When you start learning how to care for a pet snake, you discover that there is a lot to learn, but quickly realize that most of it makes good sense when it comes to properly caring for the health and well-being of your pet snake.
The fundamental things to consider are what a snake eats, how much and how often, and what type of snake cage and environmental conditions it requires. And making sure to provide clean and hygienic living conditions suited to the needs of your pet snake to keep it healthy and happy in your care.
Here I list ten of the basic pet snake health tips you need to know:
1. Select a healthy snake to adopt
When choosing a snake, choose one that has good meat, clear eyes, no cuts, no mites or ticks, and is alert. The snake should appear curious and grip you firmly but gently when you handle it.
You need to be there when the snakes are fed so that you can observe them and make sure the snakes you are picking are eating well.
Captive-bred snakes are more suitable for pets than buying a wild-born snake. Wild-born snakes are typically highly stressed from the capture process and transport to the pet supplier. Wild snakes are also likely to carry a large parasite load.
2. Get the right size cage for your breed of snake
Its enclosure should normally be about two-thirds the size of its body length. If your snake is six feet long, then the cage must be at least four feet long.
You can always make the enclosure longer than the snake, but your snake will be comfortable in a cage smaller than your snake’s length.
Remember to update the enclosure as your snake grows, as it needs to increase in size relative to the length of the snake’s body.
3. Keep the snake’s enclosure moist
Snakes are sensitive to temperature and humidity factors, and you should always ensure that your enclosure is kept at the proper temperature. Consult a trusted book on snake pets to find out what the optimal conditions are for your breed of snake.
4. Keep your snake feeding simple, safe and hygienic.
When shopping for your snake, you should first make sure you select a pet snake that will happily eat thawed rodents (which you buy frozen from the pet store) and is not too picky about its feeding requirements.
Feeding your snake live rodents, even small mice, can hurt it, and it is NOT entertainment for an audience of friends, so don’t.
The dead animal for feeding should not be wider than the snake’s own head. Snakes don’t eat very often and you can store pre-killed and frozen mice in your freezer.
5. Learn how much and how often to feed your snake
Get expert advice on the optimal amount and type of food for your pet snake and feeding frequency.
Snakes can eat just about anything you feed them and will usually regurgitate food after a day or two if they have been overfed.
6. Make sure your snake cage is safe
The snake’s cage, terrarium, enclosure, etc., should always be well planned and ventilated, but it should also be fully secured to prevent the snake from escaping.
Breeds like corn snakes can be excellent escape artists and you can lose your pet snake very quickly if you’re not careful.
They will even push the lid of the enclosure with their nose to look for any weakness in the cage or doors.
7. Maintain a constant supply of fresh water.
Snakes defecate in water and also get soaked, especially before moving in.
You should make sure to check the water regularly and replace it with clean water as soon as there are signs of contamination in it.
Buy a heavy plate or container so it won’t tip over when the snake slides into it.
It is good to place several water dishes in the snake’s cage which also help to establish the proper humidity for the snake.
8. Create hiding places so your snake feels safe.
Hideouts should be placed at the warm and cold ends of the enclosure.
Pieces of bark with hollow areas or curved shapes to make a ‘cave’ are good to use as snake hiding places if they are placed on a substrate that allows snakes to burrow underneath.
You can get a wide variety of snake caves and wooden structures for snakes to hide from in pet stores and online at Amazon. These are also usually easy to keep clean and hygienic.
Add some smooth tree branches too for the snake to climb and roll up. You can also get them online.
9. Provide a range of temperatures in the cage
Your snake needs to be able to find a variety of locations for both hot and cold as it may need during different times of the day.
Since you can’t travel around a garden to find your ideal temperature at any given time, like a rock to sleep on top of warm sunlight, or under it to cool off, you need to make sure you offer a certain range of temperatures within the enclosure. for you to select.
One end of the enclosure should be cooler and ideally the temperature should gradually increase towards the other end of the cage.
You can get a full spectrum incandescent light to sit on top of the enclosure that can provide some warmth and serve as a sunny spot to bask in the sun.
10. Use proper bedding for the snake cage
Newspaper is good to use as a substrate. It is very cheap and is easily replaced as soon as it gets dirty. Astroturf is also a good alternative that you can buy online.
Artificial grass can be cleaned, dried, and reused multiple times before it wears out. Soak dirty grass in a gallon of water to which you add 2 tablespoons of bleach, then wash thoroughly, rinse with clean water, and dry thoroughly before placing it back in the cage.
Snakes will live long and healthy lives as long as you learn to care for a pet snake and provide them with their basic needs and avoid overfeeding them.