours out of them as the claims I’ve heard others make but they definitely cut down on my electrical bills when used. They are often significantly more expensive than incandescent bulbs. They also contain mercury which complicates disposal.

Fluorescent Bulbs:
These lights require special hoods to be fitted on the top of a snake’s cage in order to be used. They are the long bulbs often found in classrooms and office buildings. They are precursors to the CFLs. There are a multitude of issues with these types of bulbs that go beyond the fact that they also contain mercury. For instance -
- Frequently turning them off and on leads to much shorter lifespans
- They hum, an effect caused by minor faults in the electromagnetic ballast, which could could disturb your snakes
- Air temperature effects their operation. The cooler the air is the less efficient they are at heating, the longer it takes them to come on, and sometimes if it’s cold enough they won’t work at all. But if it’s that cold chances are it’s too late to help many types of snakes anyhow.

Heat lamps have a few disadvantages that you should keep in mind as well.

They dry out the air making humidity more of an issue
In order for them to heat they have to be left on 24/7 which can be stressful on your snake
They can be expensive both in terms of bulb cost and electricity

#3 – Ceramic Heat Bulbs (CHB)
I’ve separated this kind of heating element from the rest of the heat lamps because they give off heat but no light. This allows your snakes to take advantage of natural light cycles (photo periods). CHBs use Infrared (IR) to heat the objects in the tank. This is how sunlight works, it mainly heats objects and to a lesser extent the air around us. They become extremely hot and require a special light fixtures designed for the high amount of heat they generate. Due to this extreme heat they should never come into contact with your snakes or any other object. These bulbs dry out the air in your terrarium like the others do so you’ll need to compensate for that as well.

#4 – Radiant Heat Panel (RHP)
These employ the same concept as the ceramic heat lamps in that they both take advantage of infrared (IR) heat to heat the air inside of your snake’s cage. Unlike CHBs the surface of the RHPs do not get nearly as hot. They can still put off a great deal of heat. Don’t be fooled by their relatively cool exterior. The temperature inside the cage, particularly the objects being heated by the IR can be significantly higher. There are several claims made about the RHPs made by pro-products.com that one can’t help but consider. Some of them include:

Can’t catch on or cause a fire, period
Can be safely mounted directly against any type of surface
Made from completely non-combustible materials
Safe to the touch for both humans and snakes
80% more efficient than any other kind of heating source
10 year warranty, with a 50+ year expected life

#5 – FlexWatt heat tape
For a long time FlexWatt has been the standard used in heating snake racks. It’s not seen in most homes unless the person happens to have a rack or a larger cage that it came pre-installed in. In order to use it safely you MUST use a thermostat to regulate the output otherwise it just gets hotter and hotter until it burns out, causes a fire, kills your snakes, and sometimes all of the above. It is very effective and safe when used properly. If you chose to use FlexWatt you should request the supplier wire it for you unless you are comfortable working with electrical components.

Addendum:
Like to thanks Kaorte for pointing out that I left off under tank heaters (UTH). Not sure how that happened, but it did. Anyhow a UTH is heater that adheres to the bottom of the snake’s tank and provides belly warmth. This heat is in addition to keeping the ambient air temperature in the cage at proper levels, and helps the snake to digest its meals. While they get very hot and should be regulated with a thermostat they can’t be relied on to heat a tank without any other devices helping. The principle is similar to FlexWatt except each cage requires it’s own UTH and each UTH it’s own power receptacle. They work great for one or two tanks, but if you have much more than that it makes sense to go with FlexWatt as one piece can be used with multiple tanks. I you watch my video on building your own snake tank you’ll see a UTH in it.

Pet Snakes answers your emails (week 3)

PetSnakes — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:35:19 +0000

In this third installment of our weekly series dedicated to answering readers emails we will tackle the following topics:

Convincing parents to let you have a snake
Tied up in knots
Handling a snake while shedding
Required licenses to own snakes

Email:
Hello, I am 13, and I really want a snake. My dad says no because he doesn’t like the idea of keeping a “wild animal” trapped in an aquarium. Is there anyway I can counter this?

Answer: The challenge of convincing a parent, or other family member to agree to a snake is not a new one. I dare say most of us have experienced it at one point or another. But the question I have is this; does your dad have a problem with keeping snakes in cages, or does he have a problem with snakes in general? Because each one requires a different way of dealing with it. If he really is concerned about keeping a wild animal in an aquarium then your best course of action is to educate him. Which means you’ll need to learn as much as possible about the species of snake you’re trying to get. Not only learning, but being able to teach your father what you’ve learned. For example if you were looking to buy a Ball Python you could explain:

They are very docile, and rarely bite
They spend the majority of their time in termite mounds hardly moving at all
They stay relatively small

Conversely if your father has a fear of snakes the problem is a little more complicated. That requires his full cooperation and a personal decision on his part to work towards overcoming the phobia. In short, we can’t give medical advise but can refer you to this article about overcoming your fear of snakes. Good luck and hope you are able to get a snake.

