Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, My 9 year old step son wants a snake, it'll be his first so I want him to have a complete understanding of all that will be required from him, not just now as a kid but for the rest of his life, so every aspect from the proper cage size and temps to proper amounts food and maintenance. Problem is a book doesn’t say enough without reading a book for every species, so I thought up this list and would like your help putting them in order of importance and to add whatever I didn't think of. #1st: And foremost probably; People need to put themselves in their snake's position. Aquariums are for fish or feeder rodents and don't offer snakes fresh air at the bottom of tank, forcing the snake to smell its own feces. Also snakes don't recognize clean glass, so heat, hunger or stress from one reason or another (like the scent of a dog or cat or loud vibrations from music/tv) will causes a snake to rub its rostral scale completely off its face. They do make good temporary cages just not permanent cages. #2nd: The Enclosure; Cage parameter should be 1 1/2 times the length of the longest snake in the cage. Bedding should be 1-2 times deeper than the diameter of the snake being contained (paper is cheap and easy to roll up but snakes feel deprived and will stress. Also a light cycle, a visible in-cage thermometer and two large vents at each end of enclosure for ample air movement. #3rd: Temperature Gradient; A heat pad bigger than the snake in a coil and at one end of cage will provide a hot side/cool side gradient and promote proper digestion and contention in the enclosure as the snake will learn to love being in the cage just for that spot. A hidebox on the deep bedding at each end will allow for a stress free life on top of the bedding or below while in shed cycle. #4: Water bowl; should be heavy and big enough to hold water for three days or more without evaporating and kept clean to prevent stomach disorders that lead to repeated regurgitations, this is especially so if snake drinks out of feces contaminated water. #5: Feeding; for juveniles its almost constant if snake is not in, or going into shed cycle. Adult snakes eat less often and will let their owner know when they're hungry by focusing on movement in snake room. (90% of pet snake owners severely under feed their pet.) Underfed snakes are never content and constantly look for a way out. #6: Moisture Gradient; milks want a moist bedding with a dry spot, most other snakes will want dry bedding with a moist spot, but most snakes would wake up to a dew covered ground on a daily basis in the wild, and most forage for food in the early part of the day so mist the cage bedding or tip the water bowl into bedding once a week before refilling it, this also will promote complete sheds that include the eyecaps. #7: Collection size; Don't over extend yourself, 4 pair of adult snakes of any species will require allot of your of spare time if you work 40 hour a week and have kid/kids. #8: Husbandry; Bedding should be spot cleaned daily but completely replaced after washing interior with bleach/water mix bi-monthly to prevent feces dust from lining bottom of enclosure where snake repeatedly defecates and could collect old dry feces dust and retract it back inside body cavity where it can cause infection. #9: Sanity, if you have so many snakes that you can’t take them outside, one at a time, and smell the air or taste the ground after a heavy rain shower than cut back the collection, a snake that never gets to feel the Sun on its skin is a miserable snake.

Sounds like you have it all figured out. That being said, I agree with basically everything you wrote. There is one other aspect that you didn't mention & that's the joy/fun that's in it for whomever is lucky enough to get to take care of & own the snake(s). If it wasn't an overall fun experience, surely, most if not all people whom have them as pets wouldn't want to keep them! You seemed like you aimed what you wrote at all the work involved & it's true, there is lots of work in keeping any pet- especially snakes/reptiles as a whole. BUT, that is where some of the reward comes from. Because if your kid understands & gets in the habit of caring for them the "right way". He will get that much more joy out of the whole experience! I too have a step son, two actually & they're a bit younger than yours & they're not always here because we share them with there dad (these days anyway). I realize that if/when they're not here the responsibility will fall on me to care for their snakes if/when they get them. It's just a matter of time now before we get them something. The burden (if it can even be called that) falls on myself to teach them how to care for these awesome creatures. You undoubtedly sound as if you understand how to care for them. I hope everything works out for you & for the kid!
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pit-chew-o-fuss