If you are one of the legions of people who have acquired or are about to acquire a new pet snake, then you too are in for a rewarding experience. Snakes have a lot to teach us. A well-maintained terrarium can be a work of art, many are prominently displayed in homes, provided the snake keeper keeps a few essential pieces of information in mind:
Make sure you give your snake enough heat; that means enough for the snake, not for you. A snake is best kept in warmer summer temperatures of 85 to 100 degrees F, unless chilled for hibernation. Temperate zone species can tolerate a temperature drop of 30 degrees overnight, but tropical species rarely adapt well to such fluctuations.
· Never ever use your snake to scare someone! Many people are afraid of snakes, some pathologically so. Using a snake to scare a person is irresponsible of you, may cause injury to another person, and is traumatic for the snake.
Make sure to feed your snake the proper diet at appropriate intervals. Snakes less than 3 feet in length should generally be fed prey the size of an adult mouse once or twice a week. Larger snakes take larger or larger prey at less frequent intervals. Really large snakes may eat only once a year, but they are not snakes for novices.
· Do not handle snakes after feeding or until they have digested their food. If a snake is handled too soon after eating, it is often likely to regurgitate food and refuse to feed for many days afterward.
· Snakes must shed their skin, but they do much better if you don’t help them. If the snake has fed and watered well, it will grow, and the snake will carefully break off the old skin and shed it in one piece. If a snake sheds in patches, it may be dehydrated or have a nutritional disorder.
· Do your homework! Buying a snake is not the same as knowing how to take care of it properly. It is your responsibility to learn about your snake and the special needs it will have in captivity. For example, unless you carefully teach your snake otherwise, many have specialized diets: garter snakes eat fish and frogs, hognose snakes eat toads, and corn snakes eat small rodents and eggs.
· Get a snake vet lined up now. Snakes have a slower metabolism than we mammals, so they can show symptoms long after they get sick. Waiting to find a qualified veterinarian until the snake is sick may be too late.
Clean the snake’s cage as it gets dirty, don’t just wait until Saturday morning. Only use disinfectants appropriate for a snake cage. You can use isopropyl alcohol, soap, and special products available at your pet store. Do not use chlorine bleach or industrial cleaners such as Ajax or Comet, as their residues are often toxic to snakes. Lysol is particularly dangerous.
Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling your snake or cage accessories. Snakes, like most animals, can harbor dangerous bacteria like Salmonella.
Ok, now go see your snake and have fun!