Email:
A recent encounter with a rubber snake has started a debate in my work place. We are debating whether snakes ever tie themselves into knots. Do they ever do this? Can they undo this if it happens to them? Tried to search for it on the internet and get mostly instructions on tying a snake knot. Please help. Thanks.

Answer: Consider the physiology of snakes. Like all vertebrate animals they have a spine. They also have hundreds of ribs. We also know that a knot needs to be cinched down either on itself or another object in order to make it effective. For a snake to tie itself in a knot it would need to break its own spine and ribs in multiple places. So the answer to your question is, no healthy normal snakes can not tie themselves into knots. An unhealthy snake that is having a seizure or other neurological event might manage it, but I’ve never seen it.

Email:
Can I pick up my snake while it is shedding?

Answer: Once the eyes get cloudy stop handling the snake. It’s usually only a few more days before the shed has completed. There is evidence that shedding is at best uncomfortable and at worst painful for a snake. The less you handle and traumatize them the better. There’s also the fact that they are effectively blind sight wise for a while and are more easily startled which may lead to more bites.

Email: I don’t know what licence (sic) I need to buy a snake here? Can you help me?

Answer: Would love to help you out, but have no idea where you live so can’t really help you out with the licensing laws. If you’re in the United States a great way to fin the laws is either look in our growing database relating to snakes in various states or use your favorite online search engine and type wildlife state_name to get the information about the natural resource department in your area. Then call or email them and ask directly. We’ve had great success using this method in the past. It also helps to ensure that you have the most current information.

Having said all that if a snake is being offered at a legitimate pet store then they should be willing and able to explain the laws and any permit requirements for keeping that kind of a snake.

If you have any questions feel free to send them to us

Florida’s Python Bill

PetSnakes — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:30:47 +0000

Guest Post by Sarah Harris from Massage Therapy Schools find massage therapy salary information listed on our site.

Snake owners in Florida, and indeed the United States, should be aware of Senate Bill S. 373, introduced in by Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) on Feb. 3, 2009. This bill addresses the topic of a ban on the importation and interstate trade of snakes of the species Python genera (basically, all pythons, harmful or otherwise). In accordance with the Lacey Act, these snakes would be labeled injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, or wildlife, and would thereby be subject to extermination. But what does this mean for pet owners? Well, if the law passes, it will be illegal to own a python, so you’ll have to get rid of it. Unfortunately, it will also be illegal to sell it or transport it across state lines. So this pretty much only leaves you one legal option, which is euthanization.

But let’s start at the beginning. The feral population of Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades began to grow noticeably in the 1990s, after holding facilities were destroyed in Hurricane Andrew (1992) and several snakes escaped into the wild. Since then, these snakes have bred to an unmanageable degree, with the population swelling to an estimated 100,000. And the major problem seems to be their penchant for snacking on anything and everything that comes into their path, from rodents to the local pet population. However, the major fear is the possibility of the snakes spreading to other states. According to Nelson, S. 373 is based on a controversial climate-matching study which predicts the spread of the Burmese python across the southern United States. Something Nelson fails to mention is that the study includes the Indian python, which thrives in a much broader climate range than the Burmese python, prompting critics to question its validity as a basis for the bill.

Whether or not the snakes will spread, it certainly seems that something must be done to control their population in Florida. However, this bill does not appear to hold the key. For starters, what do they think will happen if the bill passes? Will thousands of disgruntled pet owners simply turn their snakes over for slaughter? It is much more likely that they will give their pets a fighting chance by releasing them into the wild, exacerbating an already astronomical problem. Aside from that, snakes tend to be notoriously difficult to capture and kill, and there are no provisions in the bill that address this issue. So the real question seems to be, is this bill really going to solve the current problems posed by the feral python population in Florida, or is it just going to punish responsible pet owners?

No related posts.

How to identify a snake

PetSnakes — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:42:16 +0000

Learning to identify the snakes you are likely to come into contact with is both educational and important in the case of venomous species. Some species of snake, such as the rattlesnake subspecies, are easily identifiable even by those who have never seen one before. Unfortunately the vast majority of snakes are not so easy to recognize and this leads to confusion often resulting in the snake being killed out of fear that it might be venomous.

