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Snakes are probably the most misunderstood animals on the planet. Since the beginning of history they have been portrayed as evil creatures and men were rewarded for killing them. Even today events such as roundups still take place and people gather to watch hundreds of snakes skinned alive. These events deplete the natural population causing rodent populations to explode. Snakes play a crucial part in our ecosystem, keeping a natural balance of the rodent population.
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In reality, snakes are not much different from most animals if you look past their appearance. They are excellent hunters much like dogs and cats who are prized in our society. Snakes have feelings and unique individual personalities just like any other animal. A well cared for snake can make an excellent pet and is much lower maintenance than most pets.
Click on images for a larger view A healthy happy snake requires a proper enclosure with clean fresh water in a large enough dish for them to soak in, artificial UVB and UVA light and another source of heat if necessary. We recommend feeding snakes live food, rodents or insects, depending on the species. Frozen foods are also available when live food is not. Most snakes do not eat on a daily basis which makes their care fairly low maintenance. Some snakes that feed on large pray only require food several times a month, now what other pet can do that!
Click on images for a larger view When choosing which snake to own as a pet keep in mind some snakes grow very large and require large rodents such as rabbits in their diet. Also consider the large breed Boas and Pythons have life spans of 20-40 years so if you are not prepared to keep one that long you should reconsider owning one at all. A bite from a snake that size can be as serious as a bite from a dog or cat so proper handling techniques should be acquired before considering owning a snake that will grow very large. Some snakes like the the giant pythons can grow up to 200 lbs and have the potential to kill and eat cats, dogs and in rare situations even people. Snakes of this size should only be considered by experienced snake handlers.
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Click on images for a larger view For more information on caring for snakes you can visit the following websites: http://www.anapsid.org/mainsnakes.html http://www.snakesandreptiles.com/snake_care.html
D & M's Reptile Rescue and Rehabilitation David McKnight and Melanie Shroyer Phone (520) 616-0166 Cell (520) 977-2766 Email - dmreptilerescue@aol.com At D&M's Reptile Rescue we are really busy caring for our rescued animals. We don't always get a chance to check our emails so if your need to contact us is urgent please call us.
This site was last updated 03/12/09
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