Pets that Slither

by JennLynn | More from this Blogger

31 Jan 2006 03:55 PM

One of my cousins used to have pet snakes. He was a strange boy. Every time I went over his house I would be afraid to leave the sight of his mother for fear that he would put the snake on me.

Nevertheless snakes are common pets. But before you rush out to get one, you should be quite familiar with what it takes to have one.

Unlike dogs and cats, some snakes prefer live food. They eat rodents, frogs, insects, or other snakes - some of these things can be bought frozen and stored however some snakes will only eat live food. To make feeding even more disgusting, many experts say that you should gut the "food" before you freeze it. Then you should put an amino acid supplement capsule into the body cavity.

A lot of snakes will not eat unless they have some sort of privacy. So make sure your snake has a hiding box or a rock to hide behind.

Next you'll have to consider where to keep the snake. This could be a novel in itself but things to consider include:

Space Requirements Floor Covering & Enclosure Climate Control & Lighting

You also have to consider the temperament of the snake. Snake temperaments vary among species. This seems somewhat obvious but don't get a poisonous snake. Most places have laws against this but people do it anyway.

The most common types of snakes kept as pets include: Boa constrictors Pythons Rat snakes Gopher or bull snakes: Garter snakes Ribbon snakes Water snakes Indigo snakes King snakes Ring-neck or Irawn snakes Racers Vine snakes Coachwhips

Some health problems that snakes incur include:

Constipation - According to the University of Minnesota website, "Constipated snakes should be allowed to soak in very warm (not scalding) water for 20-30 minutes daily for 1-2 days"

Cloacaliths - "Dehydration of captive snakes (especially if long-standing) may result in drying out of urinary excretions. When this occurs, uric acid "stones" tend to form within the cloaca ("cloacoliths")."

Mouth Rot - This sounds absolutely disgusting but this occurs when the snake has an oral bacterial infection.

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