"Why a Snake?"
I suspect these very words are uttered annually in homes across the country filled with six year olds, begging their mom or dad for a new "exotic" pet. I'm sure the words "absolutely not" often follow. Here are some of the upsides and the downsides of keeping a snake as a pet.
I have been an avid snake hobbyist since I was about four years old. Walking home through an empty lot with my grandmother one summer day after a visit to the barber, I stopped to reach down for what I thought was a rusty piece of metal and it moved, quickly disappearing in the grass. I ran home to my grandparent's house two blocks away and exclaimed when she finally arrived "Grandma! Grandma, I saw a rattlesnake! I saw a rattlesnake!"
Bear in mind that this was Long Island , New York , in the 1950's, not on some ranch outside of Tulsa , Oklahoma . My grandmother quite wisely corrected me, "Oh, there haven't been any rattlesnakes around here for a hundred years. Probably just a garter snake. They're good for the garden, they eat bugs!"
Any initial fear I had of these creatures quickly faded and flipped to fascination. The very next day I was back out on that lot with a stick and a paper bag, trying to 'hook" one of these amazing creatures and bring 'em back alive. Since then I have handled every snake I've encountered with the exception of a rattlesnake here and there but lots of those too.
I find serpents to be fascinating, gorgeous, and wonderful creatures. As pets, like all other animals, they do have some distinct pluses and minuses a potential hobbyist should be aware of.
I find serpents to be fascinating, gorgeous, and wonderful creatures. As pets, like all other animals, they do have some distinct pluses and minuses a potential hobbyist should be aware of.
In terms of a "companion" animal, snakes are coiled up somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between cats and tropical fish. Their patterning and colors, due to specialized captive breeding efforts over the last few decades can be just as spectacular as any freshwater Angelfish. Some snakes may quickly become as handle-able as the most docile tabby cat, and in general are more tolerant of regular handling than most turtles, frogs, lizards and birds, and all tropical fish !
Snakes are not mammals, however. They are reptiles and reptiles don't typically form social bonds with one another although some scientists have recently found evidence that some bonding may occur between denning female rattlesnakes. Snakes will respond, though, in interesting ways to gentle handling and regular interaction. The meanest snake I have ever come across in 50 years of "herping" is now as docile as your most trusted Labrador , or as they say in the hobby, dog-tame.
Exotic, almost transcendental in grace and beauty, combined with high handle-ability are two pluses in favor of keeping a snake as a pet. They are also relatively easy, low maintenance pets to keep if you are willing to research your selection up front and start with a beginner species. Corn snakes, rat snakes, milk, king, gopher, bull, and pine snakes, all fall into this category.
Most snakes from temperate climates are very hardy, tolerant animals requiring little more than a small heating pad, escape proof housing, a fresh bowl of water, a hiding box, and "whole foods" every week or two. Many can easily go for weeks without feeding especially during the cooler months of the year if clean water is provided.
The major minus in most people's eyes regarding snake care is their diet of "whole foods".
No, we are not talking bulk grains, goji berries, and soy yogurt here. We are instead referring to rodents, and a few other choice delicacies you won't find on ice in your local natural foods deli department. Most of the commonly kept pet snake species today will need to eat a mouse or two, or a rat every 7 to 10 days. Many people find this distasteful but the majority of us are largely unaffected walking down the isle of a supermarket displaying slabs of now unrecognizable "whole foods."
Be that as it may, the fact is inescapable; snakes are animals, and animals often eat other animals. It is seldom necessary or desirable these days, however, to feed your serpent live prey. High quality frozen feeder animals can be purchased in bulk online or individually at a retail stores, and just need to be thawed out in warm water (don't nuke!) before feeding.
Bear in mind, if you do choose to permit your child to acquire a snake as a pet, and purchase bulk feeders online, you may have the unfortunate occasion to reach into the freezer for a pint of ice cream and wind up with a "rat-sicle" in your hand instead. Just purchase them on an as needed basis from your local pet store if you wish to steer clear of such an indelibly chilling experience.
One of the other less appealing considerations of keeping snakes as pets is that they're amazing escape artists. Give them a quarter inch and they'll crawl a mile! Many different types of housing are now available that counters the serpentine's amazing escape-abilities.
Aquariums that have been commonly used to house reptiles in the past tend to be more problematic in this regard. Many people neglect to clip the lid on properly and come home to find an empty tank. A custom designed wood cage with a simple secure "open and shut" door makes this issue much more manageable. Sophisticated high grade professional "vivarium" cages are now also widely available and reasonably priced.
One of the most common questions people frequently ask is, "Will snakes get along with my cats and dogs"? In my experience, unless one is absolutely determined to choose one of the larger boa or python species which are highly questionable as pets for reasons not to be discussed here, most snakes pose little threat to cats and dogs of any size. Rats and hamsters, yes, maybe even a baby rabbit, guinea pig, or small bird - but the snakes I've kept as pets show very little interest in mid-sized mammals wearing collars, bells, and ID tags. Cats do indeed pose a threat to small to medium sized snakes.
So in closing, I hope that those of you who are considering, or would consider sharing your home with a slithery serpent, are now better informed and empowered to make a choice that will be optimal for all sentient beings, both bipedal and non-pedal.
One of the strangest experiences I've ever had happened in Lake County back in the early 1980s. I was managing a natural foods restaurant called the Magic Inn, housed in an ancient cabin on the property of a popular resort in Northern California. That summer I was having trouble with furry vagabonds scurrying about the kitchen. The rustic cabin had lots of cracks in its' outside walls, allowing easy access for mice, and the inside walls, paneled with unevenly milled pine boards full of knot holes, provided perfect nesting opportunies.
I set a few traps baiting them with bits of cheese and peanut butter, and the thought occurred to me that I might also release one of the local snake species into a knot hole inside for enhanced extirpation. I figured my slithery assistant would explore all the nooks and crannies for a few days, eat as many nesting rodents as he could, then slip out of the building when the meals ran out.
Two days later I was hiking up in the surrounding hills when I came upon a gorgeous four foot black and white banded Kingsnake crossing a dusty mountain fire road. Picking him up to more closely inspect his glossy length, I thought he might be the perfect solution to my rodent woes. I started hiking back down the mountain with my new friend draped around my neck.
I immediately began to have serious misgivings, however, about the deed I was initiating. Pausing to consider the possible outcomes of my all too clever endeavor, I decided transplanting this wonderful creature from his peaceful, grassy hillside was just not the great idea I’d thought it might be. Reversing direction, I placed him back down in the exact spot I found him and returned home grateful for the interspecial encounter.
Three nights later, reading inside near some shelves that held large glass jars of rice, beans, polenta, and other dry ingredients, I happened to glance up at the shelving. A movement caught my eye, and I was astonished to see fifteen inches of California King Snake disappearing into the very knot hole I had envisioned releasing one into! Although snakes were common on the property, I'd never seen one actually enter the building before, nor ever again after that remarkable evening. I'm sure others have a better explanation than I have for this strange incident involving my favorite creature, the snake.