I’m going to show you how to identify snakes in your local area based on 6 factors:

Known species in the area
Coloration
Patterns
Size
Body shape
Head shape

Before we get into those subjects I need to address a myth about identifying venomous snakes. That is, venomous snakes have elliptical eyes.

This isn’t so much a myth as it is a misunderstanding. With the exception of the Coral Snake venomous snakes found in the United States do have elliptical eyes. Go outside of the US however and that rule proves to be useless. It is more accurately stated that Pit Vipers have elliptical eyes, but saying all venomous snakes have them is false. Elapids such as the Cobra and the Boomslang have round pupils. The rule works so well in the United States because the most commonly encountered venomous species are pit vipers.

Identification of snakes even for the well trained observer can at times prove difficult. The goal with this article is to give you some tips to help in the process. If you aren’t absolutely positive that the snake you have seen is not venomous do not attempt to pick it up or otherwise harass it.

What species are known to live in the area?
This is the first place you should start in your effort to determine what species of snake you are looking at. If you’re in the middle of Ghana for instance you know that the California King snake isn’t likely to show up. At the same time you’re very likely to come across a Ball Python if you happen to be digging around in termite mounds in Ghana.

This isn’t fool proof to determine if a snake is or isn’t of a particular species. Due to human colonization of almost every bit of inhabitable land on the planet it is not unheard of for species of flora and fauna, including snakes, to end up where they didn’t originally exist.

What color is the snake?
The most easily observable aspect of a snake is its color. Even before you see the shape of its body you can see the coloration. You should look to see if it is:

Multicolored
Muted colors
Vibrant colors

Color alone won’t allow you to identify most snakes (exceptions made for one of a kind species such as the Brazilian Rainbow Boa) but it does help to narrow down the list of possible species.

What patterns and shapes are the colors in?
This is a very important aspect of identifying snakes. Every species has unique patterns that when you know what to look for make it much easier to tell what kind of snake it is. A good example is the Scarlet King snake and the Coral Snake. They both have very similar colors and it is the pattern these colors appear in that makes them identifiable one from the other. A popular mnemonic verse goes “Red touch black, venom lacks. Red touch yellow, kill a fellow”. Scarlet kings have red, black and yellow bands as do Coral snakes, but the colors appear in a different combination.

Often the patterns and shapes of a snakes colors are so distinct that it is easy to tell what kind of snake it is just by a casual glance. A prime example is the Boa Constrictor. Regardless if it is Boa Constrictor constrictor or imperator the general patterns alone give it away as a Boa Constrictor.

What size is the snake?
This can be misleading for a variety of reasons including the fact that age plays a huge role in how large a snake is at the time you see it. However it is still an important weapon in the arsenal of identification. Apply the rule of common sense when it comes to snake sizes and identifying species. If you observe a 15 foot long snake, regardless of the patterns it isn’t going to be a Corn Snake. It could well be a Reticulated Python or a Burmese Python but it won’t be a Corn Snake.

What is the overall shape of the snake?
This is another aspect of a snake that can be misleading as far as identifying species is concerned but it is worth a mention. The general shape of the snake can help to determine what species it is. When talking about the shape of a snake in this instance it is referring to their roundness. Look to see if it is:

Normal:
Snakes that are normal or typical in their bodily appearance have a medium build. They are more or less round, not especially stout or noticeably slender. A King snake is a good example of having the normal body shape.

Slender:
A slender snake will appear skinny when you look at it. Not emaciated, but skinny. A Coachwhip is a good example of the slender body shape.

Stout:
A stout snake looks chubby. When you see it you might think it is overweight and if you didn’t know better that would be a forgivable offense. A Ball Python is a good example of the stout body shape.

What is the shape of the snakes head?
The shape of the head can play a key role in the ID of a snake. Some species have very distinct characteristics when it comes to head shape. You should observe if the head is:

The same size as the body:
Some snakes have no discernible necks which makes it appear as if the body and the head are all one piece. King snakes are a good example.

Slightly larger than the body:
The head can be distinguished from the body but it is not such a large difference as to be glaring. The Garter Snake is a good example.

Much broader than the body:
The head is noticeably larger than the body of the snake, often reminiscent of an arrow head. The Green Tree Python is a good example.

By looking at all six of these aspects we are able to better determine the species of snake we are looking at. As was stated earlier the identification of snakes, especially unfamiliar species, is best left to experts. If you don’t know what kind of snake you are attempting to handle the outcome could be grim.