Choosing a Snake as a Pet

When choosing a pet, especially if you have a family, there are many things to consider.  Snakes are a great option for both kids and adults as they are exciting, fun, and do not require too much "daily maintenance." 

Reptiles make great pets in general, but snakes are my personal favorite.  Many species have very long life spans, they can be personal [much more than you may think!], and they have simple needs. 

Living Space

A snake's living space is called a vivarium, which is basically a waterless version of an aquarium. Depending on the species, pet snakes will live in some kind of substrate, usually shredded newspaper, sawdust, wood shavings, or another natural plant product. Snakes should have some different articles in their habitat, such as half logs to hide under, or various climbing objects. How often the substrate has to be changed varies with snake size and species, but should never be any less than once a month. The most important part of the snake's habitat is the water bowl. Not only do snakes drink water often [it's very interesting to watch], but many snakes like being able to put their body in the water bowl. With this in mind, get one that's big enough!  Most snakes also require a certain temperature range, so an electric heating pad that self-adheres to the bottom of the vivarium is probably necessary, connected to a lamp dimmer. 

Diet

This is a very important thing to consider before purchasing a snake: you have to be willing to feed it mammals.  However, you definitely don't need to keep live mice or rats to raise a snake; any pet store will carry frozen mice and rats in many sizes.  My personal suggestion, from others' experience and my own, is that you definitely choose frozen mice.  I have known people to actually get attached to mice they originally bought as snake food, and they got stuck with more pets.  Also, in a closed environment such as a cage, larger rodents can actually injure your snake.  It may seem improbable, but snakes have been bitten and a rodent's bite can easily lead to infection.  There is one thing to remember, however, with frozen rodents: don't forget that you will have to devote some freezer space to them, and other people living with you might not be so keen to the idea of frozen mice right next to their frozen meat. 

Social Properties

     Snakes can be very social animals with humans, and will always want to explore.  If you get a snake, you should take it out and handle it multiple times per week.  My snake, a Grey-Banded King snake, can recognize me and various people that handle him often, reacting differently to each person based off their scent. 

     It was already stated that snakes never stop exploring, and this attribute has made them the greatest escape artists of the pet world.  Given the tiniest opportunity, any snake will figure out a way to exit its cage unnoticed.  Always make sure the top is SECURELY LOCKED onto your vivarium!

Choosing a Snake

Once you think you understand what owning a snake entails [pun :P], you need to choose which species is right for you. Unless you are a very experienced snake owner without any children around, all poisonous species are out of the question. Though they may be beautiful, you will be handling the snake and you don't want to have any worries about bites.

One thing that is surprisingly important about what snake you get is whether or not it was born in captivity. I would say that you must choose a snake that was born in captivity, as they will be much more friendly, less likely to bite, and used to previously frozen dinners.

King Snakes

King snakes might be the best kind of snake to keep as a pet. They are non-venomous, and don't even have large teeth or fangs! King snakes come in many sizes and beautiful colors and will live for over 20 years. Temperament varies by species and breeding, but most are generally calm but not too scared.

Corn Snakes

Corn snakes also make good pets, but I have found they tend to bite more than Kings.  They are a species of rat snake and are non-venomous.  Their name comes from a corn-like pattern on their scales, and can grow a bit larger than most King snakes. 

Ball Pythons

Ball pythons probably have the longest lifespan of these three featured species, with some topping 50 years.  Of these three, the Ball is the shortest but also the thickest.  It is from Africa, and gets its name from the fact that it rolls up into a ball when scared.  They are generally pretty placid and friendly, and definitely a good option for first snake owners. 

Estimated Cost of Care

Generally, caring for a snake is very cheap.  Mice cost more as your snake grows and requires larger prey, but will almost always be less than 50 cents each, and most snakes eat about once every week to two weeks.  Substrate is, of course, very cheap also. Once you pass the starting cost of a vivarium, heater, and the actual reptile, upkeep is very low.

Initial cost varies a lot by species, with snakes costing from 40 to hundreds of dollars for more exotic varieties.  You could even think of a snake purchase as an investment, as my snake would probably be worth twice as much today as when I bought it as a baby.